August Business Meeting and Program
Business Meeting: 6-7 p.m. via Zoom
Program: Making and Trading Art Cards with Joanne Weddle, 7-8 p.m. via Zoom
BWS members are invited to design and paint artist trading cards for our Holiday Trading activity. Following our Monday, August 10, 6:00 Zoom meeting, Joanne Weddle will give a presentation on making artist trading cards. Instructions on how we will trade these cards is as follows:
a. Members are invited to make from 1 – 10 cards (your choice). These cards are 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches in size and done on cards you can purchase from Hobby Lobby (25 for $2.99 minus a 40% coupon) or ones you cut from your own watercolor paper.
b. Designs should be original. They can each be different or all the same. Put your name on the back of the cards.
c. Put your cards in an envelope to mail to Cassidy Young at 1419 E. Browning Lane, Bloomington, IN 47401.
d. Also put a stamped, self-addressed envelope in the envelope with your cards. These envelopes must be received by Cassidy no later than November 1, 2020.
e. Cassidy will sort out all cards she receives and return to you in your self-addressed, stamped envelope the same number of cards done by others as the number you sent to her.
f.. Following the BWS Zoom business meeting on Monday, December 14, members will open their envelopes, look at their cards and make any comments they may wish to make (a thank you, or whatever). These will be our holiday gifts to each other. We hope you will participate.
Inside BWS
A special thank you to Nancy Metz and Carol Rhodes for their July program “Discovering Your Museum.” While there were some technical problems those of us who hung in there learned about the online exhibits that are available to view around the world as well as why sketching painting that capture your attention can be such an educational and enlightening experience. Thanks again, Nancy and Carol. A wonderful program by two wonderful teachers.
The Coming Year in Programs: 2020-2021 is Going to be Great!
Joanne Weddle, BWS Program Chair, announced that all BWS programs for 2020-2021 will be held the 2nd Monday of each month following a business meeting conducted on Zoom. Programs already scheduled are as follows:
August 10 – Artist Trading Cards – Joanne Weddle
September 14 – Show and Share facilitated by Kitty Garlock – members invited to share a piece of art done over the summer.
October 12 – Printing Cards From Paintings – Joanne Shank.
November 9 – Indiana Greens Throughout the Year – Kathy Barton.
December 14 – Meadowood Holiday Party cancelled. Artist Trading Cards will be shared between members on zoom following the business meeting.
January 11 – Journals – Jeanne Dutton.
February 8 – Using the FUNdamental of Art to Create an Abstract – Jerry Harste
March 8 – Making Folding Greeting Cards – Charlotte Griffin
April 12 – _______________
May 19 – ________________
June 14 – ________________
Programs and presenters are needed for the months of April, May and June. If you are willing to be a presenter on a topic you think would interest the group, let Joanne Weddle know (812-345-6217 or jweddle2@comcast.net). If you don’t want to present, but have a topic you wish to have presented, let Joanne know and she will find a presenter. Joanne says, “In a regular year we would have filled out a form with program ideas during our June meeting. This year we need your electronic input via email with ideas to complete this year’s schedule.” Please respond.
Attention! August BWS Paint-Out
Sat., August 8, 2020, 9 am – Noon
At the Woolery and The Clear Creek Trail
Betty Wagoner, our Paint-Out Chair, described the setting and all of the opportunities of what to paint. “The Woolery and northern terminus of the Clear Creek Trail are connected by a paved trail that crosses under the Tapp Road bridge. The Clear Creek Trail proceeds south for 2 1/2 miles. The Woolery, on the north side of Tapp Road, is an aging, metal shell of a building where an artist could walk in and set up to paint. It is adjacent to The Woolery Mill, a renovated building. The grounds are both groomed and on the wild side with expanses of grass, a quarry full of water, walls of large stones, trees and a pond. Large machinery including an old firetruck are scattered about the property. The Clear Creek Trail on the south side of the bridge offers a pretty view of the Clear Creek flowing over rocks. As a bonus, a farmers’ market is there on Saturdays. For a view of the site, go to https://www.oneworldatwoolery.com“
Look for an email reminder and instructions in the week before the paint-out.
Our Latest Paint-Out: A Report and Pictures from Betty Wagoner and Andy Roberts
On July 11, ten BWS painters met at the Karst Farm Park on one of the best weather days of July. It was sunny but a cool, low humidity morning. The park was beautiful, a mix of rolling grasslands, trees, sports fields, woods and trails. Photographed here are Cassidy Young at work and Nancy Metz, surrounded by her paintings.
Andy Roberts wrote saying, “I participated in a Paint Out at Karst Farm Park on Saturday July 11th. It was a beautiful summer morning and peaceful. I sketched and painted this landscape in watercolor.”
