This month we are offering a classical still life challenge. Fruit and vegetables have been depicted since Roman times, and found their heyday in the opulent Dutch still lifes of the 17th century. Cézanne and Van Gogh, among others continued but also renewed the still life. Every member may enter two paintings. The deadline is September 25th at midnight CET. Please remember to rename your files. Attention: for this challenge only your own reference photos are allowed.

Our judge Kerstin Birk PGE has chosen her winner, it is Hilarie Couture with "Flowers in her hair". Congratulations! Hilarie receives a certificate and an material prize! Flowers and netting with pastel In second place is Silja Salmistu with "Tangled Temple", in third place is Janet Buellwith"Wild Irish Summer". "Tangled Temple" is created with Gouache and soft pastels on multimedia artboard. Painted from life. "Wild Irish Summer" is created with Multi-media paper splashed w

Our guest judge Hilarie Couture has chosen her winner; it is MaoMei with her 'Whisper of Wind'. Congratulations! MaoMei receives a certificate and an Artisan Pastellier pastel box! In second place is Elena Degenhardt with "Meditation IX", in third place is Theresa Seals with"Lambretta Love". Honorable mentions go to Silja Salmistu with "After the heyday #5", Karin Kiessling with "Girl on the stairs" and Emmanuelle Fonsy with "Dappled Light". You can see all 61 entries in the

Hilarie Couture’s primary mediums are pastels and oils. She is passionate about painting a portrait or figure but sometimes just the color of a landscape or the light appeals to her impressionistic style. Her goal is to suggest a feeling; either through a person’s expression, or a sense of place. All of her life experiences have translated to her substrates as she is self- taught but has attended workshops from many artists she admires. She feels that the fundamentals are the

The Summer GET DUSTY runs over two months. Deadline is August, 25th at midnight CET. Every member may post up to three entries of their choice. We are looking forward to seeing your work. Have a great summer! @dorotheaschulz

Our guest judge Jeri Greenberg PSA has chosen her winner; it is Beatrice Mitry with her 'Sailing I '. Congratulations! Beatrice receives a certificate and an Artisan Pastellier pastel box! In second place is Dorothea Schulz PGE with "Sisters", in third place is Hilarie Couture with"Sunny Stroll". Honorable mentions go to Torkild Laursen with "Joyride", Maciej Bobowicz with "Little Surfers" and Lynn Howarth PGE with "My Girls". You can see all 19 entries in the Competition Ga

This month's category is 'Figure'. We are getting close to summer, so the challenge is 'Leisure activities'. Show us your paintings of people enjoying their free time. As usual, every member may enter two paintings. Deadline is June 25th at midnight CET. Happy summer time painting! @dorotheaschulz

Our guest judge Vera Kavura has chosen her winner; it is Alena Rachinger with her 'Where Summer Blooms'. Congratulations! Alena receives a certificate and an Artisan Pastellier pastel box! In second place is Silja Salmistu with "Midsummer Meadow", in third place is Beatrice Mitry with"Backlit Meadow Flowers". Honorable mentions go to Catherine Nowak with "Wild Mallow-Malva sylvestris", Tetiana Mershavka with "A Piece of Wild Forest" and Mary Greenacre with "Boutons d´Or". Yo

Vera Kavura is a Ukrainian artist currently based in Italy. She is known for her expressive pastel paintings of flowers created exclusively from life, using natural light and carefully arranged live bouquets. Her work has been exhibited internationally in pastel exhibitions and salons across Europe and has received recognition in international pastel competitions. Vera’s paintings combine vibrant colour, movement, and atmosphere, balancing strong composition with a sense of

Our guest judge Mark Ivan Cole has chosen his winner; it is MaoMei with her 'Whisper of Wind 2'. Congratulations! MaoMei receives a certificate and an Artisan Pastellier pastel box! In second place is Olga Turkina with "Ramskardet", in third place is Beatrice Mitry with "Fire on Ice". Honorable mentions go to Teitana Mershavka with "Autumn on Lake Lac Carouge", Alena Rachinger with "Vik" and Kerstin Birk PGE with "Summer Meadow Montafon". You can see all 27 entries in the Co

