Congratulations to PAPNM members, Diane Buster and Paul Murray for their 1st and 2nd Place awards in the Embracing Our Muses' show at the Weems' Gallery, June 6-28.

Visit https://weemsgallery.com/collections/current-show?page=3 for more information.

First Place 2D Category, Diane Buster, Along the Arroyo's Edge 

Second Place 2D Category, Paul Murray, Chama River

PAPNM member, Natasha Isenhour, was the judge:

Embracing our Muses - Judge 

Natasha Isenhour is a New Mexico based, Contemporary American Realist working in oil, pastel and watercolor.  She was awarded an Honorable Mention as well as an Award of Excellence from Oil Painters of America in 2022 and 2023 and her oil painting Flat Earth won First Place (Signature Member Category) in the 2024 American Women Artists Show.  She is a 5-time Top 100 Finalist in Plein Air Salon and was also awarded honorable mention twice in 2023-24. 

In addition to her studio work, Isenhour has received numerous honors and awards for her plein air work in California, Texas and New Mexico. In late 2022 she was given a 5-week solo museum exhibition at the Taos Museum and Fechin Studio, and in 2023, Terry Ludwig Pastels LLC released her hand selected set, “Natasha Isenhour Essential Alchemy Set of 60 pastels.”

A sought-after Awards Judge, presenter and juror exhibiting throughout the southwest and she teaches 6+ sold-out workshops each year, both in plein air and in studio.  Natasha’s work is collected the world over.

Represented by Ventana Fine Art in Santa Fe, NM and others

 

Affiliations:

Oil Painters of America
California Art Club
Salmagundi Art Club NYC 2021-2024
American Women Artists (Signature)
Pastel Society of America (Signature)
Plein Air Painters of New Mexico (Signature)
Pastel Society of New Mexico (Distinguished Pastellist)

 

From Tobi:

"A big thank you to the NM public Arts Program! My pastel piece, Together at Last, was selected to be hung in the new business building at Highland University in Las Vegas NM. Thanks to the amazing team of carpenters and the University art Curator, Jeana Hartman for picking a wonderful location and hanging their piece safely!"

https://www.amapola-gallery.com

Congratulations to PAPNM Member, Carolyn Lindsey, for the Silver Medal Award for Dock 24!

More Information: https://www.oilpaintersofamerica.com/show-gallery/?show=104105&pagenum=0

Oil Painters of America, Have a Heart Award.

A great Honor for PAPNM Member, Marian Berg.

Congratulations!!

https://www.facebook.com/oilpaintersofamerica/videos/1232351031926401

Carole Belliveau, Solitude ‐ Oil on Panel ‐ 16" x 20"

From Carole:

I just received a happy message from American Women Artists:

"Congratulations!

Your work referenced [above] has been juried into A Vision of Nature: American Women Artists at the National Sporting Library & Museum, AWA’s ninth museum exhibition as part of our 25 in 25 initiative. AWA’s 25 in 25 Campaign is an initiative to present 25 museum shows for its members over 25 years. We are thrilled your piece was selected from such a competitive group of entries in terms of both quality and quantity. The exhibition will open on October 2, 2025 at 5:30 p.m."

Out of 531 pieces for the AWA Exhibition, Carole's painting was one of only 55 selected for the museum show!

https://www.carolebelliveau.com

For more information about the exhibit, select: https://americanwomenartists.org/current-exhibitions/

Public lands are important to us as plein air painters. In the past, PAPNM has had specific Public Land Paint Out’s and Shows. And of course, every week many of us paint in public lands.

PAPNM Master Artist Bill Gallen has sent this material for us to announce. Please join him and others as we show support for keeping public lands in New Mexico public.

15th Annual Monthly Finalists  April 2025 - March 2026

See all 15th Annual Monthly Finalists and Award Paintings here.

Each month all the entries are reviewed and scored by our judges, and the paintings with the highest scores become the Top 100 Finalists. The awards for the monthly competition are selected from the groups of finalists.

Top 100 15th Annual Finalists

April 2025

Jane Hunt, Natasha Isenhour, John Misner

Great article in Pastel Society of the West Coast by Natasha on Judging and and the Process. Read full article here (Select the SUMMER 2025 Issue and scroll to page 72): https://pswc.ws/new-pswc-magazine/ 

Isenhour, Wild and Free Like Me

March 2025: This month’s blog has the highly accomplished Natasha Isenhour, asking us to consider the limitations that may come from the use of categories in defining our art. Pastel Society of the West Coast

Mar 1, 2025

Rock and Roll or Country: Some Thoughts on “Categories”
By Natasha Isenhour

“What “kind” of artist are you?”

“Ummm, well, the kind that paints, draws, plays dozens of instruments, and I’m told I really know my way around the kitchen, I’m that kind of artist.”

Laughs, “well, I suppose I should have asked, what do you paint?”

“Oh! I see! Birds, trees, Ferris wheels, chipmunks, storm clouds, teabags….”

“Thanks Natasha, I’ve gotta go.”

I find the nomenclature maze around art to be stupefying. “How nice, you do pastel drawings!” “No, I do pastel PAINTINGS. Sometimes I draw but you asked me about painting?” OK. I do realize that we are the chosen ones, and we do this everyday, so we get what’s going on. I also realize we have an incredible opportunity to educate the poor souls that dare to ask, and I’m happy to oblige. 

Read more:

Interview by the Pastel Society  of the West Coast with Natasha