April 8

Weaving Depth and Direction into Your Painting:

Lessons from Paul Cezanne

Take your knowledge of composition to a new level by learning the ideas of Post-Impressionist and “father of modern art” Paul Cezanne. In this session, Carol Rhodes will instruct members how to manipulate objects by manipulating planes, forms, and shapes using dynamic versus static tension. Since Cezanne developed his techniques, famous artists have used these concepts in subtle to radical ways to create energetic compositions of all types of subjects — landscapes, still lifes, animated forms, and more.

During the demonstration each table will create a still life, manipulating the various objects in specific ways to demonstrate movement and energy.

As such, please bring one object you would like to see in a still life (to be shared with your table), plus a sketchbook and drawing implement.

Carol’s presentation will follow a brief business meeting that starts at 6 p.m. The meeting is at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, 100 State Road 46.

Letter from the BWS President

At our March meeting we asked for input from the group as to how we can best use our funds to support the goals and mission of our organization, which are as follows:

Article II — Objectives of the Organization

1. To promote the interest of the Bloomington Watercolor Society.
2. To increase the effectiveness of artists through education and activities about watercolor painting.
3. The definition of watercolor is “aqua media on 2-dimensional substrate.” The term “watercolor” shall be deemed to exclude encaustic or oil. Watercolor paintings can include other water-based mediums, e.g. collage, pastel, ink, etc., if the total does not exceed 50% of the painting. Official, member-only BWS shows may invoke stricter definitions, depending on specific show rules.

Keeping these in mind, we will be discussing at our meeting the following ideas from the response sheets we received last month.

1. Become a non-profit so that we can apply for grants
2. Reduce the cost of membership dues
3. Cover a percentage of the cost of a workshop, so the cost to members can be minimized
4. Organize more shows
5. Invite more artists from outside the organization to do workshops and demos for our programs (which will/may incur a stipend)
6. Purchase of a portable display wall for pop-up shows

It is important to note here that this is a fact-finding, consensus-building effort to go forward with ideas and suggestions favored by as much of the group as is possible and to keep us a fulfilling, progressive organization. The discussions we will be having will address next year’s budget planning.

The finance committee will be meeting this month for a review of the past year’s budget and to make considerations for next year’s. With this feedback they will be able to discuss the impact of our suggestions on our budget and to provide our leadership team and new executive board with a clearer idea as to how to move forward when they gather this summer.

Please come next Monday with your ideas and open minds to help us establish ideas as to how our monies will be spent.

Hope to see you there.

Kitty Garlock

BWS President 2018-19

A Signature Collection:

Bloomington Watercolor Society

Eight of Bloomington Watercolor Society’s Signature Members are exhibiting their work at the Indianapolis Airport till mid-July. The exhibit includes 24 pieces from Tricia Wente, Bob Burris, Sara Steffey McQueen, Donna Whitsitt, Cathy Korinek, Jacki Frey, Jerry Harste, and Nancy Davis Metz.

This is the culmination of a nearly two-year process started when Tricia Wente applied to IndyArts for the venue. The group had to first pass a selection review, the Signature Members then self-juried each other’s work to choose the final exhibition works, and finally IndyArts had the final say on pieces to be hung.

The exhibit is on the Airport’s Departure Level between the ticket counters and the Food Court.

May 4

First Saturday Paintout of 2019

Shake off the chill of winter, get out your paint materials, and join fellow painters for BWS’s first plein air experience of the year at Musgrave Orchard, 8820 N. Old State Road 37. Besides the blooming apple trees, there is a lake, a lot of barns, and a garden. The paint out starts at 9 a.m. and continues till 1 p.m. Painters are welcome to bring their lunch and stay longer.

• 

• 

Daisy Garton Spring Plein Air Paintout

BWS to paint, exhibit

at Hinkle-Garton Farmstead

Plein air painters will gather at the Hinkle-Garton Farmstead on East 10th Street at the invitation of Bloomington Restorations, Inc. (BRI) Saturday, May 18.

Members of the Bloomington Watercolor Society, its Upland Plein Air Painters, and artists from Art Alliance Brown County will paint from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Farmstead, 2920 E. 10th St., Bloomington. The Hinkle-Garton Farmstead includes two historic homes, farm land, gardens and outbuildings. Paintings created May 18 will be displayed and available for purchase inside the 1892 Queen Anne-style homestead at monthly Farmstead Open Days beginning May 25 and at events throughout the summer. Individual artists will donate 25 percent of the proceeds from art sales to pay for restoration of the Hinkle-Garton Farmhouse.

The Hinkle property was settled in 1886 and grew to 82 acres which included a dairy farm and later a flower farm. As the city of Bloomington grew, land was sold to various buyers such as the Illinois Central Railroad. In addition, land was sold for the building of the U.S. Post Office and to developers for an apartment complex. The Farmstead today contains 11 acres.

Daisy Hinkle Garton was born on the Farmstead in 1908 and remained connected to it until her death in 2003. In the 1940s Daisy and her husband, Joe Garton, moved back to the Farmstead. Daisy and Joe had both studied music at Indiana University. Upon their return, Joe taught in the Indianapolis schools, and Daisy taught in the Bloomington schools and also gave private lessons in the home. Daisy loved the land, her students and tenants, art and sharing her heritage with others. Upon her death, she left the property in her trust to a not-for-profit organization that would preserve the Farmstead and operate a museum within the main rooms of the first floor of the farmhouse. The Farmstead retains the history and bygone charm.

