Bloomington Watercolor Society

March 13, 2017

President Charlotte Griffin called the meeting to order shortly after 6 p.m.

Hospitality

Mary Walker thanked the following members who had provided refreshments for the meeting: Candi Bailey, Kriste Lindberg, Charlotte Griffin, and Char Dapena. Mary also brought food for the evening.

Minutes

Meri Reinhold moved and Betty Wagoner seconded that the minutes of the Feb. 13, 2017, meeting be accepted as submitted with no additions, deletions, or corrections.

Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer Patty Uffman reported the BWS bank and fund balances.

Old Business

• Notecard Set II is available for sale at The Venue. Tricia Wente will see if The Monroe County History Center will continue to sell the sets as well.
• Nominations Committee Chair Patty Uffman announced that Bev Ohneck Holly and Kathy Truelove-Barton are serving on the Committee with her. Patty distributed a sheet with brief descriptions of all board and committee positions and asked those currently serving in those posts to describe their duties. She encouraged members to volunteer to be considered for the 2017-18 slate or to agree to serve if asked.

New Business

Programs

Jo Weddle announced a change in the programs scheduled for April and May. Jerry Harste will be leading a program called “Gamboling Goats: Exploring Technique” at the April 10 meeting. Robin Edmundson will present “Basic Color Theory for Painters” at the May 8 meeting.

Shows

Tricia Wente reported that Jerry Harste, Mary Jo Cannedy, and Deb Rush sold paintings from the Art of Chocolate Show. In addition, Tricia sold two paintings from the Art of Chocolate keynote event. $600 was raised through the sale of paintings and cards.

The next show will be the Upland Painters exhibition.

Upland Painters

Kristen Stamper invited members to join the weekly painting group and to sign up for the email distribution list.

She then distributed the Prospectus for the Plein Air Exhibition, April 6 – May 2 at the Farmer House Museum’s Bellevue Gallery. To be eligible for the show, works must be 2D and created at least 75% in plein air at paintouts sponsored by Upland or BWS. Works may be in any media except photography. Maximum artwork size (before framing) is 11 x 15 inches.

Deliver work: Bellevue Gallery, 529 N. College Ave., Bloomington, on Wednesday, April 5 between 10 a.m. and noon.

Opening reception: Friday, April 7, 5 – 8 p.m.

Pick up: Wednesday, May 3, 10 a.m. to noon.

Penny Lulich is the coordinator for weekly events in April and May.

Kristen announced other upcoming events:M

• March 21: Visit to Pygmalion’s and to BWS Member Lynne Gilliatt’s show at the Thomas Gallery
• April 4: Spring Mill
• April 12: Azalea Farm in Hazelton
• April 18: T.C. Steele Historic Site

Scholarship

Jeanne Dutton announced the May meeting will include a Table Sale with proceeds going to the BWS Scholarship Fund. Members are asked to bring gently used or new art supplies, magazines, and books to the meeting to be sold. Jeanne asked members to put a price on the items they bring.

Workshop

The BWS Spring Workshop, “Alcohol Ink and Water Soluble Crayons,” is scheduled for March 25, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lynn Busch, from Jacquard Products and Preston Arts Center will be the instructor.

Participants should bring a Brown Bag lunch.

Jeanne also distributed the new BWS rack cards, designed by Carol Rhodes and featuring artwork by Sara Steffey McQueen and Nancy Davis Metz.

Adjournment

Tricia Wente moved and Char Dapena seconded that the meeting be adjourned.

Following a brief break, Jacki Frey presented a program, “Value Sketch Study using Black or Payne’s Gray.”

Upcoming Monthly Meeting

Monday, March 13, 2017
6:00 p.m.
First Christian Church
Bloomington

After refreshments, socializing, and a short business meeting, BWS Signature Member Jacki Frey will present a program on creating a “Value Study Sketch Using Black or Payne’s Grey Watercolor for Sketching.”

Supplies to bring to the meeting are black or Payne’s Grey paint, a pencil, eraser, quarter sheets of watercolor paper or watercolor pad, and round brushes size 8 and 12.

