Paula Kuehl has been painting since 1981. She started painting with oil paints, which were fun but slow to dry and would become muddy if you didn’t wait for them to dry. When she discovered pastels,
she switched to them and never went back to oils. Pastels better suit her personality – she loves to draw and pastels are like drawing with color. She also loves the vibrancy of the medium and the
versatility it provides – versatility in the ability to use different types of paper and the way the pastel reacts on that paper. She feels her work is a study capturing the essence of life –
whether it be in a child, a flower or a landscape. Pastels are like life – vibrant and full of energy That is what she attempts to capture in her works.
Her work is included in private and corporate collections including Elk Grove Village City Hall, Elk Grove Village, IL, Elk Grove Park District, Elk Grove Village,
IL; the Prairie Center for the Arts, Schaumburg, IL and Rustoleum Headquarters, Vernon Hills, IL.
Over the years, her work has won many awards, some of which are: Best of Show at the Cary Art Fair; an Award of Excellence at Art Centre 2001, Elk Grove Village;
President’s Award at the Northwest Pastel Society’s Members Show; Third Place at the Open Door to Autumn Art, Door County, Wisconsin; the Juror’s Choice Award
at Winter Thaw 2003, Decatur, Illinois; the Juror’s Choice Award, The World of Art, Mableton, GA; Award of Merit at the Degas Pastel Society’s 15th Membership
Exhibition; an Honorable Mention at the Winter Solstice Exhibition in Dixon, IL; an Award of Excellence and a Purchase Award at Art Centre 2009, Elk Grove Village,
IL; the Art Spectrum/Armadello Art & Craft Award at “It’s Pastel,” Pastel Society of New Hampshire National Juried Show 2010;a merit award at the “You Have the
Magic Dust” Exhibition, Hoover, AL ; an award of excellence and a purchase award at Art Centre 2011, Elk Grove Village, IL: 2nd place at “You Have the Magic Dust,”
Alabama Pastel Society Exhibition, Hoover, AL; Best of Show, Regional Survey of Art 9, The Next Picture Show, Dixon IL; an Award of Exellence at Art Centre 2014,
Elk Grove Village, IL; An Award of Excellence at Art Centre 2015, Elk Grove Village, IL; the Lee Johnston Award at “You’ve Got the Magic Dust,” Hoover Alabama;
the Cora Johnston Memorial Award at “Stardust”, Wetumpka, Alabama; Best of the Pastel at the Grand Detour Art Fair, Grand Detour, IL (2017 and 2018); an Award
of Excellence and two purchase awards at Art Centre 2017, Elk Grove Village, IL and Jerry’s Arterama Award, Alabama Pastel Society 2018 Members Exhibition.
She was awarded Best of Show in the Art Centre 2018 Exhibition in Elk Village; 2nd place for her pencil drawing in the Pencils and Paint Exhibition at The Next
Picture Show in Dixon, IL and 2nd Place In the Regional Survey of Art, The Next Picture Show, Dixon IL. In 2019, she received 2nd place in the RegionalSurvey
of Art exhibition, The Next Picture Show, Dixon, IL and Best of Category – Painting, in the Libertyville Art Fair, Libertyville, IL; Honorable Mention,Farms
and Barns Exhibiiton, The Next Picture Show;APS Award, You’ve Got the Magic Dust” ShowAlabama Pastel Society;Award of Merit At the Art Center 2019 Show,
Elk Grove Village, IL Most recently she received the Director’s Award in the Northwest Pastel Society Juried Members Small Work Show, an Honorable Mention
at the Starline Gallery 4th Friday Show, Best of Floral at he Arizona Pastel Artists Association Open National Show, Award of Excellence in Art Center 2021,
Elk Grove zzShow. In May 2012, she became a Member of Excellence of the Southeastern Pastel Society.
In May of 2019, she became a juried associate member of the Pastel Society of America.
Her professional training includes: Bonnie Anderson, Studio in the Woods in Wauconda, Illinois; portrait painting with Harley Brown and life drawing with William Whittaker at the
Scottsdale Artists School; Scottsdale, Arizona; Gerald Merfeld, Virginia Rodecker, Thomas Trausch, David Hettinger, Jim Pollard, Ted Goerschner, Joe Abbresicia, Vern Stake,
John Naylor and Scott Burdick
Please visit her website at
www.pastelsbypaula.com or her Facebook Page:
Pastels by Paula
for a schedule of events and more of her work. She posts most of her new work, including works in progress,
on her Pastels by Paula Faceook page which can also be reached at
www.Facebook.com/PastelsbyPaula