Artists who have been invited to paint are excited to bring life to paper and canvas with images that recall the times, flowers, the music and the historical buildings of the Hinkle-Garton Farmstead. BRI members will be present to assist with questions and information on the Paintout, Farmstead, and BRI activities.

Upland

Spring destinations announced

With the weather a bit warmer, Upland Plein Air Painters has switched to outdoor painting events. The 2019 outdoor schedule kicked off March 26 at Bryant Lake shelter house in Morgan-Monroe State Forest, complete with a campfire lunch thanks to Betty Wagoner. A spring goal is to catch the spring glory with some great gardens and the blooming apple trees at Musgrave Orchard.

Upland generally meets from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, but as morning temps may be chilly, start times may be shifted later. Be sure to get the final details on times and locations with a quick email to upland@bloomingtonwater.org.

April 2, Strahl Lake Brown County State Park, hosted by Claude Cookman

April 9, Gnaw Bone Camp, hosted by Jane Matranga

April 16, May’s Greenhouses (local) or Azalea Path (long distance–bring bag lunch), hosted by Kathy Barton

April 23, Musgrave Orchard or Paynetown SRA, hosted by Katya Alexeeva

April 30-May 2, Retreat at Waveland (long distance), hosted by Betty Wagoner

May 7, Henry’s Lake House, hosted by Henry Leck

Obituaries

Carolyn Waldman

Carolyn Waldman, a former but long-term member of BWS, died Friday, March 8, after a long battle with cancer. She was active in this organization’s early years, participating in workshops and painting with BWS friends.

Sammye Dina Smith

Sammye Dina Smith, also a former BWS member, died March 31 after more than four years of declining health. Bruce Smith, her husband, asks that any memorial contributions in her name be made to the Greene County Humane Society, 1026 N 1375 W, Linton, IN 47441.

Member news

Austin Faulds, an IU Media School student, has posted a feature about Claude Cookman that traces his artistic journey from childhood to his most recent Best of Show piece in the Art of Chocolate. No matter how well you know Claude, you will probably learn something new from Faulds’s feature. Read it at https://mediaschool.indiana.edu/news-events/news/item.html?n=portrait-of-a-teacher-as-an-artist&fbclid=lwAR3lJBbilbwYenT41euhs5YWHR5gHWQlksv-rT9tAK3zZvFlor5U3OC-Zd4.

Works by Steve Edwards have been juried in to two shows. His painting in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society Member Exhibit received an Honorable Mention Award from juror Yachiyo Beck. There were 504 entries. Steve also has a painting accepted in the “[untitled] exhibit” at the Athens Art Gallery in Crawfordsville, Ind. LuAnn Lamie selected 83 paintings from 543 entries for the show, which will hang from April 6 to May 4.

Beyond BWS

The Watercolor Society of Indiana has announced May 10 as the entry deadline for two shows: the 2019 Membership Show and the annual Juried Exhibit. Entry forms and additional information are available at http://www.watercolorsociety of indiana.org.

Canadian doctors will be able to prescribe a visit to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in a one-year pilot program. A doctor’s note will make admission free for ther patient, caregiver and three family members. To read more about this initiative, go to https://observer.com/2018/11/doctors-prescribe-art-montreal-heart-condition-asthma-cancer/.

IMO

Social media users recognize IMO as an abbreviation for “In My Opinion,” and each month we close by giving you the chance to share your opinion on a specific question.

This month the question is:

As spring turns our world green again, what are your favorite greens to paint with? Please provide tube/pan colors, pigment codes, or “mixing formulas” you prefer.

Betty Wagoner

One way to gray a green is to mix yellow with Payne’s Gray. Winsor Newton’s “neutral tint” when used from the tube provides a gray green that can be used as a base color or tree trunks or late winter grass.

Meri Reinhold

The only tube green I use direct from the tube is from American Journey: Earthen Green. Otherwise I mix Permanent Sap Green (W/N) with a dark blue such as Ultramarine or Phthalo (various brands), or various yellows.

Jeanne Dutton

My favorite green is Sap, but I use it as a starter green. Add some lemon to make a sunny green or blue to cool it down. When I paint leaves, I often blend the colors on the paper and drop in a touch of the flower’s color, just to add some interest.

Deborah Rush

I always use Winsor Newton paints: Green Gold as a base, and Perylene Green for darks. I occasionally add my staple colors Opera Rose, New Gamboge, or Indigo to shift the greens one way or another. I know these are oddball colors compared to what others use, but I never use anything else for greens, no matter what I’m painting.

Jo Weddle

I have accumulated many tubes of green paint. It seems the one I use the most is Sap Green though most of the time I use it as the starter color and then add different yellows, blues, neutral tint (and/or others) to get the shade I want. One artist whose workshop I attended a long time ago said he never bought tubes of green but achieved what he needed by mixing blue, yellow, and/or whatever else gave him the results he needed.

Jerry Harste

I really dislike most tube greens, and I’m not a big fan of greens generally. When I do use green, I almost always add blue (Ultramarine, Cobalt, Turquoise) or yellow (Cadmium Yellow Deep, Lemon Yellow, or Aurequne) to vary the shade and never stay with one color for very long. I’ve gotten sucked in to buying Skip Green, Jadeite Genuine, and any quantity of other greens but am always disappointed. I am really hoping to learn something useful from other people’s answers to this question.

Question for May:

What is your favorite paintbrush? It may be the one you reach for the most, or it could be one that meets a very specific need. Identify the brush and tell why it is your favorite.

Send your 1- to 3-sentence response by April 21 to Nancy Davis-Metz, and look for it in the May newsletter. Please use IMO as the subject line of your email.