Gail Sibley

Hi! I’m Gail Sibley. I’m happiest when I’m painting or teaching or travelling and wow, PACE checks all the boxes! I can’t wait to share my technique of working in soft pastels with you. As I’m big on using a limited palette and painting figures, that will be a focus of my demonstration. Although I work in many media, my primary love is soft pastels, hooked as I am by their vibrancy, immediacy, portability, and mark-making potential. I believe that working from life, whether painting still life or working en plein air or from figures, is the best way to learn to see colour and value nuances and to express something about what you feel about your subject. This experience will stand you in good stead when you need to work from photos. We’re so lucky, as artists, to see the world in the way we do and to share our interpretation of it!

I’ve been working in soft pastels 30+ years. Teaching includes:

-Two online courses – one for beginners and one that covers pastel painting en plein air

-An online art-making membership

-In-person workshops in Croatia, Italy, Spain, Costa Rica, Canada, the UK and the USA with plans for Tasmania and France.

-The HowToPastel blog

I’m a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and hold a Master Signature status with Pastel Artists Canada. I’ve exhibited nationally and internationally and I’m delighted to have won awards along the way.