Jan. 11
Monthly meeting program
features journaling
Be sure to join BWS’s Zoom meeting on Monday, Jan. 11, at 6 p.m. After the business meeting, Joanne Weddle will present a program on journaling. Joanne, Linda Branstetter and Jacqueline Fernette will share examples of journals they have made.
At last month’s Zoom meeting, all who had participate in the Artist Trading Card project opened their envelopes with the Artist Trading Cards they had received. “What an enjoyable time it was to then show each one on the screen and tell who had painted it,” Joanne Weddle said. “This turned out to be a lot of fun and an opportunity to thank those who had participated in this activity.” Thanks go to all who painted cards for giving their time and effort to making these small individuals works of art and to Cassidy Young who received, sorted and mailed the envelopes out to those who sent cards to her.
President’s message
As we said our goodbyes to the challenging and tumultuous 2020, we stepped into 2021 with hopes and desires for better times. I want to wish all of you a great year full of interesting opportunities.
Bloomington Watercolor Society, despite the pandemic, is vibrant and active as always. We continue our monthly meetings on Zoom, first with our business meeting, followed then by an art program presented by one of our artists. In February we will have a “Carnival” art exhibition at the Vault at Gallery Mortgage and also online. We anticipate having an online workshop sometime in the next months. And as of the spring, we will resume our plein air paint-outs. We are so lucky to have this organization here in Bloomington. We always welcome new watercolor artists of all levels. We are here to support each other and to grow as artists.
And here, I would like to share with you a link to The National Museum in Krakow to a page of selected works by a great Polish painter, poet, and playwright, Stanislaw Wyspianski, a master of portraits and landscapes. Enjoy!
https://mnk.pl/collection/selected-works-by-stanislaw-wyspianski
During the holidays, some of our artists had a chance to have images of their Winter Scene paintings published in The Herald-Times, in the paper and online. The Bloomington Watercolor Society is grateful to The Herald-Times for the year-after-year opportunity to display the work of our artists and to please the eyes of its readers. We look forward to continuing this relationship in the future. Also, many thanks to our artists who participated in creating the Winter Scene paintings and sharing the images with The Herald-Times. Thank you all.
Joanna Samorow-Merzer
BWS President, 2020-2021
Vote by Jan. 11
on bylaws amendments
Proposed amendments to the BWS Bylaws are up for a vote by active members; the deadline for a vote is Jan. 11. Active members should have received the information from Charlotte Griffin, BWS secretary, in an email dated Dec. 27, 2020. Find that email and follow the instructions.
Carnival. Noun. 1. a period of public revelry at a regular time each year, typically during the week before Lent in Roman Catholic countries, involving processions, music, dancing, and the use of masquerade.
“We Paint … Carnival!”
by Jeanne Dutton
Here is your prospectus for the Month of Chocolate show coming in February 2021:
https://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/prospectus/.
There are some exciting changes from the normal MoC exhibit program, so please read the prospectus carefully!
First, we will have an online gallery.
Second, the plan is to film a guided tour of the exhibit, hosted by art curator and one of our judges, Gabriel Colman.
Third, everything will be linked to the LIFEDesigns’ Month of Chocolate website where BWS will have its own page.
Fourth, sales will be handled online through LIFEDesigns, so folks can pay with their credit card, check, or cash. That will make sales so much more convenient and hopefully prompt sales. Sales commission is 50 percent, which supports LIFEDesigns.
Fifth, Best of Show will receive a $100 award sponsored by John La Bella at the Vault at Gallery Mortgage, and there will be other prizes to go along with that and a prize for runner-up.
Please photograph your painting BEFORE framing it. Then send to me at Chocolate@BloomingtonWatercolor.org
Include all the information needed for the gallery:
- Title
- Medium
- Price
- Framed Size
“We Paint … Carnival” Calendar
Jan. 10 Send scanned or digital image of artwork to Jeanne Dutton at Chocolate@BloomingtonWatercolor.org.
Feb. 2 Deliver painting to The Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 121 E. Sixth St., Bloomington between 10 a.m. and noon.
Feb. 5 Virtual Opening Reception and Awards
Feb. 5 – March 28 Exhibition at the Vault at Gallery Mortgage.
March 29 Pick up paintings between 10 a.m. and noon at The Vault.
Member News
Irina Shishova and Katya Alexeeva are proud to announce that Viridian Moon Art Gallery opens its doors Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. The address is 1600 W. Bloomfield Road, Bloomington. The venue is characterized by a strong presence of watercolor artworks. Our current exhibition features several current members of BWS – Jacki Frey, Henry Leck, Nancy Davis Metz, and Carol Rhodes, as well as former BWS members Anne-Karine Bley and Donna Whitsitt. More information is available at https://www.viridianmoon.art.
