IAPS Convention Review and Photos

The 10th The Tenth Biennial Convention of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico,June 6-9, 2013.  I have been several times but on this occasion Regina Burchett came from North Carolina to Albuquerque and we attended the activities together.  

As always, it is a very special event.  There are several hundred pastelists that get together for workshops, demonstrations, vendor shows and commaraderie.  It is so much fun.  One of the pros is that there are 600 or so very good painters there and the con is that there are 600 or so very good painters there.  

How can you be inspired and intimidated at the same time?  The first convention for me was a bit intimidating as I knew very little about pastels or painting with them.  I had no idea about the best materials and tools to use.  On the other hand, I had no idea about how knowledgeable the other artists were or where they came from and was not in great awe of them.

Now it is sort of the other way round.  I have garnered much information about pastels and how to use them so I feel comfortable discussing the hows and how nots.  And maybe now, I am a bit awed by the artists that give the demos and workshops.  Their reputation as being the best at what they do preceeds them and gets my attention.  I have to say that in general, pastelists are the most generous in sharing information and helping each other to be the best artists we can be.

There were several workshops before and after the convention.  Artists have the opportunity to see and be around many of the well known presentors.  It is easy to sign up for too many demos or workshops and be exhausted by the end of the week.  

The the Twenty-Second Juried Exhibition and the Second Master Circle Exhibition opened with a reception on Wednesday, June 5, from 5:00 7:00 p.m.  Regina and I went to that.  The paintings were excellent and it was nice to see all the artists.  We went to dinner in Old Town after the reception.

Church in Old Town

Thursday was registration followed by the Paint Around.  Five artists paint for an hour, moving from painting to painting every 10 minutes, ending back at the painting they started to finish up.  There was an abstract, floral and three landscapes.  It is fun to watch and the paintings are auctioned to benefit the group.

Paint Around

Next on Thursday evening was a  a party outdoors in the beautiful courtyard of the Hotel Albuquerque including a buffet dinner, followed by a short program, and then a special musical performance by an excellent local band. Tickets to this event were included in the registration fee.  During the event we were treated to a very exceptional sunset.  You have seen someone stand up and take photos at a restaurant, but there about 500 artists jumped up and spent about 10 minutes going around the hotel taking photos.  It was funny to see.

 Two of the sunset views.

Regina and I at the dinner.

A continental breakfast was provided on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  The hotel offered streamlined sandwich lunch service so that artists didn’t have to miss their demos.

Regina and I were among the first at the opening of the Trade Show on Friday morning.  The different companies offer their products at reduced prices and have demos going on to show their wares.  There is a raffle to raise money for the next IAPS and the vendors are generous with prizes. I did not win a prize, but  I did save many dollars buying new pastels, pastel surfaces and a new plein air easel!

Regina and I skipped the Friday demos and went to Santa Fe.  Regina had not been there before and it was fun to take the back road through the mountains, do a bit of gallery hopping and then paint on Alemeda Avenue in the afternoon.

The back road to Santa Fe.

Sculpture Gallery in Santa Fe

Regina's Casita

Jo's Casita

Saturday and Sunday mornings we attended different demonstrations.  We both attended a demo by Robert Carston dealing with how to show light in a painting, specifically still life, but the info definitely applies to still life as well.

Robert capturing the light.

  

On Sunday I attended a Doug Dawson demo about painting three different paintings of the same subject at the same time with different underpaintings.  It is an exercise to learn where we run into difficulties and how to solve problems.  It was fun to see and I hope to try it one of these days.

Doug's three starts to a painting.

Sunday evening was a trip on the Sandia Peak Tramway to see the spectacular view and eat at the High Finance Restaurant.  Good food and the view is incredible.  It was a bit smokey from the forest fires in the area so we couldn’t see all the way to Mt. Taylor some 60 miles in the distance but still amazing.  

The other tram headed down the mountain.

Sunset from Sandia Peak

Tram arriving at the top.

We saw many of our friends from the Austin/Bastrop area and Regina got to see friends from North Carolina.  We made some new friends and all in all had a great time.    Now to see what I learned and how I use my new toys!