Our December 14th Program

Our December 14^th program will be an exchange of art cards.  Joanne Weddle and Cassidy Young coordinated this event.  Participating members exchanged art cards by mail and will open them during the Zoom call.  Although only 14 people elected to participate in the exchange, everyone is welcome to virtually watch the exchange and participate via the chat feature on Zoom.

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A Word of Inspiration this Holiday Season

In this time of continued uncertainty, one thing is clear: we are stronger together. Over the past several months, you have undoubtedly witnessed or experienced fear, sadness, worry, and frustration. But the world has also demonstrated compassion, hope, and creativity.  Seriously think about giving someone a painting this holiday season. Your generosity will say more than words can convey.  Encourage your friends to think about giving a piece of art also this year. Together we are stronger when we support each other through our generosity.  

And remember: BWS cards and bookmarks are for sale at the Venue during regular holiday hours. 50 percent of the cost goes to the BWS Art Scholarship.

Inside BWS

Our Thanks to Kathy Barton

BWS thanks Kathy Truelove Barton for her presentation during the November program. Kathy demonstrated how to mix greens for the changes of foliage in Indiana over the year. She used four of her landscape paintings to illustrate her points. A handout of the different greens she uses, including brands and paint numbers, were emailed to the membership.

The BWS Art Scholarship Needs Our Support

Jeanne Dutton reminds us that every spring, a graduating senior in the Monroe County Community School Corporation is awarded a $500 scholarship for the expressed purpose of purchasing art supplies as they begin their post-high school education in the area of visual fine art, architecture or design, or arts education.

Now through December 9 at 8:00 p.m., FMCCS is offering an on-line auction opportunity.  Included are ten items by BWS artists and 70% of any BWS item sold goes to support the BWS Art Scholarship.

Need a tax deduction?  All donations to the FMCCS are eligible.  So, if you prefer to donate directly, click the “Donate” button and be sure to note it is for the Bloomington Watercolor Society Art Scholarship: https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/browse.action?auctionId=341696508&categoryId=341900957

Herald-Times Invitation

Kristie Lindberg, BWS Publicity Chair, sent in the following report: “To carry on the tradition, our local paper, The Herald-Times, has invited us back for another yearly winter scenes spread! Due date: December 22.

Please note that images just need to be of winter scenes in south central Indiana. That doesn’t necessarily mean they need to include snow. Use your imagination). 

This year, the article will appear in the Sunday, December 27 edition. If you are interested in having your painting published included:

• Send one or images directly to Jennifer Tilley at features@heraldt.com by noon, Tuesday, December 22, 2020,
• address the subject line, “BWS 2020 first name, last name” (yours)
• size the images at approximately 200 dpi and attach it to the email (don’t worry if you don’t know what that means, their staff will take care of it for you), and 
• include your name and the name of the image in the body of the message.

Let’s have a good turn out for this kindly and timely offer.  We have some wonderful works to share and I trust they will be especially appreciated this year.  

“We Paint … Carnival!”

MONTH of CHOCOLATE, February 2021

Mardi Gras may be canceled in New Orleans, but BWS will still celebrate “Carnival!“We have dates!  We have judges!  We have prizes!

Sponsored by LIFEDesigns, this is BWS’ sixth year to support the Month of Chocolate. As you can guess, due to the covid crisis, things will be “virtually” different for the Month and the keynote event, the Art of Chocolate.  

Our BWS “Carnival” paintings will hang at the Vault at Gallery Mortgage and be featured in an online gallery.  There are plans to have a video tour of the exhibit hosted by Gabriel Colman, filmed and posted online through various sites. All of these features will be linked to the main Month of Chocolate website where art lovers can purchase their favorite paintings with ease.

December 6, please watch your email for the prospectus with all the information.  Meanwhile, questions may be sent to Jeanne Dutton, Chocolate@BloomingtontonWatercolor.org. 

Gain Signature Status in BWS

Those of you who are interested in becoming a Signature Member of BWS, you should know that the Signature Committee has extended deadlines for applying until March. If interested contact Kitty Garlock by email at kittygarlock@gmail.com and request the guidelines.  Applications and resumes can be filled out and submitted anytime but no later than March. In April the Signature Committee will judge the work submitted.  Kitty also announced that she is still looking for a volunteer signature member to help out.

Making “My Favorite Technique a Regular Feature of the Newsletter

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 to 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?”

Outside BWS

TC Steele Member Art Show

The Friends of TC Steele Member Art Show is February 6 – 27, 2021.  Registration is Jan. 4, 2021.  BWS artists are encouraged to enter the show. 

Betty Wagoner says the Friends of TC Steele need more watercolorists!  She reminds us that the the award for 1st place is $1000.

Registration is free for members . Non-members may register with payment of membership at the time of registration. Registration information can be found at
https://tcsteele.org/member-art-show-registration/  Artists may register online or print the PDF form and mail it in.

Watercolor Society of Indiana News

WSI 2021 Juried Exhibition applications will be sent to members March 1. The deadline for receipt of digital entries will be May 7 with juror notification letters being sent June 7. The Juried Exhibit will be at the IMA Aug. 6-Sept. 25, and Paul Jackson will be the juror.

Paul Jackson will present a WSI workshop July 6-9 at Somerset Lakes Clubhouse in Indianapolis. Keiko Tanabe will present a WSI workshop Oct. 20-22 at the Southside Art League in Indianapolis.

Call to Artists: Jasper

Kathy Barton send out an announcement saying that The Jasper Art Center will be reviewing portfolios for solo and group 2021 shows in their Thyen-Clark Cultural Center. The deadline for submission is February 14. Find all the details online at visualarts@asperindiana.gov or call 812-482-3070.