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! 2020 BWS Membership Show
Kathleen Barton, BWS Show Chair, announced that our Member Show will be held October 2 through October 29 with the take-in of paintings on September 29. At this time it is not known whether the show will be online or in a gallery, with visitors accessing the exhibition at reserved times. Visit the BWS website to see the prospectus.
This year’s theme is “Renewal/Rejuvenation,” says Kathleen Barton, “to counter-act the specter we deal with on a daily basis. If you have an artistic response to Covid it can be part of the show, as we seek ways to process the pandemic and live full lives. Stay safe and we look forward to seeing your paintings.”
Francie Agnostino’s Artwork: This from Patty Uffman, our Past President
“Some of you know Francita (“Francie”) Agostino who has been a member of BWS a number of years. She lived in Bloomington except for part of the year that she spent in Bradenton, Florida. Recently she moved back to Bloomington and now is a new resident of the independent living section in Gentry Park. Due to major downsizing, she has sold her artwork to Jeff’s Warehouse, 424 S. College Avenue. Anyone interested in her voluminous oils, pastels, and watercolors can visit Jeff’s Warehouse Tuesday-Saturday. I was there over the weekend and came away with several paintings — small ones, primarily because I’m running out of wall space! After I bought them I gave Francie a call and she was tickled to hear that ‘one artist appreciates another one.’ Talking with her was really my pleasure!”
Greenfield and BWS Proud by Kathy Barton
John William Vawter (187l to 1941), from Greenfield, Indiana was an American landscape artist and illustrator known for his broad strokes and loose impressionistic style.
The Hancock County Arts Center, under the leadership of Show Chair, Carol Barrett, sponsored a Will Vawter Art Show in conjunction with the dedication of a Will Vawter statue. The Bloomington Watercolor Society was well represented with Sandy Hall having two pieces in the show and Betty Wagoner, Kathleen Barton and Joanne Shank each having three pieces. Our deepest congratulations to those BWS members who participated.
“Spirit at the Falls” by Kathleen Barton
Sandy Hall at the Will Vawter Art Show
Sharing What We Have Been Up To?
Because most of what we know about art we learn from being in the presence of others, sharing our work is one of the most important and enjoyable aspect of becoming a member of the Bloomington Watercolor Society. As editors of our Newsletter, Nancy Metz and I wish to thank all of the members who elected to share their work in this edition. Your contributions make the Newsletter worth reading and our roles enjoyable.
Robin Edmundson
Robin Edmundson reported that two of her pieces were accepted into Juried Exhibitions. “Bluebell Wood – Just Starting to Bloom” was accepted in the WSI Exhibit 2020 Show and “Midwinter Sky & Birds” was accepted into the Hoosier Salon Exhibition. Congruations Robin!!!
Susan Savastuk
Susan Savastuk says she has been experimenting with pointillism marker portraits and landscapes
Carol Rugers Richard
Carolyn Rogers Richard wrote saying “I somehow didn’t see last month’s request for newsletter information. I was one of the Featured Artists at Hoosier Artist Gallery at 45 S. Jefferson St. in Nashville for the month of July.”
Patty Uffman
Patty Uffman wrote saying “Here are the paintings I have completed this month.”
Jacki Frye
Jacki Frye wrote saying, “This was done in the past month when we visited Yellowstone. The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful assortments of clouds and storms in the mountains. I’ve been doing a series of studies of sky and clouds.”
Nina Ost
Nina Ost sent in a picture that probably rings true to all of us in the Bloomington Watercolor Society who are trying to enjoy our flower gardens. Nina writes, “I’ve been playing with collage. This is a nod to the damn deer in my yard. I’ve entitled it ‘Welcome to the Burbs.'”
Carla Hedges
Carla Hedges has been busy, busy, busy. “I’ve been painting flowers and I’m really enjoying it.” As you can see, she has a beautiful series going.
Bess Lee
Bess Lee contributed ‘Save Our Mother,’ a painting she completed in Carol Rhodes and Nancy Metz’ class, ‘Discovering Your MUSEum.’ The concerned expressions on the faces of the angels are lovely Bess, as is your message to the world.
Suzanne Thorin
Suzanne Thorin. “I took a class on July 23rd with Sarah Roche sponsored by a group called Arty Classes, which comes from England. Sarah is the director of the Botanical Arts program at Wellesley. This is my rose from that class. Sarah is doing a master class on painting leaves in October. This Zoom class was international with Sarah working and teaching from Cohasset, MA and the convener from a suburb of London.”
Claude Cookman
Claude Cookman wrote to say, “I feel so lucky to be able to putter away my time trying to make art.
