About the Artist

It is not uncommon for a viewer to say "wow" when seeing Barbara Groff's still life pastel paintings for the first time. Then the question arises, "That's pastel? Amazing!" It becomes apparent why she is known for her award-winning paintings and the ability to accomplish remarkable detail using the traditional pastel medium. A Connecticut native and largely self-educated fine artist, she has garnered numerous awards for her work, including the Dianne B. Bernhard Gold Medal and Silver Medal Awards in Pastel and multiple Best in Show awards. Featured in the Pastel Journal magazine as one of the top five winners overall in the 9th Annual Pastel 100 competition, she has placed several times since. She is a designated Master Pastelist of the Pastel Society of America, Inc.; an elected artist of the Allied Artists of America, Inc., American Artists Professional League, and other prestigious organizations.
Her work has been featured in magazine articles such as Pastel Journal, American Art Collector, and the best-selling French art magazine, Pratique Des Arts. Her work is also featured in the book on internationally recognized pastelists (past and present), 40 Maîtres du PASTEL - PASTEL PAINTING by Pratique des Arts. Barbara’s pastels have been included in exhibits at the Butler Institute of American Art, the Canton Museum of Art, the Bennington Arts Center, the Mattatuck Museum, the National Arts Club (NY), and the Salmagundi Club (NY). She is represented by Tilting At Windmills Gallery in Manchester Center, VT.

Awards and Exhibitions (prior six years)

2021

Best Pastel - Pastel Category, January 2021 PleinAir Salon from PleinAir Magazine for "Irma's Nest"

Award of Excellence for Pastel - Academic Artists Association 71st Annual National Exhibition for “My Favorite Things”

2020
Second Place - Yin and Yang: Realism and Abstraction Exhibition for “Boy with Thorn”
Award of Excellence for Pastel - Academic Artists Association 70th Annual National Exhibition for “Brush Bouquet”
Best Pastel - Plein Air 10th Annual Salon, April online competition for “From the Hearth”

Bold Brush Competition Fav 15% - July 2020  for "Just Common Things"

Third Place -  Pastel Society of North Carolina Pure Color 4th Annual Online International Juried Exhibition for “Memories of a Friend”
Richeson Art Award -  2nd Annual Make Your Mark! Online Juried Exhibition, Pastel Society of Southern California for “China Blues”

Best Pastel - Pastel Category, November 2020 PleinAir Salon from PleinAir Magazine for "Bird Watching"

2019

 2nd Place -  Signature Member Show, Arts Center East, Vernon, CT

Outstanding Pastel Award - Bold Brush Painting Competition, October 2019
Bold Brush Fav 15% - October 2019
Kerry Heidenis Memorial Award - Connecticut Pastel Society 33rd Annual Member Exhibition

Finalist - 2019 Richeson 75 Still Life On-line Exhibition
Pastel Excellence Award - Academic Artists Association 69th Annual National Exhibition
Piedmont Award - 27th Piedmont Annual Regional Art show
Honorable Mention - Northeast Fine Arts Exhibition of Traditional Realism
Sennelier Award - Central Mass Pastel Society National Exhibition

Accepted - 47th Pastel Society of America Annual Exhibition “Enduring Brilliance”, National Arts Club, NY, NY (China Blues Selected by Dr. Louis A. Zona, Director of the Butler Institute of American Art, to be included in an all pastel exhibit at the museum)

2018
Pastel Frame Award - Academic Artists Association 68th Annual National Exhibition
First Place in Pastels - Red Thread Network, Fifth Annual Art Show
Bold Brush Competition Fav 15% -  June
Bold Brush Competition Fav 15% - August
Merit Award -  New Haven Paint & Clay Club Active members Exhibit
Bold Brush Competition Fav 15% - September
Pastel Society of America Award - Allied Artists of America 105th National Exhibition
Piedmont Award - 26th Annual Regional Piedmont Art Show
Art Spirit Foundation Dianne B. Bernhard Award - Renaissance in Pastels 25th National Exhibition

