In June, and in conjunction with our yearly change of officers, BWS celebrated Carol Rhodes’ long-time commitment to the organization by giving her a Jane Matranga silk hand-painted and sewn tote bag full of well-wishes from individual members. Pictured above are Carol Rhodes, Patty Uffman, Jeanne Dutton, and Linda Branstettler. Photos compliments of Nancy Metz.

BWS Monthly Meeting: July 10th, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Business Meeting:

BWS’ July Meeting will be held at First Christian Church beginning at 6 p.m. Enter through the Washington Street door; the door code will be sent by email. The meeting will not be on Zoom.

Program: “Five on the Floor”

Watch five BWS artists create portraits.

Penny Lulich • Ethan • Watercolor

We are fascinated by faces. Child psychologists tell us that after only a few hours newborn infants can distinguish their mothers’ faces. For millennia artists have portrayed the human face in every medium from charcoal to chalk, silverpoint, ink, graphite, pastel, watercolor, and oil, as well as three-dimensional representations in wood, clay, stone, and metals. Humans are compelled to create portraits.

Meri Reinhold • Massai Jeweler • Watercolor

All forms of artistic expression are equally valid, but portraiture is more exacting than other genres. In landscape, it is not essential to get every tree exactly in place. With still lifes and florals, there is latitude in size, contour, and value. In a portrait, however, if a feature is a few millimeters out of place, if an angle is askew, or a proportion slightly off, viewers will sense something amiss.

Deborah Rush • Claire • Watercolor

At July’s BWS meeting you will have the opportunity to see five BWS artists paint and draw portraits from reference photos of their choice. They are: Penny Lulich, Meri Reinhold, Deborah Rush, Jane Matranga, and Claude Cookman. Each will give a brief description of her/his process, then go to work. Members are encouraged to circulate, watch them in action, and ask questions. During the program, there will be a mini exhibition of portraits by the five participating artists. A handout on portraiture will also be available.

Jane Matranga • Donna Carlton • Watercolor

Claude Cookman • Wendell Willkie bust in IMUnion • Charcoal

If you need motivation to kick start your own portrait making, visit these URLs:

An audio slideshow of work by the Bloomington Portrait Group, which shares many members in common with BWS.

The finals of the British Portrait Artist of the Year Competition. Watch six exceptional portraitists, including a watercolorist. British actor, Sir Ian McKellen, is painted in different styles with different materials. Worth the time.

Inside BWS

BWS Membership Show

“WE PAINT…Things We Love!”
September 20 – October 28, 2023

BWS Show Chair, Laura Brown, announced that this year’s theme is “We Paint…Things We Love!“

For Mary Cassatt it was “The Goodnight Hug.” For some, that may be a family heirloom. For others, the house where they grew up. For gardeners, these amazing spring flowers. For portrait painters, your beautiful grandkids! And the list goes on…. Whatever you love and whatever makes you happy, paint it!

This year’s show will be at the Viridian Moon Gallery (1600 W Bloomfield Rd, Suite B). Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Opening Reception will be on Saturday, September 23, from 3 to 5 p.m. The Closing Reception will be on October 28, from 3 to 5 p.m.

See the Prospectus on BWS’ website. Now is the time to begin work on your contribution. Let’s make this the best Membership Show yet!

We Paint…Historic Bloomington!

“Uncle Bruce & Aunt Vearl’s House” by Jane Matranga. The house at 607 E. 12th Street belonged to Jane Matranga’s great uncle and aunt, Bruce and Vearl Callahan, and their children, Conrad (Connie) and Carolyn. The house was built in 1920. “My family drove down to Bloomington from Franklin many times for family gatherings and especially to visit before and after IU football or basketball games. The house is five blocks from Memorial Stadium and Assembly Hall. “Bruce and Vearl welcomed my sisters and me when each of us attended IU in the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s.”

Closing Reception: Gallery Walk Friday – July 7 – 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Monroe County History Center

Catch your last glimpse of the Historic Bloomington exhibit before it becomes, well, Historic! Then pop around the corner to the Waldron to enjoy “We Paint…Out of the Box!”

