MONTHLY MEETING

Monday, January 11
6:00pm
First Christian Church
Corner of Washington and Kirkwood
Bloomington, Indiana

Working on your Art of Chocolate painting? Bring it along for suggestions, gentle critiques, and just to share and inspire. After the business meeting, at which the spring calendar will be distributed, Signature member Linda Meyer-Wright will present the following program:

Intuitive Abstracts
We use intuition to express ourselves in creating an abstract collage.  Using intuition can mean many things – letting go of control – allowing the inner child to come out and play – listening to your muse – just trusting yourself.  And, although we will be working intuitively, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to plan or prepare.  Here are some things to bring with you:

• Old watercolor/acrylic paintings on paper.  We will use one as the support for the collage and the other may be torn into bits to use as collage pieces.
• Your paints & brushes.  Include an old cheap brush to use as a glue brush.
• Other media you like to use – such as pens, markers, watercolor or other pencils, watercolor crayons, oil pastels, inks, etc.
• Adhesive.  Bring whatever you have on hand.  Some favorites of collage artists are Yes! Paste, Perfect Paper Adhesive (PPA) or gel medium.  I use Golden Gel Medium and/or Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid.
• Papers – this is where you get to clean house.  Look for whatever speaks to you – tissue paper – newspaper – gelli prints – sewing patterns – old or weird books – maps – paint sample cards – greeting cards – magazines – tea bags/coffee filters – labels – string – threads – security or other envelopes – junk mail – boxes – cardboard  phone books – catalogs – sheet music – letters – school assignments – this fabric – the list is endless.  If it is anything you treasure, make a photo copy.

You should not need to go out and buy anything.  Unless of course there is something you really, really want and need a good excuse.

The Art of Chocolate
On the left of your screen is the prospectus.  Just click the link for all the info.  Paintings are due February 2 so you have lots of time to do your best work!

MEMBER ACTIVITIES
Signature member Bob Burris has three paintings in the show, “Columbus Makes,” now on display through February 13 at the IU Gallery Art and Design, 310 Jackson Street, Columbus, IN. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 1-5pm.
http://www.columbus.in.us/columbus/gallery-iuca-d

Jane Matranga’s hand painted silk coat, inspired by Monet’s Giverny.

Jane Matranga, who recently joined BWS, is participating in the IU faculty art exhibition. The opening reception is at the Grunwald Gallery on Friday, January 15th from 6-8pm. Gallery talks take place at noon on Friday, January 22nd in the gallery, 1201 E 7th Street on the IU campus.

OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer Art Instructors Needed
LIFEDesigns, with whom we are working for The Art of Chocolate, offers an art class every Friday afternoon from 1:30-2:45 to its clients. The class takes place at the Waldron. They are currently looking for volunteer instructors who can teach 2-4 weeks (Maximum contact hours equal only 5 hours) in various mediums, including chalk pastels, watercolor, collage, or some other of the instructor’s choice. If you are interested and willing, please contact Stephanie Shelton, Chief Development Officer, LIFEDesigns, Inc., 800-875-9615, lifedesignsinc.org
And while we are on the subject, a big thank you goes out to BWS members who volunteered this past semester: Betty Wagoner, Sara Steffey McQueen, and Cassidy Young. Good job, ladies!

“Pray, Paint, Play”
A free workshop focused on creatively illustrating faith will take place Saturday, January 16 at First Christian Church, 10am-2pm. If you are interested, check out the details at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/play-paint-pray-workshop-tickets-20045190705
Inspired by Illustrated Faith™ from Shanna Noel, the workshop invites first time and experienced painters to study biblical scripture and reflect on the text painting. It is designed to serve as a starting point for those who wish to include creative expressions as part of their spiritual discipline. Register by January 10 online at www.fccbloomington.org or by calling the church office at (812) 332-4459. An art journal plus basic art materials and supplies will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring any paints, markers, or pens that they currently own. Participants should bring a brown bag lunch; coffee and tea will be provided.  Jeanne Dutton, with support and help from Jo Weddle, will lead the day’s activities.

