Our Team
Pastel Artists.CA has a team of dedicated volunteers from across Canada. Get to know our directors and the rest of our team
Kathy Hildebrandt
ASA, SCA, ISAP, AFCA, PAC, MPAC, PSA, IAPS/MC
President & Exhibition Jury Coordinator; Director
Kathy is an international award winning artist and instructor specializing in contemporary realism. In addition to numerous regional and national awards, she has received First, Third and Honorable Mentions in the Pastel 100 competition as well as the Bronze award and Honorable Mention in the IAPS exhibitions.
Her work has been featured in the Pastel Journal and Pratique des Arts magazines as well as AcrylicWorks and Strokes of Genius books. She has exhibited throughout the US and her work was acquired for the permanent collection of the Pastel Museum of Art in Suzhou China.
In addition to her work with Pastel Artists.CA, Kathy also currently serves on the board of the Society of Canadian Artists.
Vice President
This position is vacant
Could it be you?
Sharon Stewart
Treasurer; Director
Before becoming a full time artist, Sharon worked as an office administrator, bookkeeper and part-time photographer. The art of photography gradually evolved into a love for drawing and painting. She initially concentrated on painting pets and along with her photography skills she was able to capture precious moments for those that commissioned her work.
She has exhibited in local art groups and won awards for her watercolours, oils and pastels. This is actually the first year that Sharon entered the PAC on line show and two pastels were accepted. She is a member of 6 + 1 Art Group in Sarnia, Lawrence House Center for the Arts, Gallery in the Grove, Pastel Artists.CA and a past member of SAW – Sarnia Artists Workshop, where she still is asked to give Pastel workshops
Rosemary Bennett
Secretary; Director
Originally from British Columbia, Rosemary has resided in Calgary since the 1970’s. Her avid love of horses, wild life, and the landscape is expressed in her work. Regarded as a representational artist, she interprets her surroundings with passion and realism. She is proficient in many mediums as well as being a respected stained glass artisan. In recent years, her work has concentrated on becoming familiar with, and adept at, the pastel medium.
Rosemary is a full time artist and artisan. In addition to her work with Pastel Artists.CA, Rosemary is active with the Federation of Canadian Artists and was membership secretary of the Calgary chapter of the Federation for seventeen years and Vice President of the chapter for nine years. She has also been the President of the Group Art Society of Calgary for the last five years. Rosemary is always eager to learn new methods and will always mentor those new artists who are coming in to the arts community.
Gloria Burgoin
MPAC
Membership; Director
Gloria is a recreational painter who enjoys expressing her interest in the natural landscape through her artwork. She works on site to capture the essence of the image, with some finishing in the studio. She participates in local and PAC shows, and her work is represented in private collections in Canada and internationally.
Heather Laws
East Exhibition Co-Chair; Director
Heather Laws is a Canadian Artist who specializes in and is passionate about the painting of portraits of companion animals and their human counterparts. Her portraits can be found in homes throughout North America and abroad.
Heather has exhibited her work at numerous shows, while continuing to pursue her artistic endeavours and professional development. Her work has been published in the October 2004 issue of the Pastel Journal. Heather’s work has won regional and national awards including Honorable Mention at the Draft Horse Classic and Western Art Show, Grass Valley, Navada in 2002, and winner of the Cover Artwork Competition for the Pastel Artists Canada 2016 ICAN Convention.
Heather is now an associate member of the Society of Animal Artists (SAA). She is also a Signature member; Director and Exhibitions Coordinator of the Pastel Artists Canada (PAC). In addition, Heather is an elected member of the Ontario Society of Artists (OSA)
Laws
Denise Nonomura
PAC
East Exhibition Co-Chair
Denise is an award winning artist from Stratford, ON. While originally working in hospital pharmacy, she attended Sheridan College of Arts and Design, and graduated with high honours from the Fine Arts Certificate Program in 2015. After retiring from health care in 2016, Denise discovered her love of pastel and since then her work has been exhibited in over 20 juried national/regional competitions. She exhibits at Stratford Art in the Park (June-Sept) and is represented at Village Studios, Stratford.