We Paint…Out of the Box!

BWS (with the support of the Sande Nitti Education Fund) offered a workshop on Friday, June 9 by Anne Farley Gains entitled “Exploration in 3-D Watercolor”. The 3-D art produced by Jerry Harste, Leslie Gamboa Asher, and Linda Mann, (shown above) are a part of the Out of the Box Waldron show.

June 22 – August 5

The Bloomington Watercolor Society includes talented watercolorists who are also accomplished in other mediums.  This exhibit includes work by BWS members who go “out of the box” and create art in myriad mediums or produce works that use watercolor in unconventional ways.

See our works at The Waldron Arts Center Education Gallery!

 Receptions are during First Friday Gallery Walk times: 5-8 pm on July 7 & August 4.

Note: Kate Galvin, Artistic director at the Waldron Arts Center, advises us that there is a small modification to public gallery hours for July and August, as this is the slow part of the year in Bloomington.  Beginning on July 1, the galleries will be open to the public at the following times: 

Wed and Thurs 12pm-5pm

Friday 12pm-8pm

Sat and Sun by appointment only

Galleries will also be open during all performances. For folks wishing to visit the galleries over the weekend, the Waldron crew will be very happy to accommodate them; people will just need to email info@seeconstellation.org in advance to make arrangements. This information will be updated on their websites and on Google beginning on Saturday and they will also post signage on the doors. 

Gallery Walk will be next Friday July 7 as per usual, and we hope to have a great turnout for that! Please encourage everyone to come out!

Garden Club’s Garden Walk

This year’s Garden Walk on June 10 and 11 saw ten BWS and Plein Air painters displaying their talents.  The gardens were in full bloom and, for the most part, the rain stayed away.  Below are some pictures of the gardens and the paintings that were created.

July is officially World Watercolor Month!

Begun by Charlie O’Shields of Doodlewash in 2016, this month celebrates all things watercolor!  The challenge is to paint a little something everyday – 31 days, 31 paintings.  Find inspirational prompts and ideas at https://doodlewash.com/world-watercolor-month-july/

We got the Rocks!  You got the Creativity!
A Suicide Prevention Effort

Thursday – July 13 – 1:00 p.m.

BWS has been invited to join Project STAY and Kiwanis on a project to paint rocks as part of a National Suicide Prevention.  Kiwanis is purchasing the supplies, including acrylic paints, Posca paint pens, and brushes, all for your creative use!  Much thanks, too, to Preston Arts Center for making supplies affordable.

Later that week, after the paint dries and before they’re varnished, a tag will be added that gives credit to BWS and Kiwanis. 

Thursday, July 13 we’ll meet at the home of Michelle Martin Colman, SafeTalk trainer.  She’ll serve iced tea and coffee and treats while we do the painting.

Want to join in for a couple hours of fun and chatter?  We can do a lot with 6-8 artists. Please let Jeanne know with an email to info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org.  You’ll be glad you did!

Announcements

• Betty Wagoner — The Friends of T.C. Steele announces a new project, a virtual or driving trail, with maps, that explore the life and work of T.C. Steele, one of Indiana’s greatest impressionist painters.   For more information go directly to “The Trail”: https://trail.tcsteele.org

• Nancy Metz – The Eskenazi Museum of Art has an exhibition of “Landscape and Abstraction in Watercolor, 1780-1980” from September 5 through December 10.

• Sarah Ward, BWS Scholarship Committee Chair, announces that the BWS scholarship has been awarded to Danza Batson who is a recent graduate from the Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship and will be attending Indiana University to major in Fine Arts.  The scholarship committee will try to get Danza to come to our meeting to show some of his work.

BWS Paintouts

• Paint the Park — Saturday, July 15th, 9 am to 1 pm., Sycamore Shelter at Lower Cascades Park, Bloomington, IN 47404. Hosted by Carol Rhodes. Announcement will be sent to members. for more information, contact info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org.

