After attending the International Association of Pastel Society (IAPS) 2007 meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, three budding pastel artists from Southern California, aka “The Three Pastel Musketeers,” got fired up. They were so inspired by the quality of the workshops, the camaraderie with other artists, and the beauty of the pastel medium, that they decided to start a local pastel society of their own! They realized that, without a nearby pastel organization, if they wanted the medium to grow in popularity in the Los Angeles area, they would need to pioneer one. So they returned home and, over the next two years, planted the seeds with other area pastelists, held a few meetings, and the rest is history. To this day, they are grateful for the enthusiasm and support they have received from other artists like themselves as well as from neighboring pastel societies and IAPS.

The Pastel Society of Southern California is based in Redondo Beach, California.