Transcript from the judge's comments walk around of the
Purely Pastel Exhibition 2026

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Dwarfed by Ice by Robert Simmonds
I was very intrigued with the colour palette on this one. I don't know about the boat, I guess he did it for the scale. I was really liking this shape here ( top of the ice ). A lot of nice elements. It just feels cold doesn't it?

Daisy by Colleen Archibald
I love the energy in this piece, forehead seems a little tall. It's good, she has a huge head of hair. What I would have done is put a little more sparkle in her eyes. She's got these gorgeous blue eyes, and that would make that a real focal point. This is adorable.

Passing by - Clutha River by Rachel Hayton
It's an interesting composition, I like it. The underneath parts of the clouds look a little heavy to me. I think you could have interjected some more luminous colour. Think about atmospheric perspective. It's too much the same value. Lose some of the chroma as they recede.

Sea Horses by Colleen Archbald
I love the shapes. You have a really nice design sense with your mark making. I like all the energy. Needs a focal point, a sock-it-to-me area in the top of the wave.

Elephant Rock by Norine Dixon
Popping down that edge it's like a butt pad, its stopping me. You could take a pastel pencil and go over the reflections and soften. The shape of that rock is amazing, so beautiful.
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Binalong Bay Tasmania by Claire Johnstone
You have a nice composition, but think about lost and found edges.

Surf's Up by Rose Dean
​You also need a focal-power point. It's beautifully done and the colour palette is really beautiful. Accentuate the top of the wave would take it up another level. It does look a bit stripy with the horizontals.
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Fishing Boats by Marie Sanders
​Which boat gets the centre stage? They are too equal. I would like to see something that separates them so they are not identical. Nice flow.

Love Me a Road Trip - Lake Hayes Road Towards Arrowtown by Meryl Nicol
I thought this was lovely. I like the composition. Think again about the edges, lost and found. They will just add more flow and it will be easier on the eye: soft,hard,soft,hard. 
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Last Jump of the Day - Ngarunui Beach Raglan
Just give me one spot where I will go wow and then look around.

Morning Light by Colleen Henderson
Don't make the trees look all the same patterns; vary them. A little more blues, darker value back there would give a bit more distance. When things are farther away they go more cool, blue and lighter.

Shining Through by Christine Abernethy
​Needs a little more of a focal point.

Marsh-Mellow by Gill Allen
I had a problem with this foreground, not quite fulfilled. Some of your edges back there could be a little toned down. Too much darker values in the back, so lighten for more distance.

Waterlillies by Saskia ​Riermersma
​It's a beautiful painting

Mosh Pit by Michael Freeman
Kind of sexy sheep, flirting with their eyes. Look so clean

Ways of Saying Goodbye by Lyn Henry
​Lyn has a good eye, good sense of composition.

Python Pool by Maxine Thompson
I would like to have seen a litle more colour change in the sky, a bit more atmospheric perspective.

Ruffled by Glenys Forbes
This is lovely and soft, I like your composition and the negative shapes. Sensitively beautiful.

Satsuma and Silk by Julie Freeman
​No matter how good photography is, there is nothing like seeing the painting in front of you. Amazingly beautiful. The light is good

Coming Up From the Deep by Lyn Henry
This shows a focal point, a starting area then move around.

A Quiet After Summer Dreaming by Julie Greig
I love the way she has worked with white, changing colour without changing value. This beautiful shadow pulls it together and when you look closely you see beautiful subtle colour changes. Really lovely.

Jewel of the Tide by Julie Freeman
Making slimy seaweed look elegant is a trick.

Looking for Light by Glenys Forbes
This is another one worthy of an award. I would like to see a little more colour in the shadows, more blues and violets in the same value.

Itch by Glenys Forbes
​My eye is drawn to an area that probably should not be a focal point. Too sharp.

A Morning Begins Softly by Julie Greig
​Small pieces can be intrigueing. The light on this is gorgeous.The floor of light.

Dawn Mystique Te Popo by Valma Taylor
Got some good depth here, I would like to see a highlight on one of the sheep just so it stood out a bit. Maybe interject some warm in the same value range.

Outside the Kitchen Window by ​Bernadette Ballantyne
A complicated subject. Very good use of lost and found edges.

Rotokawau Virginia Island by Veronica Tee
Nice mark making but again I dont know where to rest my eye. Do we need all this here? My eye is pulling me down to the corner. I would have just modified that a bit.

Walks of Life by Veronica Tee
Good composition but where do I stop? Someone has to lead the way.

Ancient Rain Forest by David Haigh
I love the composition, semi abstract or maybe a design pattern. I do like what you did in the foreground. The root also leads your eye there.

