BWS to meet at St. Mark’s in February
by Kitty Garlock, BWS president
It is important that everyone is aware that we will be trying out St. Mark’s United Methodist Church for the location of our Feb. 11 meeting, located off the Bypass just west of Starbucks. Take Seventh Street off the Bypass and drive around the building to the parking lot. For those wanting to use a GPS, the address is 100 State Road 46, Bloomington. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.
We have bantered about the possibility of moving to this location for several months now and want people to experience it before we vote. It does have a few adjustments we will have to make, but ease of parking and the fact that it is a free venue may make it worth a few inconveniences.
However, a big consideration is the lighting, and though we do not know exactly how this will be, we want to be as prepared as possible. Thus, we are asking people to bring a lamp for their use at a round table. (Probably each table will need only one lamp.) It would be good to have a battery-operated lamp, but we will have extension cords and power strips that we hope can be arranged to work for people to plug into.
As with all changes, adjustments will need to be made and old ways changed to new, but sooner or later the new becomes what we are used to and life goes on. This I am feeling will be no different.
Feb. 11
Jane Matranga presents program
on head count-figure proportion
Jane Matranga introduced gestural figures at the January meeting. She will present Part Two of figure drawing this month, focusing on proportions.
This presentation will demonstrate how to use the head as a unit of measurement for calculating figure proportions. “Learning the locations on the body for each head will help artists build a figure without looking at a model,” said Jane Matranga, who will present the program. Bring a sketchpad (the larger the better), a ruler or straightedge, pencil, and eraser.
The program follows a business meeting that starts at 6 p.m. A refreshment break is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. with the program starting at 7 p.m.
March 30
Judy Mudd to present workshop
on Watercolor Landscapes
Judy Mudd
In this one-day workshop, attendees will work from photographs to complete one or two landscape paintings. Beginning with an urban scene, workshoppers will explore the process of creating an artistic vision including atmosphere, design, and composition, simplifying and expanding to improve the subject and how to say more. Painters will work on developing various elements of a street scene, including simplified figures and vehicles, poles, signs, and more. If time allows, the workshop will also include a simplified rural scene.
Judy Mudd is a full-time artist and has been a watercolor instructor for over 10 years. She is a juried member of numerous watercolor societies and has just been named Kentucky Watercolor Society’s Watercolor Artist of the Year for 2019.
The workshop runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at the First Christian Church, 202 E. Kirkwood Ave. The fee is $92 for BWS members and $100 for non-members. The class has a maximum number of attendees of 20. BWS will fill the class with members first and if slots are available after March 9, non-members will be registered.
You can register instantly online if paying by credit card or PayPal http://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/member-shows-workshops/workshop-registration/. If you pay by check, make it payable to Bloomington Watercolor Society and mail it to P.O. Box 5236, Bloomington, IN 47407-5236. Please email info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org to let us know the check is coming so that we hold a spot for you.
“We Paint … the Blues!”
for LIFEDesigns’ Week of Chocolate
“Playing the Blues” by Bob Burris will be featured on the Art of Chocolate’s program cover.
The opening reception for “We Paint … the Blues!” was a great success, thanks to many people:
- Artists who braved the amazingly cold weather to drop off their paintings
- Gabe Colman of The Venue Fine Art and Gifts and Anne-Karine Bley, BWS Show Chair, and their crew who hung the show
- Judges Gabe Colman, John LaBella, and Julie Roberts
- John LaBella of The Vault at Gallery Mortgage for providing us the space and his awesome red beans and rice, served at the reception along with lots of goodies.
- Stephanie Shelton of LIFEDesigns for inviting BWS to be a part of the Week of Chocolate.
- The art lovers who purchased hand-painted greeting cards and one of the paintings on display
Congratulations to Claude Cookman, who won Best of Show; Bob Burris, BWS signature member, who won runner-up; and Nancy Metz who won the drawing for two tickets to the Art of Chocolate Feb. 9.
