July 12
BWS meeting to feature resist technique
Carol Rhodes will show how to use a white crayon or wax resist crayon to create foliage and water textures in a watercolor painting. The project she will paint is shown. To keep it expeditious, we will work small; this piece is 7×10”. Colors she used are phthalo blue, cerulean blue, Winsor or Hansa yellow, permanent rose, burnt sienna, and white gouache or Chinese white. (For transparency enthusiasts, whites are optional; they are used just to enhance the misty area.) A white crayon or a wax resist crayon will create the textures. Soft, pointed candles or birthday candles will also work.
Log in to the Zoom meeting by 6 p.m. to paint along with Carol. Because BWS will not have business meetings in July or August, the programs will start at 6 p.m.
BWS juries in 4 Signature Members
Signature Member status has been awarded to Candace Bailey, Kathy Truelove Barton, Stephen Edwards, and Joanna Shank. Kitty Garlock, as second vice president, supervised the selection process, and local artist Tom Rhea was the judge. Paintings of the newest Signature Members appear above left to right: “Steve at Ghost Ranch, NM,” by Candace Bailey. “21st Century House; 21st Century Landscaping,” by Kathy Truelove Barton. “Symphonion Dream,” by Stephen Edwards. “Sandhill Crane,” by Joanna Shank.
Attend an inspirational watercolor workshop
with internationally renowned artist
Carol Carter
Bloomington Watercolor Society and Carol Carter will present the two-day workshop Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10-11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT. The workshop will be held at the First Christian Church, 205 E. Kirkwood, Bloomington.
With vivid colors, blending, lost and found edges, and washes, paint the everyday imagined both representationally and abstractly. Internationally known watercolor artist Carol Carter will share her watercolor vision and techniques with you in this BWS workshop. Carol will lecture, demonstrate, and give feedback, while discussing control of water, composition and design, simplification, value structure, and more, using her original works of art as starting points. Subject matter will be animals and botanicals. The workshop, which will be offered both in person and online, will be informal and fun.
Andrew Preston, president of Preston Art Center in Louisville, will bring art supplies to the workshop; you can preorder supplies from Andrew from the supplies list provided by Carol Carter, and/or shop and purchase on site during the workshop.
Covid-19 considerations
Local, facility, and CDC Covid guidelines in place at the time of the workshop will be observed for in-person participants.
- Vaccinations are highly recommended but not required. Those who are not vaccinated are advised to wear masks. (These safety measures may be revised as circumstances change.)
- In-person participants will meet with each other and Carol in a large room with spacing between participants.
- Technology will allow participants to watch Carol’s demonstration as it is projected on a television screen to avoid crowding around her work area.
- You may bring your own lunch or participate in a group order; all group-order lunches will be packaged individually. Information about lunch options will be available after registration.
About Carol Carter
Carol Carter is an internationally recognized artist and has taught and exhibited both nationally – from coast to coast – and internationally in France, Norway, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Morocco, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She received her MFA in painting from Washington University in 1984, and lives and maintains her studio in St. Louis.
She is a Master Signature Member of American Women Artists and Heartland Art Club in St. Louis. She has received numerous awards, and her work has appeared in national and global publications. She has been the keynote speaker for various watercolor organizations, and she has been awarded commissions for artwork in public and governmental spaces.
Carol has taught her own workshops for over 30 years and teaches at Maryville University in St. Louis. She is on the advisory board of the American Watercolor Weekly.
For more about Carol and her work, go to her website: https://www.carol-carter.com
Registration and fees
Registration will be limited to 20 in-person and 20 online participants; online registrants will participate via Zoom.
As part of its commitment to furthering the artistic education and experience of its members, BWS is partially subsidizing the cost of the workshop with this internationally known artist. For the two-day workshop, BWS members pay $120. The fee for online participants is $65 for two days. Online participants will hear and see the presentation, discussion, and demonstrations, and will have the opportunity to ask general questions and receive occasional feedback from Carol on their work.
