PSA Board of Governors
Meet the artists and leaders who guide PSA’s vision and direction.
Brian Bailey PSA-MP
Formerly a professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York, Brian Bailey now paints and teaches privately. Following a successful career that spanned several decades as a noteworthy illustrator, he began to focus his energies on more personal artistic pursuits. He has won numerous awards for his work in pastel and has been featured in select exhibitions – France, China. Russia, Spain and the USA. His work is in several public and private collections including the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.
“ In my painting there is nothing I take away, nor give artifice to enhance the quiet permanence of a subject’s beauty.”
Brian Bailey, Unity
Julie Hopkins PSA-MP, Second Vice President
Julie Hopkins joined the PSA Board of Governors in 2013 and has since served in various roles, including chairman of PSA’s yearly raffle fundraising program, liaison with the Butler Institute of American Art for its Legacy Collection acquisitions, coordinator with the Butler for its yearly exhibition of works selected from PSA’s Annual, and in various other functions. She currently serves on the board’s Executive Committee as 2nd Vice President.
Julie enjoys painting in pastel, oil, gouache, acrylic and mixed media. In addition, she is a printmaker and combines printing techniques with other media. She also studies portrait/figure painting from life in oil and charcoal on a weekly basis.
Other related memberships include: Elected Artist Member, Salmagundi Club of New York; Elected Artist, Audubon Artists of America; Elected Artist, Allied Artists of America; Elected Artist, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club; Portrait Society of America; Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists.
Julie Hopkins, Feeding Frenzy
Corey Pitkin PSA, Tech Advisor
A predominantly self-taught artist, Corey Pitkin’s award-winning work has been exhibited across the globe and featured in publications in over five languages, including The Pastel Journal, Art Renewal Center, Portrait Society of America, Pratique des Arts Magazine, International Artist Magazine, and Pastel World Magazine. He is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, where he also serves on the Board of Governors and has achieved Eminent Pastelist status with the International Association of Pastel Societies. Pitkin is a highly in-demand workshop instructor and regularly travels across the US and abroad to share his techniques with students. He currently resides in New York’s Capital District with his wife, Esther, and children Anastasia and Xavier.
Corey Pitkin, Shoegazing
Bithia Bjurman PSA, Education Chair
Bithia Bjurman is a pastel artist whose work explores the quiet beauty found in everyday moments. Drawn to subtle shifts of light, atmosphere, and human presence, she creates paintings that invite viewers to pause and look more closely at the ordinary. Working primarily in soft pastel, she builds layered surfaces that capture both the physical and emotional essence of a scene.
Her work has been exhibited at major institutions, including The National Arts Club, The Butler Institute of American Art, the Hilbert Museum of California Art, and the Haggin Museum. She is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, a Distinguished Pastelist with the Pastel Society of the West Coast, and a member of the International Association of Pastel Societies Master Circle.
Based in the Pacific Northwest, Bjurman continues to develop a body of work rooted in observation, sensitivity, and a deep appreciation for the overlooked moments of daily life.
Bithia Bjurman, Manhattan Morning
Nadine McCluskey PSA-MP, eBlast Co-Chair
Nadine McLuskey holds a BA in Art Education and is a Master Pastelist, serving on the Board of Governors of the Pastel Society of America. An award-winning artist based in Long Island, New York, her work captures light, atmosphere, and quiet human resilience, drawing inspiration from everyday moments. During the pandemic, she created a series honoring healthcare workers and has donated several paintings to the Northwell Cancer Institute. Her work has received numerous honors, including PSA First Place for Shedding Light on Our Heroes, the PSA Flora B. Giffuni Award, Top 100 Pastels recognition in The Pastel Journal, the PSA Lila Gold Memorial Award, the PSA YANG Family Award, and Best in Show at an IAPS exhibition for Three Hearts, One Purpose, qualifying her for Master Pastelist status with IAPS.
Nadine McCluskey, Shedding Light On Our Heroes
Susan Story PSA-MP, Exhibition Designer
A Signature – Master Pastelist member of the Pastel Society of America, Susan Story serves on the Board of Governors and has International Association of Pastel Societies Master Circle status. She is a juried member of the historic Salmagundi Club, as well as the Academic Artists Association, Allied Artists of America, Audubon Artists, Hudson River Valley Art Association, and the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Club. Story has shared her technical experience and understanding of many mediums with students, young and old, from library-supported classes to workshops at the National Arts Club in NYC. Story’s artistic achievements include features in the prominent publications Pratique des Arts magazine and Pastel Journal, as well as the 2019 book Pure Pastel: Contemporary Works by Today’s Top Artists by Anne Hevener. Her recent honors include: New York State Regents Artist Commission Award; Grand Prize, Horace Champagne from the PSEC; Art Spirit Foundation Gold Medal, 138th Salmagundi Club’s Members Exhibit; PSC’s President’s Award at the PSA Annual; the IAPS Award for Excellence Online MC Exhibit, and several top awards over the years at the Pastel Society of America. Several pieces of her work have been purchased for Apple TV productions.
Susan Story, Edge of Darkness
Bethany Fields PSA, Web Designer
Bethany Fields is an artist, educator, and writer living beneath the wide skies of Texas. Known for her expressive, light-filled pastel landscapes, she brings a poetic yet grounded sensibility to both her paintings and her teaching. Her work reflects a deep love of observation, inviting others to slow down and notice the beauty woven into everyday moments.
She is the creator of The Beauty of Pastel, where she shares courses, books, and resources for artists around the world. From her home studio, Bethany guides students in developing both technical skill and artistic confidence, helping them connect thoughtful design with personal expression.
Her paintings have been exhibited nationally and are collected across the country. When she is not in the studio, she can often be found in the garden, walking the canyon, or studying the changing light across the Texas landscape.