The show will be up until March 29 with a second reception 5 to 8 p.m. March 1 during Gallery Walk. The Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 121 E. Sixth St., is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Bob Burris’s painting will be featured on the cover of The Art of Chocolate program for the Art of Chocolate gala event Feb. 9.
Bonus content
How the Best of Show painting came to be
by Claude Cookman
Image 1
Image 2
I audited an IU drawing course last fall with Professor Caleb Weintraub, who encouraged us to be expressive and experimental. By the time the course project was assigned, BWS had announced the theme of “The Blues” for its exhibition at The Vault. So I decided to combine the two. I submitted the first image for the course project in mid December. I kept working and submitted the second image for our exhibition. I finished it late Tuesday night. More precisely, I stopped working on it; nothing is ever finished. Then I framed it Wednesday morning.
I had never done an homage before and wanted to honor Joel Washington, a truly great Bloomington artist who has created hundreds of such paintings, all of them much better. Anything of value in my painting goes to his credit.
Technical details: The base layer is gouache with pumice to which I added blue watercolor. Washington paints with acrylic. My painting is pastel, and that makes it more difficult to get crisp edges.
Contents: The polka dots and stars evoke designs on the socks and handkerchiefs Hooker wore in his later years. The capital and lowercase Greek letters reference the Mississsippi Delta where the blues were born.
If you’ve never heard Hooker’s signature number, “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom,” I encourage you to check out this version from the 1980’s movie “The Blues Brothers”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUUyFrHERpU.
Check out these fun, creative opportunities with Upland
The first 2019 Upland event was at Hopscotch Cafe where many people showed up to loosen up with some quick sketches.
Upland Plein Air Painters is busy this month with indoor events to keep your artistic juices flowing. Come out and join us for urban sketching, special opportunities with a live model and the IU ballet rehearsal, breakfasts out, and art viewing in Nashville. We generally meet from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, but be sure to get the final details on times and locations with a quick email to us at upland@bloomingtonwatercolor.org.
*Feb. 8 Live model at IU Fine Arts Building, hosted by Claude Cookman. Note that this is a Friday.
Upland’s next gathering was at Babette Ballinger’s to hear about and share color palettes and brushstrokes of artists from Impressionists to Fauvists.
Feb. 12 Urban Sketch at Inkwell, hosted by Katya Alexeeva
Feb. 19 Breakfast and Urban Sketch at El Ranchero, hosted by Kristen Stamper
Feb. 26 Breakfast at the Art Colony with Brown County art tour, hosted by Babette Ballinger
*March 5 Ballet rehearsal sketch, hosted by Barbara Edmonds. Note that this is 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. rehearsal times.
Another wonderful experience was at Henry Leck’s home where Troy Kilgore, a local plein air oil painter, gave us a demonstration and answered questions. All photos by Kitty Garlock
Member News
The Great Egret
by Meri Reinhold
Meri Reinhold writes that it is cold in Florida, although not as cold as Indiana. She says she did a “very bad painting” at a plein air event sponsored by the Brevard Watercolor Society and then went home and painted this one.
Needmore Coffee Roasters is displaying works by Susan Savastuk and Katie Mysliwiec this month. Needmore, 104 N. Pete Ellis Dr., is open 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
This book features paintings by BWS members Jeanne Dutton and Phyllis Taylor.
A Summary of the Cemeteries in Monroe County, Indiana features two watercolors by BWS members. Jeanne Dutton’s painting of the Bethel Old Fashioned Chapel at the corner of Hinkle Road and Bethel Lane is on the cover, and Phyllis Taylor’s painting of Dunn Cemetery is inside. Both of these were done for the “We Paint … Cemeteries” calendar project several years ago. The $18 book is available only at the History Center. It is full of color and black-and-white photos, maps, history, GPS coordinates, and lots of trivia about Monroe County.
