Pikes Peak Pastel Society presents
Luminosity
A National Pastel Exhibit
The 2026 Annual National Juried Show
to showing at Library 21c, Colorado Springs
October 3 – 29, 2026
Our National Juried Show is beautiful; it opened on October 3rd and will run through October 29th. 29 artists with 49 paintings were juried into the show. Our juror, Lisa Ober, did a wonderful job of selecting paintings for the show and selecting the award winners.
Please stop by and see the show! Click here to see all the accepted paintings.
Below are our award winning entries. Thank you to everyone who entered. And a huge thank you to all our Sponsors who make the awards possible!
2026 Award Winners with Comments from Lisa Ober
Best in Show
Patrick Harron
Nocturnal
This is a bold and gutsy painting. Nocturne paintings have such a shallow value range that it is difficult to make them impress. I selected this painting because in spite of the shallow value range, the artist did a great job distinguishing the forms and creating a beautiful landscape. It did indeed impress. The clouds have movement, the subtle color and value changes from the foreground to the background are perfect, and the application of the pastels is quite direct and professional. The way the trees reflect the night sky is restrained. Though subtle, these reflections are handled with expertise. Excellent painting!
First Place
Mary Sexton
A Little Bit of Water
This small painting makes a grand impact! The proportions of the painting worked very well for this location. The artist has put the viewer on location and drawn them in through a series of directional turns using both shape and color, drawing the viewer from the bottom of the painting toward the top. The artist uses the texture of the paper very well throughout the piece. The purposeful strokes of the pastel indicate a thoughtful application of subtle color, temperature, and value changes. The cooler trees and the color of the sky in the remote background were also very wise choices. This is a thoughtful and beautiful painting.
Second Place
Carolyn Kincade
A Past of Plank and Nail
Paintings containing architecture are often a challenge, but not for this artist. It’s immediately clear the artist is quite familiar with proper perspective. The cast shadows show a very strong hand in a particular style that is carried throughout the entire painting. The compositional choice to run a portion of the adjacent building off the picture plane to the left leaves the viewer wondering what else is part of this location. Overall, this painting boasts a confident application of pastel. The warm light hitting the building through the trees is perfectly balanced by the muted and cooler complementary colors found in the shadows. Overall, this is a beautiful piece.
Honorable Mention
Dan Rich
Soft Twilight
This is an appropriately titled painting as it represents twilight well. It is very impressionistic and handled with a light touch and gentle style. It is a beautiful and peaceful painting. The trees in the distance are handled perfectly.
Honorable Mention
Leslie White
Dakota Womens Dance
I love the cultural nature of the painting; the vivid color struck me from a distance and upon closer inspection the motion created revealed itself. The shadows are are great, the rendering is very nice, and the composition is nice. Allowing the fringes of the women’s shawls to run off the edge of the painting was wise.
Honorable Mention
Diane Edwards
Snow Field
This is a super representation of winter; not overly fussy and impressionistic. It captures the moment well. The distance is handled well and the complementary color choices are quite nice. complementary colors are great. Lovely snow scene.
Honorable Mention
Elizabeth Gramith
Luminous Season
This artist has lived up to her title by leaving the luminosity of the sun coming through the trees and using a vivid color for the river. This painting is well rendered and the application of pastel is very nice. She has also used a combination of strokes that make the painting interesting.
Honorable Mention
Patrick Kochanasz
Convergence
This is such a unique use of pastel. It has a graphic presentation and is very stylized. It’s completely unique. The piece grabs your attention from across the room. The composition is excellent, leading the eye through the painting to the top of the waterfall. It’s a visual journey.
Honorable Mention
Carey Pelto
Spring Flowers in Brugges
This is an excellent architectural rendering where the perspective is intact, which is a feat. It’s a wonderful scene that invites you into the painting. The water is handled beautifully and the color palette is consistent throughout the whole piece.
Sponsor Awards
Kim Costello, owner and manager of Academy Art & Frame Company, picked her two favorite pieces of the show for these awards.
Academy Art and Frame Award 1
Leslie White
Dakota Womens Dance
Academy Art and Frame Award 2
Patrick Kochanasz
Aspen Dweller
Terry Ludwig Award
Marcia Ballowe
Beauty of Autumn
This is a beautiful landscape that handles the atmosphere well and the composition is wonderful. It leads the eye along the river, through the colorful foliage and trees, up to the mountains with skill. It sings of autumn.
Heilman Designs Award
Becky Johnson
Broad-tailed Bounty
The first thing you see in this painting is the hummingbird. The wings are handled incredibly well. It really looks like they are fluttering. The action is between the bird and the brighter of the two flowers. It’s a charming painting.
FrameTek Award
Billy Moro-Wey
Unusual Experience
This is an intriguing painting. It makes the viewer think and want to know more about it. What was the artist saying? What are the broken figures conveying? The composition is layered and involved. The nice arc stroke that encompasses the painting is worth noting because it works well to contain the action within.
UArt Award
Shelly Brown
Sunset Over Hatty’s Bay
This is a striking painting that captures the rich colors that come with a gorgeous sunset and it shows a nice use of complementary colors. I like the directional composition of the clouds which focus the eye on the rain and the reflection of the rain on the water.
PastelMat Award
Betsy Cook
Quiet Roar
It is definitely a roar of a painting that is extremely well done. Excellent representation of the beach with its shallow slight waves of water. The warmer glow within turn of the cresting wave is placed well for the composition. Overall, the attention to color value, temperature, and movement is thoughtful.
Mamut Award
Scarlett (Amy) Davis
Cylindropuntia Imbricata
This is a lovely painting of a cactus flower. I love the application of pastel in this painting, from the plant to the background. The bold pastel strokes allow the pastel to do the work making for remarkable painting.
Canson Award
Katerina Kostin
Polina
This is a lovely portrait of a beautiful girl that is reminiscent of the French impressionists. The pastel is delicately handled, which is perfect for the subject matter. It isn’t fussy or overpainted, but the viewer is convinced this is a great likeness of this young lady. The background compliments the skin tones, and the highlights provide a three-dimensionality to the painting. Overall, it’s a painting that shows the restraint required for the light touch and it is delightful.