Introduction to Soft Pastel Painting with Annette Sykes

Annette Sykes is a Massachusetts-based painter whose work explores the extraordinary beauty found in ordinary places, objects, and moments. Working primarily in soft pastel and oil, she creates still lifes, landscapes, portraits, and figures that invite viewers to slow down and rediscover the richness of careful observation.

Raised in the Midwest and now living and working on Massachusetts’ North Shore, Sykes earned a Master of Fine Arts from the California College of the Arts after completing post-baccalaureate studies at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has undergraduate degrees in design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC. Her career has been shaped by an unusual combination of roles as artist, educator, nonprofit arts leader, and mentor—experiences that have reinforced her belief that art is as much about building community as it is about creating beautiful objects.

For nearly two decades, Sykes worked in special education while continuing to develop her own artistic practice. She spent several years directing GALA and the programming of the gallery in Lynn, MA including a weekly figure drawing group and numerous exhibits and events. Today, she paints full time from her studio in the historic Lydia Pinkham Building in Lynn, Massachusetts, and mentors local artist Polyvios Christoforos through a Massachusetts self-directed support program.