Beyond BWS
Kristen Stamper at the Southside Art League in Greenwood, where her solo exhibition “Fresh Air” hung last month. Photo by Kathleen Barton
Up your eye for value, color, and more with a two-day workshop for oil and acrylic with BWS member Kristen Stamper at the Brown County Art Gallery Feb. 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Feb. 17 from 12:20 to 3:30 p.m. Learn when to make specific decisions as you develop your painting; then let go and play. These techniques are excellent for plein air, still life, and any application where your goal is painting quickly and with confidence. Class size is limited, so register today. Call 812-988-4609 by Feb. 10. The cost is $130. Snow dates are Feb. 23 and 24.
The Missouri Watercolor Society is holding its 2019 International Exhibition in St. Louis June 15 through July 27. Awards are expected to exceed $13,000. The prospectus is at www.mowsart.com, and the deadline for entry is midnight March 21. Michael Bailey, AWS, NWS, will serve as judge of selection and awards. He will also teach a four-day workshop June 24 through June 27.
Pikes Peak Watercolor Society of Colorado Springs, CO, has announced that its biennial International Watermedia 2019 Call is now open for entry at https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=6212. The organization is also having a three-day watermedia workshop taught by Martha Mans, AWS, June 12 through June 14. Contact Mary Piche at watermedia2019@gmail.com.
The Springfield Art Museum in Missouri has announced its call for Watercolor USA 2019 entries. The annual show highlights the very best in contemporary American watermedia. This year’s exhibit will run from June 8 through Sept. 1. The deadline to apply is Feb. 27. For full information on entry rules. fees, and how to submit artwork, go to www.sgfmuseum.org.
The Arts Alliance of Greater Bloomington will conduct its annual meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, at the Bloominton Playwrights Project, 107 W. 9th St. Everyone is welcome, but only members can vote. You can join online or in person at the annual meeting. For more information, contact info@bloomingtonarts.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 the question is:
What is your best method for getting out of a painting slump? We all have them; what do you do when the creative spirit is not moving you?
Steve Dawson
I find looking at artwork gets me fired up and ready to paint; I do this either by going to a gallery or looking at art books or magazines such as Plein Air Magazine. Instagram is another source as I follow many painters and artists there. Seeing other people working on their craft sends that message to me that I need to get to work!
Claude Cookman
Artist’s block, like its cousin writer’s block, often stems from not knowing what to do next; so if you’re working on a long-term project, always stop while you know the next two or three steps and can pick up your trajectory at the next session. If you have no project in the works, try warm-up exercises, especially gesture drawings — just enjoy scribbling with your tools/paints with no end product at stake. If you’re bored, change mediums, subject matter, formats, styles, etc.; discover the fun of taking a totally new tack.
MarySue Schwab
This is inspiring when one is in a slump! Very good ideas that give you a jump start and may give you a new perspective! He has a second book out, too.
Tricia Wente
I head to the local art supply store, handle the brushes, then check out new materials, and that always does the trick! Usually I end up making a few purchases, and of course that is stimulation enough just to get things going on new paper or canvas; it makes me curious to see what can be done with something different. Recently, I have been playing with assorted watercolor paper textures and just experimenting has kept me busy!
Robin Edmundson
The way I get out of a slump is to choose a subject and do small drawings or paintings of it over and over again. It takes the focus off of “What do I paint?” and on to “How can I do this in an interesting way?” If I use scrap paper, then I don’t have to worry about creating a masterpiece or things getting too precious, and I can just explore/experiment.
Meri Reinhold
I usually draw instead. I’m more confident about my skills with pencil and paper than I am in paint. Sometimes I look through my collection of photos that I call “inspirations” and that gets me going again.
Char Dapena
Deadlines help me pick up a paint brush. Getting a painting done in time for “We Paint … the Blues!” got me out of my last painting slump.
Kitty Garlock
When I am in an art slump, it really helps me to go to an Upland paintout or a portrait group session. The enthusiasm I see in others and the inspiration of the samples of their work is very encouraging. Also, lately I have been looking at some art magazines and online videos, and it is amazing how helpful they can be.
Question for March:
Why?
Why are you drawn to watercolor? What is it about this medium that keeps you interested?
Send your 1- to 3-sentence response to Nancy Davis-Metz by Feb. 21, and look for your opinion in the March issue. Please use IMO as your email’s subject line.
