Nov. 9

BWS program to feature

“Indiana Greens Throughout the Year”

Following the November business meeting, Kathy Truelove Barton will demonstrate mixing greens for the many changes of foliage color between April and the end of October. She will use four of her paintings created at different times of the year — early spring, early summer, late summer and early fall — as a guide for the colors. Kathy will use tube paints from Winsor Newton Professional and Daniel Smith Professional lines. Handouts including the brands and paint numbers where available will be emailed the first Friday of November.  However, members can create similar colors from the paints they have on hand.

Suggested supplies: Number 4 and 6 brushes; watercolor palette or an all-white dinner plate; a light, medium and dark shade of yellow, blue, and green.

The business meeting starts at 6 p.m. via Zoom. A link to the meeting will be emailed to BWS members the day of the meeting.

Announcing “We Paint … Carnival!”

MONTH of CHOCOLATE, February 2021

BWS will participate, for the sixth year, in supporting LIFEDesigns in the annual Month of Chocolate this coming February. The event will be different than before, but members can anticipate a guided video tour, lots of publicity, and a Best of Show award.  

Look for the prospectus to arrive soon, once the dates are confirmed with the Vault at Gallery Mortgage.  If you want to get an early start, remember all mediums are accepted in a 2D format, framed appropriately.

Thanks to our president, Joanna Samorow-Merzer, for suggesting this year’s theme of “Carnival.”  This may inspire you a bit!

FMCCS auction to benefit

the BWS scholarship

The BWS Art Scholarship is managed through the Foundation for Monroe County Community Schools (FMCCS).  We couldn’t hold our annual table sale this fall to renew our scholarship fund, but FMCCS has offered us the opportunity to enter items in their annual online auction.  Seventy percent of any sale will go to the Scholarship fund; 30 percent will be retained to cover costs.

BWS members are invited to donate something art related – a painting, a set of notecards, a print.  So far, three paintings have been donated – and thanks to those artists!  (One donation includes a Longaberger basket filled with beginning art supplies and two hours of watercolor instruction!) 

The deadline for donations is Nov. 18.  To contribute an item, please contact Jeanne Dutton at Scholarship@BloomingtonWatercolor.org.

The online auction opens Nov. 30 at biddingforgood.com/auction/auctionhome.action?vhost=fmccs.

Watch your email for updates!

Membership Show

People’s Choice Awards announced

Stephen Edwards’s painting, Thawing Along Owl Creek, was the first place winner in the People’s Choice Awards for the 2020 BWS Membership Show.

Ballots were counted from the in-person viewing at The Vault and email voting from the online gallery hosted by SmugMug.com and BWS, and the results were announced by Show Chair Kathy Barton and 1st Vi ce President Patty Uffman.

Runner-up was Green Pears, Ready to Pick by MarySue Veerkamp-Schwab. Honorable Mentions were awarded to At Ghost Ranch, NM by Candace Bailey and Rainwashed Vienna by Carol Rhodes.

These paintings along with the entire show is still available for viewing at https://bloomingtonwatercolor.smugmug.com.

Kudos

2020 Membership Show

Let’s express our appreciation to Kathy Barton and Patty Uffman who created the actual exhibit and to Carol Rhodes and Charlotte Griffin who created the virtual reception and the virtual gallery, and to Jeanne Dutton who prepared the labels to accompany the paintings at the gallery, also to Kathy’s husband Craig who created the flyer for the exhibit, and to Kriste Lindberg for the publicity.  Please let’s make sure that we show our appreciation as well to John LaBella, the owner of The Vault Gallery Mortgage Company, who is so kind to us and welcomed again this year another BWS art show in his space.  And many thanks to our BWS artists who brought their paintings to the exhibition.  With all this collective work we made it happen!  It was a beautiful art show.

Thank you all,

Joanna Samorow-Merzer

BWS President

2020-2021

My favorite technique

Using wet in wet to create

hard edges for rim lighting

by Claude Cookman

When I showed a painting of a geranium at BWS’s September Show-and-Tell, one of our members asked how I got such hard edges on the petals. I’m happy to share that technique, but I’d like to expand my response slightly. I was using those hard edges to produce rim lighting, the effect of a bright light catching the edge of an object and outlining it in sharp detail.

This demonstration pulls together two big art ideas. First, many artists insist they paint light, not objects. Second, edges are a major tool in constructing pictures. Artists talk about hard edges, soft edges and lost edges. To make something recede, typically in the background, they use soft or lost edges. To emphasize an object — the focal point, for example — artists often give it hard edges. 

This technique works because of a unique property of the watercolor medium: If you wet good paper, then add watercolor to this area, the colors will not extend beyond the wet boundary.

Follow these steps:

1. Theory. Lightly draw your motif; then use a kneaded eraser to remove as much graphite as possible, leaving barely visible lines.

Practice. In this demonstration, the motif comprises two flower petals and the leaves around them. I’m creating rim lighting between the two petals and between them and the leaves. I’m drawing just the petals and trusting that I can paint the background edges without needing a pencil line. In this case, I left the lines much darker than I normally would so you can see them.

2. Theory. Wet an area thoroughly with clear water. Paint right to the edge of the line, but not over it. 

Practice. I used a half-inch chisel brush. And painted two coats of water to make the area very wet. I let the paper rest for two or three minutes to absorb any puddles.

3. Theory.  While it’s resting, mix your colors. Experiment with consistency to find the results you like best. For starters, make it somewhere between tea and milk. 

Practice. To get a range of values, I used Opera Pink for the main wash and Pyrrole Red for shadow areas. Also, I used a clean, damp brush to lift out lighter areas.

4. Theory.  Charge the paint into the wet area. With a minimal amount of brush work, move it to the edges. Add any additional colors while the paint is still wet.

Practice. I used a No. 8 pointed brush, quickly flooding the area. I let gravity do much of the work, tilting the paper at a gentle angle to move the paint around and let it bead along the edge. I added the darker red, but made sure it was dryer than the wash on the page to avoid back runs.

5. Theory. Let the paper dry thoroughly. Then use this same process to create the background. With clear water, paint as close to the edge of the petal as possible, about 1/8th to 1/16th of an inch. Charge in your background colors.

Practice. I did this twice. Once for the second petal and again for the leaves. For them, I used blends of Sap Green, Permanent Green, and Hansa Yellow Light.

Comment. Although I have presented this as a technique for rim lighting, you can use it just to achieve a hard edge on any object. Simply stop at Step 4.

If you have a steady hand, of course, you could paint a hard edge without the water. I use it for two reasons: 1) It guarantees my edge is precise. If I accidentally paint over the line, I can let the water dry and try it again. 2) It gives a consistently even wash.

If you try this, I would enjoy hearing how it worked for you and what innovations you add to it. Send me an image and an account of your experience, if you please.

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 photograph each one. Cell phone photos will suffice for most everything; describe what you do in each step. Keep it short and simple: three to eight steps and photos. 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?”

T.C. Steele Historic Site

Final 2020 paint-out in photos

Barbara Coffman, photographer

Member News

Susan Savastuk is displaying her series of Pointillism Covid-19 Mask portraits. They are done with marker on paper. You can view the display through the window at ArtBeat in the College Mall. The Bloomington Arts Alliance store is still closed.

Hopi Maidens, a watercolor painting by MarySue Veerkamp Schwab, is in the Richmond Art Museum Show Nov. 5 through Jan. 9. She says it is from a Hopi Ceremony she and her husband were invited to attend on First Mesa in Arizona.

Andy Roberts sent in three paintings he has been working on from plein air paint-outs and other outings in recent months. “Now that the nice weather is coming to an end,” he says, “I guess I will resolve to painting from the numerous photos I have taken at various locations around southern Indiana.” He still hopes to get back to Florida in January to paint his favorite subject matter: palm trees and seascapes.

Lynne Gilliatt sent in a portrait of Gallery mortgage owner John LaBella (left) and one she calls Spanish Soup (right), which incorporates black washi tape and gouache.

Calendar

Nov. 9 BWS Meeting via Zoom, Program by Kathy Barton

Nov. 18 Deadline for donating to the FMCCS Auction

Nov. 30 Bidding opens for FMCCS Auction

Dec. 9 BWS Holiday Celebration via Zoom, Artist Trading Cards

February Month of Chocolate

Sept. 14

Show & Share to highlight

September meeting program

by Kitty Garlock

As always at our September meeting, we have arranged a program of show and share.  Due to the times being what they are, we will be sharing on Zoom after our business meeting.  This requires a few procedural steps and a tiny bit of know-how in order for things to happen efficiently.

First, I will be sending a reminder email with some procedure points. I would appreciate it if you would respond to my email if you plan to share. Just send your name (in the body of your email) and say “sharing in September’s BWS”; then I will know how many people to plan for and how to allot our time.

Second, all artwork should be shared without glass. Matted is OK, but the glare of the glass is problematic.

Third, you have three choices on how to share:

• When you notify me, send a picture of the piece you want to share. When it is your turn to share in the meeting, I can bring it up from my computer and you can talk about it.
• Have the piece ready at your computer and hold it up to the view hole as you talk.
• Use the share button on the Zoom screen as follows:

For computers and laptops:

1. Have open on your desktop a scanned copy or photograph of your painting. Edit it as you wish in Photoshop or another image processing app. Open the digital file on your computer monitor, and size it to fill the height of your screen.
2. When it is your turn, click out of Zoom’s Full Screen mode so you can switch between Zoom and your file.
3. At the bottom center of the Zoom window, click on the Share Screen button.
4. Click on the image you want to show and it should fill the screen. You should still see a Zoom window off to the side.
5. Start talking so your computer becomes the active Zoom window.
6. If you have several images, stack them in a folder, top to bottom, in the sequence you want them to appear. After you have shown each one, miniaturize it and the next should appear.
7. When you are finished, click out of Share Screen.

For iPads:

1. Have your photo gallery open on your device before you enter the meeting 
2. When it is your turn click on the Share Screen button.
3. You should see a list of options. Choose photo.
4. Your photos will come up, so choose the one you want and click done; this action will display the photo to everyone.
5. When you are done click out of the Share mode 

We look forward to seeing what you have been doing since last year!

