Pastel chalks and engine grease at Lexus
“Sweet Death,” by Zahra Pezeshk
“Sweet Death,” by Zahra Pezeshk
The Pastel Society of Southern California’s annual show is on view through May 4 in Torrance
“John, party of two. John.”
In case you’re wondering, I’m sitting outside a busy restaurant with Lynn Attig and her sidekick, Bernard Fallon, both of them key figures (Lynn’s the president) of the Pastel Society of Southern California. Lynn has already put her name down, but there are several other hungry diners, or “parties,” ahead of us. Periodically they’re being summoned via loudspeaker as we converse about this year’s pastel show, currently on view at the South Bay Lexus Service Center in Torrance.
“Duck Lake Creek,” by David Gilmore
What makes this exhibition different?
“This year the Pastel Society is celebrating its ninth annual show,” Lynn replies, “which means there’s a tenth right there on the horizon, and we are heavy into planning for our tenth anniversary pastel extravaganza.
“So, the neat thing about this year,” she continues, “is that we have decided as a board to offer free membership for one year in the Pastel Society as a thank-you to our dedicated members, of which we have about 130 or 140.”
It is hoped that this offer will lure prospective members “who might want to join and see what the excitement’s all about. It’s not a great fee, it’s $30, but by putting that aside people get the opportunity to spend that $30 on pastel supplies or on some kind of a small workshop, doing something that furthers their arts education or their art.”
“Melinda, party of four.”
“You still have to register,” Lynn adds; “you can go to pastelsocal.com, and there’s a membership tab. You can fill out the form, but there’s nothing to pay for. It’s just click, submit, and you’ll get a membership in the mail.”
The Pastel Society of Southern California was co-founded along with Margaret Lindsey and Bonny Botello.
“Many of our members have been members for the entire nine years,” Lynn says.
“Alicia, party of three. Alicia.”
“Last year we created a novice category for people who are new to pastels,” Lynn explains, “and we continued that this year. You’re going to be amazed at the ‘novice’ work. We also have a silver category, a gold category, and a miniature category. And again, this is the second year for those four exact categories.
“What’s different this year, I would say, is the quality of the work continues to go up. We bring in instructors from all over…”
“Oscar, party of three. Oscar.”
“We have one coming from Cornwall, Tony Allain. He’s going to be our judge for the exhibition.”
Allain is an internationally-known pastellist. The group also attracts noted instructors from around the country and even farther afield who come in to teach workshops, which often fill up in a hurry.
Bernard Fallon and Lynn Attig. Photo
“Lexus is going under a major remodel in June,” Lynn says. “So we’re the last show before the remodel and I’m a little concerned as to what’s going to happen. That’s been a great community building for the show.”
“Ever since Flag Stop,” Bernard says. “That’s where the whole thing started.”
“So we’re going to be looking for a large venue for the tenth anniversary next spring for our show,” Lynn says. “It’s going to be huge, and we might even have dual locations. We might do South Bay; we might want to get out into L.A. or Orange County.”
“The members are all over the place,” adds Bernard. “Who lives the farthest north?”
“We have people in Kansas City and Illinois,” Lynn tells us. “In terms of California, we have someone up in Northern California and we have someone in San Diego, and then everywhere in between. We have one from Las Vegas who drives over for our meetings; our meetings are every other month.”
“The one coming from Vegas is really taking a gamble,” Bernard says.
“Patty, party of two. Patty.”
“The Drifter,” by Otto Stürcke
Then they talk about Otto Stürcke, who not only is an exquisite pastellist who has been acclaimed everywhere and then some, he’s going to assume the presidency of the group at its tenth anniversary.
“We’re excited about his enthusiasm and his expertise,” Lynn says.
(And what does Otto Stürcke himself say about all this? First, he points out that he’s a United States Marine Corps Desert Storm Veteran.
“I’ve been a member (of the Pastel Society) for a year and half now, and in that time I can honestly say I’ve made lasting friendships and memories through a lush medium I grew to love in the past six years. As President I want to ensure the continued local and national growth we’ve achieved in the past 10 years by extending that warm welcome through a society that feels a lot more like a supportive family.
“Last year, at the 8th Annual PSSC Exhibition, I was truly honored with the 1st Place Award for my piece titled “The Last Ride.” This year for the 9th Annual PSSC Exhibition I entered a piece titled “The Drifter,” an image of a Canada Goose which took quite a few months to finish based on the detail involved in the plumage.
“Our 9th Annual is show is by far a superb exhibit showcasing a medium that is often misunderstood. I would like to invite everyone to come see this showcase of talent and discover for themselves why the pastel medium truly is a luminous medium.”)
“Moonstone Rowing Boat,” by Bernard Fallon
“I think we’re bringing some of the top talent to the South Bay, in pastel,” Lynn says.
“And it’s starting to show,” Bernard says. (Or did he say, “It’s starting to snow”?)
“Patty, party of two. Patty.”
That’s the second time she’s been called. Maybe Patty got fed up, and left? Well, not exactly “fed up” since it’s obvious she’d been waiting to eat, and how can anyone be fed up and hungry at the same time?
“Last year we sold some pretty expensive pieces,” Lynn says. “In the South Bay, sometimes you wonder how much people are going to spend on a piece of art, but we are selling pieces. And Rejoice in Art, which I’m the director of in the fall… There’s a lot of expensive pieces that sold there, in the $2,000 to $2,500 range.”
Lynn then goes inside to check where we are on the waiting list. I don’t tell them, but I have my sleeping bag in the car in case it’s a matter of days instead of minutes. Popular restaurants, you know?
“Hyatt, party of two. Hyatt, party of two.”
The Pastel Society of Southern California has a pretty concise mission statement, which reads like the Ten Commandments minus seven: “To bring together Pastel artists in the Southern California region for camaraderie and collaboration. To educate the public and promote pastel as a fine art medium through local pastel-only exhibitions. To foster artistic excellence through public demonstrations, workshops, critiques, and exchange of technical and new product information.”
“We have one party ahead of us,” Lynn says upon her return.
“The show is about the same size as last year, in terms of numbers,” Bernard says. “I think the divide between the top artists and…”
I never did hear the end of his sentence because:
“Lynn, party of three. Lynn, party of three.”
Hey! That’s us. Let’s go eat!
“Palos Verdes Valley,” by Marsha Burnett