May seems to be a fitting month for hosting a flower competition. Wildflowers are growing everywhere in a profusion of colours and shapes. We can't wait to see your paintings! Every member may enter two works, deadline is May 25 at midnight CET. Do not forget to add your reference. Addendum: It seems that painting flowers in nature is too narrow a challenge for some, so we will also allow wildflowers in a vase, but only wildflowers! @dorotheaschulz

Mark Ivan Cole grew up in the Ecuadorian Andes and has lived in three of the four quadrants of the planet, including Taiwan and the U.S. He and his wife, Ping, have hiked on trails around the world, from South Africa to Spain and from Bali to Xinjiang, China, not to mention miles and miles logged on foot in North America. Mark started drawing as soon as he could hold a crayon, and has worked in graphite, pen & ink and colored pencil for most of his adult life, but he didn't d

Our April GET DUSTY is a landscape challenge. We want to see your best mountain scenes. Every member may enter two paintings, deadline is April 25 at midnight CET. Do not forget to rename your files according to the GET DUSTY rules and include your reference in the description. Post your entries in this month's forum thread.

Our guest judge Pamela Hamilton has chosen her winner; it is Anja Poker with her ' Running Hare '. Congratulations! Anja receives a certificate and a mystery pastel box! In second place is Line Sorensen with " Wild Hairday", in third place is Karin Kiessling with "Minnie". Honorable mentions go to Alena Rachinger with "Gentle Gaze", Sabina Haas with " Big Red" and Sophie Parkhill with "The Guardian". You can see all 59 entries in the Competition Gallery. Read Pamela Ha

Our guest judge Barbara Jaenicke has chosen her winner; it is Alena Rachinger with her ' Winter Forest '. Congratulations! Alena receives a certificate and a mystery pastel box! In second place is Silja Salmistu with " Elegy", in third place is Kerstin Birk PGE with "Birch Trees in Snow". Honorable mentions go to Mao Mei with "Light of Fall", Katha Bineider with " Clemence" and Sophie Parkhill with "Afternoon Snooze". You can see all 83 entries in the Competition Galler

Congratulations, we have a winner! It is Elisabeth Schaller with "Light from the depth"! This is a stunning pastel and the 1st place is well dserved. Our winner will get a certificate!

Another year is coming to an end. The last GET DUSTY of the season is free choice. Show us your favourite work! As usual, every member may upload up to three entries. Deadline is January 25, 2026. Please read the GET DUSTY upload rules if you are unsure how to proceed and do not forget to rename your files GET DUSTY Upload | The PastelGuild of E We are looking forward to seeing your work! @doloressaul

Golden sunlight filtering through colourful leaves, nuts, acorns, chestnuts strewn on a table, ramblers dressed in scarves and bonnets for the first time since winter - autumn is a season rich in motifs for an artist. Show us your most autumnal paintings! Every member may post up to two entries. Deadline is November 25, 2025 at midnight CET. @Alena Rachinger @Deborah Damgaard-Hansen @Lynn Howarth @ Esther Kruis

Our guest judge Silja Salmistu has chosen her winner; it is Svetlana Kushkova with her ' Grandfather´s Library '. Congratulations! Svetlana receives a certificate and a Monetary Price! In second place is Hanna Mihas with "In an old Barn", in third place is Claire Yates with "Rust Dust ande Loved". Honorable mentions go to Janet Johnson with "Heavy Metal", Ron Norp with " Rusty Contacts" and Viviane Trubey with "The Cabinet". You can see all 28 entries in the Competition

SILJA SALMISTU PSA, IAPS-MC Silja is known for her still life paintings Her art embraces almost the whole range of still life subjects, from carefree happy florals to thought-provocing social critique. ` You can tell any story using the symbolic meaning of things, and the same painting can convey as many different messages as there are interprating eyes on it ` -she says. Her paintings combine both control and chaos - a keen direct observation of the subject with playful