BWS Paint-outs

by Betty Wagoner

BWS’s last paint-out of the year will be at T.C. Steele State Historic Site Saturday, Oct. 10, starting at 10 a.m. The fall at T.C. Steele is beautiful even in rainy weather.  The entry fee is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors. We will be able to paint the beautiful grounds plus tour the Steele Studio and Home.

Last month, on a beautiful summer day, eight artists set up easels and chairs at The Woolery.   We painted and sketched the metal shell of the Woolery, stone columns and walls, and old machinery such as the crane in the back.  The farmer’s market at the site that day, offered us a chance to stock up on fruits and veggies.

BWS Membership Show opens Oct. 2

The 2020 BWS Membership Show will feature the theme “We Paint … Renewal/Rejuvenation,” but COVID-related pieces will be accepted as well. The show will hang Oct. 2 – 29 at The Vault at Gallery Mortgage Company, 121 E Sixth St., Bloomington.

Kathy Barton, Show chair, encourages artists to offer their paintings for sale; however, that is not required. When pricing your artwork, keep in mind that The Vault will keep a 25 percent commission of all sales.

Because of COVID-19 conditions, no physical reception is planned for the show. A Virtual Gallery will be provided on the BWS website instead. This will require all artists to submit digital images to Carol@BloomingtonWatercolor.org before Sept. 22.

In September BWS members will receive an electronic invitation to view the Virtual Gallery that they can forward to their friends,family and art contacts.

Mark these important dates in your calendar:

Sept. 22 Submit images for Virtual Gallery to Carol@BloomingtonWatercolor.org

Sept. 29 Deliver paintings to The Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 121 E Sixth St. between 4 and 6 p.m.

Oct. 29 Pick up paintings at The Vault.

The Show Prospectus, which includes detailed information all exhibiting artists should read plus the labels for the paintings, is available at https://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/prospectus/.

To participate in the show, all exhibiting members must have paid dues for the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year.

BWS to exchange ATCs

for the holidays

BWS won’t have a party at Meadowood this year, but that doesn’t mean the season will go unmarked by BWS. Jo Weddle announced at the August meeting that members will be exchanging Artist Trading Cards (ATCs). She showed examples and outlined how the exchange will work. But in case you didn’t take notes, here is what you need to know.

1. Paint one to 10 originals that are 2-½ x 3-½ inches. This is the size of a baseball card. You can paint any topic, and they can be all different or all the same. Put your name and contact information on the back; some do this with labels.
2. You can find many examples and instructions by looking up artist trading cards on google.com.
3. You can cut cards out of your favorite watercolor paper or purchase artist trading cards.  I have found the best selections on amazon.com. Strathmore offers various paper choices, and packs of 10 or 20 cards cost less than $5. Andrew Preston of Preston Arts Center in Louisville also carries them and gives BWS members a 20 percent discount. Ones at Hobby Lobby are not good quality paper for watercolor and have a smooth surface.
4. Send your finished cards in an envelope along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Cassidy Young at 1419 E. Browning Lane, Bloomington, IN 47401. Be sure to send them to Cassidy so she will receive them no later than Nov. 1.
5. Cassidy will open all envelopes and return to each person in their stamped-self-addressed envelope as many cards by other people as the number of cards sent to her.
6. Do not open this envelope until our Monday, Dec. 14 Zoom meeting. We will all open them at the same time and share our oohs and aahs along with thanks.
7. You can save these in three-ring binders in plastic sheets you can purchase made for baseball trading cards (also available online).
8. Questions?  Contact Jo Weddle.

Thank you letter from BWS Scholarship recipient

Words of advice

from a fellow Indiana artist

Jerry Harste came across this letter Kurt Vonnegut wrote to a high school class and found the overall message inspirational. He did take exception to Vonnegut’s last piece of advice, however, and offered an alternative, which can be found following Vonnegut’s letter

In 2006 a high school English teacher asked students to write a famous author and ask for advice. Kurt Vonnegut was the only one to respond – and his response is magnificent: 

Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta:

I thank you for your friendly letters. You sure know how to cheer up a really old geezer (84) in his sunset years. I don’t make public appearances anymore because I now resemble nothing so much as an iguana.

What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.

Seriously! I mean starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives. Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms. Lockwood, and give it to her. Dance home after school, and sing in the shower and on and on. Make a face in your mashed potatoes. Pretend you’re Count Dracula.

Here’s an assignment for tonight, and I hope Ms. Lockwood will flunk you if you don’t do it: Write a six-line poem, about anything, but rhymed. No fair tennis without a net. Make it as good as you possibly can. But don’t tell anybody what you’re doing. Don’t show it or recite it to anybody, not even your girlfriend or parents or whatever, or Ms. Lockwood. OK?

Tear it up into teeny-weeny pieces, and discard them into widely separated trash receptacles. You will find that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learned a lot more about what’s inside you, and you have made your soul grow.

God bless you all!

Kurt Vonnegut

Jerry’s final recommendation would have been to paint a picture and then put it away. “Don’t tear it up,” Jerry says. “Six months later — or maybe a year – ‘do something to it, then do something to that something, and soon, you will have something.’ As you can see, I’m a Jasper Johns proponent.”

Member News

.Two BWS members, Bess Lee and Jerry Harste, have had works juried in to the Desiderata show, which will hang at the ArtsIlliana Gallery, 23 N Sixth St, Terre Haute from Sept. 4 to Nov. 20. Jerry’s piece is a wall hanging or throw made from his paintings of goats that a friend put together in a 40-inch by 60-inch quilted wall hanging.

Because of the pandemic, the Burris family art show, “A Look at Relative Art…” will hang at the Columbus Learning Center through Spring 2021. This is a collaborative family exhibit of works by Bob Burris, his deceased wife Catherine, and their daughter Lydia.

Lynne Gilliatt’s “Pandemic Walk” was published in the August issue of The Ryder magazine.

The Watercolor Society of Indiana’s Juried Exhibition included works by four BWS members, two of whom received top recognitions. Stephen Edwards’s “Studio Windows” received the Dorothy Schulz Englehart Memorial Award of $1,100. Jerry Harste’s “A Steadying Force” received the Theodore M. Englehart Memorial Award of $750. Jerry also earned WSI Signature Member status. MarySue Veerkamp-Schwab was recognized as a first-time exhibitor with her painting, “The Old Homestead,” and Robin Edmundson exhibited “Bluebell Wood – Just Starting to Bloom.” The show hangs in the Bret Waller Gallery of the Indianapolis Museum of Art Indianapolis Museum of Art through Sept. 26.

Stephen Edwards has also recently had paintings accepted into the Hoosier Salon, the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society 41st Annual International Exhibit (juried by Daniel R. Smith AWS, NWS), as well as the Philadelphia Watercolor Society’s 120th Annual International Exhibition Works on Paper (juried by John Salminen AWS, NWS). Edwards also received 1st Place Award in the Pendleton Artists Society exhibit.

Andy Roberts sent in two paintings he has done from Upland Plein Air and BWS paint-outs in July and August. The Woolery Mill one is from the July BWS paint-out and the other is Cheryl Berg’s farm  barn and stables, which was from a Tuesday Upland paint-out. “Getting outside and enjoying new sites is a great way to keep artistically motivated and sane during our Covid isolation,” Andy writes.

BWS member Claude Cookman is the lead curator of a virtual photography exhibition opening in October. “Wild Horse Running: The Courageous Journey of Tom Fox” is presented by The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and Untitled Light Gallery. It documents IU alumnus Tom Fox’s terminal struggle with AIDS in the late 1980s when there was no medical response for this disease.

Cookman will also moderate an online panel discussion by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution medical writer and photojournalist who documented Tom’s final months, a gay pastor who lived through the crisis, and a doctor who gained national recognition for his response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in our region.

You can join the panel Friday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m., by going to this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1608126726031106

Beyond BWS

The Watercolor Society of Indiana announces its Membership Exhibit of the Art Association of Henry County in New Castle Oct. 22 to Nov. 20. The show is open to WSI members who submit entry forms and payment by Oct. 2. Entry information is available on the WSI website: http://watercolorsociety ofindiana.org.

Calendar

Sept. 14 Monthly BWS meeting. Check email for Zoom login info

Sept. 22 Deadline for submitting images for Membership Show’s Virtual Gallery. Email image to Carol@BloomingtonWatercolor.org

Sept. 29 4 to 6 p.m. Deliver Membership Show painting to The Vault at the Gallery Mortgage Company, 121 E. Sixth St., Bloomington

Oct. 2 BWS Membership Show opens at The Vault, 121 E. Sixth St., Bloomington. See Virtual Gallery on https://bloomingtonwatercolor.org

Oct. 2 Deadline for entry forms and payment to be received at Watercolor Society of Indiana for its Membership Show at the Art Association of Henry County in New Castle

Oct. 10 10 a.m. Final BWS Paint-out of 2020 at the T.C. Steele State Historic Site

Oct. 12 BWS Zoom meeting

Oct. 22 – Nov. 20 WSI Membership Exhibit at the Art Association of Henry County in New Castle

Oct. 29 Pick up paintings from the BWS Membership Show

Nov. 1 Deadline for Cassidy Young to receive ATCs for Holiday Exchange

Nov. 9 BWS Zoom meeting

Dec. 14 BWS Zoom meeting

June 8

BWS to meet via Zoom;

Program on painting shadows to follow

BWS will continue its monthly meetings via Zoom with the next one being June 8 at 6 p.m. A June 1 email from Patty Uffman has the link and password so you can log in to the Zoom meeting. Following the business meeting, Cassidy Young will teach members about painting shadows.

Message from the President

Our Zoom meeting on June 8 will be my last as BWS president. I hope you’ll join us as we formally install our new board and present a program I know you’ll enjoy! It’s certainly been an interesting year, wouldn’t you agree? Working with a great team that has taken the reins and ridden the trail over some rough terrain without complaining of saddle sores has given me real appreciation for the contributions everyone makes. Although we started the year with some uncertainty about holding on to our membership numbers, we are happy to see that we have attracted new members and are very close to our total from last year. From my standpoint, it’s the quality rather than the quantity that matters most, and on that front we are constantly setting the bar higher! Meeting and knowing all our members has been a personal goal for me, and I am constantly impressed by our members’ array of talent and willingness to pitch in when we need it. Thank you to each member for being part of BWS! And a special thanks to the board for supporting BWS with your time and unique qualities.

