EVENTS PROGRAMME
The Pastel Society presents a series of special events during the Society’s Annual Exhibition 2026.
Unless otherwise stated, the events will take place in The Studio (East Gallery) and are free with exhibition admission.
The annual Pastel Society Art Event Evening will take place on Tuesday 27 January, 6pm to 8:30pm. Further details can be found below but please note that booking is required; tickets are £12 for participants, £10 to spectate and £6 for Friends of Mall Galleries.
Opening of The Studio & The Studio Prize
WEDNESDAY 21 JANUARY 11am to 5pm
A short introduction to events after which the studio is open for all visitors to draw and paint. Sarah Bee, Janine Baldwin and Simon Hodges will be around to give practical advice and answer questions.
Pastel Pixels & The Studio Prize A DIY experience held throughout the exhibition in the studio. Visitors of any age are invited to undertake a painting or drawing of any subject in pastel or dry media that will be photographed and shown on the Pastel Society website after the exhibition as part of a ‘pixelated image’. A £100 Cass Art E-Gift card will be awarded to two selected works after the exhibition. All work must be left with a name and contact details on the reverse.
All materials are supplied. Use subjects in the exhibition, phone images, photographs, memories or invention to create your image… (If you do not wish to have it photographed, please let us know; but either way, you may take the finished work away!) Sarah Bee, Janine Baldwin & Simon Hodges will be around to give practical advice & answer questions. (note 1)
THURSDAY 22 SIMON HODGES & RICHARD REES
11am Simon Hodges; Use it or lose it; A short-illustrated talk about his thoughts on the creative process. Q&A.
2pm Richard Rees; Richard will take you through the amazing qualities of Caran d’Ache pastel varieties and show you how they can open up a world of creativity
FRIDAY 23 CURTIS HOLDER
11am Enjoy uninterrupted time to use pastels and dry media in the studio. Pastel Society member on hand to informally demonstrate, give advice and answer questions.
2pm Curtis Holder; Demonstration; Talking and drawing through a pencil portrait in his own unique way.
A seated model may be requested from the audience.
SATURDAY 24 SIMON HODGES
11am Simon Hodges; Pastel & the painting process; A short-illustrated talk and demonstration about his thoughts on the painting process using pastel. Q&A.
2pm Enjoy uninterrupted time to use pastels and dry media in the studio. Pastel Society member on hand to informally demonstrate, give advice and answer questions.
SUNDAY 25 RICHARD REES
11am Enjoy uninterrupted time to use pastels in the studio. Pastel Society member on hand to informally demonstrate, give advice and answer questions.
2pm Richard Rees; will take you through the amazing qualities of Caran d’Ache pastel varieties and show you how they can open up a world of creativity.
MONDAY 26 SIMON HODGES
11am Simon Hodges; Pastel; chalk, oil & water. A short-illustrated talk & demonstration about using various types of pastel. Q&A
2pm Enjoy uninterrupted time to use pastels in the studio. Pastel Society member on hand to informally demonstrate, give advice and answer questions.
Exhibition Steward; Louise Diggle
TUESDAY 27 ROGER DELLAR
11am Roger Dellar; A demonstration; talking through a soft pastel demonstration of a still life in his own unique way.
Exhibition Steward; Jayne Perkins
2.00pm Roger Dellar; A demonstration; talking through a soft pastel demonstration in his own unique way.
Exhibition Steward; Simon Hodges
6-8.30pm EVENING PASTEL EVENT Booking required.
(Note 2)
Members known to be in attendance at this stage; Richard Rees, Roger Dellar, Jane Hodgson, John Tookey, Jenny Halstead, Jeannette Hayes, Louise Diggle, Maria Kaleta, Tom Zaw, Simon Hodges
WEDNESDAY 28 DAVE ROBERTS
11am Dave Roberts; Workshop; Dave will run a workshop, guiding participants through the techniques he uses to paint the mountains of North Wales in soft pastel. All materials provided.
2pm Dave Roberts; Workshop; Dave will run a workshop, guiding participants through the techniques he uses to paint the mountains of North Wales in soft pastel. All materials provided.
Exhibition Steward; Simon Hodges
THURSDAY 29 LOUISE DIGGLE & RICHARD REES
11am Louise Diggle; will demonstrate plein air pastels in The Mall outside the galleries. This will be weather dependent! If the weather is foul, she will give a talk inside the galleries about plein air painting
2pm Richard Rees; will take you through the amazing qualities of Caran d’Ache pastel varieties and show you how they can open up a world of creativity.
FRIDAY 30
Enjoy uninterrupted time to use pastels and dry media in the studio. Pastel Society member on hand to informally demonstrate, give advice and answer questions.
MARTIN GOOLD
Martin Goold; Themed Tours of The PS Exhibition. (note 3)
Duration; 45 minutes. Access; Suitable for all age groups, walking and standing
2pm Colour and Atmosphere in Pastel Painting
Date; Friday 30th January 2026 at 2.00pm
Duration; 45 minutes
4pm Suggesting Depth and Distance in Pastel Painting
SATURDAY 31 FELICITY HOUSE
11am Felicity House; Talking through a soft pastel portrait demonstration in her own unique way.
