St. Maarten artist Anderson Flanders (right) with his mother Patsy Cocks at Pastel Society of America’s awards dinner on September 23.
Anderson Flanders (left) with Pastel Society of America President Kimmy Wright.
EBENEZER--Young St. Maarten artist Anderson Flanders attended Pastel Society of America’s (PSA’s) 46th Annual Juried Exhibition at The National Arts Club in Gramercy Park, New York City, last month.
The National Arts Club was founded in 1898 and its home is the historic Samuel Tilden Mansion. Flanders’ pastel painting called “Portrait of Linda” was one of 180 pieces selected for the exhibition.
His mother Patsy Cocks flew in from St. Maarten to attend the awards dinner on September 23. She stayed with her son in Connecticut for one month to see him work with his mentor Claudia Post in her atelier and to watch him create his own works. She wanted to see first-hand how a professional artist works in a studio.
The PSA dinner began with an awards ceremony, a speech by PSA President Jimmy Wright and the projection of each award-winning painting on a large screen for all attendees to see. This was followed by a cocktail hour for pastelists to meet one another and socialise in the prestigious and historic club parlour.
“Then we were escorted to our reserved tables for a fine-dining experience and further conversations. We were seated with artists Janet A. Cook and Leslie Lillien Levy. I also met artists Christine Ivers and Karen Israel, and Canson Papers representative Michelle Montes, Executive Director of the International Association of Pastel Societies Red Weber, founder of China Pastel Network Yang Hul and Pastel Society President Wright.
“It was so exciting to be included in such a prestigious exhibition in the United States and to be the only selected artist from Dutch St. Maarten/French St. Martin and the entire Caribbean,” Flanders said.
Approximately 30 pastel paintings were selected to be part of a special exhibition at Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. Flanders’ portrait will be shipped to Butler Institute for this show and will return to New York City in March 2019
