Call for Artists

PAL’s Pals 2023

Youth Art Show and Competition 

By popular demand, PAL is bringing back PAL’s Pals Youth art show for Middle and High  School students, this time in-person and online!

Know a budding young artist in your family, circle of friends or neighborhood?

This show is open to all Middle School and High School student artists. Artwork must be original and created wholly by the student and completed between January 2022 and present. First 150 submissions will be accepted and displayed at Pleasanton’s Stoneridge Shopping Center on April 29 & 30 and published on PAL’s online gallery here at www.pal-art.com.

• EXHIBIT DATES: Saturday April 29 and Sunday 30, 2023
• REGISTRATION DEADLINE: April 15
•  DELIVERY of ART DATE: Friday April 28
•  DELIVERY of ART LOCATION: Stoneridge Shopping Center, 1 Stoneridge Mall Road, Pleasanton
•  RECEPTION DATE: Sunday April 30, 4:00 to 5:00pm (student to be accompanied by parent/guardian/chaperone)
•  PICK UP ART DATE: After reception on April 30, 5:00pm to 6:00pm
•  SUGGESTED DONATION: $10 or more greatly appreciated (methods of payment: cash or check at drop-off, or pay by PayPal, credit card online)
•  JUDGES: See below.
• RECEPTION & AWARDS announcement on Sunday, April 30 at 4:00pm. Judges will award Best of Show, three Merit Awards, three Honorable mentions in each group.
• ONLINE SUBMISSIONS will be accepted from February 1 to April 15.
• FOR QUESTIONS, please feel free to reach out to – Rekha Joshi, PAL’s Pals 2023 Chair Email: rekhaj2014@gmail.com , cell: (408) 781-2835

View and Print Exhibit Prospectus HERE.

Online Entry HERE.

Print Exhibit Labels HERE.

PAL’s Pals Judges

Middle School entries will be judged by:

• 

  Jen Huber, Acrylic, Watercolor, Mixed Media

  
  Jen Huber – Art by bike is Jen Huber’s motto. Whether painting in her studio at the Bothwell Art Center or capturing the rolling hills of the tri valley area, Jen Huber travels on her orange eBike, The Muse. She paints landscapes along the bike trails when she can; portraits and figures in her studio during inclement weather, and whimsical pen drawings at home. Classically trained in Fine Art at University of Santa Cruz, she brings her experience and education to new artists of all ages and abilities through uniquely designed art camps during the holidays and creative art classes in the evenings. Check out both her paintings and classes at www.JenHuberArtist.com.

• 

  Ranjini Venkatachari

  
  Ranjini Venkatachari  – Ranjini is a fine artist working primarily in the medium of colored pencil. She has been working with this medium for more than 12 years and draws inspiration from her rich cultural heritage. She works out of her home studio in San Ramon, California. She also teaches colored pencil classes locally and all across the US. Her colored pencil art has been juried into several National and International shows across the US & UK, like the Salmagundi Annual non-member exhibition, Leading masters of Contemporary Realism (International guild of Realism), California State Fair, Women Painters of Washington and Colored Pencil Society of America’s International shows and UK color pencil society International show. Ranjini’s works has also been published in the Strokes of Genius 4&5, American Artist, International Artist, American Art Collector, Southwest arts magazine, Ann Kullberg’s COLOR Magazine & Art Guide Northwest. http://vividpencils.com/

High School entries will be judged by:

• 

  Usha Shukla

  
  Usha Shukla – A PAL Board member, Usha is a full-time professional artist who works out of her studio in Pleasanton. She creates vibrant, nature-inspired abstract paintings. Usha also serves as the Treasurer of the National League of American Pen Women, Diablo/Alameda Branch. For the last two years, she has served as a juror for the National Congressional High School Art Competition for Congressional District 15, represented by Eric Swalwell. In 2019, Usha started a new Pleasanton chapter of Dining For Women, a global charitable organization and is the Co-Chapter Leader. Her artwork has been featured in solo and group shows at various locations. Her work is collected nationally including at Sutter Hospital in San Francisco and at Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA. She is a member of San Francisco Women Artists, and Global Art Project, an international art collaborative across sixteen countries. She was an invitational artist at the “East on West ” Art Exhibit at the Office of State Senator Scott Weiner, San Francisco. https://www.ushashuklaart.com/
• George Garbarino – A PAL Board member, George Garbarino is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates watercolors, drawings, pastel paintings, and photography. George majored in art at the California College of the Arts in Oakland, California and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Art and his Teaching Credential from California University East Bay. George taught Fine Arts, Black & White Photography, and Digital Imaging in the Fremont Unified School District in Fremont, California, for 35 years. Additionally, he teaches the Marshall System of hand color tinting of black and white photography throughout Northern California. George’s artwork is an exploration of various styles and techniques from Realism, Impressionism, and Surrealism. He has won numerous awards and has been featured in several galleries and venues in the region, including the Firehouse Art Center, Olive Hyde Art Gallery, BoaVentura Vineyard, and Charles R Vineyards.

PAL JMH Exhibit 2023Presented by Pleasanton Art League & John Muir Health

Monday, May 22 to Thursday, July 13

We’re excited to announce that PAL has been asked back to the “John Muir Health Auxiliary Gallery” in Walnut Creek for a return engagement. Last year’s show was a great success having been viewed by hundreds (if not thousands) of John Muir Health patients. The opportunity to bring a few moments of respite to so many people, in what is sometimes a stressful and challenging environment, is a true blessing to us as artists. 

In keeping with the intended audience, the title of our show will remain: “Healing Spaces.” 

Artworks promoting a sense of well-being are what we are looking for. Animals, landscapes, nature, abstract works, portraits are accepted, but not of a political or controversial content.

Now for the nuts and bolts.

This show is for 2D only and will be juried and judged. The John Muir facility can accommodate a total of 33 (depending on size of art works) that the juror will select.

View and Print Exhibit Prospectus HERE.

Online Entry HERE.

Print Exhibit Labels HERE.

Healing Spaces Juror and Judge

Randall Sexton

California based fine artist and instructor, Randall Sexton, is nationally known for the color and expressive brushwork in his oil paintings of “everyday” scenes. He is described as a  “painters’ painter” by Jean Stern (Director for The Irvine Museum of Art). In his words, “As one of the premier contemporary painters of the California landscape, Randall paints still-lifes, figures, and portraits with equal mastery…His work evokes deep feelings, whether it’s the solitude of a deserted street at night or the exultation of a beautiful landscape, each speaks softly to the viewer.”

 

Originally from rural New England, Sexton transplanted to San Francisco, CA (after completing a BFA from the University of CT, Storrs, in 1980.) Since then, he has been a fixture in the Bay Area art scene with a reputation as an inspiring teacher and collectable fine artist. For ten years he held a position with the San Francisco Academy of Art, SF. He teaches private workshops and classes including Pixar Studios. This year he’ll be teaching at California College of Art in Oakland.  His workshops have been hosted in diverse destinations within the U.S. and abroad, and he now leads an online Mentorship Course with students from around the globe. https://www.rcsexton.com