Call to Artists: Anderson

The Anderson Museum of Art announces:

According to their email, “We are ready to celebrate the beginning of a new year with an exciting new exhibition that will highlight the things that make you happy.

Artists will be encouraged to produce works of art that showcase the beauty of where you LIVE, the things that make you happy and LAUGH, and the people or items that you LOVE.

Let’s spread some happiness in this juried exhibition. Drop off is January 6, 7, & 8 from 9-5 pm. The winner of each category (Live, Laugh, Love) will have a collection of their work exhibited in our Grande Room summer 2021.”

Center for Lifelong Learning Spring Digital Catalog is Out!!

Now is the time to register for courses with Ivy Tech (ivytech.edu). Several BWS members are offering courses that are worth your consideration, including:

Vibrant Oil Painting for Beginners by Katya Alexeeva
Beginning Watercolor by Carol Rhodes
Principles of Art Through Abstraction by Cassidy Young
Discovering Your Museum by Carol Rhodes & Nancy Metz

Call to Artists: Pikes Peak Watercolor Society

Nancy Neale Martins, Watermedia Chair of the Pikes Peak Watercolor Society wrote to extend an invitation to BWS members to enter The Pikes Peak International Watermedia 2021 Exhibition.  The deadline for entries is January 31, 2021.  The juror for the show is the the esteemed Alvaro Castagnet.  The prospectus for the show can be found at:Prospectus:  https://pikespeakwatercolorsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WM-2021-Prospectus.pdf

Sharing Our News

Betty Wagoner is Given an Award

Betty Wagoner won an Award of Merit prize for her painting, “Monk’s View – West Baden,” at the IPAPA Member Art Show.  The show is currently at the Harrison Art Center in Indianapolis through Dec. 18.

Kriste Lindberg Shares a Recent Painting

Went on a hike a few weeks ago and took time to notice the leaves.  Especially, how they were turning from a splendid bright color to brown.  Caught one somewhere in the middle.

Sandy Hall is in Several Shows

I am an associate member of BWS and Upland group and have never shared. I live in Greenfield Indiana and connect with Bloomington artists during plein air events and spontaneous gatherings. COVID-19 has put a dent in travel plans. I continue to work out of my studio in Greenfield. Regretfully Jackie Frey and I had to cancel our June trip to Cape Cod to study under Andy Evansen.

I have two paintings in the 122nd Annual Exhibit of Indiana and Ohio Artists in the Richmond Art Museum and another painting in a show entitled “Presenting Irvington Artists” at the Bona Thompson Memorial Center in Irvington. That show runs until December 19.  

The juried selections for the Irvington show were based on whether or not the artist had a connection with Irvington. As a child, I lived in Marion County and participated in painting the storefront window. 

This fall, I had three piece (all water-based media) shown in the Cumberland Arts Exhibit.

Donna Whitsitt is Moving and has Picture Frames to Give Away

Many of you know that I have been thinking about moving for some time. Well, that time has come. I will be moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma at the end of this month. I have enjoyed living in Indiana and especially my time spent with BWS and Upland. Thanks to all of you in these two organizations, I have discovered many new places to paint and opportunities to grow as an artist.     

As I prepare to move, I am downsizing some of my belongings. I have large frames, sizes 12″ x 17″ to 24″ x 36″ and small frames, 5″ x 7″ to 9″x 11″ that I am giving away. Of the small frames, three are wood but all the rest of the small ones are metal. The large ones are all wood.

If you are interested, please call or text me at 765-341-5011 so we can arrange a time for you to come and look at them. When you come, be prepared to wear your mask. I will have hand sanitizer if you need it.     

Also, I have my art work on display at my house for one last time before I leave. Both the frames and my art work can be seen until Sunday, December 6th. Then I will be taking the frames to Goodwill and packing my art for the move.   

I still plan to visit Indiana and Brown County several times each year. I look forward to seeing everyone and painting with each of you again when this pandemic is behind us.     If you wish to contact me after I move, my email is donnawhitsitt@ymail.com. 

Phyllis Taylor Wins People’s Choice Award

I have something for the newsletter from one of BWS’s West Coast members.    I entered the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Annual Conservation Stamp Competition this fall and won the People’s Choice Award. I did a watercolor of the endangered Oregon Silverspot Butterfly on its host plant, the adunca violet. It had to be 13″ x 18″ and unsigned. Artists competed from all over the U.S. Who knew violets could be so important?   See it on ODFW site: https://www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy/contest/2021_conservation_stamp_contest.asp

Andy Roberts Shares His Paintings

I have attached two recent painting that I have completed depicting the Tulip Railroad Trestle ( i.e. Viaduct)  West of Solsberry, Indiana. These were done from opposite directions one looking down Beech Creek to the West and the other from a hill on the West side looking East. I will attempt to host an Upland Plein Air there next year. Merry Christmas to Everyone.

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Celebrating Local Artists

The December issue of Bloom Magazine features the work of 17 local artists, two of which are members of BWS. Our congratulations to Bess Lee and Jerome Harste. The article begins: “Bloomington is blessed with a myriad of artists working in a wide variety of mediums. In these pages we present the works of 17. There are many more, for sure.” It then goes on to say, “Our hope here is that some readers will purchase the art they see or other works by a favorite artist…When you do, an original work of art becomes yours alone, a precious possession that serves no world function other than to be admired and shared with family and friends. So, beware. As you turn these pages, you just might fall in love.”

