About
the blog for soft pastel art lovers
Inspired by my love of pastels and the enjoyment I receive from teaching about them the How to Pastel Blog has tips & tricks, reviews, step-by-step progressions, guest bloggers, and a great community on Facebook.
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A bit about me
I am very lucky to have been born and brought up in Jamaica, a land of beauty and complexity, of warmth and coolness, of vibrancy and tension. Many say that my Caribbean upbringing influenced my palette and I think they may be right. I do know that it shaped my worldview. Check out these sites to learn more about me and my work.
My Art Practice
Gail Sibley
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Art School
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Peninsula Gallery
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Friday, 19 December 2025
4 Comments
Entering art competitions can be exciting, daunting, and deeply personal. In this guest post, Michael Freeman shares thoughtful, experience-based insights into navigating the competitions landscape — from deciding whether competitions are right for you, to improving your chances of acceptance, and handling disappointment when things don’t go your way. Grounded, honest, and practical, his reflections help artists approach competitions with clarity, resilience, and a stronger sense of self.
More Editions...
Rita Kirkman Has This To Say- It’s Not About The Animals!
Sunday, 17 January 2016
I’ve known about Rita Kirkman’s work for a few years now. I can’t remember when I first came across it but I do know she’s been an active blogger for some time. I featured one of Rita’s pieces in my monthly round-up (click here to see it) and finally met her at IAPS last year. It was
Maria Marino – Responding Emotionally To The Landscape
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
When I think of the work of Maria Marino, I think of pastel paintings full of vitality, texture, and colour. And when I say paintings, I think with Maria Marino’s work, they really are paintings! She applies the pastel so thickly, you feel you could be looking at a thick brush stroke of oil paint. I’ve
Alex Louisa – Nature In PanPastels
Friday, 18 October 2019
PanPastels. This is a medium I’m not familiar with. Since I’ve had a number of people ask me for information on this product, I thought I’d search out someone who could tell you about it. I’ve also had other readers ask me to do a blog about wildlife painting. In my research, I came across
Putting Yourself Out There – Demoing in Public
Friday, 4 December 2020
One of my HowToPastel subscribers recently reached out to me. She’d been invited to demo in an open space, with COVID-19 precautions in place, but was feeling too afraid to do it. (Her fears weren’t related to the pandemic.) Because I’d recently demoed at Peninsula Gallery where my mini solo show was hanging, I knew something about the fears she was feeling. So,
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How I Decide What To Paint
“How do I decide what to paint?” Gail addresses this common question by taking you through her starting process. You’ll hear her thoughts in a short video.
Stephie Clark – How To Create Depth In Florals
For this month’s guest post, I’m pleased to bring you this very popular artist and instructor from Australia. I’ve heard so
Paint What You Love (And Ignore The NaySayers!)
How the story behind The Vesuvius Ladies collection of paintings proves the importance of this idea!
Pastel Workshops Coming Up!
Many subscribers have been asking me, “When are your next pastel workshops?!” So I’m pleased to tell you about a number of
How Breaking The Rules Can Overcome Blank Canvas Syndrome
Thursday, 30 March 2017
Mini Copies Of Edward Seago Paintings
Saturday, 18 January 2020
Quick Plein Air Painting – The Art of the Quickie!
Friday, 14 November 2025
Plein air painting on Salt Spring – A Visit to the Vineyards
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Ambiguity In Art – How It Can Benefit Your Own Work
Sunday, 31 March 2019
How Creating Colour Studies Can Improve Your Paintings
Tuesday, 14 February 2017
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6 thoughts on “About”
Gail! Just got turned on to your website by a fellow artist from Wellington, Ontario… both of us former presidents of the Pastel Society of Eastern Canada. I work primarily in pastel and it will always be my medium of choice! I could never give them up! Being a landscape artist for years, I would now like to change things up a bit and try abstract. I was inspired by your article about the progression of your abstract painting…it’s given me the courage to take that (for me) giant leap and go ahead with an image I’ve had in my mind for a long time. Thank you! I look forward to future e-mails! Your’s is one of the best Pastel websites I’ve come across. Look forward to receiving your emails.
Kathryn
Thank you for writing Kathryn, and for your enthusiasm! It comes over loud and clear 🙂 I am wondering which article on abstraction you are referring to. Perhaps you can add a comment directly on the blog? Good luck with your leap. I know how difficult it is to make. It’s ongoing risk-taking that’s for sure! Please let me know how it goes.
Look forward to hearing more from you
I just read your article in the April issue of “Pastel Journal”. Thank you so much. I felt as if you were speaking directly to me. I am going to tear it out and tape it to my studio wall.
Marcia
Marcia, that’s the best reward a writer/artist could hear!! Thank you for letting me know. (As yet, I still haven’t received my copy!)
Hi Gail. I’m really excited and pleased to have discovered your website. I live in southern Australia and I started painting with pastels a few years ago (self taught) , but went a bit stale after doing a couple of workshops- mostly because the pastel artists here who I came across seem to be very conventional and felt that I wasn’t learning much. I’ve been working in oils since and enjoyed it- as I’ve realised, it’s similar in many ways. You showcase so many exciting works – use of colour, composition etc. , and your quick tips are helping me rethink how to approach my work. Looking forward to hearing more about your workshop in Tasmania, or perhaps one in Europe in a couple of years’ time.
Hi Judi,
Thanks for writing such a lovely introduction to yourself and your work. Certainly oils are similar to pastels in the way one builds a painting. Interesting that! I’m glad though that my blog may bring you back to the pastel side 😀 Even if not, so much of what’s here can be applied to the other media available for painting.
I look forward to having you in one of my workshops whether in Tasmania or Europe!!