Patty Uffman, 2019-20 BWS president

Mevis awarded BWS Scholarship

The Bloomington Watercolor Society Art Supply Scholarship for 2020 has been awarded to Mikah Mevis, a graduate of Bloomington High School South. She earned 13 fine art credits taking ceramics, sculpture, painting, stained glass, and jewelry 1 and 2.  Mikah was recently inducted into the National Art Honors Society and has been in 4-H fine arts for seven years.

“I am so grateful that BWS chose me to be awarded the scholarship!” Mikah wrote in a note to BWS. She will pursue her education in the Fine Arts program at Ball State University. 

Opening for historian

If you missed a prior email or our May Zoom meeting, maybe you haven’t heard that we have an opening for our BWS Historian. Candi Bailey will pass the torch to someone who essentially collects and catalogs news clips and published information related to BWS. The job isn’t very time-consuming, but it’s an essential part of our organization. If you’d like to explore a bit more of what it entails or are ready to help BWS by stepping in to this role, please notify Patty Uffman or Joanna Samorow-Merzer at info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org.

Month of Chocolate

Exhibitors to pick up paintings

Artists who participated in the Month of Chocolate exhibit last winter can finally retrieve their paintings at the Vault at Gallery Mortgage this week. Please pick up your work between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. June 1-5. Please respect social distancing and wear a mask while in the gallery. If you cannot personally pick up your artwork, please arrange for a friend to do it for you.

BWS paint-out schedule

Paint-out sites have been selected for both natural beauty and space to accommodate safe distance.  Face coverings will be required until further notice.  Information regarding each paint-out will be emailed at least a week before each paint-out. Start times are 10 a.m. but earlier if the weather is hot.

Saturday, June 20

Yellowwood Lake Shelter, in the Yellowwood State Forest

Saturday, July 11

Karst Farm Park, a Monroe County park near the fairgrounds

Saturday, Aug. 8

Clear Creek Trail, a Bloomington park

Some of you have expressed an interest in the annual West Baden paint-out, sponsored by Indiana Heritage Arts.  It is scheduled Aug. 14 and 15, but these dates may change or the event may be canceled. Watch your email for confirmation of this paint-out.

Please contact Betty Wagoner if you have questions.

Ivy Tech CLL classes

go online this summer

Several BWS members will be teaching virtual classes through Ivy Tech Lifelong Learning this summer. Katya Alexeeva will be offering a beginning oil painting class in June, an intermediate class in July and an advanced class in August. Cassidy Young is teaching Developing Your Perfect Practice starting June 15. Carol Rhodes and Nancy Metz are offering an online edition of Discovering Your MUSEum: Transforming Your Findings into Your Art starting June 18.

See details and register at: https://ivytechbloomington.augusoft.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=1010&.

Check out latest offerings

on BWS Forum section of website

Some highlights from the past several weeks:

In Our Shelter-in-place Artwork:

• Bob Burris posted a colorful and upbeat work called, “Good Morning Sunshine.”
• Andy Roberts has painted a rustic and legendary grocery, Yoho General Store, in Solsberry, Indiana.
• Meri Reinhold posted her studies of ballerinas at the IU Ballet theater during practice in early March.

Under Critiques wanted! Debbie Tocco displayed two of her paintings and would like to get some critiques.

In  Watercolor Book Recommendations, Jeanne Dutton has  a watercolor book recommendation.

Under  Self Portraits at Home, Joanna Samorow-Merzer  has posted her self-portrait.

You can find the forum by going to the website and clicking the Forums tab at the top. Or go directly to the forum at
https://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/forums/

No credentials are needed to view the entries. Please enjoy!
If you want to post, just scroll to the bottom of any conversation and you’ll see where to enter your username and password. Carol Rhodes has sent members login information; if you can’t find yours or if you want to add a topic, contact her. She is also will also glad to help with any issues you have with the forum.

Painting a seascape

with Grant Wood

Grant Wood, BWS associate member in South Africa, has posted a Youtube tutorial on how to paint a seascape.  According to Jeanne Dutton, his technique for capturing the wave movements and spray is amazing.  If you decide to do the tutorial, please send your rendition to info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org so it can be posted on the BWS Facebook page. The link to the YouTube video is

Obituary

Frank Hall

Before former BWS member Frank Hall died in April, he arranged for many of his studio supplies and books to be donated to BWS for its annual table sale. Bess Lee, who knew Frank for many years but especially through his volunteering in one of her kindergarten art classes, wrote a tribute for his funeral home notice. What follows is an excerpt from that tribute:

Frank Hall was a decent, good and witty friend to me. I met Frank in the ’80s when I first moved to Bloomington to attend graduate school…. Our interactions continued over the years: friends in common, some shared interests and then, in 2007, Frank happened upon one of my public school art kindergarten classes (he was a reading volunteer at the school), and he said, “Wow, Bess, you really need some help here!” He then began to volunteer in my art classroom.

He came each week for three different kindergarten classes and did that for the next five years. He was patient, loving, stern, sometimes surly and the kids LOVED him. I am grateful for that time we shared in the public school classroom and later for many dinners with my husband, Joe.

Frank was also an accomplished watercolor and acrylic painter, woodworker, stone carver, linoleum print maker, avid reader, history and news buff, and practicing Zen Buddhist. He was quite an accomplished human although I don’t think he would have categorized himself that way.

Member News

Patricia Coleman has been developing a surface design line on Spoonflower, working mostly with her art and  some of her photographs. This pattern is a repeat of a  watercolor titled “Shadow Crow” and is listed in Designs Not for Sale. The crow from “Shadow Crow” is also used in a black and white repeat in the quilterscomfort_design shop.

This is the link to Patricia’s design shop:

https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/quilterscomfort_?sub_action=shop.

She also has a video of herself sharing fabrics, many of them based on acrylic paintings and pen and ink drawings at https://youtu.be/cG-7HfkDZWw and shares her work on https://instagram.com/patriciaccolemanart.

Suzanne Thorin writes: “During the dark and rainy spring, I painted a Calla Lily (Zantedeschia) because I needed the warm yellows to cheer me up and because Fresh Thyme had one. I used just four colors: Ultramarine Blue (M. Graham), Winsor Lemon (Winsor & Newton), Brilliant Orange (Holbein), and a touch of Permanent Magenta (Winsor & Newton). I have been practicing making my own greens and browns. No more tubes.

Lynne Gilliatt says her latest foray at her art table is cutting up old watercolors and temperas, designing with washi tape on top of the cut up drawings, and making them into hanging birds. She has sold $100 worth, which has gone to a food pantry on South Walnut Street continued by a friend Mary Blizzard. “Paintings cut up into 3d birds look pretty wild,” Lynne said. “You don’t know what you’re going to get at all! I sell them for $5 each, and folks usually buy four at a whack. I attach ribbons inside and to the left side of the wings.  When I goof, they dive-bomb!”

The Indiana Plein Air Painters Association (IPAPA) and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) are sponsoring a joint project to paint registered historic sites in Indiana. About 60 paintings year, starting in October 2020. The show will be in Nashville next spring. Betty Wagoner shares a few of the paintings she has submitted to the project.

Kathy Barton writes: This painting is organized on 9 x 12 Arches hot press paper. The paper is horizontal but the structure is vertical thirds. The reflection of the tree near the middle of the stream and the milky white sky reflected in the water are what drew me to the scene. Paints are mostly Daniel Smith with some Winsor Newton Professional grade colors used as well.  The time was about 9:30 or 10 a.m. The creek is inside Olcott Park in Bloomington, Ind.

Beyond BWS

Aqueous USA 2020, Kentucky Watercolor Society’s national juried competition, will be a virtual show only. The deadline for submitting entries is July 6. For a complete prospectus, go to https://www.kentuckywatercolor society.com/aqueous-usa-2020-prospectus.

Hoosier Art Salon’s 96th Annual Exhibition & Awards will hang at the Indiana State Museum Aug. 29 to Oct. 25. All entries must be submitted online before June 30. Entry instructions and applications are available at https://hoosiersalon.org/96th-annual-exhibition/.

The Watercolor Society of Indiana 2020 Membership Show is now online. Click on the following link to view the show: https://www.watercolorsocietyofindiana.org/. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the webpage.  There you will be able to view both the membership show and the 2020 James C. Lentz Scholarship Winner.

Calendar

June 2-5 Pick up Month of Chocolate paintings from the Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

June 8 Zoom meeting and program on painting shadows by Cassidy Young

June 20 Paint-out, 10 a.m., Yellowwood Lake Shelter

June 30 Deadline for paying 2020-21 BWS dues

June 30 Deadline for entries to Hoosier Art Salon’s 96^th Annual Exhibition

July 6 Deadline for entries to Kentucky Watercolor Society’s Aqueous 2020

July 11 Paint-out, 10 a.m., Karst Farm Park

July 13 Zoom meeting and Discovering Your MUSEum program by Nancy Metz and Carol Rhodes

Aug. 8 Paint-out, 10 a.m., Clear Creek Trail

Aug. 10 Zoom meeting and Artist Trading Cards program by Joanne Weddle

Make sure you read through to the end for a special collection of paintings and poetry by Jerry Harste.

President’s message

BWS adds program

to May 11 meeting

What’s your idea of a “silver lining?” Reading more? Binge-watching your favorite TV series? Having fewer “gotta go” places and more “free time”? Gardening? Delving into artistic pursuits a bit more? Whatever combination of these things or others might pertain to you, there are definitely reasons that we may benefit from the extra time the coronavirus allows us to spend on things we choose. For BWS members, I hope that artistic pursuits factor into your answer.  

In April we had our first ever BWS Zoom meeting, and I’m happy to say that it went quite well for the 25 members who participated. Our next BWS Zoom meeting is scheduled for May 11 at 6 p.m.  

PLEASE NOTE: To increase our security this time we will have a password which will be needed for both web and phone-in participants. (See the April 29 email from me for detail on those two options.) Phone-in participants will be asked to hold their commentary until the end of each agenda topic when the leader will open the floor for input.

ANOTHER CHANGE: Participants will be muted upon entering to keep noise down. As hostess, I will be glad to acknowledge and unmute a video participant if you will raise your hand (like you’re swearing an oath).