Bethany Fields, Break of Day
Richard McKinley PSA-MP, HFH, IAPS Liaison
Richard McKinley has devoted over 50 years to painting in pastel and oil, writing about art matters, and instructing painting workshops. He is in the permanent collection of the Butler Institute of American Art Museum and holds artist membership at the historic Salmagundi Club in NYC. He is a Pastel Society of America Master Pastelist and Hall of Fame inductee, a Pastel Society of the West Coast Distinguished Pastelist and Pastel Laureate, and an Eminent Pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies and served as the organization’s president from 2017 to 2026. His work has been featured in numerous national/international art publications and exhibitions and authored Pastel Pointers, Top Secrets for Beautiful Pastel Paintings and The Landscape Paintings of Richard McKinley in oil and Pastel (both Penguin Random House).
Richard McKinley, The Journey Continues
Fang Sullivan PSA, Recording Secretary
Fang Sullivan is a contemporary figurative artist, classically trained and celebrated for her distinctive use of color in pastel and oil. Encouraged from a young age by her artist parents, she earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She teaches weekly pastel portrait classes at the Pastel Society of America School and shares her techniques through demonstrations, workshops, and time-lapse videos on Instagram (@fangsullivan). Her work encompasses portraiture, landscape, and still life. In 2024 and 2025, she received First Prize in the National Association of Women Artists Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories Exhibition. Her paintings have been exhibited in galleries nationwide. She is an Artist Member of the Salmagundi Club; a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America; and a Signature Member of the American Artists Professional League, NAWA, and the American Impressionist Society. Her portfolio and latest work are available at fangsullivan.com.
Fang Sullivan, Whimsy
JoAnn Giffuni Wellner, Honorary Chair
JoAnn Giffuni Wellner serves as an honorary chair and treasurer of the Pastel Society of America, the oldest pastel society in America, which was founded in 1972 by her mother, Flora B. Giffuni. She served on the founding board and authored the society’s bylaws.
Under JoAnn Giffuni’s generous patronage, the Pastel Society of America offers the following annual cash awards for excellence in pastel: the Kenneth Wellner Memorial Award, donated by JoAnn Wellner; the Flora B. Giffuni & Joseph V. Giffuni Memorial Award, also donated by JoAnn Wellner; and the prestigious PSA Founders Award, donated by The Flora B. Giffuni Foundation under the stewardship of JoAnn Wellner.
The Giffuni Gallery of American Pastels at the Butler Institute of American Art, established in 2004, is the first gallery in the United States dedicated exclusively to pastel works. Currently, the Giffuni Gallery has over 300 pastels in its collection, 25 of which include works by Flora Giffuni gifted by JoAnn Wellner between 2021 and 2022.
For three decades, JoAnn Wellner served as a trustee emerita and as chair of the Board of Advisors for the Tufts University School of Medicine. After earning degrees in both government and education at Tufts, Wellner graduated from Fordham University’s School of Law in 1966. She began her career at Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company and, in 1972, joined TIAA-CREF as a staff attorney, rising to executive officer and vice president of external affairs. In 1988, she joined her family’s New York-based real estate management business; until her recent retirement, Wellner was a principal of Merit Operating Corporation.
Adrian Giuliani PSA, Corresponding Secretary
Adrian Giuliani is an internationally recognized pastel artist, known for her contemporary florals, still lifes, and self-portraits. She is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and an IAPS Master Circle Member.
In the PSA Enduring Brilliance Exhibition, Adrian’s work was awarded with the Daniel E. Greene PSA-MP, HFH Memorial Award by the awards juror, Marjorie Shelley, pastel expert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her floral won an Award of Excellence in the IAPS Pastel World Master Circle Exhibition.
Adrian loves sharing her unique perspectives and methods of working. Using both observation from life and a great deal of freedom, she encourages her students to explore fearlessly. She teaches an ongoing PSA Zoom class, entitled Finding Your Freedom Through Observation, Exploration and Joy. She has had features in Pastelagram and the Pastel Journal. Adrian’s work is in the permanent collection of the National Arts Club.
Adrian Giuliani, A Harmonic Celebration
Steph Mouw PSA-MP, eBlast Co-Chair
Steph Mouw studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where she received a solid foundation in drawing, painting, and design. She is a Signature – Master Pastelist, member of the Pastel Society of America, currently serving on their Board of Governors. Steph curates the innovative PSA online exhibition program, including the monthly PSA Member Showcase Exhibitions. In 2025, she served as lead juror for PSA’s 53rd Annual Exhibition. Steph’s dramatic pastel floral paintings have been juried into many national and international shows and have received numerous awards, including the Pastel Silver Award in Pastel Journal’s 26th Annual Pastel 100 Competition. The periodicals Pastel Journal and Pratique des Arts recently published articles on Steph’s work. Her paintings have been exhibited at the National Arts Club (New York), the Salmagundi Club (New York), the Butler Institute of American Art (Ohio), and the Raynham Hall Museum (New York). Steph, her husband Bruce, and their cat Charlie live on the north shore of Long Island, NY.
Steph Mouw, Bruce’s Bouquet
Jimmy Wright PSA-MP, HFH, President
Jimmy Wright, plays an active role in the art community, serving as president of the Pastel Society of America since 2013 and as a board member of the International Association of Pastel Societies. In 2018, he was elected a National Academician of the National Academy of Design. He received an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in recognition of his impact on the arts.
His work is held in the collections of numerous prestigious institutions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
The New York Times critic Grace Glueck praised the “visual explosiveness” and “abstract fluidity” of the emotionally charged flower pastels. The work stands as a testament to the power of personal experience and to its intersection with broader social and historical narratives.
Jimmy Wright, Sunflower Head No. VIII