• Paint a Vineyard Scene in August–Owen Valley Winery, 401 Timber Ridge Road, Spencer, IN 47460, USA. Owen Valley Winery sits on a high ridge in a beautiful country setting featuring the vineyards, a cafe, a front porch, out buildings – all the things that make for a fine day of painting. The winery opens at 12:00, but hosts April Bledsoe and Zoe Dean will be on hand to open the gates and greet our plein air painters at 11:00. The cafe offers lunch, wine tasting, and a place to cool off in the August heat. Carpooling for members is available – watch “Brushstrokes” and your email for details. Email Info@BloomingtonWatercolor.org with questions. For more information about the winery, go to https://www.owenvalleywinery.com/about/

Outside BWS

An Invitation: Art Alliance of Greater Bloomington

Henry Luck, President of AAGB, sent BWS members this invitation: Upland Plein Air and AAGB are co-sponsoring a FREE art demo, pitch in and music evening with Rick Wilson !!!  

Thursday night, July 6. 6:00 -8:00 pm at the Flex Space at the Arts Alliance Center.  Rick Wilson is known nationally and is highly respected as a landscape oil painter. He has a current exhibit at the Flex Space.  We’ve asked him if he would be willing to share his approach to painting. So he will do a 90 minute demonstration, showing his approach to the art of painting . (We won’t be painting.) I think this will be a valuable session for painters of all mediums.  He is also a guitar player. So after the demo, he will play a few tunes while we enjoy each others company and share in a pitch in (hors d’oeuvres/desserts). AAGB will provide the wine !

This should be a really fun opportunity to relax and socialize as a visual arts community in Bloomington.

Upland and AAGB are sharing the cost for the evening, so it will be free to all.  Please help us spread the word !!!!! 

Call for Artists: The Venue

Dave at the Venue invites artists to submit work for The Venue’s Juried Art Show, a part of The Art & Soul of Bloomington. APPLY NOW to participate. The prospectus can be found on the Venue’s website: http://thevenuebloomington.com.

The Venue is pleased to answer all of your questions by your calling 812-322-1661, emailing venueartshow@gmail.com.

Call for Entries: Friends of T.C. Steele Member Show

Artists with active membership in the Friends of T.C. Steele are invited to enter the show. Non-members are welcome to the show after the completion of the membership application.

The show is open during the Brown County Art Colony Weekend, September 8-10!  That means more visitors to see the show.

Categories of Artists:
1) Professional Artist
2) Amateur/Emerging Artist (New this year)
3) Youth (18 and younger)

Win up to $1000!
Parents, grandparents, art teachers and tutors, please encourage your
young artists to enter the show.  They could win a prize for their
school art program and a gift certificate for themselves!

Dates:
Registration deadline:  August 10
Deliver artwork.  August 19 – 20, 2023, 12-4pm
Show Opening. August 25, 2023
Closing Reception.  September, 23 2023. 2-4pm
Pick-up of Artworks: September 23 after reception & September 12-4pm

For more information and registration:
tcsteele.org/2023-member-art-show-registration

Betty Wagoner: Find her be emailing info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org

Call for Abstract Art: Southside Art League

The Southside Art League offers an opportunity for abstract artists to enter a juried competition. The only catch is that the deadline is coming up!

http://www.southsideartleague.org/Abstract_Show/2023_AbstractShow_CallForEntries.pdf

Hoosier Salon

The Hoosier Salon’s current show is “Timeless Treasures.” This will we followed with its annual “Good Ole Summertime Exhibition” from July 15 to September 3. The Hoosier Salon is open Thursday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m.

Watercolor Society of Indiana

If you have not yet seen the WSI Annual Membership Exhibit, you have got to see this show! There are 75 beautiful pieces of original art.

Open until July 22 at McFarland Hall Gallery at Second Presbyterian Church, 7700 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis. 

Membership News

Lynne Gilliatt wants to invite you to Jane Haley and her fiber art show at the Vault Gallery from now until the end of July.

Robin Edmundson. I have a show coming up in early in August.   Here is the postcard announcement.

Tim Lewis. I have a new watercolor that I finished in June: “Rapid Transit” (15″ x 11″ transparent watercolor).