Also, bring a favorite photo.  Jacki will provide some photos as well.

New Signature Members

Congratulations to the two new Signature members, Cathy Korinek and Donna Whitsitt.  To become a Signature member, certain criteria must be met.  Then, the applicants submit a selection of their work and their credentials before being “judged” by an outside juror.  Interested in applying?  The next opening will be in January 2018.  Questions can be directed to Tricia Wente.

Left to Right: Donna Whitsitt, Cathy Korinek

Welcome, New Members

Hello and welcome to Marie Kosakowski, Henry Leck, Diane Thayer, Debra Tocco, and Grant Wood.  Glad you could join us, and hope to see you soon!

BWS Spring Workshop

“Alcohol Inks and Water Soluble Crayons on Yupo”

March 25, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
First Christian Church, Bloomington

Come learn about the versatility and magic of alcohol inks on Yupo!  This workshop will inspire artists of all levels to loosen up and go with the flow. We will create abstract and non-objective works while learning the qualities of this vibrant medium. The day will start with making samples of different techniques.

We will take an intermission before lunch to introduce pearl-ex, a mica pigment that can be added to your watercolors, and water soluble wax pastels/crayons.

After lunch, you’ll apply the learned processes in your own way with suggestions and guidance.

Instructor:  Lynn Busch, who has a BFA from Berea College, is an Artist and Educator with Jacquard Products, and a manager and teacher at Preston Arts Center in Louisville.

ALL details can be found at http://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/home/activities/2017-spring-workshop/, or contact Jeanne at info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org.

MEMBER ACTIVITIES

BWS has new Rack Cards, thanks to Carol Rhodes!  If you are participating in an exhibit or a craft show or are represented by a gallery, please consider taking some rack cards along with you.  Contact Jeanne at Info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org for a supply.

Sarah & Salmon by Phyllis Taylor

Congratulations to….

Phyllis Taylor, BWS’ Northwest Coast “affiliate,” was one of 19 artists, from a group of 80, juried into a show at the Cannon Beach Arts Association (Oregon) titled “Contemporary Portraiture.” Juror was Martha Lee, owner of Russo Lee Gallery, Portland.

Works explore what role portraits now play in society with today’s “selfie” culture. Taylor’s work, “Afternoon Catch,” is a portrait of friend Sarah holding a large salmon she’d caught–and looking pretty pleased about it. This was the first juried show Phyllis has entered since moving to Oregon.

Wild Women by Sara Steffey-McQueen

Sara Steffey-McQueen’s linoleum print, “Wild Women,” was juried into the 37th Annual National Print Exhibition at Artlink Contemporary Gallery.  The opening reception is March 31, 6-9 pm, at the gallery, 300 East Main Street in Ft. Wayne.

BWS Upland Painters

Reporting: Kristen Stamper
Upland Plein Air Painters Plans a Busy April.
BWS’ 1st Plein Air Exhibition will open during Gallery Walk, 5-8 p.m. on April 7, at the Bellevue Gallery in the Farmer House Museum at 529 N. College St.  Over 30 BWS artists are planning to participate. Please come out and share the fun of this exciting review of local scenes painted on location at numerous BWS sponsored paint outs. The show will be on display through May 2, Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
In preparation for the Plein Air Exhibition, Kathy Barton and Donna Whitsitt are hosting a framing workshop. Ever the DIY divas, they will demonstrate framing techniques and share their knowledge on sources and professionally framing artwork yourself, including cost-saving approaches that can offer more flexibility than purchasing these services. Please contact upland@bloomingtonwatercolor.org to reserve your spot and receive full details.
Finally, with the return of spring weather we will be outside to paint, starting in April. Please join us for any of these events. Please contact upland@bloomingtonwatercolor.org for details.