WHAT TO EXPECT AT OUR MEETING: We will announce the results of the voting for our slate of officers. We will NOT video record our business meeting; however, we WILL record the program that follows. What’s the program? Glad you asked! We would like to have a “Show and Tell” with every participant showing a piece of artwork with very brief comments — and I always look forward to interesting, inspiring pieces from everyone!

If you have any questions before then, feel free to contact me by email, text, or phone.

See you soon!

Patty Uffman, BWS President

The enjoyment of travel sketching

by Penny Lulich

I do a lot of travel watercolor painting, and my supplies are few and simple. I use a sketchbook or a block of watercolor paper such as the 5×7 block of cold press by Fabriano Artistic. If I have it with me, I’ll use a larger size block, but that all depends on my mode of transportation. If I am traveling across the U.S. by train, for example, it is much easier to take larger supplies. Oh, and I used to do these types of long distance train trips quite a lot, and was even interviewed in Chicago for an article in “All Aboard Indiana” News Publication, back in 2016 (The article with photos of my “Train Art” is still accessible online). I was just starting out on my watercolor journey, at that point in time, but there was definitely a spark of inspiration that travel ignited in me, and so I have continued to paint wherever I go.

Most recently I spent time in South Africa; starting out in Durban, then traveling to Kwa-Zulu Natal for Safari (Thanks to the auction at the Art of Chocolate event a year ago), and ending in Cape Town. Though our time was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, I was able to get in some quick sketches and have since desired to paint more from home. 

Last year I painted my way across Germany, visiting Munich, Mainz, Koblenz, Hanover, Augsburg, Hamburg, Lubek, and the Baltic Sea. Most of my sketching was done in the evenings at my hotels, from photos I took, but the impressions of places were very fresh in my mind. It seemed very real to me, as if I were set up on the spot of each site I painted. I did have occasion to paint on site once or twice, and one of my paintings was sketched in the garden courtyard at the Le Meridian Hotel in Munich. The Hotel put my painting up on their Instagram site, they liked it so much. 

As far as paint and brushes for my travel sketching, I have created my own palette of 12 Daniel Smith paint colors that I carry in a small metal Schmincke watercolor pan. I use Sterling Edwards brushes: #12 round, #6 rigger, and a #4 round. I have a small collapsible water container, and if I can’t get water, I’ll pull out a water brush that also comes along in my kit. I usually take a ruler, a pencil, and an eraser, too.

Time to pay dues

for 2020-21

You can expect BWS to continue to offer a choice of activities, even while we are physically apart. To stay an active member, all BWS membership fees are due by June 30.

Membership types are:

• Active Member: $35 annual dues for artists living in the local area
• Student Member: $15 annual dues
• Associate Member: $15 annual dues for non-residents
• Family Member: $50 for two persons from the same household
• Patron Member: A patron member makes a monetary contribution to BWS to further the objectives of the organization
• Lifetime Member: a lifetime member makes a $300 contribution to BWS and becomes an active member

You can join online by credit card or PayPal account at http://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/home/join-bws/

Or you can send a check to Bloomington Watercolor Society, PO Box 5236, Bloomington, IN 47407-5236.

This year, because we know that paying annual dues may be difficult for some, we have established a membership subsidy fund. We want you to keep painting with us! Apply by email to treasurer@bloomingtonwatercolor.org. The deadline to apply is June 15.

BWS “Thinks Big”

during pandemic

The BWS “Think Big” session came together virtually on April 22. Our enthusiastic attendees came up with myriad ideas to stay active during social distancing and beyond.

We decided BWS will hold monthly Zoom meetings, including July and August, for its members. Meetings will begin with a short business update as usual, followed by some sort of a presentation on Zoom.  On May 11 the Zoom business meeting will be followed by a Show and Share program facilitated by Babette Ballinger. During the program, people will be able to share a painting from their cams and make a brief statement about it.

Beyond that, here is a synopsis of how BWS plans to move forward for the coming year:

Spring

Meetings: Business meeting via Zoom and then demonstrations:

May 11: Show and Tell, directed by Babette Ballinger

June 8: Shadows, by Cassidy Young

Note: Business meetings will not be recorded but demonstrations will be, so those who don’t want their headshots recorded will be so advised.

New forum topics for the website:

“Critiques wanted”: Post a painting and ask others to respond to your questions about it.

Recommendations for watercolor books: Post information about your favorite watercolor books, with a brief explanation of their appeal.

Artists in the Garden: This would be like the Garden Walk, but not public. It would be an event just for BWS members to paint. We would pair up willing artists with willing gardeners. The completed artwork could then be displayed in a virtual gallery and proceeds from sales could go to the artist. Another possibility is collecting images for cards that could be sold to raise funds for the garden club or a donation to something like Hoosier Food Bank and to BWS (or possibly to the Arts Alliance of Greater Bloomington’s Artist COVID-19 support fund).

Summer

Meetings: BWS will not take its usual summer hiatus and instead will continue to meet July and August via Zoom.

July 13: Discovering Your MUSEum, by Nancy Metz and Carol Rhodes

Aug. 10: Artist Trading Cards, by Joanne Weddle

Virtual Workshop for all BWS Members: Details still need to be worked out, but brainstorming yielded the following ideas. BWS could pay a well-known instructor for real-time delivery and/or access to prerecorded material that would be available to all BWS members. It is possible for someone to stream a pre-recorded video over Zoom, so it could be played by a BWS member with the simultaneous participation of the group. A few presentation configurations are possible, depending on what the artist will do and what is best for us, so this is still under discussion. Several artists were mentioned in writing: Eric Rhoades, Carol Carter, Johannes Vloothius, Angela Fehr. We intend to require no fees for our members to attend.

Paint-outs: Betty Wagoner will organize safe-distancing monthly paintouts. She is also keeping a list of those who are willing to organize ad hoc small-group paint-outs

Fall

Meetings will continue on the second Monday of each month. The board will determine whether they will be in-person or on Zoom, based on health recommendations.

Sept. 14: Show and Share, led by Kitty Garlock

Oct. 12: Printing Cards, by Joanne Shank

Nov. 9: Indiana Greens, by Kathy Barton

BWS Gallery show: Depending on health recommendations, the show will be virtual if not in person. Cassidy Young can provide assistance to make it virtual, including sales methods.

Table Sale: We continue to amass pre-owned art materials for the September table sale to benefit the scholarship fund. Depending on health recommendations, the sale can be either an in-person event or as  an online auction on our website.

Holiday party: Whatever the health recommendations, we can offer a holiday activity. Cassidy Young offers to coordinate artist trading cards. If we are unable to have the party in person, Cassidy can collect cards and redistribute them so all participants will be able to get others’ painted cards. For those of you unfamiliar with artist trading cards, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist_trading_cards#Commercialization  (To display the cards you can buy easels, mats with one or many openings, and frames. To store and send them you can get envelopes and plastic sleeves. Do a web search for “artist trading card display.”)

Spring 2021

Major Workshop or Field Trip: We all agreed that, despite uncertainty, we should start to plan for in-person events in the spring of 2021. Discussions in our Zoom meeting were not able to drill down to specifics but we have two ideas for that: a field trip and a multi-day workshop. It would be good to gather ideas soon and start to inquire about the mechanisms needed to get them going. Jo Weddle can help with those long-term aspirations, and Carol Rhodes will recruit another couple of people who would like to brainstorm about them. An in-person workshop without booked rooms but covering four or five days, featuring more than one presenter, is a suggestion. 

Other suggestions we didn’t have time to discuss:

Postcards to raise money for charitable purposes: Every member would create a design for a postcard.  Postcards could be for Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, Passover, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, thank you, get well, etc.  Everybody could just choose a theme for one of occasions.  We could advertise in Bloom Magazine, or website, or other places that BWS offers watercolor postcards.

Show with a Bloomington Rural/Urban theme: Artists would choose a subject that either reflects some aspect of downtown “urban” Bloomington or the rural life that surrounds us. This could be either two exhibits–one rural, one urban–or combined into one show. A virtual gallery show is also possible.

June 20

BWS to paint out

at Yellowwood

BWS painters plan to gather at the Yellowwood Lake Shelter at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 20. However, given the uncertainty of the status of the coronavirus pandemic, this paint-out may be cancelled. Please look for an announcement in the June Brushstrokes and the BWS email.

More paint-outs for the 2020 season will be scheduled if and when it is determined group outings are safe. In the meantime, there are places where it is safe for two or three people to gather for

painting, providing social distancing and other safety guidelines are observed. The city parks are open. If you need assistance finding a painting partner or suggestions where to paint, please contact Betty Wagoner.

ArtBeat goes online

ArtBeat, a community arts center in College Mall, has just announced it is opening an online shop for its artists. Go to https://artbeatbloomington.square.site/. Several BWS members exhibit their work at ArtBeat, which is an endeavor of the Arts Alliance of Greater Bloomington.

Member News

Lynne Gilliatt was featured in the “attractions” section of the Sunday, May 3, Herald-Times.

Last month’s Brushstrokes announced the death of BWS member Deloris Schneider, who had served as BWS workshop chair and as hospitality chair. At the time, we did not have a photo of Deloris, a problem since resolved by Carla Hedges.

Beyond BWS

The Kentucky Watercolor Society has announced July 6 as the deadline for entries to Aqueous 2020, its national juried show. A link to the prospectus can be found at https://www.kentuckywatercolorsociety.com/.

Calendar

May 11 Zoom meeting and Show and Share program

June 8 Zoom meeting and Interpreting Shadows program by Cassidy Young

June 20 Paint-out, 10 a.m., aint-out, 10 a.m., Yellowwood Lake Shelter

June 30 Deadline for paying 2020-21 BWS dues

July 6 Deadline for entries to Kentucky Watercolor Society’s Aqueous

July 13 Zoom meeting and Discovering Your MUSEum program by Nancy Metz and Carol Rhodes

Aug. 10 Zoom meeting and Artist Trading Cards program by Joanne Weddle

Sept. 14 Meeting and Show and Share program with Kitty Garlock

Oct. 12 Meeting and Printing Cards program by Joanne Shank

Nov. 9 Meeting and Indiana Greens program by Kathy Barton

Responding to the Covid Pandemic

by Jerry Harste

One of the advantages of a Shelter-in-Place order is that art thrives when given attention. In response to the current crisis I started a series on paintings focused on the various emotions I experienced during this pandemic — everything from isolation to new appreciation for first responders, to feelings of vulnerability, then dread, and finally to surprise by neighborly small acts of kindness.