Indiana Plein Air Painters Association
The City Gallery and Harrison Center for the Arts are seeking interested artists for a group show celebrating Indiana’s bicentennial by honoring the lives and legacies of May Wright Sewall, John Herron, and T.C. Steele  Each of these culture builders contributed to the historic John Herron Art Institute.  In addition, their actions advanced art, culture, and social justice throughout the state. The show will hang June 3-24, 2016. See details regarding entries, deadlines, etc. below. Please respond by Friday, January 29, 2016 and include three samples of your work to be considered for inclusion in the exhibit. FYI:
We are accepting all media.  you are submitting video, you will need to supply your own video equipment.
Pieces that are not easily hung should be installed by the artist.
Artwork must be presented in a professional manner and delivered wired and ready to hang. (No sawtooth hangers.) If an accepted entry is delivered in a format that is not ready to hang, it will not be exhibited.
arrison Center retains the right to decline artwork based on appropriateness for family audiences.
Work must be for sale.
Artists who are selected to participate in the show will be notified by Friday, February 12, 2016.
Harrison Center takes a 30% commission on sales.  Send samples of your work to pam@harrisoncenter.org (put “Sewall, Herron & Steele” in the subject line) or to: Sewall, Herron & Steele c/o Pam Allee 1505 N. Delaware Street Indianapolis, IN  46202 Direct questions to 317.396.3886.

Artists Showcase
“Bloom Magazine and Ivy Tech Community College are happy to present the Local Artists Showcase on Saturday, February 20th, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. at the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center.
Sixty-seven booths for local artists are available at $65 each. Most booths are approximately 10′ x 6′ and will come equipped with a table and two chairs. If you do not wish to use the table and chairs, we can remove them from your booth space. There are some larger booths and some booths also have access to electricity. The booths will spread across the entire top floor of the Convention Center.
Booths are only available to local artists to sell their personal work. Booth reservations are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. So, if you have special requirements or preferences, you should sign up as soon as possible.
In order to reserve your booth, you must provide the following:

• Full payment ($65) in the form of a check or credit card information
• Your personal name and contact information
• The formal name of your business (can be the same as your personal name)
• The category of your artwork/craft
• Booth preferences, if any

You may sign up by email to Erin Stephenson (erins@magbloom.com), over the phone (812-323-8959 ext. 0), or in person at the Bloom office (please call ahead). Remember that you must present payment in full in order to reserve your booth and there are no refunds.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. We look forward to hearing from you and displaying the wonderful artwork the Bloomington area has to offer!”

CLASSES
Ivy Tech’s Center for Lifelong Learning is offering many wonderful classes, including the new “Improvers Series” from your BWS president, Nancy Davis Metz. First is “Playing with Color” and then “Composition.”
This editor will teach “Beginning Watercolor III” and “IV,” with III featuring different watercolor mediums (w/c pencils, crayons, gouache, most of which will be provided), and IV being a series of mini-workshops. Students will be asked to keep a reference journal throughout the class. Linda Meyer-Wright brings her creativity to two classes, “Wabi Sabi” and “Personal Expression through Collage.”
Nancy and Jeanne are also offering classes at StoneGate, the new CLL site in Bedford, at Burton Kimble Farms Education Center, and at Springs Valley Learning Center in French Lick. Spread the word! All classes can be found in the Ivy Tech Center for Lifelong Learning catalog at https://www.ivytech.edu/bloomington/cll/13752.html#Arts

Ilona Richey’s snow scene from Beginning Watercolor III, March 2015

Brushstrokes is the (almost) monthly
newsletter of the
 Bloomington (IN) Watercolor Society
Jeanne Ellen Dutton, Editor
 BloomingtonWatercolor.org
WePaintBloomington.org