Hilarie Couture - our judge for the Summer Get Dusty

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 most important foundation in an artists career. Hilarie’s work was published in the French art magazine “Pratique Des Art” Issue #53 with a six page article about her pastel portraiture. Also, the 2024 winter issue of Pastel Journal Magazine featured Hilarie ‘s pastel portrait work In September 2024 she was a guest artist on Eric Rhoads Art School Live You Tube program demonstrating how to paint a poetic pastel portrait.and a few weeks later the contrejour portrait in pastel . She has also been on a few art podcasts in the USA and interviewed on the NPR television show”Arts in Focus . In the USA in 2022, she founded the Premiere Pastel Society of Indiana based in Fort Wayne,Indiana. She was a signature member of the Northwest Pastel Society, member of the Northern Indiana Pastel Society, Pastel Society of America , Vice President of the Fort Wayne Artist Guild and a member of the American Impressionists Society. Since moving to France in 2025, she became a journeyer member of the Pastel Guild of Europe, a member of the International Pastel Society, Pastel Du Opale, Art du Pastel and Pastel du Bretagne . She has been exhibiting in a few pastel salons and recently won an award in Berric. Hilarie believes in giving back and sharing what she has learned to help other artists. She taught at St. Francis University, Fort Wayne, as an adjunct professor in oil painting and has taught art workshops in person and on zoom. She has been a popular instructor and guest judge for various art guilds, retirement facilities, and community colleges.