Bringing Portraits to Life

The following is part of a series featuring a leader in the art community who will be on the faculty of Pastel Live, September 18-20, 2024, with an Essential Techniques Day on September 17. Learn more and secure your spot at PastelLive.com.

Artist Carol Peebles (carolpeebles.com) has been teaching for 25 years. Her 15-year-old atelier, the Blue Easel Club, is going strong with more than 300 members who practice the art of drawing portraits, figures, still lifes and landscapes alongside her.

A signature member of the Pastel Society of America, Carol teaches year-round classes and weekend workshops. Her skill in realistically rendering the figure and in expressive portraiture have won her many accolades and made her name as an artist and teacher.

Pastel figure study by Carol Peebles.

“Carol is a true master,” says Rev. Dr. Ray Fortier Cannata, one of her happy clients. “I have seen her at work several times, both as an art teacher and as a portrait artist, and her talents amaze me. Not only are her artistic powers considerable, her kind and humble manner really seem to put her subjects at ease and elicit more natural poses.”

“I once posed for one of her classes for three hours and her soothing voice, fun spirit, and interesting insights made the time race by,” Rev. Dr. Ray Cannata says. “On another occasion she did a very quick sketch of my daughter, not even a complete portrait, and guests in our home have since commented not only on how well it resembles her, but how she was able to capture so much of our girl’s personality. Whenever someone asks about where to have a portrait made, I always recommend Carol first.”