School’s Out by Kathie Janda
Sunrise on the Rim by Gretchen Olberding
A Case for Pastries by Sharon Adamy
Gretchen Olberding
Kathie Janda, Sharon Adamy and Gretchen Olberding were recently juried into the first Open National Pastel Show competition sponsored by the Arizona Pastel Artists Association, to be held in Sedona at the Sedona Arts Center from April 13 to 25, 2017.
With nationally known painters submitting artworks, this was a fierce competition. Judges Terri Ford, Lorenzo Chavez and Kim Lordier, each a superior artist in their own right, viewed 229 entries from 90 artists; 80 artworks were chosen from 57 artists. The juried entries can be viewed on the APAA website: http://apaa.wildapricot.org.
Kathie Janda
World traveler Kathie Janda gives new meaning to the term “art movement.” An Army brat who has resided internationally and in six states, Kathie has visited dozens of countries. These travels enrich her art as well as her life. Kathie’s formal training has been opportunistic. She has enjoyed her classes at Scottsdale Artists School as well as in various cities in Arizona and California with nationally known and respected teachers.
In addition to the Sedona show, Kathie has two other paintings juried into the West Valley Art Museum’s 2017 Show.
Kathie seeks unusual scenes or subjects for her paintings, such as her APAA Sedona Show’s School’s Out. Ask Kathie how she feels about being juried into her first National Show and she’ll tell you, “as excited as my Jack Russell Terrier waiting for his master to come out of the school building!”
Sharon Adamy
Sharon Adamy, a Signature Member of both the Arizona and New Mexico Pastel societies, will be exhibiting two paintings. A Case for Pastries features an older gentleman pondering his choices in a crowded pastry shop in Avignon, France. Rainy Weekend is an eye catching panorama of a market scene in Arles, France. Both paintings show Sharon’s passion for capturing crowds of people and love of travel. One writer described Sharon’s paintings this way: “In short, Sharon’s paintings seem to be in motion — albeit perhaps slow motion — and you get the feeling that the motion you sense will continue after you turn your back and look away.”
Gretchen Olberding
A lover of nature and travel, Gretchen combines her passions in her artwork. Sunrise on the Rim began as an early morning plein air piece in oil which then evolved into the pastel work that was accepted into the Sedona show. Another cloud landscape painting, Evening Cloud Bank over Phoenix was featured in an online newsletter article from Plein Air Magazine called What Colors Do You See in the Sky? February 20, 2017. She also has two paintings juried into the West Valley Art Museum 2017 show. This recent acceptance into the National Show along with previous awards, will earn for Gretchen the coveted Signature status in the Arizona Pastel Artists Association.