• Tuesday, March 7, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Framing workshop, downtown location TBD, Host: Kathy Barton & Donna Whitsitt
• Tuesday, April 4, 9 a.m.-12 noon, Spring Mill State Park, Host: Rose Brenner
• Wednesday, April 5, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Turn in paintings for Plein Air Show at Bellevue Gallery, 529 N. College St.
• Friday, April 7, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Opening reception for 1st Plein Air Show at Bellevue Gallery, 529 N. College St.
• Wednesday, April 12, All Day,  Azalea Path & Arboretum in Hazleton, Indiana, Host: Kathy Barton
• Tuesday, April 18, 9 a.m.-12 noon, TC Steele State Historic Site, Host: Anne-Karine Bley

Arts in the Parks

Betty Wagoner received a grant for the state “Arts in the Parks” program. The workshop sessions will take place March through August, so watch here for later opportunities, or contact Betty.

• Saturday, March 25, 1-4 p.m.  TC Steele State Historic Site, in the Large Studio.

A brief review of watercolor pencil techniques and plein air techniques used by TC Steele as evidenced in his paintings.

• Saturday, May 13, 1-4 p.m. – TC Steele State Historic Site, Watercolor plein air painting workshop.

Watercolor techniques and plein air basics will be covered and participants will paint around the grounds.

The Art of Chocolate

Thank you to all the BWS artists who participated in the Mardi Gras show and painted at the Keynote event.  We can be proud that sales of our art generated over $600 for LIFEDesigns!  The exhibit will remain at the Vault at Gallery Mortgage through March 27.

Please pick up your paintings between 11:00 – 2:00, at the Vault on March 28.

Penance, Mardi Gras Style by Jerry Harste

Best in Show, C’est fou, by Deborah Rush

Babette Ballinger holding a painting by Tricia Wente at Art of Chocolate

OPPORTUNITIES

Eco-Heroes Contest
The City of Bloomington Environmental Commission announces the sixth annual Eco-Heroes Contest. While this art contest has always been for local K-12 students, this year the Environmental Commission is collaborating with the Commission on Aging to pilot an additional category for adults. Entries are due Friday, March 31 at 5:00 p.mm at the City’s Planning and Transportation Department in City Hall. For more information, contact Sarah Green, City of Bloomington Environmental Commission.

Orchids in Watercolor at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Now through July 9, IMA offers a wonderful show of botanical watercolors.  This exhibition features “30 orchid watercolors collected by Josiah K. Lilly, son of the founder of Eli Lilly and Company and its president from 1898 until 1932.  Through these works, significant for both their scientific accuracy and aesthetic quality, guests will be able to explore botanical facts about orchids and learn more about the Lilly family’s interest in collecting and growing them.” http://www.imamuseum.org/exhibition/lilly-collection-orchids-watercolors

Frederick William Bolas (English, 1871–1951), Orchid: Cypripedium smithae, 1907, watercolor on Whatman’s water colour sketching board, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. J.K. Lilly, 63.81

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Monthly Meeting

Monday, February 13, 2017

6:00 pm at First Christian Church

After a brief business meeting and introduction of our new juried Signature members, Tricia Wente and Carol Rhodes will present the evening program, “Disasters:  Best Practices in Correcting Errors in Watercolor.”

Improve your paintings, learn to make “adjustments” during the painting process. Everyone needs to learn a few tricks to manage this medium, and by experimenting you too will have a better grasp of how to deal with certain quirks of watercolor painting.

Bring one disaster painting of your own (we all have them) and any of the following materials you have on hand.  For example: sponge, a few brushes, small water container.  We will provide some tools to share.

The BWS Spring Calendar will be distributed and it’s a full one!

Welcome to New members

BWS welcome the following artists and we hope to get to see you soon:

Joanne Baum, Rose Brenner, Eric Brock, Patricia Coleman, Ellen Flach, Tereasa Laakman, and Grant Wood.

The Art of Chocolate Show

We Paint…Mardi Gras!

Opening Reception

Friday Gallery Walk, February 3, 5-8 pm

The Vault at Gallery Mortgage

Wear your beads and mask and have fun at the opening reception where the Best of Show will be announced with a prize of $100 and two tickets to the Week of Chocolate Keynote event at IU Memorial Union.  The Runner-up will receive two tickets, and four names of participating artists will be drawn to receive two tickets each, too.  (Value of the tickets is $75 each!)