Sharing Favorite Techniques

Jeanne Dutton is Making Bookmarks

I am making bookmarks for the Venue.  Andrew Preston gave me a pad of mineral paper which is made from rocks.  It’s a lightwright version of yupo, sorta – same smooth, nonporous surface.  So I poured alcohol inks on a sheet of it and cut them into 1 3/4 x 5 1/2 size, then glued them down to regular watercolor paper, embellished with gold or white gel pens, and laminated them.  

Next I punch holes and add tassels.  It’s a nice activity while I sit and watch the snow fall and the wind blow right outside the window. 

Here are pictures of how the alcohol ink interacts with the paper and what they look like after getting tassels.

For those interested, there is a YouTube video entitled “Mineral Paper Overview” which shows how the paper is made.

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Carolyn Rodgers Richard shares her favorite way to make greeting cards.

These Watercolor Cutout Flower Cards are so simple and so much fun!  I have created several of the flowers on front of cards that are for sale at the Hoosier Artist Gallery, 45 S. Jefferson St., Nashville, Indiana in case you don’t have time to make your own and need some!  

To make the cards, just use some good watercolor paper and paint some flower blossoms and leaves.  I have found it best to create the flower blossoms and leaves separately for ease of arranging them on the fronts of blank cards.  The blank cards can be purchased at Hobby Lobby or Michaels.   NOTE: It isn’t necessary to purchase the expensive watercolor paper cards since you are not painting on them, merely gluing flowers to them.  I just take a piece of watercolor paper, my favorite watercolor paint colors, and make as many flowers and leaves on a page as I can fit.   I like to leave a tiny white border around each piece when I cut them out to give them some dimension.  Then I choose some happy color combinations and arrange them on the front of the blank card.  I use elmer’s glue stick to glue them down but I do not glue down completely to the edges because having that little bit of free edge creates a bit of a shadow showing some dimension.   This method could work for any cut outs on the fronts of blank cards.  So much fun and the possibilities are endless!  Don’t forget to sign your cards!   Merry Christmas or Hanukkah everyone.

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Nancy Metz shares her Favorite Technique for Painting Poinsettas

What better time than December to paint a poinsettia? You don’t even have to rush out to get one. This little exercise allows you to “build your own” poinsettia from the center out, using progressively darker values.

Step A – Getting ready to paint: The quarter will help you save the center of your flower (You may not need this, but it is an effortless way to keep from painting right over the white you are trying to save.) I use the wooden skewer to scratch in the veins of the leaves; if you choose a different veining technique, you won’t need the skewer. I chose as my colors quinacridone gold, quinacridone coral, permanent alizarin crimson, permanent sap green, and Prussian blue. You can choose any colors you want; however, transparent colors work better than opaque. The size of your painting will determine the size of your brushes. For my 8-1/2 by 11-1/2 painting, I chose a 1-inch flat, my favorite No. 10 Casaneo (because it comes to such a lovely point). The other two brushes are nothing special; they simply are the right size for tight spaces.

The other photo in Step A illustrates my way of drawing the poinsettia bracts. (That’s the correct name for poinsettia petals.)  I drew these from a poinsettia I had several years ago, and you are welcome to use them. The 10 petal shapes give you plenty of variety because you can flip each one to make it look different. If you chose to draw your own petal shapes, make sure you have a range of sizes. The next step is to cut out the petal shapes. This will be explained in Step D.

Step B – Starting from the center: Place the quarter where you want the center of your flower to be. Then wet the paper, avoiding getting too close to the quarter. You don’t want it sopping wet – just enough for the color to move. Create a puddle of quin gold and from it paint random strokes to create what will be the background for your flower. Don’t make this too uniform. A background of varied values will be more interesting than one solid layer of quin gold. While the wash is wet, blot out areas that are too close to the quarter. A little gold showing though your petal colors is a positive, so don’t be overly concerned with exactly where the flower will be in the final painting.

Remove the quarter and – assuming the paper beneath the coin is dry – paint five or six dots of quin gold. While those are still wet, tip in a tiny bit of quin coral and permanent sap green, letting the pigments mingle. If you don’t get it right the first time, just blot it up, let the paper dry, and give it another go. The final step in painting the center is to freestyle the top layer of bracts. This has to be done on dry paper. These will be the smallest and lightest of the layers. Paint these from a pale wash of quin coral. Try to avoid symmetry; this is nature, after all. Keep them unevenly spaced and differently shaped. 

Step C – A word about veining: Before you start painting the petals, decide how you want to create the veins on the bracts. Five veining methods are shown, and you can choose one or all for your painting. You just need to commit before you paint each bract. I chose to scratch in the veins, so I had to have my skewer handy when I put the paint down. 

Step D – Painting one bract at a time: Once the center of your flower has dried, choose one of your cutout petals and position it where you want it. IMPORTANT: This petal will be behind the top layer you freestyled in Step B, so make sure your pencil marks do not go over any painted areas. The middle photo in Step D shows this technique. Paint the bract using a slightly darker value of quin coral than the top layer. Drop in a little quin gold and or Prussian blue to give the petal dimension. You can be fairly generous with the quin gold, but be very careful with the Prussian blue. Either mix up a puddle of quin coral with a tiny bit of Prussian blue, or just touch a diluted Prussian blue to the wet petal, and let the colors blend on the paper. Repeat with five or six differently shaped bracts to create the second layer of the poinsettia. Remember to vein the bracts using whatever technique you choose. Leave some slivers of “air” around the center by drawing in some stems.

Step E – Creating third layer and looking into the center: Repeat Step D with an even darker wash of quin coral, varying the bract shapes and adding in drops of quin gold and Prussian blue, to create the third layer of bracts. The top photo shows the painting at this stage.