A seated model may be requested from the audience.
2pm Felicity House; Talking through a soft pastel portrait demonstration in her own unique way.
A seated model may be requested from the audience.
FEBRUARY
SUNDAY 1
11-5pm Enjoy uninterrupted time to use pastels in the studio. Pastel Society member on hand to informally demonstrate, give advice and answer questions.
MONDAY 2 SIMON HODGES
11am Simon Hodges; Pastel & mixed media; A short illustrated talk & demonstration about his use of pastel with other media. Q&A.
2pm Enjoy uninterrupted time to use pastels in the studio. Pastel Society member on hand to informally demonstrate, give advice and answer questions.
TUESDAY 3 JOHN TOOKEY & RICHARD REES
12am John Tookey will do a Marine Landscape in Pastel.
Working from a photograph and sketch.
3pm Richard Rees; will take you through the amazing qualities of Caran d’Ache pastel varieties and show you how they can open up a world of creativity.
WEDNESDAY 4 ANDREW BARROWMAN
11am Andrew Barrowman; Demonstration; The Art of charcoal
2pm Andrew Barrowman; Demonstration; The Art of charcoal
THURSDAY 5 SIMON HODGES
11am Simon Hodges; Pastel; sketching, studies & painting; A short illustrated talk & demonstration about his use of pastel at various stages of the creative process. Q&A.
2pm Enjoy uninterrupted time to use pastels in the studio. Pastel Society member on hand to informally demonstrate, give advice and answer questions.
FRIDAY 6
11-5pm Enjoy uninterrupted time to use pastels in the studio. Pastel Society member on hand to informally demonstrate, give advice and answer questions.
SATURDAY 7 FIONA CARVELL & RICHARD REES
11am Fiona Carvell; Still Life in Pastel – A Beginners Guide; A talk/demonstration of approximately 1 hour, followed by Q&A. Materials available to encourage people to try. Using fruits and vegetables as reference to demonstrate the basics of composition, understanding your subject, light, weight and density as well as colour choices, pastel application and mark making.
2pm Richard Rees; will take you through the amazing qualities of Caran d’Ache pastel varieties and show you how they can open up a world of creativity.
Exhibition Closes at 5pm
Event notes
All activities are free on entry to all with the exception of the PS Annual Evening event. Most events are held in The Studio in the East Gallery & Simon Hodges is on hand to help in any way he can. Other members will become available on a daily basis.
1. Pastel Pixels & The Studio Prize; A DIY experience held throughout the exhibition in the studio. Visitors (any age) are invited to undertake a painting or drawing OF ANY SUBJECT in pastel or dry media that will be photographed and shown on The Pastel Society website after the exhibition as part of a ‘pixelated image.’ A £100 Cass Art E-gift card will be awarded to two selected works after the exhibition. All work must be left with name and contact details on the reverse.
All materials are supplied. Use subjects in the exhibition, phone images, photographs, memories or invention to create your image but if you do not want to have it photographed just let us know but either way, you may take the finished work away.
2. The Evening Pastel Event; doors will open at 6pm and the event held in the West Gallery. We will bring together two models for a themed drawing and painting session with Pastel Society member artists on hand. A glass of wine is included in the price of the admission. A prize is presented for the best pastel/dry media work by a non-member. Easels (limited) drawing boards and chairs are provided but artists must bring their own drawing/painting materials.
Booking is essential.
[BOOK NOW]
3. Pastel Society Themed Tours of 2026 Exhibition by Martin Goold. Duration; 45 minutes
Access; Suitable for all age groups, walking and standing.
Colour and Atmosphere in Pastel Painting
Date; Friday 30th January 2026 at 2.00pm
A themed tour of the exhibition looking at a variety of ways in which pastel artists have suggested and evoked atmosphere in their paintings. We’ll focus on a small number of paintings in the exhibition and look at different uses of colour in a range of subjects including landscape, portrait and still life as well as more abstract approaches. Discover some of the secrets about how this wonderful versatile material can really be used.
Suggesting Depth and Distance in Pastel Painting
Date; Friday 30th January 2026 at 4.00pm
A themed tour of the exhibition looking at a variety of ways in which pastel artists have suggested depth in their paintings. We’ll focus on a small number of paintings in the exhibition and look at different methods used to give the feeling of being able to look from foreground to background. We’ll see how traditional perspective methods might have been used as well as some less obvious approaches. Discover some of the secrets about how this wonderful versatile material can really be used.
Exhibition Stewards; A member of the society will be around the gallery to engage with the public and to answer any queries about pastel, dry media and/or the exhibition. Not all members that are likely to attend are listed at this time, so please look out for a person with a PS lanyard and don’t be afraid to ask.