My watercolor, “Sunshine Came Softly” (15″ x 22″ transparent watercolor) was accepted into the Watercolor Society of Indiana Annual Juried Show which will hang in the Waller Gallery at the Indianapolis Museum of Art from August 4th through September 30th.

Two of my watercolors, “Entropy” (15” x 22” transparent watercolor) and “Caw Caw Perspective” were juried into the Hancock County Arts’ Annual Will Vawter Show and “Entropy” was awarded “Best Of Show”. This show will be at the 20 North Gallery in Greenfield through July 15th.

Leslie Asher wrote to share a picture she did while traveling in France this summer.

Susan Savastuk and local photographer Don Waters have teamed up for a Gallery-Walk event.

“Juxtaposition: A photographer and a Painter” will be on display at The Engraving and Stamp Center July through August. 

Susan has been using some of Don’s landscape photos as references for her paintings. They joined up to display them together.

Sharon Parsons. I started this painting in a workshop  by Renee Brouwer. Her new tips on composition gave me the start, but it was my composition and my painting . 

Jacki Frey. Here are 3 paintings I completed while vacationing in Maine.  We spent several days around Portland, Rockland,  and Port Clyde where  Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth painted. 

Jacki also shared some of her Maine photos for us both to inspire and to enjoy!!

Andy Roberts. I painted at this year’s Garden Walk on Saturday June 10th at the Slaven Garden in Spicewood. While the garden had a very elaborate landscaping (huge stones surrounding the home with a waterfall and stream), I concentrated on some of the flowers planted amongst the rocks. I completed four 5×7 note cards which are attached. I plan to have prints made from these as well as four more that I have completed on various paint-outs this summer. 

Barbara Coffman. I attended Ann Grimes’ 3-D workshop. To add an extra dimension of “3-D-ness” to my piece, I let the leaves dry and then used a small brush and clear water to paint a line down the central stem. Then I creased the leaf along that line before gluing it down. I wish I had finalized all my pieces and my layout before gluing my flowers. I would have cut out the petals separately and curled up the edges. 

Laura Brown. A type of painting I love to do is what I see out my window when I am a passenger in a car.    I always looked out the window when I was a kid and always thought there was so much beauty in simple highway scenes.   Shapes, atmosphere and color all intermingle to make an interesting and fun painting.  I’m calling this one “Power Lines.”

Calendar

Note: For up to date information always check BWS’ Online Calendar!!

https://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/home/activities/bws-calendar/

Things available to do now:

-Participate in World Watercolor Month by producing a painting a day throughout the month of July.
-Submit an abstract painting, Southside Art League
-Stop by to view Lynn Gilliatt and Jane Haley’s Fiber Art Show at the Vault
-Plan trips to see WSI’s Membership Show at Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis (ends July 22) and/or The Hoosier Salon’s “Timeless Treasures” Show (ends July 14)
-Stop by the Education Gallery at the Waldron to see our “We Paint…Out of the Box” Exhibition (ends August 5th; Closing Reception, August 4)
-Volunteer to paint rocks as part of suicide prevention (6-8 artists needed by July 13)
-Submit a painting to the Venue Juried Art Show part of the Art & Soul of Bloomington

July 6 — Rick Wison, Art Alliance of Greater Bloomington, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

July 7 — Closing Reception of “We Paint…Historic Bloomington,” Monroe County History Museum

July 7 — Opening Reception, “We Paint…Out of the Box,” Waldron, 5 to 8 p.m.

July 7 — Opening Reception, Susan Savastuk & Don Walter’s Exhibition, Engraving & Stamp Ctr.

July 10 — BWS Meeting, First Christian Church, 6-8 p.m.

July 15 — Paint the Park, Sycamore Shelter, Lower Cascade, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

August 4 — Opening Reception, Robin Edmundson’s Exhibition at Monroe County Cancer Center

August 4 — Opening of WSI’s Annual Juried Show, Indianapolis Museum of Art (ends September 30)

August 10 — Registration Deadline, T.C. Steel Membership Show

September 5 — Eskenazi Museum of Art, Landscape & Abstraction Exhibit

September 23 — Opening Reception, “We Paint….Things We Love,” BWS Membership Show