About Grace Worcester
Although I have always appreciated art and artists, I had never created any art myself, until a quarter century ago I dared to take a workshop with Jeneane Lunn, a well-known Vermont artist and teacher. In her weekly classes I discovered that anyone can learn technique and methods. And there was so much to learn: from composition, hue, values, and perspective to the color wheel, the effects of different brands of pastels and paper, and what happens with the addition of charcoal or pastel pencils.
“I was hooked from the first time I held a beautiful silky soft pastel stick in my hand and have remained entranced ever since.”
An artist is always learning
I have continued to study with Jeneane Lunn and have also taken classes with Robert Carsten, Stephie Clark, Marla Baggetta, and others. I read Pastel Journal, watch videos by pastel artists, and buy almost every book on pastels that I see! I take any opportunity to visit museums and study paintings in real life, an important source of learning and inspiration.
Early days
Starting as a library page when I was 13, my career in library services spanned more than half a century. My passion has always been children and children's literature: I was a children's librarian in Massachusetts for fifteen years, then the Youth Services Consultant for the Vermont Department of Libraries for twenty-eight more. The first library workshop I attended in Massachusetts was about different styles of art in picture books and, as an ardent fan of art history, I was enthralled. Since then I have spent countless hours evaluating the illustrations in picture books, and have taught classes and workshops on picture book art. I have served on many children's book award committees including the Caldecott Award Committee, which gives a medal for the best illustrated book of the year, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Committee, which gives awards in several categories, including picture books..
Member of the Vermont Pastel Society since 2015
“Grace has been a student of mine for many years. She’s a creative and innovative artist who is well respected by her peers. Her love of animals shows through in her sensitive portraits of all sorts of creatures from the usual dogs and cats to goats and pigs. In addition to her technical ability, each portrait evokes a universal, emotional response to the animal. Grace’s landscapes depict the beauty of the Vermont landscape and the weather. When people see her work they know exactly what kind of day she has captured and good memories of the exact season of Vermont are recalled.”
— Jeneane Lunn, Rhode Island