Promoting Pastel

By Jill Duff-Hoppes

For the past few months, Israeli-American artist Orit Reuben has been on a mission to educate the public about the medium of pastel.

Although pastel is a mainstream art medium, it is not as well-known as oils, acrylics, and watercolors. Pastel is often mistaken for chalk, but it is actually pure pigment powder that is formed into a stick with a binder.

Orit, a former interior designer, is an award-winning Impressionist pastel painter.

“Having that direct contact between the medium and my hand feels good to me,” says Orit, who lives in Orlando. “It feels better than holding a brush.”

This past summer, she was awarded an individual artist grant from United Arts, Central Florida’s local arts agency. As part of the grant, Orit has been putting together group art shows featuring her work as well as that of other professional pastel artists. One of those shows, Explorations in Pastels, was on display this fall at Gallery CERO at Wekiva Island in Longwood. In January, Orit will present another group show, Pastel Delights, in Casselberry. The exhibit will run from January 5-31 at the Casselberry Art House at 127 Quail Pond Circle. A meet-the-artists reception will be held from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, January 12, and there will be a pastel painting demonstration from 10:00 a.m. to noon on the same day.

Orit especially enjoys working en plein air (a French term for painting outdoors). She is the cofounder of the Winter Park Plein Air Painters, a local group open to plein-air painters of all skill levels. Orit is also a signature member of The Florida Painters, a member of the Pastel Society of America and the American Impressionist Society, and a master pastelist of the Southeastern Pastel Society

To learn more about the artist, visit OritReuben.com.

This story was originally published in print in Winter 2023.