Nasturtium and Allium by Aleesha Winter
​A little too soft everywhere, nice composition

Hawkes Bay Sheds by Harry Street 
​Could use a little more depth, lighter values in the distant trees. It seems like it needs some more cast shadows.

Creating Red Nails by Anne Berry
Cleverly designed painting. The only thing that bothered me was the size of the hand on the left, it should be a little smaller for distance.Very cleverly designed. Very brave to do a self portrait.

Rose by ​Bernadette Ballantyne
It's beautiful, lovely composition. Good job!

Jean's Waterlillies by ​K Mclennan
I would have preferred to see at least one of the lilies a different size, they are all the same like triplets. Similarly with the pads, have different sizes. Be careful of repetitive shapes.

Holiday Bouquet by Nicola Warner

Sea Sparkles by ​Jan Leighton
A beautiful painting, I would have softened the horizon line a little bit more. Nice motion and a focal point that I want to keep looking at.

Over Every Hill by Nicola Warner
Nice shapes, nice pattern, not too repetitive, even the mark making is mixed up.

Birthday Flowers by Rosemarie Murphy
A lot of good things in this one. You could have made the background lighter a bit. The foreground flower looks a little heavy here, perhaps lightening it a bit would have pushed it back. They are beautifully done but again you need a sparkle, more punch, more of a focal point.

Meander by Penny Briscoe
This one needs a focal point, very soft and beautiful but it needs to pull me in a little more. It needs an anchor.

The Mighty O by Nicola Warner
​Very playful a fun piece. 

Pretty Boy by Rosemarie Murphy
Sensual shade and there was a debate as to whether the top could be cropped down a little. A really lovely piece.

Storm Brewing by Judith White
Lovely piece, interesting composition. I like this strange piece of wood leading to the tree. I feel it needs a little more of a sense of light, it feels a bit the same all across. 

Serenity by Kathy Kerr
Needs the patterns and shapes broken up a bit more, they are too much the same. A little more depth by lightening some areas. Working from photos has limitations. It's a good idea to work en plein air for practice.

Let Sleeping Dogs ..... by Julie Nicol
So sweet. I think it could have a little more colour in the whites. I like the composition and the feeling of this dude hanging out.

Dancer on Stool in Blue by Mary Jane Steffens
You have a style - you know it right away. All the judges agreed on this one. Beautiful colours and composition. I would have had her toe at the very bottom and moved the whole thing up a bit. Space under her foot. Sensitive. 

Hydrangea Haven by Margie Bramley
I need a star of the show. A little too much space at the top. Hydrangeas are hard to paint. Almost too repetitive.

Before the Strike by Lynn Fuller
It has a nice antique feel. 

Vintage by Melanie Hawkins
Dark, scary space on the right. It's a little off balance. 

Quiet Abundance by Lynn Fuller
You could add some lovely colours. Some of the edges could disappear more.

France Passion by Saskia Riermersma
Triangles are very strong shapes and the triangle in this bugged me. I'd soften that. Too hard edged.

Coffee with Marshmallows by Lynne Dean
This needs to have a star of the show - a leading actor (focal point). Very well rendered. Punch it up somewhere.

Blossom by Lynne Dean
Too much white. No focal point. ​

Silver Jug and Apple by Kyoko Yamaguchi
I do like the colours in the background and the shadow.
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Mouley Idriss Morocco by Harry Street
I like the composition. I wish the foreground had more sparkle, less heavy. There feels like there should be more air in it. Depth is learned in plein air painting and doesn't always show up in a photograph.

 Cartegana Columbia by Harry Street
I like this one better. The focal point is a little bit too centred.

Shells by Lynne Dean
This is lovely - more like a pattern. The star of the show is the pattern. Beautifully rendered. Lovely colour palette.

Shantillie on Blue by Aleesha Winter
A little more highlight in the eyes needed. I'd soften the underplain of the nose. I don't want to look up her nostrils. Soften with pastel pencils. 

Dancer on Stool in Sepia by Mary Jane Steffens
This is a better composition. Balance. Lovely colour in the shadows. ​

Sedona Arizona by Norine Dixon
This is a complicated subject. Again it has no focal point. Too many hard edges - some of the edges need softening. 

Brotherhood Spirit by Anne Berry
Beautifully done. Tone down those teeth. 

Masaii Kokoo - Grandmother by Anne Berry.
These teeth are better. Beautiful background. 

Held in Silence by Lynn Fuller
This is beautifully done. A little more colour in the background. Really lovely. Lost edges a little more.

The Last Picture Show by Lyn Henry
Wonderful composition and texture. Superb.

Born of the Deep by Kelly Edwards.
Both sides are too close to the edge. 

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Tiger by Jackie Krzyzewski
Those eyes are scary. Beautiful. Maybe a little more colour in the whites.