Sales will be split 50/50 with the artist and LIFEDesigns.  Greeting cards featuring chocolate and Valentines will be sold at the reception for $5 each, with all proceeds going to LIFEDesigns.

And while you are downtown, scoot on over to the Monroe County History Center where a few BWS artists will be doing demos.  The Centennial show is up through the end of February and now is a good time to go see it again!

Emerging Artists Exhibit

BWS is proud to support and encourage young high school artists, and we did just that by sponsoring awards at the Emerging Artists exhibit, held in January at the Venue Fine Art and Gifts.  The results are in: below, you can see the three works that won the 2D painting category and the 3D Best in Show.

Child by Emily Yeargin
(Best in Show)

Boy by Olivia Robinson (Silver Best in Show)

Pine Trees in Winter by Jaiden Harris (Honorable Mention)

Imre by Barbara Granicz (Stained Glass (3D Best in Show))

BWS Scholarship Application Open for input

Thanks to Jo Weddle, chair of the BWS Scholarship Committee, for attending and promoting the scholarship.  Many thanks, also, to Andy Lehman for designing the BWS Scholarship poster. See the poster at the link below:

BWS Poster

Please encourage your young artists to apply.  Request details at info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org

Member News

BWS Upland Plein Air Painters

On January 17, Upland held the winter/spring organizational meeting where we began to fill in the 2017 calendar. Through March, Upland will concentrate on a variety of inside activities which are in the planning phase now. If you are not an Upland participant and want to join in, contact upland@bloomingtonwatercolor.org.

Plein Air Exhibition at Bellevue Gallery

The 1st Annual Plein Air Exhibition of the Bloomington Watercolor Society and Upland Plein Air Painters will be at the Bellevue Gallery at the Farmer House Museum, April 6 to May 2. The reception will be Friday, April 7 from 5 to 8 pm.  Members have already signed up to exhibit and, because of limited space, there is a waiting list. The prospectus was distributed and posted online at bloomingtonwatercolor.org. For more information, contact upland@bloomingtonwatercolor.org.

Opportunities

All-Media Still Life Class

Don Geyra has scheduled an all media art class for two Wednesdays, February 15 and 22, 2-4 pm.  Price is $60 and will consist of a still life to be worked over the two sessions. All media are welcome. Pastel. Oil. Watercolor. Acrylic.  The class will be held in Bedford at the Lawrence County Art Association.

Contact Don Geyra 287-8748 or Phyllis Westfall 279-4734 to enroll. If you are unfamiliar with Don’s work, go here to   dongeyra.com/gallery

Color Theory Workshop

Robin Edmundson will be facilitating a 3-day Color Experience at MoonTree Studios in Plymouth, Indiana, April 21-23, 2017.  If you’ve been waiting for a chance to learn some color theory, and then have the time really run with it, this is your chance. There will be a half day class on basic color theory to jump start you, then you’ll have 2 1/2 days to explore color in your own direction. Robin is there to cheer you on, help with more color theory, brainstorm, bounce ideas off of, etc. We conclude each day with a “show and tell” to look at what others are doing with other media, share progress, ask questions, share frustrations, and brainstorm. You’ll be encouraged to experiment and explore things you haven’t tried before, and explorations will be flexible enough to allow for change in direction if desired. Our emphasis is on the color exploration, not on completing a set of products by the end of the experience. It’ll be a small-ish group between 6-8 folks in any area of visual art or fiber art. $320 for the three days [$290 if you’re a member of MoonTree Studios] (For example explorations and materials list, see their website – link below.)  Here’s the link to the class: http://www.moontreestudios.org/index.php/test-store/2015-09-11-19-14-42#!/Color-Exploration-in-2D-and-3D-Visual-Art-with-Robin-Edmundson/p/72672647/category=19838035 Robin will have MoonTree Studios catalogs at the February meeting so you can see all the great classes they offer.

Lawrence County Art Association

The LCAA, located in downtown Bedford at the Wiley Art Center, 1402 J Street, offers members an opportunity for a paint-in nearly every Thursday from 1-3 pm.  To discover more and become a member, link to http://www.lawrencecountyart.org.

Happy Valentine’s Day!