Local artists can join the resurgence of pastel art in the Valley at the 4th Tulare County Judged Pastel Exhibition at Lindsay Museum & Gallery
LINDSAY – Prepare to be tickled pink – and every other color imaginable – at the Lindsay art gallery’s next exhibition, where a kaleidoscope of vibrant, velvety shades, all crafted by local artists, awaits the region’s local art-enthusiasts.
The Lindsay Museum & Gallery will host this 2024 exhibition of soft pastels only – no oil pastels. The show opens Friday, Jan. 12 at the museum’s location at 165 North Gale Hill Ave., and runs through Friday, Feb. 9. The opening reception for the show is open to the public on Saturday, Jan. 13, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Food and refreshments will be available for visitors.
After that, visitors can see the show during regular business hours at the museum from 12 p.m. through 4:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
According to association curator Bill Tungate, the Lindsay Art Association hopes the show will bring more public awareness to work being done in the pastel medium, and to the work of artists in Tulare County in general.
“In Porterville, there’s a kind of an inordinate number of people interested in pastels. A lot of those people have come to Lindsay because of the pastel shows that we (were) putting on (pre-COVID),” Tungate said.
Tungate explained that the art association was well on its way to achieving their goal of spotlighting soft pastels. Because of the complications brought on by the pandemic, this is Lindsay’s first exhibition of pastel paintings since 2019. Once everyone had to go into quarantine, Tungate wasn’t sure if they would have to start over building a community that was interested in the medium.
“When we had to stop because of COVID, I didn’t want to lose any of the headway that we’ve made by getting people interested in pastel. We’ve been lucky to keep several people that were participants in the Porterville group,” Tungate said.
The exhibit will be presented by the Lindsay Art Association and will feature the work of Tulare County artists, 18 years of age and older. The artists will compete in five categories including Landscape and Seascape, Portrait and Figure, Still Life, Interiors, Florals, Animal and Wildlife, and Abstract and Non-Objective.
All Tulare County artists can enter their pastel pieces into the exhibit, which has awards for various categories in first, second and third place, as well as some Honorable Mentions. All of the categories will be decided at the judge’s discretion. The “Best of Show” will also be awarded to a lucky artist, and includes a cash prize of $100.
Artist statements to correspond with the submissions are appreciated but not required for the exhibition. The art association will be accepting pieces on Jan. 5, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. However, Tungate explained that artists can contact him directly if they cannot submit pieces during that time.
The judge for the show will be Brent Hudspeth, a local fine artist and graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Formerly a successful Illustrator and digital artist in Los Angeles, Brent is all set to bring his expertise to the judging table as the art association starts an artistic resurgence in Lindsay.
According to Tungate, Hudspeth held an art show at the art association this summer at the insistence of his friend and successful artist Shane Guffogg.
“He put up a show of about 25 paintings that were just absolutely brilliant paintings. They were all using the subject of the horse,” Tungate said.
He continued to explain that Hudspeth has been a lifelong horseman and ranch worker, an experience that he uses to inspire his art.
“I wanted it to be a professional artist who was going to be judging,” Tungate said. “He’s an excellent artist so we went ahead and decided to (ask him) to judge it.”
For additional information or to submit an art piece into the showing, contact Bill Tungate at 559-709-6178, or email him at [email protected].