The bottom photo shows the impact of painting those tiny slivers of dark green in the center of the flower. On your palette, mix a dark green from the permanent sap green and permanent alizarin crimson. If the mix looks brown, add more green. This creates the illusion of looking down into the center of the plant, so you should vary the values or even the colors of the greens a little.

Step F – Adding the fourth layer: Using the same process as outlined in Step D, add the fourth layer of bracts. By this point, you may have maxed out the value of quin coral. To solve this problem, mix in a little permanent alizarin crimson to the quin coral. And as with the other layers, add interest by charging in some quin gold and Prussian blue.

Step G – Finishing off by mixing in some greens to fifth layer: A “leaf” on a poinsettia is a bract that hasn’t turned red yet, so you can use the same shapes you’ve used in earlier layers. Mix your greens with the permanent sap green and quin coral OR permanent alizarin crimson. You can get some interesting effects by charging in some permanent alizarin crimson to the greens on the paper.

The finished painting shown as Step G is one I had completed last year. 

My painting mantra has always been “Remember that there is more than one right way to paint anything.” I believe this is a riff on a Susie Short tutorial from long ago, with a few twists of my own. I hope you can make it your own and have a custom poinsettia for your holiday.

December Calendar

Now thru December — Visit the Vault to buy BWS Christmas Cards & Bookmarks

December 6 — Month of Chocolate Prospectus becomes available

Now through December 6 — Get free frames by calling Donna Whitsitt

Now thru December 9 — Participate in the FMCCS Auction

December 14 — BWS Holiday Party

Now thru December 18 — See Betty Wagoner’s painting at the IPAPA show at the Harrison Art Center in Indianapolis

Now thru December 19 – See Sandy Hall’s painting at the Bona Thompson Memorial Center in Irvington

Now through January 4 — Registration open for the Friends of TC Steele Art Show

January 6, 7, or 8 — Deadline for dropping off paintings at the Anderson Museum of Art

Now thru January 9th — See Sandy Hall’s painting at the Richmond Art Museum

January 31 — Deadline for submitting painting to the Pikes Peak Juried Show

February — Month of Chocolate

February 6-27 — TC Steel Art Show

February 14 — Deadline for submitting portfolio to Jasper Art Center

Now thru March — Matrerials due if applying for Signature Status in BWS

March 1 — WSI 2021 Juried Exhibition Prospectus Availble

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

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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.

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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.

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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

BWS Meeting: October 12

6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Business Meeting via Zoom

7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Program via Zoom

The October Program: Printing Greeting Cards – Joanne Shank.  Over the past years people have been able to purchase cards of Joanne’s birds and flowers at various sites in our community.  During this program, Joanne will share what she has to take to the printer as well as where she has the work done, the costs involved, and the choices she has to make. 

Joanne Weddle, BWS Program Chair, says, “It is fun to have your art made into greeting cards to send to friends. Don’t miss this Zoom program. It will inspire you to take this step.”

September’s Program — A Thank You to Kitty Garlock. Kitty was the facilitator for BWS’s September Show and Share program.  Each fall BWS’s September program is a Show and Share where members have an opportunity to share examples of paintings they have done over the summer.  This program is always a favorite as we enjoy seeing what others have done and view samples of their creativity.  Artwork shown included landscapes, portraits, and paintings on a variety of topics including the pandemic. If you missed the September program, you will be able to see what others have done during our upcoming virtual membership show.

Inside BWS

November 1st Deadline

Joanne Weddle, BWS Program Chair, wants to remind you to get your Art Cards (from 1 to 10) and your return envelop with 2 stamps into Cassidy Young by November 1 in order participate in the Christmas Art Card Exchange at our December meeting. Cassidy’s mailing address is 1419 E. Browning Lane, Bloomington, IN 47401. For further details see the August and September BWS Newsletters.

BWS Membership Show

If you missed the virtual celebration of Bloomington Watercolor Society Artists and their paintings on October 2nd, you can still do so by going to: http://bloomingtonwatercolor.smugmug.com. Kathy Barton, the Show Chair, said that paintings can also be viewed through October 29 at The Vault, Gallery Mortgage (121 E. 6th Street, Bloomington) by contacting John LaBella to schedule an appointment (812-334-9700 or John@gallerymortgage.com). Here is just one of the many fabulous paintings in the 2020 Membership Show.

Paint-Out at TC Steele

BWS’s last Paint-Out of the year will be Saturday, October 10, 2020 at the TC Steele State Historic Site.  The Paint-Out starts at 10 am and participants may stay as long they like.  

Our Paint-Out Chair, Betty Wagoner says, “The site will be a delight at this time of the year.  It is on a ridge with buildings, forests, gardens, expanses of grass and a couple of ponds.  The TC Steele home and barn-like studio are visually fetching.  Many trees will be in color.  There is a new Visitor Center with modern restrooms.  A fee of $10 or $8 for seniors is required.  A tour of the Studio and the House of the Singing Wind is included in the fee.  Although we will not have the traditional shared meal due to COVID-19, participants can each bring a lunch and gather with fellow painters, at a safe distance.  Masks are required at the site. Happy painting.”

Outside BWS

Art Sanctuary Fall Art Show

Char Dapena shared this announcement from Nancy Maxwell:  

Because so many events have been postponed including the Annual Fall Foliage Festival, the Art Sanctuary of Martinsville is having a “No-entry-fee, No-prizes, Art Show” this October.

Youth, amateur and professional artists are welcome as is all media and craft.  Art drop off is Sunday, October 5, from 2 to 6 p.m. and October 6, from 3 to 7 p.m. at 190 N. Sycamore St., Martinsville.  Contact Mlika Power, the Show Coordinator (mikalvus2scrap@yahoo.com) for more information.

