Alain J. Picard

Alain J. Picard (born April 30, 1974) is an American figurative, landscape, and portrait pastel painter, art instructor, and writer. He resides in Southbury, Connecticut. He has lectured and demonstrated for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Arts Club in New York City, Vose Galleries in Boston, MA, the International Association of Pastel Societies Convention in Albuquerque, NM, and others.

Early life
Born in Stamford, Connecticut, Picard earned a Bachelor of Arts in illustration from Western Connecticut State University and studied at the Art Students League of New York.

Career
Influenced by John Singer Sargent, Edgar Degas, and Joaquín Sorolla, Picard's work has been featured in The Artist's Magazine and The Pastel Journal and has been recognized by The Portrait Society of America, The Hudson Valley Art Association, The Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists, The Connecticut Pastel Society, and The Pastel Society of America.

In 2004, The Artist's Magazine highlighted Picard as one of the 20 contemporary artists "On the Rise". In 2009, Picard's work was recognized with the "Best Portfolio Award" by the Portrait Society of America. Renowned for his photorealistic skin tones, expressive mark-making, and mastery of portrait and landscape art, Picard has garnered numerous accolades. He has offered instruction to budding pastel artists through classes, workshops, and the artist community known as 'Cultivate'.

He has written a series of art instructional books for Walter T. Foster Publishing, owned by The Quarto Group, including:


 * Pastel Basics: Learn fundamental techniques for using this fun and colorful medium (2014)
 * Mastering Pastel: Capturing the beauty of the world around you in this colorful medium (2015)
 * Beginning Drawing: A multidimensional approach to learning the art of basic drawing (2016)

In 2013 and 2014 he collaborated with Terry Ludwig Pastels to create two unique Picard pastel sets.

In a 2018 Interview with Artist Workshops Picard shared how he views the growth and development of his work: "I have developed from being more focused on realistic portrait and figurative work early in my professional career to now enjoying the landscape, and incorporating a colorist approach into all my work. My style has evolved to allow a more painterly and impressionistic application of marks. While I still love portrait and figurative subjects, I am interested in exploring themes of culture and identity in my figurative work, and utilizing techniques that will best tell the story of each subject, whether loose or more refined. I have a love affair with mark making in pastel, and continue to explore composition and color as new frontiers in my landscape and figurative work."

Awards and exhibitions

 * 2023 Maryland Pastel Society Award, Renaissance in Pastel, Connecticut Pastel Society - Connecticut
 * 2023 PSA Annual Exhibition, Enduring Brilliance Award


 * 2021 Portrait Society of America, Members Only Competition; 4th place in The Animal As The Subject Category
 * 2019 Featured Artist, Pastel Society of Southeast Texas
 * 2009 Portrait Society of America Art of the Portrait Conference Best Portfolio Award