Award Winner – National Pastel Exhibition – Marla Rush Parnell

Springfield Artist’s Painting Awarded First Place in National Pastel Exhibition

SPRINGFIELD, MO – A pastel painting by Springfield artist Marla Rush Parnell was awarded First Place in the Pastel National 2016. This juried exhibition exclusively for pastels is currently on display at the Wichita Center For The Arts in Wichita, Kansas, through May 8, 2016. The bi-annual exhibition is considered a premier event for the nation’s leading pastelists.

Parnell’s prize-winning pastel is a portrait of a Weimaraner illuminated by dramatic warm sunlight. The painting is entitled “Ghost” because the dog seems to appear out of the darkness of the furniture on which he is laying.

In addition, Parnell has a second painting in the exhibition, entitled “Promise,” depicting her 11-year-old pastel student at an easel, painting a portrait of her dog while the pet looks on. Parnell’s paintings are two of only 74 pastel paintings selected from among hundreds of entries from across the United States.

A native of Springfield, Parnell attended Missouri State University, where she earned a BA in Art and a BFA in Graphic Design. Studies with nationally recognized pastel artists have given her an in-depth understanding of the medium. Parnell specializes in commissioned pastel portraits of children and pets, and her work is in private collections throughout the United States. Parnell has exhibited in local, regional and national juried art shows since 1995.

Parnell and her husband, Hue Parnell, own and operate Creava School For The Arts in Springfield, Missouri, where she teaches pastel painting classes and workshops.

Parnell is a juried member of the Pastel Society of America (New York, NY), Gateway Pastel Artists (St. Louis), the International Association of Pastel Societies, Best of Missouri Hands and Springfield Regional Arts Council.

Her paintings may be viewed at www.parnellstudios.com.