Need financial assistance? BWS’s Sande Nitti Fund can assist members with the expenses of this program. Email treasurer Carol Rhodes at carol@bloomingtonwatercolor.org to obtain info on scholarship opportunities.
Ready to register! Online registration opens Friday, July 9, for current BWS members only. See https://www.bloomingtonwatercolor.org/
NOTE: Only current BWS members may enroll before Aug. 1. Any seats still available as of Aug. 1 will be opened to nonmembers at nonmember rates.
To check membership status, people can contact carol@bloomingtonwatercolor.org.
You will receive a full refund if you cancel your registration by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25. After that date, you may receive a refund if your seat can be filled from a waiting list; as a last resort, participants may feel free to find a fellow artist to buy their registration.
Questions? Please contact carol@bloomingtonwatercolor.org.
Join us! Go to https://www.bloomingtonwatercolor.org/ to register on or after July 9.
BWS
State of the Society
2020-2021
by Joanna Samorow-Merzer
As our administrative year is ending, I want to thank every member for not abandoning BWS during the pandemic. Facing the lockdown last year, we had no choice but to make virtual meetings our way of gathering. Carol Rhodes and Charlotte Griffin made it possible with the technology to continue our monthly meetings on Zoom. I’m so thankful for Carol’s and Charlotte’s technological talent that helped BWS flourish during the lockdown.
I’m the only president who never experienced an in-person meeting. We all lost the opportunity in the last year to mingle with each other during actual meetings. Let’s hope we’ll be able to do it again soon.
While entering the office of president last year I received a lot of guidance from outgoing president Patty Uffman and from Carol Rhodes. I’m grateful to both of them for their time and patience in guiding me through matters of technology and BWS protocols.
I felt warmly welcomed by the membership. Everybody on our Executive Board and Committees was eager to help me and answer my questions. Each contributed a lot of time, hard work and effort so that all of us could enjoy being a part of the BWS family. Thanks to all of you, our organization became even stronger during the pandemic.
Executive Board of 2020-2021
- President: Joanna Samorow-Merzer
- 1st VP: Patty Uffman
- 2nd VP: Kitty Garlock
- Treasurer: Carol Rhodes
- Secretary: Charlotte Griffin
Committees of 2020-2021
- Activities: Cassidy Young
- Brushstrokes Co-Editor: Jerry Harste
- Brushstrokes Co-Editor: Nancy Davis Metz
- Finance: Carol Rhodes
- Historian: Linda Branstetter
- Membership: Kitty Garlock
- Nominating: Andy Roberts
- Paint Outs: Betty Wagoner
- Programs: Jo Weddle
- Publicity: Kriste Lindberg
- Refreshment: Carla Hedges
- Scholarship: Jeanne Dutton
- Show: Kathy Truelove Barton
- Technology: Carol Rhodes
- Technology: Charlotte Griffin
Here is what our new Executive Board looks like going forward:
Executive Board 2021-2022
- President: Joanna Samorow-Merzer
- 1st VP: Andy Roberts
- 2nd VP: Patty Uffman
- Treasurer: Carol Rhodes
- Secretary: Charlotte Griffin
Our committee chairs remain the same except that every new 2nd VP automatically chairs the Membership Committee and we have now a new Show Chair, Jacki Frey. We have open positions on the Refreshment and the Activities committees. The Nominating Committee will be selected again next winter.
Throughout the year, BWS managed to maintain a virtual camaraderie and to keep its spirit and mission alive and vibrant. All members got an opportunity to partake in art exhibits, paint-outs, Zoom program presentations and workshop tutorials. I want to thank all of our members for participating in BWS activities, for being creative and productive, for contributing to making our organization stand out and attract new members. The highly successful, popular and informative Zoom tutorials represent a new and enduring perk that BWS will continue to offer its members. These tutorials enable us to reach out to artists across the country.