I’ve been doing watercolor over a silverpoint drawing. Here is a bit of history. The graphite pencil was not developed until the mid 1500s. Like most new technologies, it took time until it was widely adopted. Before that, artists drew with ink, charcoal, chalk, and — one of their favorite mediums — metal. They used gold, copper, and lead, but especially liked silver.
A few weeks ago, I began experimenting with silverpoint. I put a piece of silver wire in a mechanical pencil holder and draw on a board coated with gesso that contains an abrasive. The medium is extremely responsive and, if you do it right — that is, with great patience — will produce very delicate drawings. Over time, the silver takes on a patina, which darkens the drawing. I am also experimenting with gold, copper, brass, and solder (a lead alloy) wires. Each metal gives a different tone.
Below is still life of peaches drawn in silverpoint. Following the practice of some Renaissance artists, I added watercolor to produce the second image. This proved quite tricky. On regular paper, the watercolors sink into the paper, but they sit up on top of the gesso surface. It’s hard to get a consistent wash. For this image, I applied several thin glazes, which has worked for me with ink drawings. The result on gesso was streaked with ugly blotches and harsh edges. So, one small area at a time, I dampened the painting with a clean brush and wiped away most of the color, yielding this lightly tinted image.
This was a great learning experience, but I probably will not do it again. First, because the watercolor is so difficult to control on gesso. Primarily, because the paint obscures the shimmering quality of the metal drawing.”
Lynne Gilliatt
Lynne Gilliatt regularly invites artist friends to her shaded driveway to paint. On this particular morning she was joined by Nancy Metz (front) and Carol Voelker (back).
Nancy Davis Metz
Nancy Davis Metz wrote to say that she had just finished her Covid-19 painting which she is calling “Social Distancing.” Nancy’s mastery of glazing is evident in the stunning painting she submitted.
Sara Steffy
Sara Steffy wrote saying, “I just got the news that my acrylic, ‘BeeBalm,’ has been accepted in the Jasper, Indiana 27th Annual Juried Exhibit. The Exhibit will be at the Krempp Gallery and run from September 2 to September 27. More information is available at www.jasperarts.org.
Barbara Coffman
Barbara Coffman sent in two of the many paintings of the trees at Yellowwood that she worked on while taking Nancy Metz and Carol Rhodes’ class entitled “Discovering Your MUSEum.” Barbara’s initial inspiration for how to paint the trees came from seeing Hale Woodruff’s painting, entitled “Twilight,” at the Chicago Institute of Art. From there it was all play and experimentation and, might I add, to great effect!
`Meri Reinhold
Meri Reinhold wrote saying, “I just have one picture to include. Titled: Surrounded.” While Meri captures the softer side of the Covid-19 pandemic, she also captures its pervasiveness and danger.
Jerome Harste
“I’ve been doing a series on ‘hands.” I’m calling this gouache collage (I used an actual shoe string), ‘Mending Our Flag.’ I started this hand series in Carol Rhodes and Nancy Metz’ ‘Discovering Your MUSEum’ online course. The inspiration for this particular painting came from several sources. First, the layout for the hands comes from a photograph by Georgia O’Keefe which I found at the Art Institute of Chicago. I loved how the positioning of the hands led the eye through the photograph. Further inspiration came from my study of Matisse and his use of thick black outlining of objects in his painting. (About four times as thick as any outlining I had previously even tried.) My third source of inspiration came from the Black Live Matter protests and Trump’s use of police to quell what he calls riots.
Remembering Our History
Our BWS Historian, Linda Branstetter, sent in the following report: “I found that from July 7th to the 17th in 2010, BWS watercolor artists were invited to paint pictures of the musicians at the USA International Harp Competition during rehearsals. The following were the artists that participated. Gillian Harris, Joanne Shank, Rosemary Messick, Jacki Frey, Dan Alexander, Bess Lee, Sherry Curry, Cathy Korinek, Betty Wagoner, Jo Weddle, and Tricia Heiser Wente.
Tricia Heiser Wente send in some of the painting she did at the event, saying, “We were painting in almost total darkness, and had to be extra careful not to make a sound! No swishes of water or dropping brushes etc. It was a very intense, but I enjoyed painting while listening to the beautiful music. I miss seeing you and all my BWS friends.”
Outside BWS
Wabash Valley Juried Exhibition
Call for Entries: The 76th Anniversary Wabash Valley Juried Exhibition will open November 6th and close on January 10 , 2021. Current and former residents of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio are invited to submit from 1 to 5 original works. $10 entry fee per work. $5,000 in prizes to given! Work can be submitted from now until September 18th.
Watercolor Society of Indiana
WSI’s Exhibit 2020 opens on August 7 and runs through September 26 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony will be a recorded ceremony, available on the WSI website. The show will also be online in addition to being an in-person event.
