{"id":263,"date":"2026-03-10T20:39:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T20:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/?p=263"},"modified":"2026-03-10T20:39:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T20:39:30","slug":"painting-without-a-brush-pastels-by-ben-solowey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/painting-without-a-brush-pastels-by-ben-solowey\/","title":{"rendered":"Painting Without A Brush: Pastels by Ben Solowey"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"RaePastel<\/a>

Rae<\/em>
Pastel on paper, 25 x 20.5 inches. c. 1958<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe French call it \u2018painting with pastel\u2019, but pastels are neither strictly painting or drawing. It is well known that Ben was a great painter as well as a master draughtsman, but his pastels combine the two like nothing else,\u201d says David Leopold, Director of the Solowey Studio. \u201cBen began to sketch with pastels in the 1920s and continued with the medium for the rest of his life. In the more than thirty works in this exhibition, there are pastels from virtually every part of his career: from his earliest attempts, remarkably his first Theatre Portrait, interiors and still lifes in New York, and landscapes among a wide range of works from Bucks County, including his last formal portrait of his wife, Rae.\u201d This new exhibition, PAINTING WITHOUT A BRUSH: Pastels by Ben Solowey <\/em><\/strong>will open to the public on Saturday, May 30<\/strong> at the Solowey Studio in Ottsville, PA with a reception from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and remain open on Sunday at the same hours. The exhibit will continue Wednesdays through Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., through June 14<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Early<\/a>

Early Spring<\/em>
Pastel on paper, 16 x 18 inches.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cAlthough Ben exhibited his pastels regularly, and won awards from them as early as 1926, there has never been an exhibition devoted his pastels,\u201d explains Leopold. \u201cFor Ben, I think he could produce colorful works similar to oils, but without the turpentines, brushes, and rags, or waiting for the work to dry. Of course, that is great when working outdoors, but he returned to pastels regularly in the studio as well, so pastels were important to the artist. I think visitors will be surprised by the range of styles and subject matters of Ben Solowey\u2019s pastels.\u201d<\/p>\n

The artwork in PAINTING WITHOUT A BRUSH: Pastels by Ben Solowey<\/em><\/strong> will be primarily on view in the Solowey Studio\u2019s \u201cSecond Studio\u201d. In the Solowey Main Studio will be a selection of paintings, drawings, and sculpture from all parts of his career, as well as additional pastels, displayed in the studio that where many of the works were created. \u201cThere is nothing like the thrill of seeing these masterpieces in Solowey\u2019s spacious studio,\u201d says Leopold, \u201cwhich maintains the atmosphere of the artist at work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Nude<\/a>

Nude with Hats<\/em>
Pastel and charcoal on paper, 27 x 20 inches<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIn honor of our opening on May 30, we will continue our tradition of serving homemade refreshments in the Solowey home,\u201d announces Leopold. \u201cThe two-hundred-fifty-year-old farmhouse was restored by Ben and is filled with museum quality furniture handcrafted by him. This will be the only time we open the house this year, so this truly is a special event.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Studio of Ben Solowey is located at 3551 Olde Bedminster Road in Ottsville, Pennsylvania. For more information on PAINTING WITHOUT A BRUSH: Pastels by Ben Solowey<\/em><\/strong> or directions, contact The Studio of Ben Solowey at 215-795-0228, or visit www.solowey.com for more stories on the art in the exhibition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  \u201cThe French call it \u2018painting with pastel\u2019, but pastels are neither strictly painting or drawing. It is well known that Ben was a great…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":271,"href":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263\/revisions\/271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solowey.com\/exhibitions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}