Burris Family Show, “A Look at Relative Art,” which opened last January, is being held over and will run through Spring 2021.  Bob Burris says to let him know when you come to Columbus to see the show as he would love act as your personal guide.

Betty Wagoner shared a picture that she painted at the Great Outdoor Art Contest (GOAC) which took place at TC Steele on Sept. 9-12, 2020. Betty also sent a picture of  the oil painting by Donna Shortt that was declared the winner of the Great Outdoor Art Contest. 

Other Area Shows

The Hoosier Salon 95th Juried Show at the Indiana State Museum runs from now until October 15.

The Desiderata Art Show at the Arts Illiana Gallery in Terra Haute runs from now until November 20.

The deadline for submitting artwork to the Richmond Art Museum’s 122nd Annual Exhibition by Indiana and Ohio Artist is October 9. The show itself will from November 5th to January 9.

The Terra Haute Swope Art Museum’s 76th Annual Wabash Valley Exhibition runs from November 6 to January 10th.

Member News

Cassidy Young shares an article she read that contains an important part of the history of art:

Fearful that the occupying Nazi forces in Prague could confiscate a lifetime’s worth of artwork, Jewish painter Gertrud Kauders decided in 1939 to hide her vast array of paintings and drawings.

Nearly 80 years later, in the summer of 2018, Michal Ulvr was leading a demolition team tearing down a decrepit house south of Prague when “about 30 paintings tumbled out and fell onto my head.”

As the day wore on, the crew turned up more stashes of strikingly beautiful artwork as they dismantled the house — some were under floorboards, others behind walls. By the end of the day some 700 paintings and sketches lay out in the open on the worksite as summer rain clouds gathered over Prague.

To read the rest of the article go to:  https://www.rferl.org/a/murdered-jewish-artist-paintings-kauders-nazis-prague/30858168.html?fbclid=IwAR1dznmmwbJ0t2oyPPDnQs8nwlo9m39DVKmmbFl56Mgy8a3ePCVOwPxbNew 

Meri Reinhold announced that her painting “Maasai Jeweler” was accepted in the 76^th Annual Wabash Valley Juried Show to be held at the Swope Art Museum (25 S 7^th St., Terre Haute) from November 6^th through January 10, 2021. 

Bob Burris shared his latest painting, “Florida House.” 

Jerry Harste annually donates a picture to support the Simon-Burroughs Art Museum in Myrtle Beach. This year the Museum’s 10th Annual Collectors Event is scheduled for Valentine’s Day, February 14. All artwork donated must be valued at at least $200 dollars. Patrons buy $200 tickets to attend the event and then select a piece of art to add to their private collections. Donated artwork will be on display on the Museum’s website and on display in one of the Museum’s galleries from January 5 to February 13.

October’s Calendar

October 1 to November 1 — Deadline to get from 1 to 10 Art Cards in to Cassidy Young (1419 E. Browning Lane) in order to participate in the December Art Card Exchange. Don’t Put This Off!!!

October 1 through Spring, 2021, Burris Family Show in Columbus.

October 1 to October 15, Hosier Salon 95th Juried Show at the Indiana State Museum.

October 1 to November 20, Desiderata Art Show at the Arts Illiana Gallery in Terra Haute.

October 2 to October 29, BWS Membership Show, Online and at The Vault.

October 5 and October 6, Drop off of painting at Art Sanctuary of Martinsville.

October 10, TCSteele Paint-Out, starting time 10 a.m.

October 15, deadline for submitting artwork to the Richmond Art Museum’s 122nd Annual Exhibition.

October 12, BWS Business Meeting (6 p..m.) and Program (7 p.m.) over Zoom.

November 6 to January 10, Terra Haute Swope Art Museum’s 76th Annual Wabash Valley Exhibition.

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!

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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

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.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.

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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

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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

August Business Meeting and Program

Business Meeting: 6-7 p.m. via Zoom

Program: Making and Trading Art Cards with Joanne Weddle, 7-8 p.m. via Zoom

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BWS members are invited to design and paint artist trading cards for our Holiday Trading activity.  Following our Monday, August 10, 6:00 Zoom meeting, Joanne Weddle will give a presentation on making artist trading cards.  Instructions on how we will trade these cards is as follows:

a. Members are invited to make from 1 – 10 cards (your choice).  These cards are 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches in size and done on cards you can purchase from Hobby Lobby (25 for $2.99 minus a 40% coupon) or ones you cut from your own watercolor paper.

b. Designs should be original.  They can each be different or all the same.  Put your name on the back of the cards.

c. Put your cards in an envelope to mail to Cassidy Young at 1419 E. Browning Lane, Bloomington, IN 47401.

d. Also put a stamped, self-addressed envelope in the envelope with your cards. These envelopes must be received by Cassidy no later than November 1, 2020.

e. Cassidy will sort out all cards she receives and return to you in your self-addressed, stamped envelope the same number of cards done by others as the number you sent to her.

f.. Following the BWS Zoom business meeting on Monday, December 14, members will open their envelopes, look at their cards and make any comments they may wish to make (a thank you, or whatever).  These will be our holiday gifts to each other.  We hope you will participate.

Inside BWS

A special thank you to Nancy Metz and Carol Rhodes for their July program “Discovering Your Museum.” While there were some technical problems those of us who hung in there learned about the online exhibits that are available to view around the world as well as why sketching painting that capture your attention can be such an educational and enlightening experience. Thanks again, Nancy and Carol. A wonderful program by two wonderful teachers.

The Coming Year in Programs: 2020-2021 is Going to be Great!