Sheltering in Place.
Glass buildings,
reflecting sunlight and other weather.
Becoming a mere artifact of our Shelter-in-Place time
as well as a catalog of iives
not quite being fully lived.

Ode to First Responders.
To first responders,
as they suffer privately,
our deepest thanks.

Vulnerability.
Even under a microscope,
the softer side
of Covid-19
looks dangerous.

The Angel of Death.
With cold stares,
undeterred by our symbols of Comfort and Liberty,
She waits.

Jerry’s Lot in Life.
Looking out my window,
watching corona colors,
iridescent,
redolent of soap bubbles 
and peacock tails.
Passing me by.
Trapped, like a rat.
and chicken to boot.

Covid-19 Fever.
Temporal disintegration.
Symptoms:
At sea; 
Difficulty in retaining, 
coordinating,
and serially indexing Time,
when not governed 
by the emotions we feel
from the traditions
we are used
to performing.

Effects:  
Shaky as a Fiddler on a Roof ;
Often reduced to wondering,
“What day of the week this is?,
“Does anyone know the time?”,
“When does it end?”

Remembering:
When we could go shopping
on Saturday morning at the Farmers’ Market;
When we could chat with neighbors
as they too shopped;
When we could grab a blueberry muffin
and cup of coffee on the fly;
When we could take a pie home
to enjoy later;
When we had fresh vegetables
and a bouquet of flowers
to see us through the week.
The good old days;
no equivalents in this new normal.

Grandmother.

Grandmother has concerns:
About the pandemic;
About her Granddaughter;
About the future;
About how to hold things together.

Two ax-handles wide in the hips.
Yet, always,
that steading force.

Love in the Time of Covid-19.
In honor of a young husband and wife team
who in our darkest hour
renewed our hope in the present.
Pray all they touch
miraculously heal
as has my soul.

Artistic Optimism.

For artists
this can be a time to grow;
to use all those bright colors;
to try out new ways of being;
and, through it all,
to become a head taller
than one’ s current self.

Too many people
— myself included —
edit dreams
even before
we allow ourselves
to have them.

Message from BWS president

BWS will meet online

April 13 via ZOOM

Our April meeting is still on!  In this technological age that we’re living in, we can meet by video!  To join us at 6 p.m. April 13 by ZOOM Meeting, please download ZOOM as shown on the URL address that will be sent to you via email Monday afternoon. That email will provide complete instructions for joining the meeting.

PLEASE NOTE:  We are limited to 40 minutes, so this will be our business meeting portion.

Please stay well by following the recommended protocols so familiar to all of us by now, and we will hope to meet in person again soon.  Keep painting!

Patty Uffman, BWS President

While we are at home…

By Carol Rhodes

 The board discussed canceling the April meeting, but as we chatted over email, I began to feel that we urgently need to give our BWS members the best experience possible during these lonely and trying times.  Rather than being forlorn about having to forgo our meetings and paintouts, it seemed a good opportunity to think of creative ways to keep in touch. In my mind, whatever modes we would choose should allow people to show their artwork and chat back and forth, much like we do in our meetings. With that suggestion, a few of us swapped ideas about it. We decided that email would be too messy. We rejected Facebook because of its intensely public nature, the extra burden of monitoring it, and the way our Facebook site is set up to be used more as a public-facing space than an internal communication device.

Having narrowed our options, Charlotte Griffin and I chose a forum tool for the bloomingtonwatercolor.org website. We worked on it for about three days. Initially, we tested a forum that would allow self-registration, making it easier for our members. However, within minutes of activating our test forum, several fake “bots” with random names had already registered for it. Consequently, we closed it to open registration and instead created a list of all our members with unique usernames and passwords.

 Our forum is now active and is called “While we are at home… .” The welcome page is at http://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/forums/.  I recommend that everyone view and participate in the discussions. Our members have posted some interesting things there!

 We already have a demonstration on painting shadows ready to launch in place of our April face-to-face meeting. It is hidden for now, so keep an eye out for it. Patty Uffman has personally followed along with the tutorial and will post her results. We hope to see more of our members’ work!

 Current forum topics are:

• Watercolor Inspiration and Instruction: Curated by Nancy Metz, a watercolor magazine consisting of articles from various watercolor publications.
• Making Color Sing: Mouse Power and Luminous Grays: Created by Barbara Coffman, an engaging exploration into mixing grays based on Jeanne Dobie’s book. Plenty of pictures.
• Our Shelter-in-place Artwork: Members’ snapshots of their recent painting and card-making projects.
• The Views from Our Windows: Intriguing pictures, including a charming snapshot of the expansive windows in Sara Steffey McQueen’s studio.
• Pickup and Delivery Tips for Essential and Nonessential Things: Tips for surviving daily life in these challenging times.
• Our Five Favorite Things about Sheltering in Place: Jammies? Late mornings? More time to paint? Share your favorites!
• Paint Mixtures for Skin Colors: Members suggestions for skin color formulas.
• Virtual Meeting Refreshments!: Share your favorite recipes.
• Virtual Art Museums: Enjoy the world’s art museums from the comfort of your home.
• And more! Check it out.

 All members can reply to any topic or create a new one.

 A message was sent to everyone March 21 with their personal login information, and another will be sent before the April meeting. Watch for it. If you want to log in now, please email info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org and you will receive your login info within a day.

In memoriam

Deloris Schneider

Longtime BWS member Deloris Schneider died March 12 at the Hospice House in Bloomington.  She had taken ill very suddenly the week before. She passed away peacefully shortly after her watercolor friend, Mary Feeny, was there to visit her.

Deloris had served as BWS workshop chair and as hospitality chair.

April paint-out canceled

The April 11 wildflower walk and paint-out with Gillian Harris has
been canceled.  The paint-out will be rescheduled in the spring of
2021.  The June Garden Walk event has been canceled as well. A decision regarding the May 16 paint-out and a possible June paint-out is pending and will be announced around the end of April.

Share your art with

Hoosier Music Corporation

Necessity IS the mother of invention, and local artists are demonstrating how to stay connected in these isolating times.

Amy Dunn, who has attended some paint-outs and portrait sessions in the past, extends an invitation to BWS members to join with the Hoosier Music Corporation to make some art for fun.

“The rules are very simple, Amy says. “ Make a piece of art that surrounds the theme of the month and submit it via email, and I will share it along with the music that Hoosier songwriters share for the month.” This month’s theme is dreams. Any kind of art is welcome. Send a digital file to aminkone@gmail.com.

This project has been going on for six months and is a “really nice way to come together as Hoosiers for music, and now for art, too,” Amy says.

Member News

Bess Lee sent this painting she did in a workshop last month. She wrote: “The interesting thing about this painting is a little baffling to me. When I am not caring much about the outcome of a painting, I tend to be looser, more experimental and often have better results than usual.  This was one of those times …it was basically a demonstration for a class. When I am very consciously trying, a formality kicks in with my brushstrokes that feels inhibiting. I guess with practice this eventually recedes a bit. Just a learner’s share…

Joanne Shank‘s exhibit “Taking Flight,” at By Hand gallery was scheduled for the month of April, but has been postponed to August with opening reception Aug. 7.

Calendar

April 13 BWS monthly meeting via ZOOM, 6 p.m.

May 8 Deadline for receipt of digital entries to 2020 Juried Exhibit of the Watercolor Society of Indiana. Prospectus is at https://www.watercolorsocietyofindiana.org/juried-exhibit/.

Editor’s Note:

As co-editors of Brushstrokes, Jerry Harste and I strive to keep our personal opinions out of this newsletter, but I feel compelled to stray a bit from that tenet. After all, we are in uncharted territory these days. BWS is rising to the occasion, and our leadership deserves praise. Rather than cancel everything, the board with Carol Rhodes and Charlotte Griffin has worked to create ways that BWS members can continue to support each other. In very short order, they figured out how to deliver the April meeting content online: the business meeting via Zoom and the program on painting shadows via a video on the While We Are at Home… forum. And more is to come. These creative individuals are looking at other ways we can stay connected through BWS. THANK YOU.

The Bloomington Herald-Times featured paintings by Bloomington Watercolor Society members in its Sunday, Dec. 29, edition.

Jan. 13 meeting

BWS opens new year studying

color palettes of master artists

Cassidy Young will present a lesson about the influential and interesting color palettes of master artists at the Jan. 13 BWS meeting. It will include a little about color theory, a little pigment history and some time to play, explore, mix, and catalog various color palettes for yourself. Various watercolor paints will be available for people to try, and some watercolor paper and supplies will be on hand. Bring your own water, brushes, a pencil and a sketchbook to capture the most detail.

Cassidy’s program will follow the business meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, 100 State Road 46, Bloomington. 

“We Paint…the Sweet Life!”

to benefit LIFEDesigns

What makes your life sweet?  Family?  Friends?  A walk in the woods?  Chocolate?  Whatever it is, paint it and enter the first BWS exhibit of the year!

Best of Show receives $100 plus two tickets (Value $150) to the Art of Chocolate gala Feb. 22.  Second Place receives two tickets, and participating artists will have their names entered into a drawing to win the remaining two tickets.

The new Art of Chocolate Cookbook, featuring illustrations by BWS artists and recipes from area chefs, will be available for purchase.   

Jewel Evans, cellist, will provide entertainment at the Opening Reception during Gallery Walk Friday, Feb. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. with awards at 6 p.m.

All sales benefit LIFEDesigns to support people with disabilities in south central Indiana, including housing, education and employment.

The Show Prospectus is available at http://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/The-Sweet-Life-Prospectus-2.pdf

Feb. 15

Judy Mudd to present workshop

on painting rural landscapes

The focus of Judy Mudd’s one-day workshop will be creating an artistic vision of a countryside scene including atmosphere, design and composition. Judy, a Louisville artist and teacher, has taught previous BWS workshops that have been very popular.

She is a juried member of the Southern Watercolor Society, Kentucky Watercolor Society, the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Crafted Program, Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, and is an associate member of the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society and the Portrait Society of America. She was named KWS Master Artist of the Year for 2019.

The Feb. 15 workshop runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a 45-minute lunch break. The workshop will be at the First Christian Church at the corner of Kirkwood Avenue and Washington Street in Bloomington.