Membership
Our total membership for the year is 85. Four new members joined BWS during 2020-2021.
By-laws
Every two years BWS reviews its By-laws, and proposed amendments are made to improve the operation of the organization. Approval of the amendments requires 2/3 vote of the active membership. The BWS Secretary, Charlotte Griffin, chaired the ad hoc By-laws Committee and she put to work her experience acquired from serving on past BWS Boards. In January the By-laws changes were passed and changes were made in three areas:
- Removing locality from the definition of active member and clarifying the definitions and rights of active, student, and associate members.
- Clarifying who makes up the executive board
- Defining the length of term for executive officers and refining the duties of the nominating committee in creating the new slate of officers each year.
2020 BWS Fall Membership Show
“We Paint… Renewal/Rejuvenation”
The annual membership art show featuring the theme “We Paint… Renewal/Rejuvenation” was hosted in October 2020 by John LaBella at The Vault at Gallery Mortgage Company. Kathy Truelove Barton, the Show Chair, was supported by members of the board in presenting the show. She gave special thanks to our 1st VP Patty Uffman for her help. Kriste Lindberg, the Publicity Chair, provided the publicity for the show and she produced the panorama photo of the show. Kathy Truelove Barton extended her thanks and appreciation to the 40 members who participated in the show with over 60 works of their original art.
The popular category for the show was “Landscapes,” with Stephen Edwards’ piece “Thawing Along Owl Creek” winning first place in the People’s Choice Awards. People’s Choice runner-up was MarySue Veerkamp-Schwab for her painting “Green Pears, Ready to Pick!” Honorable Mention Award Certificates went to Candace Bailey for her painting “At Ghost Ranch, N.M.” and to Carol Rhodes for her painting “Rain-Washed Vienna.”
To give the annual art show an additional opportunity of viewing by friends and families of exhibiting artists during the pandemic and to give the art show more exposure in the world, Carol Rhodes and Charlotte Griffin created a successful virtual gallery at https://bloomingtonwatercolor.smugmug.com/.
The Herald-Times
“Winter Scenes from The Bloomington Watercolor Society”
BWS artists were featured in the December 27 issue of The Herald-Times. The newspaper included images of eight paintings while the online edition displayed 31 images of paintings. Kriste Lindberg, the Publicity Chair, worked in unison with other BWS committees and members to provide publicity for the year-end spread in The Herald-Times as well as for other exhibitions, including the BWS Annual Membership Show.
2021 Month of Chocolate BWS Art Exhibition
“We Paint… Carnival!”
BWS held its sixth Month of Chocolate exhibit during February and March at the Vault at Gallery Mortgage. Because of the pandemic, no in-person receptions were held and the gallery was available only to patrons wearing masks and social distancing. In spite of the limitations, paintings by Candi Bailey, Lynne Gilliatt, and Penny Lulich sold. Tim Lewis won Silver Second, and Candi Bailey won Best of Show with its award of $100 sponsored by John La Bella of the Vault at Gallery Mortgage.
This art exhibit is available for viewing at https://bloomingtonwatercolor.smugmug.com/.
Volunteers outside BWS who helped with the exhibit included Gabe Colman hosting a virtual exhibit on YouTube, filmed by Alex Coniaris and edited by Lucas Coniaris. Emily Rosolowski and John La Bella served with Gabe as guest judges; Gabe also volunteered as the exhibit curator, and Andrew Preston of Preston Arts Center donated prizes.
Several artists, including Penny Lulich, Linda Branstetter, Charlotte Griffin, and Sharon Parsons, painted original greeting cards. (One customer bought eleven!)
LIFEDesigns received 50 percent of the price of each painting sold, and $6 or $10 for each greeting card. Four more Art of Chocolate cookbooks sold; the book was illustrated in 2019 by BWS artists.
