Colette Odya Smith PSA-MP

Picture Pastel Perfect
Working Creatively from Your Photos to Your Pastels

March 27 to 29, 2026 (Friday to Sunday)
9:30 am to 4:30 pm (ET)

Colette Odya Smith is known for luminous landscape paintings that combine clarity, atmosphere, and poetic sensitivity to natural light. Her work reflects an intimate relationship with the land and a longstanding exploration of how perception and memory interact with representation. Colette frequently uses photographic reference as a starting point, while letting the painting evolve toward what the scene feels like rather than simply duplicating what the camera saw.

This workshop focuses on how to use photographic reference as a tool rather than a constraint. Participants will learn how to evaluate photographs, select images with potential, modify or combine reference material, and translate those sources into personal and expressive pastel paintings. Emphasis is placed on artistic decision making and on asserting the needs of the painting over the boundaries of the photo.

Daily instruction includes demonstrations of Colette’s process beginning with a watercolor underpainting, followed by layered pastel application to build color, light, and atmosphere. Ample studio time and individualized attention support artists as they explore their own goals and subject matter. The environment is collaborative, generous, and supportive, with opportunities for discussion and critique. And yes, there will be chocolate.

Artists of all levels are welcome. A working familiarity with pastel is helpful but not required.

What You Will Gain

• Strategies for selecting and evaluating photographic reference
• Methods for altering or combining images to support artistic intent
• Experience with watercolor underpainting as a foundation for pastel
• Approaches for translating photography into expressive pastel paintings
• Stronger compositional and editing decisions at the easel
• Increased confidence working beyond what the camera captures

This workshop is particularly valuable for artists who work from photography and want to move beyond copying toward more expressive and intentional pastel painting.

Instructor Bio

Colette Odya Smith is an award-winning pastel artist known for luminous landscapes that blend realism and atmosphere with a poetic sensitivity to light. Her paintings often begin with photographic reference, which she interprets through watercolor underpainting and layered pastel to create images that transcend documentation and move toward reverie and memory. Her work has been widely exhibited in national and international shows and is held in private and public collections.

Colette has received recognition from major pastel organizations including the International Association of Pastel Societies and the Pastel Society of America. She encourages students to approach photography as a creative tool that supports their own voice and vision. Her teaching emphasizes clarity, generosity, and community building, making her workshops welcoming to artists who seek both technical guidance and artistic confidence.

Q & A

What do you hope students leave this workshop with

I hope students leave with a more expansive understanding of how the camera can serve their artistic vision rather than dictate it. The goal is to shift from treating the photograph as an authority to using it as a tool that enables what the artist wants to say. We will explore practical strategies supported by attitude shifts so students can build confidence in translating photographic reference into paintings that feel personal, expressive, and alive.

What makes this class unique or meaningful to you

Photographs can be incredibly helpful for representational work, yet they also trap many artists into copying mode. Not everyone can paint successfully en plein air or draw extensively from life, so incorporating cameras and computers as modern tools feels appropriate when they are used in service to the passion and voice of the artist. This workshop takes that idea seriously and gives artists permission to work from photos without being bound by them.

What draws you to teach

My first career was as a public school art teacher. When I shifted my focus to my own studio practice I assumed teaching was behind me, but a series of convergent experiences brought me back to the classroom. Teaching supports my artistic growth and provides a vital balance between the solitude of painting and my desire to share, support others, and build community. Connecting with students through our conversations and through their work is the most gratifying part of our time together.

What would you like prospective students to know

My priority in the classroom is to support each artist’s aspirations for their own work. I do not want students to feel pressured to work like me or to follow my path. I want them to feel empowered to find and develop their own.

Supply List

• Photographs printed or stored on a digital device to use as painting reference. Bring more than you think you will need. It can be helpful to pull elements or information from multiple photos. Bring a camera or phone if you wish to take photos during the workshop.
• Soft pastels with a broad selection of colors including intense, greyed, earth tones, lights, and darks. Half sticks are welcome. Recommended brands include Schmincke, Unison, Sennelier, Terry Ludwig, Great American, Richeson, and Mungyo Gallery. The Richeson handmade brand is very good and reasonably priced.
• Pastel paper or board in white or pale tones. Surfaces must accept water based media. Recommended surfaces include UArt, Art Spectrum Colorfix, Ampersand, or Richeson. Heavy watercolor papers such as 300 lb hot press may also be used. Colette often uses 4 ply Rising Museum Board coated with two thin layers of Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastel diluted with water to a creamy consistency. Size and format are your choice.
• Basic watercolors, synthetic brushes, water dish, palette, and towels for underpainting. Avoid natural hair brushes as the prepared surface can damage them.
• Materials for sketching and note taking. Camera or phone for sharing or capturing images.
• Artist or masking tape in neutral colors.
• Newsprint or similar material to create a tray for catching pastel dust.
• Protective items such as apron, gloves or finger cots, paper towels, and wiping cloths.
• Any additional aids you personally like to use such as viewfinders, color wheels, value charts, fixative, rulers, scissors or blades, and glassine or tissue for transporting finished work.
• Photographs of your artwork to share (optional)