Andy Roberts sent in two paintings using pen and ink drawings with watercolor overlay of vintage trucks that have taken on unique character with age. “This a technique that I have been using with several of my art endeavors this past year and hope to continue honing those skills in 2021,” Andy writes. “I hope everyone can continue their own 2021 art adventure with an expectation that we can again socialize without any undue fears. Happy New Year to BWS members.”
Beyond BWS
Friends of TC Steele Member Art Show has extended its registration deadline to Jan. 13. The show will hang at Brown County Art Gallery in Nashville, Ind., Feb. 6 – 27. The show will be judged and a $1,000 first place prize awarded.
“We need watercolor paintings,” said Betty Wagoner, show coordinator. Registration of artworks is free to Friends members. Non-members may register with payment of a membership.
For more information go to https://tcsteele.org/member-art-show-registration. You can also contact Betty at bwagoner@tsteele.org.
Kentucky Watercolor Society announces the opening for submissions for Aquaventure 2021, which will run online from March 15 to April 30. You can enter your work starting now through Feb. 8.
Click on https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtOuLGKhlCkAC2xf_iBMRKok3ZSO7pYM6GiU0yOIV0LC3tCA/viewform.
You can make your full entry online, including your painting image(s). Thorough instructions guide you through the entire process. If you wish to submit via mail, you’ll find the instructions for mail entries on the prospectus as well.
Upland invites BWS members to attend some winter Tuesday programs this winter. Anyone who is interested and wants to be added to its mailing list, please contact Babette Ballinger or Kitty Garlock.
My Favorite Technique
This month is a double feature: Tricia Wente and Penny Lulich both shared techniques that involve revisiting previous works.
Tricia Wente
I thought I would share my recent experience with using several of my older and favored watercolors as reference material. Here are two examples of my most recent works with final artwork being much larger acrylic paintings. When deciding a subject, I choose an older plein air watercolor painting and just go from there. Using the watercolor only as a spring board as a quick reference, I was never attempting an exact reproduction.
The “Catnap” painting is of my son-in-law, and it was fun to add his pet cats for interest. I love the spontaneity of the watercolors, but the larger works make a much bigger statement. Many years ago, artists produced watercolors as reference for their studio paintings, and I was doing the same!
Penny Lulich
I think the best technique that I practice is perseverance. If I paint a piece over and over again, I’m going to learn something from it. When I begin a new piece, I make it more like a sketch or a study. This is where I work out how much white I need to leave on the paper and where to leave it. I also work out what colors look best in the painting and what kind of mood I would like to create with those colors. I set the values in the sketch and figure out where to work out the light and the dark, and also the cool and the warm. I paint the sketch on the same brand and weight/texture of watercolor paper I’ll use for the final painting so that I can see exactly how all the paint will work on the paper. In the end, I’m not looking for perfection. I am looking for emotion. The painting has to tell a good story. If it doesn’t tell a good story then either I have the wrong idea for a painting, or I have to rework the painting so that it tells the story I wanted to tell.
One of the most important things I learn by being persistent is resilience as an artist. A painting can come out just terrible, and I’ll be very disappointed, but I’ll get back up in that saddle, so to speak. I get a new piece of paper, grab my brush, get some clean water, and go at it again and again until I am satisfied. There are times when I’m not satisfied even after painting a scene several times, and in those situations, I will put the paintings in a drawer to pull out and work on again at another time – perhaps when I have learned from other paintings and can then come back with more knowledge and understanding.
I don’t want to ever give up. Telling stories through painting is just too enjoyable and enticing for me. Below are some examples of paintings I’ve been satisfied with after several working attempts. I hope you enjoy them, and I hope you will never give up on the kind of artwork that you want to do.
“My Favorite Technique” is on its way to being a regular feature of Brushstrokes. Let’s keep it rolling. 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?”
Calendar
Jan. 10 Deadline for submitting digital images to Chocolate@BloomingtonWatercolor.org
Jan. 11 BWS Meeting on Zoom, 6 p.m. Link will be sent via email.
Jan. 11 Deadline for voting on BWS bylaws amendments
Jan. 13 Registration deadline for Friends f T.C. Steele Member Art Show
Jan. 21 Viridian Moon Art Gallery opening, 2 p.m., 1600 W. Bloomfield Rd., Bloomington
Feb. 2 Deliver “We Paint … Carnival” paintings to The Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 10 a.m. to noon, 121 E. Sixth St., Bloomington
Feb. 5 – March 28 “We Paint … Carnival!” show at The Vault
Feb. 6 – 27 Friends of T.C. Steele Members Art Show, Brown County Art Gallery
Feb. 8 Deadline for entering Kentucky Watercolor Society Aquaventure
March 29 Pick up “We Paint … Carnival!” paintings, 10 a.m. to noon, The Vault