BWS will fill the workshop with its members first, and if slots are available after Jan. 25, registration will open to non-members. The deadline for registering is Feb. 1. The cost is $89 for members and $99 for non-members.

You can register online at http://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/home/activities/member-shows-workshops/judy-mudd-workshop-2/workshop-registration/. Or you can register by sending your check made out to Bloomington Watercolor Society to PO Box 5236, Bloomington, IN 47404-5236. Please email info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org to let organizers know the check is coming and to reserve your spot.

Value does all the work;

color gets the credit

by Claude Cookman

It’s all Betty Wagoner’s fault.

Last July, Betty emailed me an announcement for David Lobenberg’s “California Vibe” workshop, scheduled for October in New Braunfels, Texas.

One look at his online portfolio and I was hooked.

After retiring from teaching at Sacramento City College, Lobenberg now spreads his vision of using color expressively, instead of descriptively, in workshops across the country. His mantra: If you get the values right, you can use any colors and the results will be convincing.

There is a continuum in watercolor: At one end, artists attempt to control the results with careful planning and the application of numerous glazes. In the middle are those who try to make watercolors behave like oil paint. At the other extreme are the “fast and loose” artists like Jean Haines, Ron Ranson, Grant Woods and Hazel Soan.

Their guiding principle: Put it down once and leave it alone. DON’T FIDDLE! Their method: Work wet into wet, letting the colors blend and dance. Their philosophy: Left alone, watercolors can accomplish much, much more than we can control.

Although not at the extreme, Lobenberg works close to this end of the continuum. He does use layers, but typically no more than three: the first to establish large fields of color, the second and third to add and refine facial features. The results are vibrant color abstractions, rigorous value patterns, texture you can touch and enough details and edges to make his portraits coalesce.

Hosting our workshop was the New Braunfels Art League. Bloomington is rich in privately owned galleries. Following a different model, artists in this San Antonio suburb formed a cooperative in the mid 1960s. They raised funds to buy an old store on the main street, renovating it into a downstairs gallery and upstairs studios and classrooms. Collectively, the members control their own exhibitions and sales.

From Oct. 3 through 6, more than a dozen of us gathered in one of those classrooms to learn from Lobenberg. The first morning he showed early watercolor portraits that established his mastery of traditional techniques. But copying reality grew boring, he said. He wanted to paint feelings. He eclipsed this early work with the explosive color of his “California Vibe” portraits.

Lobenberg defended his practice of starting these portraits by tracing photographs. Acknowledging that many artists consider tracing to be cheating, he argued it is necessary to skip the drawing step in order to get directly to the painting. He insisted his painting method constitutes art in itself, that it is difficult and deserves to be valued for its own sake.

That was the end of lecturing. For the next three and a half days, we painted. With energetic body movement, humorous patter and bravura brush work, Lobenberg practiced a simple but effective pedagogy: He demonstrated techniques and then talked us through them step by step.

He also used an innovation I have adopted in my own work — working on two paintings of the same subject simultaneously. This allowed time for the first to dry while we worked on the second. More important, it let us apply lessons we learned from the first painting — including mistakes we wanted to correct — to the second. Over time, Lobenberg paints numerous variations of the same face, each color scheme reflecting that day’s emotional response.

For each portrait Lobenberg gave us a black and white photograph and an enlarged line drawing of the face and head including shadow, middle tone and highlight areas. Solid lines indicated hard edges; dotted, soft edges. We taped these stencils to windows and used soft pencils to trace them onto half sheets (15 X 22 inches) of hot-pressed watercolor paper. Most of these lines disappeared under the paint, but he was not reluctant to let some show.

We slathered on the paint, putting it down quickly with as few strokes as possible, then letting the colors run and blend. This phase required fluid washes, great restraint and large brushes. Lobenberg used a type of mop called a cat’s tongue. I worked with a two-inch Hake. After the first washes dried, we switched to smaller brushes to add features, hair and other details.

Paint consistency was extremely important. Lobenberg taught a scale of five levels of paint: tea, milk, cream, butter and straight from the tube. Knowing where and when to use which consistency was one of the workshop’s major skills.

For accents, he occasionally used touches of gouache.

At times, he had us follow his color scheme—he loved opera pink and lemon yellow. Other times, he encouraged us to find our own. Crucial throughout was matching our colors to the values of the black and white photographs. He frequently repeated the old truism: “Value does all the work. Color gets the credit.”

Texture was another major element. We played with dry-brush, drips and runs, flinging paint, negative painting, back runs and taping areas to reserve whites. Lobenberg’s favorite texture technique involved stencils and Mr. Clean Original Magic Erasers. He taped a plastic stencil over a dense area of color, wet a spongy eraser and dabbed away the color. He varied this from a light lifting to rubbing back the area almost to paper-white. He noted the stencils could also be used additively by painting, instead of erasing, through them.

It is impossible to condense a four-day workshop into a brief article, but my classmates and I came away highly motivated with many new skills. My personal goal was to gain the methods and experience to work more loosely. Through Lobenberg’s teaching, I believe I succeeded.

I blame it on Betty Wagoner.

________________________________

If Lobenberg’s “California Vibe” approach interests you, explore the following URLs:

• His portrait gallery: https://lobenbergart.com/collections/60305

• An hour-and-a-half demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZlvkJpP–I

• His 2020 workshop schedule: https://lobenbergart.com/workshops

Member News

The Burris family art show, “A Look at Relative Art …,” will hang at the Columbus Learning Center that connects IUPUC and Ivy Tech Jan. 24 through May 8. This is a collaborative family exhibit by Robert, Catherine and Lydia Burris. The Opening Reception will be Friday, Jan. 24 5:30 to 8 at the Columbus Learning Center, 4555 Central Ave., Columbus.

Betty Wagoner will have a show of her work at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2120 N. Fee Lane, Bloomington, from Jan. 3 through Jan. 30. The hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and Sundays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.  On weekdays, enter through the office entrance on the west side of the church.

Lynne Gilliatt‘s show at La Vie en Rose has been extended for the month of January. The address is 402-1/2 W Sixth St., Bloomington. It is the neon pink restaurant next to Bloomingfoods.

Beyond BWS

Kentucky Watercolor Society has announced the schedule for its 2020 AquaVenture, a regional juried exhibit open to members and non-members of of KWS who are 18 or older.

Artists may enter up to 3 paintings, but only one painting per artist will be accepted. Images must be submitted digitally by email to AquaVenture Chairperson, Trudi Bellou, at tfb344@aol.com or by mailing a CD to Trudi Bellou, 4308 Alton Rd., Louisville, KY 40207.

The entry deadline is Feb. 1 with notifications sent by Feb. 15. Accepted artworks must be delivered March 2 between noon and 2 p.m. or by appointment. The show will hang March 12- April 24 at LexArts/Arts Place Gallery, 161 N. Mill St., Lexington, KY.

For the complete prospectus and entry forms and fees, visit https://www.kentuckywatercolorsociety.com/page-2020-aquaventure-prospectus.

Calendar

Jan. 13, BWS meeting, St. Mark’s Methodist Church, 100 State Road 46, Bloomington (Program: Exploring the Favorite Colors Used by Master Painters by Cassidy Young)

Jan. 29, 10 a.m. to noon, Deliver “We Paint … the Sweet Life!” paintings to The Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 121 E. Sixth St., #1, Bloomington

Feb. 1, Deadline to register for Judy Mudd workshop

Feb. 1, Entry deadline for AquaVenture

Feb. 7, 5 to 8 p.m., Opening Reception for “We Paint … The Sweet Life!” The Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 121 E. Sixth St., Bloomington

Feb. 10, BWS meeting, St. Mark’s Methodist Church, 100 State Road 46, Bloomington (Program: Negative Painting by Carol Rhodes)

Feb. 15, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Judy Mudd Workshop, First Christian Church, Kirkwood and Washington, Bloomington.

March 6, 5 to 8 p.m., Second Reception for “We Paint … The Sweet Life!” The Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 121 E. Sixth St., Bloomington

March 9, BWS meeting, St. Mark’s Methodist Church, 100 State Road 46, Bloomington (Program: Capturing Night Landscapes by Kitty Garlock)

March 27, 10 to noon, pick up art from “We Paint … The Sweet Life!” at The Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 121 E. Sixth St., Bloomington

Holiday Party

Oct. 2

BWS Member Show Drop Off

Artwork for the 2019 BWS Member Show, “We Paint … the Past, Present, and for the Future,” must be delivered Oct. 2 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Untitled Light at the Mill (642 N. Madison St., Bloomington, IN 47404). Members can stop by any time within those two hours to drop off their artwork, make three labels for their pieces, and sign a release form. 

Any member unable to make it during those hours should find a friend to drop off the paintings. Jessica McKinney, show chair, says all who have given their intent to show two paintings will be able to do so.

The Member Show Opening  Reception will be during First Friday Oct. 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. Come out to the Untitled Light Gallery at the Mill to view member artwork and have a good time! Bring friends.

BWS Paintout Finale

Festival on Fairfax

All Saints Orthodox Christian Church

6004 S. Fairfax Rd.

Saturday, Oct. 5

Painters will meet in the parking lot at 10 a.m., and the Festival activities, music and food will open at 11 a.m. Priest Father Peter will give the BWS group a tour of the inside of the church. The church property offers many pretty painting locations, including flooded limestone quarries, ruins, forest, and a building. For more information, contact program chair Katya Alexeeva. You may also be interested in checking the festival website https://www.allsaintsbloomington.org/festival-on-fairfax/.

Oct. 14 meeting

Double feature: Show and Share

plus Pet Portraits

This month’s meeting will follow a slightly altered schedule in an effort to include the Show and Share program from the September meeting, which had to be canceled. Those who wish to share their artwork from the summer and to view what others have done are welcome to come any time after 5 p.m.

Following the 6 p.m. business meeting, Jane Matranga will present a lesson on painting animals in watercolor working from photographs . She will show pictures of pets and other animals she has painted and describe the process and techniques she uses, including laying in an underwash, negative painting, and drybrush.

Please bring a photo of a pet to paint, watercolors, paper, and a pencil or colored pencil for sketching and mapping lights and darks.

Presidential Message    

by Patty Uffman

With our first meeting of the year delayed until October, BWS may be off to a slow start, but we are definitely off and running!  The opening reception for our Membership Show Oct. 4 will be history by the time we hold our upcoming meeting. And, of course, more activities are on the horizon.  You can be sure that if you miss one event, another will be around the corner!  