Contributions Summary:
- Greeting cards sold: $166
- Paintings sold: $275
- Estimated In-Kind Contribution, including creative time, framing, prizes for artists, judges, general expenses: $2,338
- Time (estimated) that was contributed over the year by Jeanne Dutton and BWS members, including organizing, planning, contact hours, judging, filming, technology. etc.: 225 hours.
BWS can be truly proud of its contributions to LIFEDesigns and to the overall community it serves.
Workshop tutorials
Carol Rhodes put a lot of effort into contacting a Boston-based artist, Gary Tucker, and negotiating with him a purchase of workshop tutorials available to our members on Zoom. As a result, in the spring of 2021, BWS members received free access to four tutorials paid by BWS:
- Rocks and Water
- Twilight in the City
- Across the Water
- Roses are Red
2020-2021 BWS Monthly Programs
Our Program Chair, Joanne Weddle, worked tirelessly to organize for our members the monthly program presentations:
JULY 2020 – Discovering Your MUSEum – Carol Rhodes and Nancy Metz showed the members how to tour the museums of the world in search of inspiration. Members got a tutorial on how to do a quick sketch of an art work and how to translate inspiration into their own work.
AUGUST 2020 – Artist Trading Cards – Joanne Weddle gave a presentation on making artist trading cards to be used during our Zoom Holiday Meeting in December.
SEPTEMBER 2020 – Show and Share – Kitty Garlock hosted sharing of pieces of artwork completed by our members during the summer.
OCTOBER 2020 – Printing Cards – Joanne Shank shared her tips on the process of creating and printing greeting cards from your own paintings.
NOVEMBER 2020 – Indiana Greens Throughout the Year – Kathy Truelove Barton gave a presentation on mixing greens for changes of foliage color throughout the seasons between April and October.
DECEMBER 2020 – Artist Trading Cards – Hosted by Joanne Weddle. Following the August presentation, members sent painted trading cards to Cassidy Young who randomly redistributed them in sealed envelopes among participating BWS members. During our Zoom December holiday “party” everybody opened the sealed envelopes and shared the cards with the viewing members.
JANUARY 2021 – Journals – Joanne Weddle, Linda Branstettter, and Jacqueline Fernette presented a program on journaling.
FEBRUARY 2021 – Using the FUNdamentals of Art to Create an Abstract – Jerry Harste gave a presentation on working in abstracts.
MARCH 2021 – Making Folding Greeting Cards – Charlotte Griffin gave a presentation on how to incorporate an artist trading card in making a greeting pop-up card.
APRIL 2021 – Exhibiting Your Art Work – An interactive program, a panel presentation led by Barbara Coffman, Jerry Harste, Carol Rhodes and Nancy Metz on how to exhibit your art work.
MAY 2021 – Drawing a still life in charcoal – Claude Cookman gave members an opportunity to gain some real insights into drawing. He shared with us his drawing experience acquired throughout years of practice.
2020-2021 BWS Paint-Outs
Uncertainty regarding the Covid-19 pandemic was behind the late start for the spring/summer paint-out season. It was necessary to find paint-out locations with space for social distancing. Thanks to great weather and the commitment of our Paint-Out Chair, Betty Wagoner, four paint-outs took place between June and September 2020 and so far two paint-outs have occurred in 2021:
June 2020 – Yellowwood Lake Shelter in the Yellowwood State Forest with 12 in attendance.
July 2020 – Karst Farm Park with 8 in attendance.
August 2020 – The Woolery Mill with 8 in attendance.
September 2020 – T.C. Steele State Historic Site with 6 in attendance.
May 2021 – Yellowwood Lake Shelter in the Yellowwood State Forest with 9 in attendance.
June 2021 – BWS members were invited as “Artists in the Garden” to paint during the annual Garden Walk. We had 9 members painting in five gardens during the weekend.