Joanne Weddle, BWS Program Chair, announced that all BWS programs for 2020-2021 will be held the 2^nd Monday of each month following a business meeting conducted on Zoom.  Programs already scheduled are as follows:

       August 10 – Artist Trading Cards – Joanne Weddle

       September 14 – Show and Share facilitated by Kitty Garlock – members invited to share a piece of art done over the summer.

       October 12 – Printing Cards From Paintings – Joanne Shank.

       November 9 – Indiana Greens Throughout the Year – Kathy Barton.

       December 14 – Meadowood Holiday Party cancelled.  Artist Trading Cards will be shared between members on zoom following the business meeting.

       January 11 – Journals – Jeanne Dutton.

       February 8 – Using the FUNdamental of Art to Create an Abstract – Jerry Harste

       March 8 – Making Folding Greeting Cards – Charlotte Griffin

       April 12 – _______________

       May 19 – ________________

       June 14 – ________________

Programs and presenters are needed for the months of April, May and June.  If you are willing to be a presenter on a topic you think would interest the group, let Joanne Weddle know (812-345-6217 or jweddle2@comcast.net).  If you don’t want to present, but have a topic you wish to have presented, let Joanne know and she will find a presenter.  Joanne says, “In a regular year we would have filled out a form with program ideas during our June meeting.  This year we need your electronic input via email with ideas to complete this year’s schedule.” Please respond.

Attention! August BWS Paint-Out 

Sat., August 8, 2020, 9 am – Noon
At the Woolery and The Clear Creek Trail

Betty Wagoner, our Paint-Out Chair, described the setting and all of the opportunities of what to paint. “The Woolery and northern terminus of the Clear Creek Trail are connected by a paved trail that crosses under the Tapp Road bridge.  The Clear Creek Trail proceeds south for 2 1/2 miles.  The Woolery, on the north side of Tapp Road, is an aging, metal shell of a building where an artist could walk in and set up to paint.  It is adjacent to The Woolery Mill, a renovated building.  The grounds are both groomed and on the wild side with expanses of grass, a quarry full of water, walls of large stones, trees and a pond.  Large machinery including an old firetruck are scattered about the property. The Clear Creek Trail on the south side of the bridge offers a pretty view of the Clear Creek flowing over rocks. As a bonus, a farmers’ market is there on Saturdays. For a view of the site, go to https://www.oneworldatwoolery.com“

Look for an email reminder and instructions in the week before the paint-out. 

 

Our Latest Paint-Out: A Report and Pictures from Betty Wagoner and Andy Roberts

On July 11, ten BWS painters met at the Karst Farm Park on one of the best weather days of July.  It was sunny but a cool, low humidity morning.  The park was beautiful, a mix of rolling grasslands, trees, sports fields, woods and trails.  Photographed here are Cassidy Young at work and Nancy Metz, surrounded by her paintings.

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Andy Roberts wrote saying, “I participated in a Paint Out at Karst Farm Park on Saturday July 11th. It was a beautiful summer morning and peaceful. I sketched and painted this landscape  in watercolor.”

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! 2020 BWS Membership Show

Kathleen Barton, BWS Show Chair, announced that our Member Show will be held October 2 through October 29 with the take-in of paintings on September 29.   At this time it is not known whether the show will be online or in a gallery, with visitors accessing the exhibition at reserved times. Visit the BWS website to see the prospectus.

This year’s theme is “Renewal/Rejuvenation,” says Kathleen Barton, “to counter-act the specter we deal with on a daily basis. If you have an artistic response to Covid it can be part of the show, as we seek ways to process the pandemic and live full lives.  Stay safe and we look forward to seeing your paintings.”

Francie Agnostino’s Artwork: This from Patty Uffman, our Past President

“Some of you know Francita (“Francie”) Agostino who has been a member of BWS a number of years.  She lived in Bloomington except for part of the year that she spent in Bradenton, Florida.  Recently she moved back to Bloomington and now is a new resident of the independent living section in Gentry Park.  Due to major downsizing, she has sold her artwork to Jeff’s Warehouse, 424 S. College Avenue.  Anyone interested in her voluminous oils, pastels, and watercolors can visit Jeff’s Warehouse Tuesday-Saturday.  I was there over the weekend and came away with several paintings — small ones, primarily because I’m running out of wall space!  After I bought them I gave Francie a call and she was tickled to hear that ‘one artist appreciates another one.’  Talking with her was really my pleasure!”

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Greenfield and BWS Proud by Kathy Barton

John William Vawter (187l to 1941), from Greenfield, Indiana was an American landscape artist and illustrator known for his broad strokes and loose impressionistic style.

The Hancock County Arts Center, under the leadership of Show Chair, Carol Barrett, sponsored a Will Vawter Art Show in conjunction with the dedication of a Will Vawter statue.  The Bloomington Watercolor Society was well represented with Sandy Hall having two pieces in the show and Betty Wagoner, Kathleen Barton and Joanne Shank each having three pieces.  Our deepest congratulations to those BWS members who participated.

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Sharing What We Have Been Up To?

Because most of what we know about art we learn from being in the presence of others, sharing our work is one of the most important and enjoyable aspect of becoming a member of the Bloomington Watercolor Society. As editors of our Newsletter, Nancy Metz and I wish to thank all of the members who elected to share their work in this edition. Your contributions make the Newsletter worth reading and our roles enjoyable.

Robin Edmundson

Robin Edmundson reported that two of her pieces were accepted into Juried Exhibitions. “Bluebell Wood – Just Starting to Bloom” was accepted in the WSI Exhibit 2020 Show and “Midwinter Sky & Birds” was accepted into the Hoosier Salon Exhibition. Congruations Robin!!!