You may notice that some members active in plein air painting are MIA.  Life constantly offers us choices, and we all prioritize our time — meaning it’s hard to do everything all the time.  We know that our friends who are remaining solely in the plein air group will continue to enjoy the camaraderie and the chance to use other media.  On the other side of the equation, for those of us in BWS who want to continue pursuing plein air or to see what it’s about, we have formed another group, simply called “The Paint-Out Group.”  Betty Wagoner, one of our signature members, is leading this effort.  You’ll hear more about what’s in store soon, but with the thought of allowing more members to participate, paint-outs are being planned for Saturdays, starting next year.

Thanks again to Jerry Harste for teaming up with Nancy Metz to become co-editor or Brushstrokes!  What a goldmine of information comes our way every month!  Please don’t expect us to repeat the information at our business meetings because we have pledged to do our best to keep them succinct and on target.

Our officers and committee members are a dedicated group, and I would like to thank all of them for unselfishly volunteering their time and energy.  To our entire membership, we’re so glad to be experiencing another year of creativity together!  Let’s enjoy it!

In memoriam

Sande Nitti

BWS and Upland are saddened by the unexpected death of Sande Nitti the last week of September. She hosted many Upland paintouts and had agreed to co-chair BWS’s Paintout Group with Betty Wagoner. Sande created beautiful paintings and friendships. She will be missed.

Member News

Joanne Shank is now exhibiting her paintings at the Hoosier Artist Gallery, 45 S. Jefferson St., Nashville, IN, where Carolyn Rogers Richard is also a member and exhibits her work. 

BWS swept the watercolor awards at the 2019 T.C. Steele Great Outdoor Art Contest. Jacki Frey won 1st, Andy Roberts placed 2nd, Bob Burris got 3rd, and Betty Wagoner received an honorable mention. 

MarySue and Bill Schwab invites everyone to the opening of their art show Friday, Oct. 4,  to 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, 2120 N. Fee Lane, Bloomington. Come for wine and refreshments. The show features a variety of work, and the reception will include a question-and-answer session with the artists. The show will be up all of October.

The Venue has selected Rose Brenner to participate in Ekphrasis IV. She will choose one of her paintings to display in the show, and The Venue will invite a group of talented poets, each of whom will select one painting to inspire their writing a poem. The selected painters and their paired poets will be divided into two groups. On two Sundays, Oct. 6 and Oct. 20, at 5:30 p.m., at The Venue, half of the selected artists will present their paintings with an explanation of the paintings’ inspiration, and the paired poets will read their poems and explain what about the paintings inspired their poem. The public will be invited and refreshments will be served.

Lynne Gilliatt‘s Side Door Studio group is having a show at Bloomington Playwrights Project during the month of October.  This work includes watercolor, tempera, encaustic, and pastel.  Bloomington Playwrights Project is located at 107 W, Ninth St., Bloomington.. At least six of her group will be showing their work. There is also a textile artist showing her work.

MarySue Schwab received an honorable mention for her oil painting, “Secluded Pool” at the Hoosier Salon Gallery in New Harmony. The show hangs until Oct. 6.

Several BWS members exhibited work at the Mitchell Persimmon Festival Art Exhibit. Meri Reinhold placed 2nd for “Blue Dream” and Rose Brenner received honorable mention for “Abstract Peonies” in the Abstract/Non-objective/Fantasy division.  Honorable mentions in the Landscapes & Waterscapes division went to Linda Endris for “Open Spaces” and to Nancy Metz for “Cannon Beach.”

Beyond BWS

Former member Susan Williams tipped us off to an online course offered by the Cornell Bird Lab that might interest several of our members. Don’t be fooled by the title; the course is not limited to birds. Here is the link: https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/product/nature-journaling-and-field-sketching/  

IU’s Eskenazi Museum of Art will celebrate its reopening after a multi-year renovation with Museum Fest that starts Nov. 7. The public is invited to explore seven galleries of art, including new works; a new art-making studio; and new Centers for Education, Conservation, and Prints, Drawings, and Photographs from 4 to 8 p.m.   Guided tours will be given Nov. 8, 9, and 10.

IMO

Social media users recognize IMO as an abbreviation for “In My Opinion,” and each month we close by giving you the chance to share your opinion on a specific question.

Question for November Brushstrokes:

What is your favorite book about watercolor? Please identify the title and author and explain why you think it is so good.

Send your 1- to 3-sentence response to Jerry Harste by Oct. 21. Please use IMO as the subject line of your email.

June 29

Hinkle-Garton Farmstead Open Day

Features BWS Art Exhibit, Gallery Sale

This month’s Museum Open Day at the Hinkle-Garton Farmstead features “Plein Air Artists’ Lovely Renditions of the Hinkle-Garton Farmstead” June 29 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Members of BWS, its Upland Plein Air Painters, and artists from Brown County Arts Alliance created images of spring at the Farmstead in May. These paintings include images of two historic homes, farm land, gardens, and outbuildings. These artistic creations will be displayed and available for purchase inside the 1892 Queen Anne style home at monthly Farmstead Open Days through Aug. 31. Individual artists will donate 25 percent of the proceeds from art sales to pay for restoration of the Hinkle-Garton Farmhouse.

In addition, visitors can enjoy the plants, trees, and the beauty of the volunteer garden. A variety of plants will be available for purchase as well as jams, jellies, and maple syrup produced by volunteers. Friday Musicale and The Bloomington Old-Time Music and Dance Group with Mark Weidenmayer will be hosting music in the parlor. Volunteers will give Farmhouse tours.

The Farmstead, located at 2920 E. 10^th St., is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned and maintained by Bloomington Restorations, Inc. It is free and open to the public the last Saturday or most months. For more information, call BRI at 812-336-0909 or visit its Facebook page www.facebook.com/Hinkle-GartonFarmstead.

Top: Carriage House at Farmstead/Watercolor/Andy Roberts. Morning at the Farmhouse/Oil on canvas/Henry Leck. Shine On/Oil on panel/Anne-Karine Bley. Bottom: Spirits of the Past/Oil on canvas/Katya Alexeeva. Daisy’s Dairy Barn/Oil on canvas/Francita Agostino. Barn at Hinkle-Garton Farmstead/Watercolor/Linda K. Branstetter

2018-19

State of the Society

By Kitty Garlock, BWS president 2018-19

Last year when I was asked if I would be president of this organization, I was stunned. I feared I did not know enough about how it all worked to be able to do the job to the level I had already observed in others. I soon found out it had nothing, well very little, to do with me. To use Jane Matranga’s words, “It is a well-oiled machine.” The thing that makes this society great is its people and their willingness to step up and do the work that keeps our group strong and vibrant.

I am now going to mention many of the things we have done this year, and even though I cannot take the time to mention everyone involved , if you were involved in any one of these things, when I am done I will ask you to stand.

Of course, our board and leadership team confronted some big issues this year: our move to St. Mark’s, forming a finance committee, weighing the idea of adding a portrait group involving nonmembers, and letting go of our beloved plein air group, to name a few. Not all turned out the way I personally wanted, but – as it turned out – the decisions that were made benefited all because of generous attitudes and staunch ideas as to what this society’s focus truly is.

I want to mention a few people by name. We want to thank Claude Cookman, Barbara Edmonds, and Carla Hedges for helping to put into action our biggest change, that of moving to SMUM and opening our treasury to more empowering things. Kathy Truelove Barton, Carol Rhodes, and our brand new member Mark Seaman were immediately willing to help form the Finance Committee. Our Nominating Committee, which included Meri Reinhold, Barbara Edmonds, and Jacki Frey, not only helped find a new president, but also a new secretary, treasurer, show chair, publicity chair, and gave a few ideas for a Brushstrokes co-editor. All said “Yes” immediately to my request for help. And on top of it all, the great thing is people were willing to step up and take most of these positions. Six members – some teaching twice – were willing to present all of us with wonderful programs to fill our calendar with inspiring lessons. They are Suzanne Thorin, Nancy Metz, Carol Rhodes, Jane Matranga, Claude Cookman, and Stephen Edwards.

This organization is blessed with many people who made it work. Members of the Upland Plein Air group hosted venues to paint or coordinated an entire season of paint-outs. Volunteers produced our member show, “We Paint … the Past, Present, and for the Future,” and Taste of Chocolate’s “We Paint … the Blues.”  Others got involved with Peden Farm, card painting at College Mall, organizing the Hinkle-Garton paint-out and show, and arranging our participation in the Garden Walk. Members were willing to share their time or home to make a success of our annual Holiday Party and Year-end Picnic, the most recent one at May Creek.

There are also those who worked so hard to bring us the workshop by Judy Mudd and those who participated so it could go ahead. Our signature members spent months to get their work displayed at the Indianapolis Airport. Many others won awards and recognition for their work that spreads the word about BWS.

Yes, I was stunned to be asked to represent you as your president, but by accepting the challenge I have been truly honored and now deeply know what an amazing group we really are!

BWS Officers 2019-20

Summer Paint-outs with Upland

Come out for summer painting adventures with your painting buddies. Upland summer event coordinators are Jacki Frey and Babette Ballinger. Email upland@bloomingtonwatercolor.org for more information.

Friday, June 21, Mary Hartle’s house and barn, hosted by Betty Wagoner

Tuesday, June 25, Detmer Park, hosted by Candi Bailey

Tuesday, July 9, Bean Blossom Bridge, hosted by Lory Winford

Garden Walk

BWS painters participated in the June Garden Walk again this year. Floral arrangements were available at the Monroe County History Center for painters not wanting to dodge the rain storms, and private gardens like the one pictured on the right provided great subject matter.

Member News

BWS members Anne-Karine Bley and Eric Brock are two of four artists featured in the group show “Expressions in Harmony” at the Hoosier Salon in New Harmony, Ind. Each artist contributed between 15 and 20 works. Many of Anne-Karine’s and Eric’s paintings were done plein air, often inspired by Upland locations. The last day to see the show is July 7.

Cassidy Young will be at the Arts Fair on the Square June 22, the Fair of the Arts (Farmers’ Market) July 13, and the Garlic Fest Aug. 31 to Sept. 1.

