January 10 meeting
Watercolor pencil and watercolor painting
The January meeting will be a 6 p.m. Zoom meeting; no one will be gathering at First Christian Church that night. Watch your email for the Zoom link.
Following a brief business meeting, Betty Wagoner will review a few examples of watercolor pencil artworks that have and have not employed watercolor paints. She will then lead members in an exploration of a few watercolor pencil techniques and some color-mixing techniques combining both mediums. Using both watercolor pencils and watercolor can provide a greater range of colors and values. The program will be a combination of demonstration and viewer participation.
Supplies needed for the watercolor pencil and watercolor paint program:
- a watercolor brush (round) #4 or #6
- watercolor pencils in primary and secondary colors
- watercolor paints in primary and secondary colors or whatever is on
- your palette
- 3-4 small pieces of #140 watercolor paper or thick paper, as found
- in journals for water-based mediums. (Scrap paper will do. It is
- important not to use standard weight paper, such as typing paper.)
- pencil
- water
We Paint … Van Gogh’s World
by Jeanne Dutton
It’s time to prepare for our first BWS show of 2022, a show that will benefit Teachers Warehouse!
Take inspiration from Vincent Van Gogh’s swirls, stars, self portraits, sunflowers and vibrant colors.
Here are the links to the full prospectus and a few links to inspire you:
The first deadline is Jan. 10 when you should submit an image of your painting if you want it to be considered for publicity. Please send to Teachers@BloomingtonWatercolor.org.
Delivery date is Feb. 1 at the Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 121 E. Sixth St., #1, Bloomington. The Opening Reception is during the Feb. 4 Gallery Walk.
All paintings must be for sale; 50 percent of the sale will go to Teachers Warehouse.
BWS Art Scholarship Fund Auction
Artwork by BWS artists generated $461 in sales through the online auction sponsored by the Foundation for Monroe County Community Schools. Seventy percent of that goes to the BWS Art Scholarship, a total of $322.70.
A big THANK YOU to these participating artists for their generous donation: Jerry Harste, Charlotte Griffin, Phil Bowsher, Jo Weddle, Connie McEntyre, Linda Branstetter, Bess Lee, Kriste Lindberg, and Lynne Gilliatt.
And thank you, too, to those who participated as bidders!
Clockwise from top left: .Members made three-dimensional ornaments. The First Christian Church tree was adorned with the BWS ornaments. Jo Weddle outlines the evening’s schedule. Bundt cakes were given to members at the party and to those participating through Zoom. Carol Rhodes moderates the Zoom session with BWS President Joanna Samorow-Merzer addressing the group from the screen. Carol Rhodes displays one of the three-dimensional ornaments for the Zoom audience. Diane Thrasher, Bob Thrasher, Sharon Parsons, and Sara Steffey McQueen enjoy the gathering at First Christian Church. Jacki Frey points out a card to Jerry Harste as Barbara Coffman examines another. Members painted cards for an exchange. (Photos by Claude Cookman/Bundt cake photo by Candi Bailey)
Holiday Party: An in-person event!
by Jo Weddle
Twenty-two members attended the BWS holiday party at the First Christian Church this year. Five additional members connected to this event through Zoom in their homes. Reports from those in attendance say they really enjoyed the evening; the thing they enjoyed most was being able to be together after being separated by the pandemic for such a long time.
Tasty individual bundt cakes and mixed nuts were served along with cold punch and/or hot tea or coffee.
Many brought artistically painted postcards and creatively made ornaments to place on a BWS Christmas tree in the church’s Chapel Gathering Place. Through a drawing, everyone who brought a postcard took home one or two cards made by someone at the party. We all enjoyed looking at the cards and ornaments everyone made; what a creative group of members we have! Thanks for planning and assisting with the party go to Carol Rhodes, Charlotte Griffin, Diane Thrasher, Jeanne Dutton, and Mary Walker.