Hoosier Art Salon
The 15th Annual Hoosier Salon’s Membership Show, “Good Ole’ Summertime,” will be held at the New Harmony Gallery and be open to the public from August 1 to September 6 from 12 p.m. to 4 p. m. each day. The Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held on August 1 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Gallery is located at 507 Church Street.
The Hoosier Art Salon’s 96th Annual Exhibition will be held from August 29 to October 25 at the Indiana History Museum, 650 W. Washington, St., Indianapolis. $20,000 in awards will be made with $5,000 going to best in show. The awards ceremony will be online scheduled for August 27 at 6 pm EST via Zoom for the accepted artists. We wish the best of luck to our members who entered paintings that were accepted.
Desiderata Art Show
Kathleen Barton, BWS Program Chair, reported that artists have until August 21 to get their entries submitted to the Desiderata Art Show. See the flyer below for details.
Upland Plein Air Welcomes Us To Join Them as a Guest
Upland Plein Air continues to have paint outs—at least two per month during our quarantine. Upland invites you to come along to one of their events as a guest. Upland observes COVID 19 protocols and practices social distancing. Members drive separately, wear masks, bring their own chairs, and spread out easily for a few hours of fun and creativity in a small group setting. This is working well as everyone is conscientious and so pleased to still have this activity during these difficult times. Please contact Kristen Stamper at uplandpleinair@gmail.com to learn when the next event is planned.
Here is a watercolor painting by Andy Roberts, from the BWS and Upland together paint out organized by Betty Wagoner at Yellowwood shelter on June 28.
Bloomington Portrait Group invites You to Take the challenge
First, a bit of history: The Bloomington Portrait Group began in January 2017 as an offshoot of the Upland Plein Air Painters, then a sister organization of the Bloomington Watercolor Society. It was too cold to paint outside, and the group was looking for a winter activity. Somebody suggested a portrait session. About eight artists met at Jacki Frye’s home in Ellettsville. Claude Cookman recruited the first model and has coordinated the sessions since.
BPG is extremely informal: no dues, no membership application, no organizational meetings. Artists show up and paint or draw. And they are welcome to work in any medium. During normal times, the group meets for two hours every other Thursday at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. Participants share the cost of the model fee, a minimum of $3, but never more than $5 thanks to a system devised by Treasurer Meri Reinhold.
BPG had its first exhibition at the Monroe County Public Library during October 2018. A second, scheduled for last April, had to be postponed. The group expects to hold that exhibition and resume regular sessions — drawing and painting from live models — when a vaccine for Covid-19 becomes available.
Cookman strives to recruit models who reflect Bloomington’s rich diversity in age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Models have included Asians, African-Americans, gay, and transgendered individuals. The youngest model was 8; the oldest a nonagenarian. More recently, he has also recruited people who help make Bloomington a great place to live. They include IU First Lady Laurie Burns McRobbie, radio personality Tom Rosnowski, WFIU Soul Kitchen host Brother William Morris, retired Unitarian-Universalist minister Bill Breeden, Judge Francie Hill, and IU Women’s Basketball star Alexis Gassion. The one thing all models have in common is their interesting faces.
When the quarantine shut down everything, MarySue Schwab suggested, instead of portraits, that artists create self portraits. Cookman expanded her idea into a monthly challenge intended to keep participants active in their studios. To date, the challenges have been: April, self portrait; May, portrait of a loved one; June, portrait of a pet; and July, portrait in a new medium. The Herald-Times published an article about the self portraits with several images. The pet challenge drew the most enthusiastic response.
The August challenge is to draw or paint a portrait of a statue. This charcoal drawing of a bust of Wendell Wilkie in the Indiana Memorial Union is an example.
BPG welcomes any artist at any level, working in any medium. If you would like full details on the statue challenge and/or to be put on the BPG email list, please email Cookman at: ccookman@indiana.edu
Ella, a Labrador mix • Susan Vaugh – graphite
August Calendar
Important
Dates!!
(Art Work from Jeanne Dutton’s Journal)
August 1 to August 29: Submissions accepted to the Desiderata Art Show.
August 1 to September 1 : Submissions accepted to the 76th Annual Wabash Valley Juried Exhibition.
August 1 to September 6: 15th Annual Hoosier Salon Membership Show at the New Harmony Gallery.
August 7 to September 26: Watercolor Society of Indiana Exhibit 2020 open at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
August 8: Bloomington Watercolor Society ‘s Paint-Out at the Woolery and Clear Creek Trail.
August 10: Bloomington Watercolor Society ‘s Monthly Zoom Meeting from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. followed by an Art Card Program from Joanne Weddle from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
August 29 to October 25: Opening of the Hoosier Art Salon’s 96th Annual Exhibition at the Indiana History Museum.
