Artist Statement

I have always found being surrounded by nature’s beauty to be both soothing and invigorating. I love the effect it has on me and enjoy translating those emotions through color, light, and form into a permanent work of art to share with others.

When I paint an animal’s portrait for a client, I enjoy capturing their companion’s personality and spirit to connect them to the love they have for their pet every time they see it.

Pastels are an especially dynamic medium— allowing me to mix colors directly on the surface of my paintings, each layer getting me closer to what I want. I appreciate their versatility and the ability to capture everything from bold colors and broad strokes to subtle shades and little details.

Bio

Award-winning artist Mandy Roeing resides in Downs, Illinois with her husband and their two daughters. Mandy began her art career when her love of animals and passion for painting merged through commissioned pet portraits. She enjoys capturing the individual personality and spirit of animals in a piece that connects a person to the bond they share with their pet every time they see it. To learn more about Mandy’s pet portraits, click here.

The beauty and tranquility found in nature are Mandy’s biggest inspiration. She enjoys painting landscapes and seascapes, especially when she has the opportunity to work on location.

All of Mandy’s paintings are done in soft pastels, a versatile medium that exemplifies the attention to detail and excellent rendering skills that draw viewers to her work.

Mandy earned her BFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina in 2004. She is the Vice President of the Illinois Prairie Pastel Society, an active member of the Illinois Art League & Peoria Art Guild, and an instructor at the McLean County Arts Center. She is also a past president of the Pastel Society of NC. Her work has been published in The Pastel Journal Magazine and The IAPS Globe, and is in numerous private collections throughout the country and abroad. To learn more about Mandy’s work, please contact her with any questions.

Awards

·   2022: 23rd Annual Pastel 100 Competition, Pastel Journal Magazine, Honorable Mention in Landscape and Interiors Category for “Transcendence” by Juror Nancy Nowak

​·       2021: Awarded Second Place for “Color at Play” by Judge Doug Johnson (Illinois Prairie Pastel Society member show, Springfield Art Association, Springfield, IL)

·        2020: Best of Show for “Bend in the Road,” Illinois Art League Annual Exhibition (Peoria, IL)

​·        2020: Best of Show, Virtual Sugar Creek Arts Festival (Normal, IL)

​·        2020: Awarded two Honorable Mentions for “Invigorating Surge” and “Serenità Toscana” by Judge Aaron Schuerr (Illinois Prairie Pastel Society member show, Springfield Art Association, Springfield, IL)

·        2020: 21st Annual Pastel 100 Competition, Pastel Journal Magazine, Honorable Mention in Animal and Wildlife Category for “Snoozin’” by Juror Yael Maimon

·        2019: Second Place Fine Art, Sugar Creek Arts Festival (Normal, IL)

·        2019: Awarded Second Place for “Tidal Dance” by Judge Nancy King Mertz (Illinois Prairie Pastel Society member show, Springfield Art Association, Springfield, IL)

·        2019: Awarded an Honorable Mention for “July in the Country” (Illinois Art League member show, Time Gallery, Peoria, IL)

·        2016: Awarded an Honorable Mention for “Heartland Horizon” by Judge Liz Haywood Sullivan (Illinois Prairie Pastel Society 10th Anniversary show, Springfield Art Association, Springfield, IL)