Pastel | Kristen Doty Artist

A Wonderful Project & Upcoming Exhibit

by Kristen Doty | Aug 22, 2025 | Exhibitions, News, Paintings, Pastel, Work in Progress

It’s already late summer! Time flies when life is full of many happenings. Some have been sad, with the loss of dear loved ones, and others happy, including two weddings in the family, and a lot of art: painting, calligraphy and teaching.

Last year, I was honored to be selected as one of a small group of artists to work on a wonderful project with the renowned architectural firm, NBBJ – NBBJ.com, and OHSU (Oregon Health & Science University) hospital in Portland, OR. NBBJ designed a new in-patient addition for the hospital. For more information on the project visit: OHSU Foundation – in patient addition

Each artist was to design and paint Oregon landscapes that were then scanned, enlarged and printed on wall panels. These panels are currently being installed on select walls in the hallways of the new addition which is set to open in 2026. Bringing artistic images of nature inside will beautify spaces and have a positive impact on patients who will be staying in sterile environments during their treatment and recovery. I plan to write a blog post dedicated to the project and images of the paintings will be revealed then.

All the places I visited to collect reference material for the hospital project paintings are beautiful and awe inspiring, expanding my curiosity and further deepening my love and connection with nature. I have continued this Oregon landscape series with this latest pastel painting, A Perfect Day.

This painting has been accepted into the annual juried member show of the Northwest Pastel Society. Use the arrows on the photo below to scroll through the work in process.

A Perfect Day

Pastel | 15″ x 24″

A few photos of the painting in process…

Northwest Pastel Society Annual Juried Member Exhibition

Dates: September 5 – 28, 2025

Location: Columbia Center for the Arts Columbia Arts.org
215 Cascade Ave, Hood River, Oregon

Art lovers, family and friends are welcome to attend the opening and awards ceremony at the Columbia Center for the Arts. The Hood River Art Walk is the same day.

Opening & Awards: September 5, 2025 5:00 – 7:00 pm

Northwest Pastel Society: NPS.org

Thanks for your interest and have a beautiful day!

Best Wishes,

Kristen

Northwest Pastel Society Exhibit

by Kristen Doty | Sep 13, 2023 | Exhibitions, News, Paintings, Pastel

Birds and their feathers, nests, and eggs have always fascinated me, and I enjoy seeing, hearing, and interacting with them. Their behaviors are interesting and sometimes surprising. Their calls, noises and songs can even bring back memories of a particular place and time, just like hearing an old tune streaming on the radio/device.

The setting of this painting is on the bank of the Necanicum River in Seaside, Oregon, on a cloudy and chilly Christmas Eve. It is remarkable how herons and other birds can tuck in their long necks and stand on one leg for an extended period. This pastel is the first in a new series of planned avian paintings and I’m very happy that it is included in this exhibition!

2023 Northwest Pastel Society Members Art Show: Celebrating Pastel Artistry

Dates: September 16th through October 21

Venue: Larson Gallery, Yakima, WA

Necanicum River Heron | 18″ x 24″ | Pastel

From the Northwest Pastel Society:

“Join us for a celebration of creativity at the 2023 NPS Members Art Show, proudly sponsored by the Northwest Pastel Society!

Immerse yourself in the world of pastel art as our talented members come together to showcase their recent works. This event is a testament to their dedication and skill, and we can’t wait to share their creations with you.

Let’s celebrate the power of art to inspire, captivate, and move us. Mark your calendar, spread the word, and invite your friends and family to join this artistic journey.”

Paintings shown, clockwise from top left: “An Open Book” by Bithia Bjurman, “Sunset Villa” by Janice Wall, “Nikkis Pond” by Laura Haroldson

The Larson Gallery is housed in a beautiful new (2021) gallery building! Please call, email or check the website for current and additional information.

The Larson Gallery: larsongallery.org

Northwest Pastel Society: nwps.org

Thanks for your interest and have a beautiful day!

Best Wishes,

Kristen

Little Gems

by Kristen Doty | Jun 16, 2020 | News, Paintings, Pastel

These past weeks have been like no other the world has seen. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a huge strain on everything and to varying degrees, disrupted our lives and continues to affect us all. More than ever we all need compassion, understanding, patience, gratitude, love, caring and beauty.

The Plein Air Washington Artists are currently having a show at the Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes, WA, titled Little Gems. This is the 5th Annual Juried Member’s Show, where the work could be any subject, 11″ x 14″ (28 x 35.5cm) or smaller, and painted either “en Plein Air” (outdoors) or in studio.

I’m pleased and delighted that three paintings I entered were accepted and are currently in the gallery and the entire show is online, on both the Scott Milo Gallery and Plein Air Washington Artists Websites (links and info below)!

These three works are from an ongoing series of Grand Canyon landscapes. While I enjoy plein air painting and working in a variety of media, these were all happily created in my studio using my own reference photos, sketches and memory with soft pastel on sanded paper.

O’Neill Butte | 10″ x 8″ | Pastel

The Beginning | 10″ x 8″ | Pastel

As a Pacific Northwest native, I grew up surrounded by an abundance of beautiful scenery; towering and dense forests, water everywhere−including from the sky−and relatively young, tall snow-capped mountains. Grand Canyon is also a stunning and intriguing place, but is nearly a direct opposite; with sparse vegetation, harsh desert climate, and a deep chasm with multi-colored exposed layers of ancient earth. Perhaps it is this stark contrast that fueled my curiosity about it, the drive to hike to the bottom (twice!), and my desire to paint this challenging and inspiring landscape.

Hiking in and painting the beauty of the canyon has had a profound effect on me and invited a study that became wildly fascinating. Questions surfaced about the how and why, the history, geology, stories and facts, and it became a springboard to ponder the big universal questions about humankind and our place in time.

Please take good care, and stay safe and well!

Best Wishes,
Kristen

♦

The Great Unconformity | 6″ x 6″ | Pastel

View the entire Little Gems show and consider making a purchase of your favorite painting to help support artists and the gallery:

Scott Milo Gallery is now OPEN (limited hours) and you can visit in person!

Website: scottmilo.com

Please call, email or check the website for current information.

420 Commercial Avenue
Anacortes, WA 98221
Phone 360-293-6938
Email: gallery@scottmilo.com

Plein Air Washington Artists Website: Pleinairwashingtonartists.com

Pastel Artwork in New York City

by Kristen Doty | Sep 27, 2017 | News, Paintings, Pastel, Work in Progress

It is an honor and I am thrilled that my pastel painting, Ages Upon Ages was juried in to the Pastel Society of America’s 45th Annual show, Enduring Brilliance! and is currently on display at the National Arts Club in New York City!

Below are a few photos of the work in progress. This painting was created with pastel on 24″ x 18″ Ampersand Pastelbord, sand color.

Normally when working in pastel or oil, I prefer to establish lights and darks and block in major shapes with an underpainting. However, because the tone of the board was already a medium value, I didn’t feel an underpainting was necessary, so I skipped that step and just dove right in after the initial drawing of the major shapes was finished.

Please note: Minor adjustments are often made to colors as the work progresses, but in this case, after the sky was completed (second photo) the color was not changed. The variations in the photos are due to the different lighting conditions when the photos were taken.