Denise is a juried active member of Federation of Canadian Artists and a member of Society of Canadian Artists. She also volunteers at Gallery Stratford, and Stratford General Hospital where she developed, and leads a weekly Art Group for inpatients of the Mental Health Unit.
Roberta Combs
MPAC
West Exhibition Coordinator and Promotion Coordinator
Roberta Combs is a Spilsbury Medal award winner in the Federation of Canadian Artists. Her award-winning work has been seen in International Artists Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine and in the Pastel Journal Magazine. She has exhibited in the Butler Institute of American Art, The Federation Gallery, the American Art Company, The National Arts Club Gallery and the Salmagundi Club in New York City, The Vose Gallery in Boston, and locations that include Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Seattle, Toronto, and Albuquerque and France.
Roberta Combs has been awarded Senior Signature Status in the Federation of Canadian Artists and the Northwest Pastel Society; is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Portrait Artists; and is a Master Pastelist of the Pastel Artists Canada. Roberta has also been awarded Master Status Pastelist in the Pastel Society of America. She is the only Canadian to hold this distinction.
She is one of only six Canadians to be a Gold Metal recipient from the International Association of Pastel Societies, recognizing her designation as an artist of the Master Circle.
Lyn Thomas
West Workshop Coordinator, West Promotions
Lyn Thomas has been painting for many years in watercolour and had no thoughts of changing mediums. However, since turning to Pastels, she has been doing more painting.
Lyn has been an active member of the arts community in Maple Ridge for more than 30 years. During this time, she has been instrumental in development and direction of the Garibaldi Art Club of Maple Ridge.
Lyn also originated the annual ‘Art in the Park’ event where local artists and artisans were able to showcase and sell their work for an eagerly anticipated weekend. She organized and hosted this major Maple Ridge event in her beautiful two-acre garden for fifteen years. It became very popular with artists and art collectors in the local community and beyond.
Lyn has operated her well established home-based picture framing business Lynton Studio for 30 years. Recently she has turned her focus more keenly toward her art and has slowed down on her business interests while she accelerates her artistic creativity.
In 2018, Lyn received the designation of PAC. Which was great encouragement.
Lyn has offered this year to be the Western Canadian workshop co-ordinator. Watch out for a 3 day workshop, September/October 2019. In the Vancouver/Lower Mainland area.
Lynda Lynn
East Workshop Coordinator
Anne Fraser
Website Editor
Margot Hallman
PAC
Newsletter Editor
Margot Hallman has recently received signature status with Pastel Artists of Canada. She has been the editor of the quarterly newsletter published by Pastel Artists of Canada for two years now. Margot has now begun to work in oil as well as pastel. She continues to take many courses and workshops in both pastel and oil.
She lives part time in Ontario and on the west coast of Canada which offers her profound artistic inspiration
Jennifer Ross
PAC, MPAC
DVD Librarian
Jennifer works exclusively in pastel. Her paintings are generally of a moderate size but also include miniatures. She is particularly interested in the spontaneity and character of older villages and towns primarily those of the British Isles. She enjoys the discipline of detail and perspective and also paints animals, gardens, landscapes and the rural environment in which she lives.
Her paintings have been accepted for numerous juried art exhibitions and have received many awards, they are in private collections in Australia, Great Britain, the United States and Canada.
June Gauthier
PAC, MPAC
PAC News Update Editor
June joined Pastel Artists of Ontario in 2001 and was awarded PAC status by Pastel Artists Canada in 2004 and MPAC status by Pastel Artists.CA in 2010. She was the PAC Newsletter/Update Editor for fifteen years.
June studied art history at the University of Toronto and furthered her practical art education in workshops instructed by leading pastel artists.
June now meets once a week with a group of artists who all paint in their chosen style and medium, she finds the exchange of ideas within this group very stimulating.
The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.
~~William Shakespeare~~
Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.
~~Elizabeth Andrew~~