Obituary
Connie Brorson, founding member of BWS
Connie Kay Brorson, 87, passed away Nov. 28 in Naples, Fla. She was a founding member of BWS and with her husband, Carl, had hosted BWS paint-outs and holiday parties at Meadowood for years.
The obituary published in Indiana.funeral.com included this paragraph:
“After retirement in 1991, she and Carl moved to Bloomington IN where she soon made many friends and took up Watercolor painting. Her watercolor paintings were a way of sharing her imagination and joy of life with others. With bold colors and curving lines, she painted swaying forms to represent a familiar image in a whimsical way. Her goal was to capture cheerful and often humorous spontaneity in her paintings. She was a member of the Bloomington Watercolor Society and the Watercolor Society of Indiana, and displayed her works in museums, official buildings and various art galleries.”
Memorial donations may be made to the Laughlin Family Fund at the Rush County Community Foundation, 117 N. Main St., Rushville, IN 46173. This fund supports a monetary award for outstanding first-year teachers in Rush County, Ind., Connie’s birthplace.
Member News
Henry Leck has a show coming up in January at Viridian Moon Gallery. The opening reception is Saturday, Jan. 8, 3 to 5 p.m.
Lynne Gilliatt is preparing for her 2023 show at The Vault at Gallery Mortgage. She will have a joint show with Jean Haley, who dyes the wool pieces on which Lynne does here abstract stitchery.
Andy Roberts sent in paintings from an Ivy Tech Class, Discovering Your MUSEum, taught by Carol Rhodes and Nancy Metz. “If you have never taken a class with Nancy and Carol, then I would encourage you to do so,” he wrote. “Their classes are a way to stimulate new ideas and artist growth while learning from them and fellow students. I am sharing my paintings from the most recent class. The first two are on Yupo and the third one paper, all watercolors. “
Paintings by Andy Roberts: Goose Pond November Sunset, Hopkins Pond Lilies, and Water Lily Adventure
Beyond BWS
Eric Rhoads is hosting Watercolor Live, an online conference Jan. 27 – Jan. 29. The faculty includes top watercolor artists such as Carol Carter, Alvaro Castagnet, Thomas W. Schaller, Birgit O’Connor and many more. Go to https://event.watercolorlive.com/tickets for information, pricing, and registration.
Friends of T.C. Steele Art Show will run from March 5 to 27 at the Brown County Art Gallery in Nashville, Ind. The show is open to all members of Friends of T.C. Steele. Non-members may enter the show by joining the Friends at the show registration. The registration deadline is Feb. 21. The delivery dates are Feb. 26 and 27, from noon to 3 p.m., and the pick-up date is March 28 from 1 to 3 p.m. Do you have a child or grandchild who would like to exhibit their art in a show? Added this year is a youth category for anyone 18 and under. The Prospectus is at https://tcsteele.org/2022-member-art-show-registration/. Artists may register online or print the PDF form and mail it. For more information, contact BWS member Betty Wagoner.
Calendar
Jan. 8 3-5 p.m. Opening reception for Henry Leck’s show at Viridian Moon Art Gallery
Jan. 10 6 p.m. Monthly BWS meeting, Zoom only; no in-person meeting
Jan. 10 Deadline for submitting publicity image of painting for the “We Paint … Van Gogh’s World” to Jeanne Dutton
Jan. 27 – 29 Watercolor Live, an online conference
Feb. 1 Deliver paintings to The Vault at Gallery Mortgage for the “We Paint … Van Gogh’s World” show
Feb. 4 Opening Reception for the “We Paint … Van Gogh’s World” show
Feb. 21 Deadline for registering to enter the Friends of T.C. Steele Art Show
Feb. 26-27 Deliver paintings to The Friends of T.C. Steele Art Show at Brown County Art Gallery
March 5 – 27 Friends of T.C. Steele Art Show, Brown County Art Gallery
March 28 Pick up paintings from the Friends of T.C. Steele Art Show