Accepted Exhibitions - Arts of Tolland 15th Annual Juried Art Show; Lyme Art Association Summer Painting and Sculpture Show; Seventh Annual Juried Multimedia Exhibit, Arts Center East; Lyme Art Association, Deck the Walls Art Show 

Bold Brush Competition Fav 15% -December

2017
Dick Blick Art Materials Award - CT Pastel Society 31st Annual Member Exhibition
First Place in Pastels - Red Thread Network, Fourth Annual Art Show
Cheap Joe’s Art Supplies Award - Academic Artists Association 67th Annual National Exhibition
Presidents Award - Renaissance in Pastels 24th National Exhibition
Finalist - 2016/2017 Art Renewal Center International Salon
Finalist - 2017 Richeson 75 Still Life On-line Exhibition
Certificate of Merit - 109th Annual Thumb-box Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, NY
Accepted Exhibitions - Arts of Tolland, CT Academy of Fine Arts, New Haven Paint & Clay Club 116th Annual Juried Exhibition, Purely Pastel, 25th Piedmont Art Show, Allied Artists of America NY, Salmagundi Member’s Centennial Exhibition

2016
First Place in Pastels - Red Thread Network, Third Annual Art Show
Pat Scholz Memorial Award - Arts of Tolland 2016 Juried Art Show
Best in Show - Academic Artists Association 66th Annual National Exhibition
Second Place - Bill and Phyllis Baltaks Memorial Award - 2D or Not 2D 5th Annual Juried Exhibit
Piedmont Award - 24th Annual Regional Piedmont Art show
Merit Award - New Haven Paint & Clay Club, Active Members Exhibit 2016
Madison Art Society Award - Renaissance in Pastel 23rd National Exhibition
Best in Show - On and Of Paper Redux Exhibition
Dianne B. Bernhard Silver Medal Award in Pastel - Allied Artists of America, 103rd Annual Exhibition
Flora B. Giffuni & Joseph V. Giffuni Memorial Award - Pastel Society of America 44th Annual Exhibition: Enduring Brilliance!

Finalist - 2016 Richeson 75 Still Life On-line Exhibition

2015

CPS Board of Directors Award - CT Pastel Society 29th Annual Member Exhibition

Dick Blick Award - Academic Artists Association 65th National Juried Exhibition

Third Place Award - 12th Annual Arts of Tolland Juried Art Show, The Arts Center of Tolland, CT

Dianne Bernhard Silver Medal Award for Pastel -  Salmagundi Club 131st Annual Members Exhibition
Third Place Award - CB Realiste On-line competition, Montreal, Canada
First Place Susan Shimer Memorial Award - Arts Center East, Of and On Paper Exhibition
Invitational - Canton Museum of Fine Art Canton, Ohio. Exhibition celebrating 100 years of the Allied Artists of America.
Allied Artists of America Award For Pastel - Allied Artists of America 102nd Annual Exhibition
Selected Artists Group Show Award - New Haven Paint and Clay Club

Two Person Show Arts of Tolland “Victoriana, Painted Ladies, and Lace”

Accepted Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts 104th National Competition, Mystic, CT
Accepted 43rd Pastel Society of America Annual Exhibition “Enduring Brilliance”, National Arts Club, NY, NY (Nature’s Weaver Selected by the Director of the Butler Institute of American Art to be included in an all pastel exhibit at the museum)

Selected Articles/Publications

2016 - 40 Maitres du Pastel, published by Pratique Des Arts, France

2012 - Pratique Des Arts, Special All Pastel Issue, December, two-page Feature Portfolio
2012 - Pastel Journal, Background Check by Anne Hevener, editor. October Issue
2011 - Best of Worldwide Abstract & Still Life Artists, featured artist (including front cover), Kennedy Publishing

Gallery Representation

Tilting at Windmills Gallery, http://www.tilting.com