The walls of the Mall Galleries are once again adorned with the most recent showcase of pastel excellence from around the world. The theme of this year’s Pastel Society exhibition is ‘Benchmark’, highlighting skill, inspiration and enthusiasm. It’s safe to say that this spectacular display of art undoubtedly captures the theme.
Kate and Dan Hersey were honoured to be asked again to select three paintings to be recipients of the Unison Colour Award. The quality of the pieces displayed in this year’s exhibition are truly remarkable, so choosing only three was a challenging task.
The winner of the Unison Colour Young Artist Award is Felicity Talman, whose striking close-up of a flower titled ‘In the Night Garden’ really stood out.
‘Autumn Orange’ by Jeannette Hayes PPPS was awarded the Unison Colour Member Award – Kate and Dan loved the expressive quality and bold use of colour in this piece.
Finally, the Unison Colour Non-Member Award was given to Penelope Fulljames for her piece, ‘Mill Pond in Full Flood’ – a masterful display of skill in capturing the essence of a water.
It was so lovely to see so many of our brilliant Associate Artists showcase their pieces in the exhibition. It’s always such a privilege to see how our pastels are used and where they end up – where better than on the walls of the Mall Galleries?
The exhibition will be open from Wednesday 22nd January – Saturday 8th February.