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Susan Savastuk

Susan Savastuk says she has been experimenting with pointillism marker portraits and landscapes

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Carol Rugers Richard

Carolyn Rogers Richard wrote saying “I somehow didn’t see last month’s request for newsletter information.  I was one of the Featured Artists at Hoosier Artist Gallery at 45 S. Jefferson St. in Nashville for the month of July.”

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Patty Uffman

Patty Uffman wrote saying “Here are the paintings I have completed this month.”

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Jacki Frye

Jacki Frye wrote saying, “This was done in the past month when we visited Yellowstone. The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful  assortments of clouds and storms  in the mountains. I’ve been doing a series of studies of sky and clouds.”

Nina Ost

Nina Ost sent in a picture that probably rings true to all of us in the Bloomington Watercolor Society who are trying to enjoy our flower gardens. Nina writes, “I’ve been playing with collage. This is a nod to the damn deer in my yard. I’ve entitled it ‘Welcome to the Burbs.'”

Carla Hedges

Carla Hedges has been busy, busy, busy. “I’ve been painting flowers and I’m really enjoying it.” As you can see, she has a beautiful series going.

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Bess Lee

Bess Lee contributed ‘Save Our Mother,’ a painting she completed in Carol Rhodes and Nancy Metz’ class, ‘Discovering Your MUSEum.’ The concerned expressions on the faces of the angels are lovely Bess, as is your message to the world.

Suzanne Thorin

Suzanne Thorin. “I took a class on July 23rd with Sarah Roche sponsored by a group called Arty Classes, which comes from England.  Sarah is the director of the Botanical Arts program at Wellesley.  This is my rose from that class.  Sarah is doing a master class on painting leaves in October. This Zoom class was international with Sarah working and teaching from Cohasset, MA and the convener from a suburb of London.”

Claude Cookman

Claude Cookman wrote to say, “I feel so lucky to be able to putter away my time trying to make art.

I’ve been doing watercolor over a silverpoint drawing. Here is a bit of history. The graphite pencil was not developed until the mid 1500s. Like most new technologies, it took time until it was widely adopted. Before that, artists drew with ink, charcoal, chalk, and — one of their favorite mediums — metal. They used gold, copper, and lead, but especially liked silver. 

A few weeks ago, I began experimenting with silverpoint. I put a piece of silver wire in a mechanical pencil holder and draw on a board coated with gesso that contains an abrasive.  The medium is extremely responsive and, if you do it right — that is, with great patience — will produce very delicate drawings. Over time, the silver takes on a patina, which darkens the drawing. I am also experimenting with gold, copper, brass, and solder (a lead alloy) wires. Each metal gives a different tone. 

Below is still life of peaches drawn in silverpoint. Following the practice of some Renaissance artists, I added watercolor to produce the second image. This proved quite tricky. On regular paper, the watercolors sink into the paper, but they sit up on top of the gesso surface. It’s hard to get a consistent wash. For this image, I applied several thin glazes, which has worked for me with ink drawings. The result on gesso was streaked with ugly blotches and harsh edges. So, one small area at a time, I dampened the painting with a clean brush and wiped away most of the color, yielding this lightly tinted image. 

This was a great learning experience, but I probably will not do it again. First, because the watercolor is so difficult to control on gesso. Primarily, because the paint obscures the shimmering quality of the metal drawing.”

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Lynne Gilliatt

Lynne Gilliatt regularly invites artist friends to her shaded driveway to paint. On this particular morning she was joined by Nancy Metz (front) and Carol Voelker (back).

Nancy Davis Metz

Nancy Davis Metz wrote to say that she had just finished her Covid-19 painting which she is calling “Social Distancing.” Nancy’s mastery of glazing is evident in the stunning painting she submitted.

Sara Steffy

Sara Steffy wrote saying, “I just got the news that my acrylic, ‘BeeBalm,’ has been accepted in the Jasper, Indiana 27th Annual Juried Exhibit. The Exhibit will be at the Krempp Gallery and run from September 2 to September 27. More information is available at www.jasperarts.org.

Barbara Coffman

Barbara Coffman sent in two of the many paintings of the trees at Yellowwood that she worked on while taking Nancy Metz and Carol Rhodes’ class entitled “Discovering Your MUSEum.” Barbara’s initial inspiration for how to paint the trees came from seeing Hale Woodruff’s painting, entitled “Twilight,” at the Chicago Institute of Art. From there it was all play and experimentation and, might I add, to great effect!

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`Meri Reinhold

Meri Reinhold wrote saying, “I just have one picture to include. Titled: Surrounded.” While Meri captures the softer side of the Covid-19 pandemic, she also captures its pervasiveness and danger.

Jerome Harste

“I’ve been doing a series on ‘hands.” I’m calling this gouache collage (I used an actual shoe string), ‘Mending Our Flag.’ I started this hand series in Carol Rhodes and Nancy Metz’ ‘Discovering Your MUSEum’ online course. The inspiration for this particular painting came from several sources. First, the layout for the hands comes from a photograph by Georgia O’Keefe which I found at the Art Institute of Chicago. I loved how the positioning of the hands led the eye through the photograph. Further inspiration came from my study of Matisse and his use of thick black outlining of objects in his painting. (About four times as thick as any outlining I had previously even tried.) My third source of inspiration came from the Black Live Matter protests and Trump’s use of police to quell what he calls riots.

Remembering Our History

Our BWS Historian, Linda Branstetter, sent in the following report: “I found that from July 7th to the 17th in 2010, BWS watercolor artists were invited to paint pictures of the musicians at the USA International Harp Competition during rehearsals.  The following were the artists that participated.   Gillian Harris, Joanne Shank, Rosemary Messick, Jacki Frey, Dan Alexander, Bess Lee, Sherry Curry, Cathy Korinek, Betty Wagoner, Jo Weddle, and Tricia Heiser Wente.

