SEQUINED PROMISES “A top winner in any competition is a painting that continues to call your attention each time you walk into a room. This piece does just that. Both the subject matter and the rendering of the light are startling. The asymmetrical composition has a contemporary feel that plays beautifully with the choice of a neutral blue-green background. The soft scumble of violet over the warm gold of the milkweed pods creates the perfect shadow area, as well as setting up a subtle vibration with both the golden light and green tinted background. However, my favorite part, and what drew me back to the piece repeatedly, was the wispy tendrils of just released silk that seem to dance away from the pod. Magical.”

~ Cindy Crimmin, Awards Judge, Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, 28th Annual National Juried Exhibition, “2024 For Pastels Only”

DANCE OFF “This artwork masterfully uses the principle of contrast with hard and soft texture. The interplay between the beautiful warm, backlit light, and the cool background create a striking visual impact. The placement of the seeds forms an armature that draws the viewer’s eye into the focal point where there is the most contrast in value and edges, and the upward movement of the top seed counter balanced with the downward movement of the main seed, creating dynamic visual movement. I also like the translucent quality of all these seeds and the backlighting, particularly how they gradually fade out at the periphery. The design is beautifully executed, with an uneven spacing of all the shapes and lines, fresh and loose marks, that really depict movement and transparency, and just the position of the found edges next to the soft edges. Lastly, the artist skillfully renders the white color of the plant by using complementary hues and color temperature, so that really makes it a centerpiece of the exhibition.”

~ Susan Shuk Lee, Awards Judge, Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, “Members Open Online Exhibition”

THE WAY DOWN “From the moment the water flows between the rocks we are caught in the current of it’s downward motion, creating a masterful composition that sweeps us around. The palette is extraordinary with a delicate balance of muted color and vibrancy in shade and sunlight.”

~ Betsy Payne Cook, Awards Judge, 10th Annual Adirondack National Pastel Exhibition 2024

BABBLING “The capture of light in this piece is spectacular. The artist edited each element in the landscape to include only what was necessary to convey the reflected light on the rocks and water, and the lively movement of the stream. Clean, confident mark-making also nicely conveyed varying textures and contributed to a strong sense of energy throughout the painting.”

~ Barbara Jaenicke, Juror of Selection, Pastel Society of New Hampshire, 15th Annual National Juried Exhibition, “It’s Pastel”

SACHUEST SURF “This artist has created a skillful, dramatic seascape. We can almost hear the roaring surf and smell the salt air as we are drawn to the active focal point of a sunlit wave crashing on solid rock.”

~ Eileen Casey, Connecticut Pastel Society, 29th Annual National Exhibition, “Renaissance in Pastel”

FUNNELED “This piece is a great example of warm/cool contrast and the drama of values. A really interesting composition where that strong triangle comes down to really point the viewer’s eye to the bottom right corner where there is an explosion of color as that wave crashes into the opening. I especially love that warm light on the inner side of the right rock, contrasted by the purplish blue on the upper part of the rock that is so clearly reflecting the color of the sky. I really loved the color use and composition here. Great work, Allison!”

~ Tara Will, Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, 26th Annual National Juried Exhibit, “For Pastels Only”

PEONY SPIRAL “Here is another one for the light and the reflected light, shadows, and the transparency of the water and the vase. Did I mention the light? It is also very well-drawn, and the crop makes the shadow and the cloth part of the subject. Really leads the eye around, always back to that glorious full bloom.”

~ Rita Kirkman, Great Lakes Pastel Society, National Online Exhibition

BLUE RIBBON BLOOMS “The sunlight captured on these blooms is brilliantly painted. Allison’s play of light and shadow on the petals gives the dahlias such presence you can feel the weight of their blooms. And the yellow against the turquoise sky is magical!”

~ Laurinda O’Connor, Pastel Society of Maine, 22nd Annual Open Juried Exhibition, “Pastels Only”

ROUNDING THE RIM “This painting achieves marvelous translucence in the water. It is astonishing how powdered pigment can convey such limpidness.”

~ Katie Hanson, Central Mass Pastel Society, National Exhibition, “Marks of Distinction 2022”

GOLD RUSH “Color, energy, and movement! What a dynamic painting! Water is hard enough to depict, but to do it in a way that is unusual, both in composition and color, makes for a wild ride here between the rocks. Add in the bright sunlight and cool shadows created by lush, captivating marks and this becomes a unique and exciting painting of what might otherwise be considered traditional subject matter.”

~ Lyn Asselta, PSNH 13th Annual National Exhibition, “It’s Pastel”

SILVER SPRAY AND BLUE STONE “…to be able to accomplish the feel of the different textures, surfaces, weights, and volumes, and then have the fluid movement here, of the water and the mark making as it splashes over it, is a wonderful combination of weight and fluidity that I found to be quite astonishing.”

~ Laura Pollak, Pastel Society of Maine, “Pastels Only”

JACKSON FALLS “The water here has such great movement and motion! I love how the limited palette provides interest in the extreme values. The light of the splashing water against the shadow side of the rock face provides great contrast and only adds to the interest of the shifting shadows within the water. I like how the horizon line sits so high in the composition.”

~ Tara Will, Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, “For Pastels Only 2020”

ROADSIDE SUNSHINE “I was drawn to the composition and the continuity in this painting. The size and shape of the sunflowers dominating the foreground give way to much smaller sizes and shapes, which draw the eye back to a row of trees beyond the field. The violets and oranges of the light on the sunflowers in the foreground is echoed in the color of the clouds in the distance. I find this to be successful in composition and in discovering ways to lead the eye through the painting to the space between the trees in the distance, allowing the viewer to skip over those lovely flowers and off toward the edge of the field.”

~ Lyn Asselta, Pastel Society of Maine, “Pastels Only”