Bithia Bjurman Newsletter Fall 2023
Autumn Harvest
Autumn Harvest
I can't believe it has been almost a year since my last newsletter.
Where has the year gone? Perhaps because so much has happened in life,
time has flown by. Nevertheless, here we are.
I would characterize this past year as a Year of Firsts in my artist
life. So many notable personal artistic achievements have been reached.
Read on to find out more...
"Browsing"
Browsing
Browsing
"Browsing" has had an incredible year! Completed at the tail end of
2022, I should have known this piece was headed for good things when a
picture of my painting was posted on Reddit and it became viral.
Ultimately, it became the #1 Portland post for the year with over 2.4K
upvotes.
Since then, it has won numerous awards, but most notably, the Pastel
Society of the West Coast's "Best of Show Daniel E. Greene Memorial
Award." Competing against some of the cream of the crop pastelists in
the world, I was honored and humbled to be awarded this prize.
Right now, the painting hangs in the Haggin Museum in Stockton, CA
among the work of other fabulous pastelists and the historic works of
great American and European art. Not only that, the museum hung a giant
banner on their front steps showcasing my work. How crazy is that?
The Pastel Society of the West Coast also placed "Browsing" as their
cover image on their magazine publication for the summer issue,
including an in depth interview featuring many of my paintings.
"Browsing" also won 1st Place in the 2023 Pastels Competition with Art
and Color 365 magazine, earning me another multi-page feature story
with an interview and pictures of my work.
Hanging out at the Haggin
Hanging out at the Haggin
Look at the banner!
Look at the banner!
The 2023 Willamette Valley Lavender Festival & Plein Air Show
Violet Dreams
Violet Dreams
This year was also the first year I attempted plein air painting. It
was a nerve wracking affair, with fancy equipment, lots of moving
around, and fuss over materials and whatnot. In the end, however, it
was satisfying to participate in the 2023 Willamette Valley Lavender
Festival and Plein Air Show. I submitted three paintings and was
wonderfully surprised to be awarded Honorable Mention and People's
Choice awards for my paintings!
Alphabet Soup: All those letters
Bithia Bjurman, PSA, PSWC, NPS
Pastel Society of the West Coast
Pastel Society of the West Coast
Northwest Pastel Society
Northwest Pastel Society
Pastel Society of America
Pastel Society of America
In the pastel world, an artist earns the right to affix letter
designations after their name to represent a status they have reached
within a particular pastel organization. Similar to how the letters
"PhD" mean something after a name, the letters after an artist name
also convey honors within the society. Typically, the letters represent
the letters of the organization. For example "PSA" stands for Pastel
Society of America. This is often known as "signature status."
Each organization has different rules regarding signature status, but
once you earn the designation, it is a privilege to affix the letters
after your name. Typically, one needs to become juried into three
international exhibitions before reaching signature status. Sometimes,
an application and jury is required for signature status.
This year has been a significant year for me in that I was able to earn
three signatory prefixes after my name: PSA, PSWC, and NPS.
PSA = Pastel Society of America
PSWC = Pastel Society of the West Coast
NPS = Northwest Pastel Society
Each one of these are difficult to gain signature status in their own
right and it has been an honor and a personal milestone for me to reach
these goals.
The Year of Exhibitions
Hidden Treasures
Hidden Treasures
This year, I made it a personal goal to enter as many pastel society
juried exhibitions as I reasonably could. Doing so challenges me to
open myself to being judged and juried as well and seeing how my work
stacks up against my peers. It also pushes me to continually improve,
be focused, and create new work. To date, I've entered over 20 shows!
Each acceptance is an honor and I don't take the privilege lightly. My
website includes all the shows I've been accepted in and any honors
associated with the paintings.
Last Glass
Last Glass
Wish
Wish
Lake Oswego Open Studios
Welcome to Open Studios!
Welcome to Open Studios!
Another first for me this year was the participation in the Lake Oswego
Open Studios event. Open Studios is a free event open to the public to
tour the studio spaces of participating artists. We turned our home
into a giant gallery space for guests to view over 50 original soft
pastel paintings, giclees (art prints), and greeting cards. It was a
wonderful weekend of meeting friends, old and new, and explaining the
joy of soft pastel. I couldn't have asked for a better Open Studios
experience.
Next Stop: Powell's Bookstore
Easy Reading
Easy Reading
Coming up next, for the month of December, I will be the featured
artist at Powell's Bookstore in downtown Portland in the Basil Hallward
Gallery on the 5th floor. A large selection of my original work will be
on display, so if you're around, be sure to stop in and take a look!
As the year closes, I look back with such thanksgiving of how I've been
blessed, how much I've achieved artistically, and how I've grown both
as an artist and individual. Thank you for being part of my journey.
May your table always be full and filled with blessings.
With thanks,
Bithia
The Last Course
The Last Course
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