2020-2021 BWS Signature Membership
Starting in 2020, our 2nd VP Kitty Garlock began looking for members to assist her with the signature membership application process for 2020-2021. After several months and no takers, she asked individuals directly to please help with the process and Claude Cookman, Charlotte Griffin and Cathy Korinek graciously stepped up. It was eventually determined that four applicants could continue to the judging of their artwork. Tom Rhea from the IU art department evaluated the work and the final points were tallied to determine that Stephen Edwards, Joanne Shank, Candace Bailey and Kathy Truelove Barton would be honored with signature member status of BWS and were recognized during the Zoom meeting in June. They will receive their certificates and pens at the September meeting when we gather in person to show our work. A review of parameters and required proof of qualifications are now under review by interested parties to shore up the evaluation process.
Scholarship Committee
Jeanne Dutton reported that the committee continued to work with the Foundation for Monroe County Community Schools to raise funds and distribute information to the high school art students. Andy Lehman, professional graphic designer and BWS member, created the digital poster. It was sent to the art teachers with a request to distribute to their students; however, there were no applicants in 2021.
Fund raising was accomplished through the FMCCS’ online auction. Artwork by Tricia Wente, Lynne Gilliatt, Jo Weddle, and Jeanne Dutton brought in total sales of $272 with 70 percent, $190, being added to the scholarship fund.
Due to our inability to meet in person, the annual table sale of surplus art supplies was postponed until we have a gathering space.
Brushstrokes
Our online monthly newsletter Brushstrokes has been maintained by our dedicated Brushstrokes Co-Editors, Jerry Harste and Nancy Davis Metz. Both of them work to provide us with a highly professional newsletter that is a source of helpful information not only about our organization but also about the larger art world.
BWS Virtual Art Exhibition
“Spring and Summer 2021 – Multimedia”
Currently at https://bloomingtonwatercolor.smugmug.com/, thanks to Carol Rhodes, we have our third virtual art gallery exhibition alongside our two previous BWS gallery exhibits. Full members can submit by September 1 images of their work done in any media to carol@bloomingtonwatercolor.org. You can find more information in the June Brushstrokes.
Let me conclude by saying that I enjoyed seeing you during our monthly meetings on Zoom and I look forward to seeing you again throughout my next term.
Smart tip
Have a tip or resource you want to share with members? Submit it to the next issue of Brushstrokes. You can answer the email calling for news and images or you can email it to Nancy Davis Metz or Jerry Harste.
This month we heard from Beverly Ohneck-Holly about an excellent resource for plein air painters. She said you can download a free 42-page E-Book titled “240 Plein Air Tips” at https://pleinairmagazine.com/240tips-optin.
Member News
Meri Reinhold was awarded second place at the Lawrence County Art Association’s member show for her pastel painting, “The WPA Bridge at McCormick’s Creek.”
Susan Savastuk has been working on watercolors of homes in her neighborhood. She also had work juried into the Will Vawter Show in Hancock County.
Robin Edmundson will have a show of her recent work at the Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 121 E. Sixth St, Bloomington, from Aug. 4-Sept. 24. Please join her at the artist reception Friday, Aug. 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information or to receive a postcard in the mail, you can email her or check her website at http://www.robinedmundson.com.
Tim Lewis had all three of his watercolors accepted into the Will Vawter Show in Greenfield and the one above, “The Collection,” received a Judge’s Award.
Stephen Edwards’ painting, “Auction Day,” has been juried into the Watercolor Society of Indiana’s Juried Show. His painting, “Studio Windows” received a Second Place in the Will Vawter exhibit in Greenfield.
Another of his works, “Rush County Farm #2,” has been juried in to the Light, Space, & Time Gallery where it received a Third Place in Landscapes. This is an international competition.