Stephen Edwards’s “Backdoor at Draper’s Farm” is one of 45 paintings that will make up the 2019 Watercolor Society of Indiana’s 36^th Annual Exhibit. The paintings were juried by Don Andrews, AWS.

“Buddy Guy Plays the Blues” by Meri Reinhold has also been juried in to the 2019 WSI Annual Juried Exhibit. The show will hang at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields from Aug. 4 to Sept. 28.

“Rurification,” a solo exhibition of Robin Edmundson’s works depicting rural Indiana, hangs at the Gaslight Art Colony in Marshall, Ill., till July 12. For more information about the exhibition, see Robin’s blog post at https://rurification.blogspot.com/2019/06/upcoming=show.html.

Joanne Baum is exhibiting pastels and oils – some from around Bloomington, others in Florida, Colorado, and the Carolina lowlands – in the windows of Darn Good Soup in its Darn Good Art Gallery until June 27.

Beyond BWS

July 1 is the deadline for entering the Kentucky Watercolor Society’s 2019 Aqueous Show. Previous prizes annually have averaged $10,000 in cash, materials, and purchase awards. Paul Jackson will be the juror for the show. The Aqueous USA 2019 Exhibition will hang at the Actors Theatre of Louisville Sept. 6 to Oct. 31. To enter, download the prospectus from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bb4e1e892441b44de9c89e9/t/5cab5075e4966bd72edad4bc/1554731130918/2019+KWS+AQUEOUS-PROSPECTUS.pdf.

Lawrence County Art Association announces its Fifth Annual Midsummer Judged Art Exhibit June 28 to July 20 at the Wiley Art Gallery in Bedford, Ind. Any artist over 16 years old may enter up to three artworks. The cost of entering is $5 per work of art. Art must be no larger than 36” X 36”, including the frame and have a wire hanging on the back. Art is due June 26 between 2 and 4 p.m. with Deb Weld, a graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, doing the judging June 27. The reception and awards event is scheduled for Friday, June 28, 5 to 7 p.m. All art must be picked up July 20 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. For more information contact Sammie Justesen at 812-675-8053 or sammie@norlightspress.com.

All artists in the Midwest are invited to enter Anderson Museum of Art’s 8^th annual “Figures of Speech” competitive exhibition, which runs Aug. 2 – Sept. 22. This is your opportunity to turn classic figures of speech into memorable and interesting works of art such as “She sells seashells” (alliteration), “A little thin on top” (euphemism), “I’ve told you a hundred times” (hyperbole), “All the world is a stage” (metaphor), “Jumbo shrimp” (oxymoron), or “Wise as an owl” (simile). Digital entries will be accepted no later than July 8, and accepted entries will be due July 26. The artist reception will be Aug. 2, and pick-up will be Sept. 23 – 28. Works on paper, paintings, photography, mixed media, and sculpture are acceptable. For more information, see https://andersonart.org.

IMO

Social media users recognize IMO as an abbreviation for “In My Opinion,” and each month we close by giving you the chance to share your opinion on a specific question. This month’s question is in preparation for the coming year:

What do you want to ask your BWS colleagues? I’ve been writing most of the questions for the last two years (with an occasional welcome assist from readers/leaders). So now it is your turn. Ask about subject matter, inspiration, techniques, supplies – just keep it watercolor-related, please. Your questions will appear in this column in the coming year.

Send your 1- to 3-sentence response by July 14 to Nancy Davis-Metz. Please use IMO as the subject line of your email.

Due to unforeseen circumstances,this month’s “Brushstrokes” will be published in two installments: (1) this early edition that covers Monday’s meeting as well as weekend news including Bloomington’s First Friday Gallery Walk, and (2) a late edition that will cover all the member news and usual features.

June 10

Stephen Edwards to present “Creating a Mood in Watercolor”

Stephen Edwards will present “Creating a Mood in Watercolor” at the June 10 BWS meeting. “Representational art depends on using light and values to create the illusion of ‘real,'” said Steven. “My demo will emphasize using them to make 3-D happen in a painting.” His presentation will also give some basic rules for conveying the emotional content as well as the technical side of painting watercolor landscapes.

Bring the watercolor and tools you usually work with. If you wish, you can take notes rather than paint along with Stephen.

The presentation will start around 7 p.m., following a brief business meeting. The business meeting will be called to order at 6 p.m. The meeting is at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, 100 State Road 46.

The Vault

“In Memoriam: James MC Yang”

Make sure The Vault Gallery is a stop on your First Friday itinerary June 7. “In Memoriam: James MC Yang” opens Friday with a reception 5 to 8 p.m. and will be shown until July 26. This exhibit will be the last opportunity to enjoy James’s Chinese calligraphy and paintings (and other art forms) in an exhibition format. The Vault is hosting this event to align with James’s birthday and the one-year anniversary of his Celebration of Life ceremony.

Young to be at Handmade Market, Pygmalion’s

Cassidy Young will have her booth up at the Bloomington Handmade Market Saturday, June 8, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. She will also be teaching an Urban Sketching Workshop at Pygmalion’s June 10, 12, and 14.

May 13

Bonnie Gordon-Lucas

to present “Lyrical Lines”

Bonnie describes herself as a visual communicator. “Whimsy and imagination define my style,” she said. “I live within the confines of dyslexia but refer to myself as ‘reality challenged,’ an adult who continues to think like a child. My paintings are inspired by dreams, song titles, famous quotes and twisted misquotes.

Bonnie has worked freelance for New York advertising agencies and animation design studios. Her illustrations have appeared on greeting cards, posters, clothing, rubber stamps, in magazines and children’s books. She will bring to the meeting samples of her work.

“I hope to teach how to draw like a melody maker, by weaving lyrical line and color on paper,” Bonnie said.

Bring to the meeting a dream (grab one by writing it down when you awaken), your sketchbooks, watercolors, paper, your favorite (non-fugitive ink) drawing pen. Unlike erasable pencil, your line will become part of your painting.

This presentation will start around 7 p.m., following a business meeting and refreshments that start at 6 p.m. The meeting is at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, 100 State Road 46.

May 18

Daisy Garton Spring Plein Air Paintout is coming

Bloomington Restorations, Inc. (BRI) has invited members of the Bloomington Watercolor Society, its Upland Plein Air Painters, and artists from Art Alliance Brown County to paint Saturday, May 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hinkle-Garton Farmstead, 2920 E. 10^th St., Bloomington.

Paintings created May 18 will be displayed and available for purchase inside the 1892 Queen Anne-style homestead at monthly Farmstead Open Days beginning May 25 from 1 to 4 p.m., and at events throughout the summer. Individual artists will donate 25 percent of the proceeds from art sales to pay for restoration of the Hinkle-Garton Farmhouse.

BRI members will be present to assist with questions and information on the Paintout, Farmstead, and BRI activities.

Upland Schedule

May 7, Henry’s Lake House, hosted by Henry Leck

May 14, Leslie Daniel’s Garden, hosted by Kitty Garlock

May 28, Cataract Falls, hosted by Kathy Barton

June 4, Upland organizational meeting, hosted by Kristen Stamper

BWS business

Finance Committee report

The Finance Committee held its first meeting April 13 and will present a budget proposal (including funds dedicated to workshops and visiting artists) to be approved by the board this summer. Aside from normal ongoing expenses, a contribution was suggested for St. Mark’s to be applied toward microphones. There were no objections to the requests for funds from BWS committee chairs.

Member News

Jerry Harste would like to thank whoever in BWS suggested to the Bloom Magazine editors that he be honored as a featured artist in the current issue. It is much appreciated.

Above Left: Jo Weddle holds her Roy Lichtenstein-inspired abstract. Above Right: “Bear” was painted by Chris Flask. Jo and Chris showed their work last month at an exhibit of work produced in a recent “Painting Styles of the Masters” class at the Waldron.

Jacki Frey’s “Market Day Provence” received third place honors in the Indiana Artists Club’s juried show, which will hang through June 1 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields.

Nancy Davis Metz was awarded a first place for “Early Morning Drive” and a fourth place for “Judith’s Patchwork Barn” in the watercolor division of Paoli’s Tri Kappa Art Show.

Lory Winters and Kristen Stamper have paintings juried into the Arts Illiana Gallery’s Anything Goes Show in Terre Haute. This five-state, all media exhibition runs from May 3 through July 19.

Penny Lulich as been painting her way around Germany.

Beyond BWS

The Watercolor Society of Indiana has announced May 10 as the entry deadline for two shows: the 2019 Membership Show and the annual Juried Exhibit. Entry forms and additional information are available at http://www.watercolorsocietyofindiana.org.

The entry deadline for the Kentucky Watercolor Society’s Aqueous 2019 is July 1. This national show will be juried by Paul Jackson, a signature member of AWS and NWS. Write to KWS, P.O. Box 7125, Louisville, KY 40257-0125 for more information and a prospectus. Or you can email kentuckywatercolor@gmail.com to request a prospectus. The exhibition will hang at Actors Theatre in Louisville from Sept. 6 to Oct. 31.

IMO

Social media users recognize IMO as an abbreviation for “In My Opinion,” and each month we close by giving you the chance to share your opinion on a specific question.

This month the question is:

What is your favorite paintbrush? It may be the one you reach for the most, or it could be one that meets a very specific need. Identify the brush and tell why it is your favorite.

Jeanne Dutton

My favorite paintbrush, and the only round brush I ever use anymore, is the Escoda Versatil. It holds a beautiful point and lots of paint, and is also available in a travel set. I have found that it meets, if not exceeds, the performance of sables, even by the same company.

Carol Rhodes

My favorite brush is a Casaneo #2 quill. This synthetic brush can be used on an entire painting; it not only holds an immense amount of water to perform as a large-area mop, but it also comes to a tiny point for detail. I dab it on a damp cellulose sponge to help moderate the water.

Jill Olshavsky

One of my favorites is the #12 Lowe-Cornell 7020 Ultra Round synthetic brush. It’s inexpensive but keeps a great point.

Question for June:

What do you want to ask your BWS colleagues? I’ve been writing most of the questions for the last two years (with an occasional welcome assist from readers/leaders). So now it is your turn. Ask about subject matter, inspiration, techniques, supplies – just  keep it watercolor-related, please. I will use your questions for this column in the upcoming year.

Send your 1- to 3-sentence response by June 1 to Nancy Davis-Metz. Please use IMO as the subject line of your email.