Jude Tolar, IAPS/MC, PSA, WAOW, OAG, PSNM, APAA* Jude Tolar spent childhood in SE Kansas and NE Oklahoma, exploring outdoors and drawing indoors. She graduated from College High School in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and received a psychology degree from Oklahoma State University. She later spent two post-baccalaureate years studying fine art and illustration at the University of Oklahoma. Her first art job was as the Staff Artist for the Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma County (OK). After a long freelance career in graphic design/illustration, she turned to pastels, working mainly from life and en plein air. She has studied extensively with Clive Tyler, and with other notable pastel artists. Jude finds beauty and joy in the world and portrays those in her pastel paintings. Her style is lyrical realism, filled with light and usually strong colors. She’s known for floral and tree portraits outdoors and glass and floral subjects indoors. She prefers to work from life, using soft and hard pastels on sanded paper. Her pastels have won numerous awards, including PleinAir Magazine’s Plein Air Salon, Pastel Journal magazine’s Pastel 100, and in international/national shows. She exhibits in juried shows and galleries, and has paintings in collections across the US and in France. Jude is published in art magazines, art websites, and in The Encyclopedia of Pastel Techniques (2018). She’s written for Plein Air Today/Outdoor Painter and Pastel Journal magazine, and gives pastel demos and workshops in Oklahoma and other states. She is a Master Circle pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies and a Signature Member of Pastel Society of America, Women Artists of the West, and other art groups. She is also Vice President of the Oklahoma Pastel Society, and a Board member of Stillwater (OK) Art Guild.When not painting, Jude can be found gardening, hiking, reading, or mowing. She lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma with her husband, their gardens, and a studio full of pastels. www.judetolar.comInstagram: judetolar *Master Circle, International Association of Pastel Societies Signature Member Pastel Society of America Women Artists of the West Oklahoma Art Guild Pastel Society of New Mexico Distinguished Pastellist, Arizona Pastel Artists Association Oklahoma Pastel Society, Vice President Stillwater (OK) Art Guild, Board member