MarySue Schwab’s “Colors Arranged,” a floral theme, has been accepted into the WSI Juried show and will hang in Newfields, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Aug. 6 to Sept. 25. MarySue writes, “My grandson’s dogs were the inspiration for my painting, ‘Best Friends’ that is currently hanging at the WSI Members show, until July 10 at McFarland Hall, Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis.” The WSI Member Show can be viewed at https://www.watercolorsocietyofindiana.org/member-exhibit/. Anyone interested in a workshop to paint favorite pets is invited to contact MarySue.
Joanne Shank’s oil painting, “Lilacs,” received the First Place award in the Will Vawter show in Greenfield.
At the Lawrence County Art Association’s Midsummer Judged Art Show and Reception, Andy Roberts received a Blue Ribbon for his 52 Ford Truck painting that was also a part of the Upland Plein Air Show earlier this year. Andy reports that his painting has been somewhat diminished by preparations to move to Bloomington late this summer or early fall.
Beyond BWS
July 16 is the application deadline for the 28th Annual Juried Exhibition sponsored by the Jasper Community Arts Center. The show will hang from Sept. 2 to Oct. 20. The prospectus can be seen at https://www.jasperindiana.gov/arts/topic/index.php?topicid=242&structureid=49.
Kathy Truelove Barton has shared the link to Manifest, an online list of all current and near-term upcoming exhibits and projects at Manifest: http://www.manifestgallery.org/projects. Manifest is a gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio and sponsors international competitions all year long. It offers an amazing window on the art world just getting the emails every month, she says.
The NorthStar Watermedia Society has issued a Call For Entry into its National Juried Exhibition Sept. 23 to Nov. 4 at the Wildwood Library in Mahtomedi, Minn. The entry deadline is midnight Aug. 1. The prospectus is available at https://www.northstarwatermedia.com and https://www.callforentry.org.
My Favorite Technique
This month Carolyn Rogers Richard shares a technique she has recently been experimenting with:
“I have been experimenting with mixing glazing fluid and retarder to my fluid acrylic paints to get the effect of a watercolor painting,” she writes. “It has been fun. I attach an image of one of the paintings. I did three, which are on display in the window at Hoosier Artist Gallery, 45 S. Jefferson St. in Nashville, Ind. Adding the glazing fluid and the retarder make the acrylic paint much more fluid, and it moves more like watercolor, giving transparent passages. Of course, I still love painting with watercolor, the way watercolor paints react with each other, and the look of watercolor paintings best. But the combination I am working with now makes it possible to paint on gessoed cradled wood panels, eliminating the necessity of framing with mats, glass, etc., and still get some of the look of watercolor that I so love. I would enjoy hearing from other members about their experiments.
“Another method I have used is to paint watercolor on watercolor paper as usual, and then adhere it to a canvas of the same size with heavy gel medium and put cold wax over the painting to seal it. This method has been very successful for me as well.”
Let’s make “My Favorite Technique” a regular feature of Brushstrokes. The next time there is a Call for Brushstrokes news, share some watercolor technique you like to use. Break down the process into steps and provide photographs. Cell phone photos will suffice for most everything. Keep it short and simple. We all have something to share. Think of it as if you were at an in-person meeting and someone asked, “How did you do that?”
Calendar
July 9 Registration opens to BWS members only for Carol Carter Workshop
July 12 BWS monthly program, 6 p.m., on Zoom
July 16 Application deadline for 28th Annual Juried Exhibition sponsored by Jasper Community Arts Center (See Beyond BWS above.)
July 24 BWS Paint-out, Hilltop Garden and Nature Center
Aug. 1 Deadline for entering NorthStar Watermedia Juried Exhibition (See Beyond BWS above.)
Aug. 14 BWS Paint-out, Story Inn
Sept. 10-11 Carol Carter Workshop, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., First Christian Church, 205 E. Kirkwood Ave.
Sept. 13 BWS monthly meeting, 6 p.m., IN PERSON, provided Covid protocols allow, First Christian Church, 205 E. Kirkwood Ave.
Oct. 1-29 BWS Member Show, Indiana Memorial Union Gallery