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Tricia Heiser Wente send in some of the painting she did at the event, saying, “We were painting in almost total darkness, and had to be extra careful not to make a sound! No swishes of water or dropping brushes etc. It was a very intense, but I enjoyed painting  while listening to the beautiful music.  I miss seeing you and all my BWS friends.”

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Outside BWS

Wabash Valley Juried Exhibition

Call for Entries: The 76th Anniversary Wabash Valley Juried Exhibition will open November 6th and close on January 10 , 2021. Current and former residents of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio are invited to submit from 1 to 5 original works. $10 entry fee per work. $5,000 in prizes to given! Work can be submitted from now until September 18th.

Watercolor Society of Indiana

WSI’s Exhibit 2020 opens on August 7 and runs through September 26 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony will be a recorded ceremony, available on the WSI website.  The show will also be online in addition to being an in-person event.

Hoosier Art Salon

The 15th Annual Hoosier Salon’s Membership Show, “Good Ole’ Summertime,” will be held at the New Harmony Gallery and be open to the public from August 1 to September 6 from 12 p.m. to 4 p. m. each day. The Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held on August 1 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Gallery is located at 507 Church Street.

The Hoosier Art Salon’s 96th Annual Exhibition will be held from August 29 to October 25 at the Indiana History Museum, 650 W. Washington, St., Indianapolis. $20,000 in awards will be made with $5,000 going to best in show. The awards ceremony will be online scheduled for August 27 at 6 pm EST via Zoom for the accepted artists. We wish the best of luck to our members who entered paintings that were accepted.

Desiderata Art Show

Kathleen Barton, BWS Program Chair, reported that artists have until August 21 to get their entries submitted to the Desiderata Art Show. See the flyer below for details.

Upland Plein Air Welcomes Us To Join Them as a Guest

Upland Plein Air continues to have paint outs—at least two per month during our quarantine. Upland invites you to come along to one of their events as a guest. Upland observes COVID 19 protocols and practices social distancing. Members drive separately, wear masks, bring their own chairs, and spread out easily for a few hours of fun and creativity in a small group setting. This is working well as everyone is conscientious and so pleased to still have this activity during these difficult times.  Please contact Kristen Stamper at uplandpleinair@gmail.com to learn when the next event is planned.

 Here is a watercolor painting by Andy Roberts, from the BWS and Upland together paint out organized by Betty Wagoner at Yellowwood shelter on June 28.

Bloomington Portrait Group invites You to Take the challenge

First, a bit of history: The Bloomington Portrait Group began in January 2017 as an offshoot of the Upland Plein Air Painters, then a sister organization of the Bloomington Watercolor Society. It was too cold to paint outside, and the group was looking for a winter activity. Somebody suggested a portrait session. About eight artists met at Jacki Frye’s home in Ellettsville. Claude Cookman recruited the first model and has coordinated the sessions since. 

BPG is extremely informal: no dues, no membership application, no organizational meetings. Artists show up and paint or draw. And they are welcome to work in any medium. During normal times, the group meets for two hours every other Thursday at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. Participants share the cost of the model fee, a minimum of $3, but never more than $5 thanks to a system devised by Treasurer Meri Reinhold.

BPG had its first exhibition at the Monroe County Public Library during October 2018. A second, scheduled for last April, had to be postponed. The group expects to hold that exhibition and resume regular sessions — drawing and painting from live models — when a vaccine for Covid-19 becomes available. 

Cookman strives to recruit models who reflect Bloomington’s rich diversity in age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Models have included Asians, African-Americans, gay, and transgendered individuals. The youngest model was 8; the oldest a nonagenarian. More recently, he has also recruited people who help make Bloomington a great place to live. They include IU First Lady Laurie Burns McRobbie, radio personality Tom Rosnowski, WFIU Soul Kitchen host Brother William Morris, retired Unitarian-Universalist minister Bill Breeden, Judge Francie Hill, and IU Women’s Basketball star Alexis Gassion. The one thing all models have in common is their interesting faces. 

When the quarantine shut down everything, MarySue Schwab suggested, instead of portraits, that artists create self portraits. Cookman expanded her idea into a monthly challenge intended to keep participants active in their studios. To date, the challenges have been: April, self portrait; May, portrait of a loved one; June, portrait of a pet; and July, portrait in a new medium. The Herald-Times published an article about the self portraits with several images. The pet challenge drew the most enthusiastic response.

The August challenge is to draw or paint a portrait of a statue. This charcoal drawing of a bust of Wendell Wilkie in the Indiana Memorial Union is an example.
BPG welcomes any artist at any level, working in any medium. If you would like full details on the statue challenge and/or to be put on the BPG email list, please email Cookman at: ccookman@indiana.edu

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August Calendar

August 1 to August 29: Submissions accepted to the Desiderata Art Show.

August 1 to September 1 : Submissions accepted to the 76th Annual Wabash Valley Juried Exhibition.

August 1 to September 6: 15th Annual Hoosier Salon Membership Show at the New Harmony Gallery.

August 7 to September 26: Watercolor Society of Indiana Exhibit 2020 open at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

August 8: Bloomington Watercolor Society ‘s Paint-Out at the Woolery and Clear Creek Trail.

August 10: Bloomington Watercolor Society ‘s Monthly Zoom Meeting from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. followed by an Art Card Program from Joanne Weddle from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

August 29 to October 25: Opening of the Hoosier Art Salon’s 96th Annual Exhibition at the Indiana History Museum.