Colored Pencil Society of America’s 27th annual International Exhibition

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TheColored Pencil Society of America (CPSA), in collaboration with the City of Brea Art Gallery in Brea, California, kicked off its 27th annual International Exhibition with an opening reception on August 3, 2019. CPSA, a nonprofit organization founded in 1990, works to promote colored pencil as a fine art medium by educating art institutions and the public about colored pencil, by encouraging innovation in its use, and by providing its more than 1,600 member artists with information and opportunities to improve their knowledge and skill.

The annual International Juried Exhibition plays a significant role in that mission. Created to showcase the extraordinary versatility and beauty of the medium and to recognize excellence among the artists who use it, the International Exhibition requires all entries be 100 percent colored pencil, with all work executed on a manufacturer-prepared surface. To broaden its reach, the International is held in a different city each year. This year in Brea, juror and judge Jean Stern, executive director of the Irvine Museum Collection at the University of California, Irvine, reviewed nearly 600 entries to select 116 drawings by artists working in 31 states and four other countries: Canada, France, Malaysia, and Spain. From these he chose 15 pieces to receive awards with a combined value of $18,150.

The International Exhibition will be held next year at the Dunedin Fine Art Center in Dunedin, Florida, July 14 through August 16. In the meantime, please visit www.cpsa.org to learn more about our medium and mission.

The City of Brea Art Gallery has hosted the CPSA International Exhibition three times—in 2019, 2013 and 2003.

Inset: Nearly 300 members and guests from across the country gathered in California to celebrate artists and art of the colored pencil at the 27th annual Colored Pencil Society of America convention.