Hello and Welcome!

My name is Paul deMarrais and I am passionate about pastel. I am a pastel artist and instructor. I also manufacture my own line of hand made pastels. It's been over thirty years since I got my first set of pastels. Over that long period I have done a ton of experimentation in just about every aspect of pastel. On my site you'll find articles I've written that may be of interest to you. I invite you to check them out - they're in the classroom. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. As a pastel instructor my focus is to help other artists along on their journeys into pastel. My philosophy is that knowledge is meant to be shared and passed along. I know that without the help of many people I would never have made it this far in my career. We live in a very individualistic society but I believe no one succeeds on their own. Real success occurs when giving to and connecting with other people.

I would love to meet you in person at one of my workshops. My workshops are generally small and casual. My goal is to figure out how I might help each artist gain in their skill and knowledge. A key concept at the right time can unlock the door to rapid and exciting advances in skills. I know that was the case for me when I was exposed to seeing color as a value at a workshop many years ago. Sometimes learning is more subtle and takes time to gel. Either way teaching for me is exciting and challenging. Students work hard at the workshops but we always have a good time!