HOLLIS – Four pastel artists will share their love of nature and color in a group show opening early next month at Wild Salamander Creative Arts Center in Hollis.

Wild Salamander will close out a busy spring gallery season with the show, in which all four artists are members of the Pastel Society of N.H. “Nature’s Delight,” which runs from June 2-24, will open on the evening of June 2 with a public reception. The show will feature landscapes, still lifes and wildlife all painted in pastels.

Joelle Feldman, Maryann Mullett, Lisa Regopoulos and Pam Short all hail from southern New Hampshire, and while they use pastels in slightly different ways, they are all connected in their love of nature and color.

“A love for the versatile medium of pastel brought the four of us together years ago as members of the Pastel Society of NH,” said Regopoulos.

Feldman adds, “We are observers of nature and share a passion for the medium. We might find inspiration in the dunes of the New England coast, a mountain sunset, fresh eggs in a blue carton – even everyday scenes that spark creativity.”

Wild Salamander plans to offer classes this fall in how to “paint” with pastels, said gallery owner KC Morgan.

“The great thing about pastels is that you’re working directly with the raw, ground pigment, without any oil or any medium at all, so the colors can be drop dead gorgeous,” said Morgan.

New to Wild Salamander’s walls is Maryanne Mullett, who is coming “over the hill” from Dublin.

“We’re excited to feature fresh faces and share such vibrant artwork with our local audience,” said Morgan.

Mullett’s inspiration comes from natural shapes, colors and patterns. Short finds “peace in painting nature,” she said. Feldman favors “intensity of light and saturation of color,” and Regopoulos aims to add her own lyrical impression of a scene by use of intuitive color choices, movement and gestural mark-making.”

Wild Salamander’s opening reception, which is free and open to the public, takes place on June 2 from 6-8 p.m. at their 30 Ash St. location. For more information go to www.WildSalamander.com.

– Submitted by Wild Salamander Creative Arts Center