“May is the most beautiful month of the year, a month alive with warm color. The flowers and trees are in full bloom, and even the sun joins this rhapsody be emitting warmer rays.”
— Lillian Berliner, And The Month Was May: A Memoir
— Painting, JCHarste
MEETING
Jeanne Dutton to Demonstrate Journal Making, May 13
Bloomington Watercolor Society will meet Monday, May 13, at the First Christian Church, 205 E. Kirkwood Ave. The business meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the upper room as work is being completed in the room we usually meet in. Enter through the Washington Street door; the door code will be sent by email. The meeting will not be on Zoom.
Following the meeting, Jeanne Dutton will demonstrate how to create artist journals via different ways of folding watercolor paper.
Making a sketchbook out of a single piece of paper is a handy trick to have up your sleeve! These versatile sketchbooks can be made in a variety of sizes and used for drawing exercises, specific projects, special gifts, or even to accompany you on a plein air outing!
Easy to pack, take one on your summer vacation. Make them with the grandkids and create special memories. Remember, these journals aren’t fine art, they’re FUN art!
Jeanne says, “I love to pick a theme, gather quotations related to the theme, then get creative with my illustrations! The folds create pockets which can be filled with bookmarks, tiny paintings, or other ephemera.”
Jeanne will also bring several samples to, hopefully, inspire you!
Supplies to bring:
A full or half sheet of 140# watercolor paper, plus a few smaller sizes.
Scissors
A bone folder for pressing creases
Ideas for your theme
Quotations related to that theme
Bring whatever medium you want to start your journal with – pencil, pens, watercolor pens, etc.
Photo by Jeanne Dutton
INSIDE BWS
Presidential Notes of Thanks
Thank you to MarySue Schwaab, BWS Signature member, who presented the April program, “Using Color and White Space Effectively,” and discussed layering, using transparent watercolors.
Here’s a sample from the audience.
And kudos to Daniel Goebbert for sharing his Eclipse inspired painting at the meeting.
A Note of Urgency
Laura Brown, BWS Vice President, wrote to say:
“As I mentioned at one of the meetings, BWS activities are made possible by artists like YOU! There are a couple spots where we are in need of volunteers to make things possible this year. The hats to wear are very different from one another, so please read the entire email so you don’t miss what might be a perfect fit for you!
First off, every year for awhile now we have been taking a bus up to the Newfields Museum of Art in Indianapolis to see the LUME exhibit, a 360 walkthrough immersive art experience which has focused on great artists of the past. From the Impressionists to Van Gogh, this year’s exhibit is Salvador Dali! However, we still don’t have a trip coordinator to help make arrangements with the museum, verify our transportation, send reminder emails, and overall ensure a fun experience for our members. Without a coordinator, we will not be able to arrange this trip this year, something we all surely wouldn’t want to miss out on. Note, Dali Alive! closes on June 20.
Secondly, if you’re someone that would prefer to work behind the scenes, we have the perfect spot for you! We are in need of someone to edit Brushstrokes, our monthly online newsletter. It is the homebase for all our organization’s news, recaps, and upcoming events. Right from home, you could be the one that helps build a solid record of BWS events and a go-to spot for members and the public alike.
If you are willing to step up to the plate, please for either of these please contact info@bloomingtonwatercolor.org
Paint Out at May Creek Farm
Announcing the first BWS paint-out of the season!
Please join BWS and Upland artists at the May Creek Farm for a morning of plein air painting on May 18 from 10 am to 1 pm. The beautiful rural farm offers a large grassy area surrounded by forest and a large pond with a babbling brook and outbuildings. In short, plenty of scenes to paint!
Directions: Head south on Rockport Road from S Rogers Street for about 8 miles. Look for a tall address sign on the left and the BWS sign. Park on the gravel parking lot and please be sure not to block someone’s driveway.
A shelter house and a large porch offer protection from the sun or the rain! A coffee pot and refrigerator are also available.
Transportation from the parking area is available for those with mobility challenges.
Hosts Betty Wagoner and Sara Steffey McQueen will be there to welcome you.Questions? Email info@BloomingtonWatercolor.org or call 812 420-0695.
Cancer Support Community Center
Jeanne Dutton, Barbara Coffman, & Linda Branstetter will be the featured artists at the South Center Indiana Community Cancer Support Center through May and June. The Exhibit is entitled, “Flowers, Fields, and Felines.” The opening reception will be May 10 from 4 to 7 p.m.
Historical Tidbit
Linda Branstetter, BWS Historian, sent in this little bit of history from June 2, 2014. Troy Kilgore, Tricia Wente, and Jerome Harste were three Bloomington artists among 15 Indiana artists chosen for the Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibition that was on display through August of 2014 at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Historical Center in Indianapolis. This was Harste’s first time being a part of the exhibit.
Hoosier Salon has exhibited art from many of Indiana’s most notable painters, sculptors, cartoonists, and mixed media artists including Hoosier group artists, members of Brown County Art Colony, and other artists with ties to Indiana.
OUTSIDE BWS
Artists for Climate Awareness: Workshop, May 11
MarySue Schwab wrote to say, “Sign up for my watercolor workshop on May 11th at Ivy Tech Community College, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Painting Pollinators, Birds, Butterflies and Bees. I’ll share some thing I’ve learned about bird anatomy, choosing the best reference photo, and various watercolor techniques.”
This workshop on pollinators is sponsored by Artists for Climate Awareness.
“We’ll delve into the world of pollinators through watercolor. This special event aligns with World Migratory Bird Day, spotlighting the vital role of birds and insects as pollinators. Our artistic journey will revolve around the intricate beauty of pollinators. From butterflies to bees, dragonflies to hummingbirds, we invite participants to capture the essence of these vital creatures through the graceful strokes of watercolor. You can bring your own photo references or subjects will be provided.
Autumn Brunelle, full-time naturalist for Monroe County Parks and Recreation (and annual Bugfest coordinator), will provide education about pollinators as well as information about the Indiana Master Naturalist Program and the Monroe County Parks and Recreation’s environmental programs.”
To learn more and register, go to https://artistsforclimateawareness.org/event/celebrating-pollinators-in-watercolor/.
Watercolor Society of Indiana: Two Announcements!!
Membership Show: The Watercolor Society of Indiana’s Annual Members’ Show will be at Gallery Forty-Two at 42 East Washington St., Indianapolis, from June 14th through July 26th. There is a public reception on June 14th from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm.
Call to Artists for Entries: The Watercolor Society of Indiana Annual Juried Exhibition is accepting entries from members until 5:00 p.m. on May 24th. This Exhibition will be at the Indianapolis Museum of Art from August 2nd through September 28th. More information and a prospectus is available on the WSI website at https://www.watercolorsocietyofindiana.org/ where you can also see information about upcoming classes, demonstrations and regional exhibitions.
Hoosier Art Salon: Call to Artists for Entries
Celebrating 100 Years, the Hoosier Art Salon’s Annual Exhibition will take place at the Indiana State Museum from August 26 until October 22. Apply online from May 6 to June 16 at juriedartservices.com. For complete rules visit hoosierartsalon.org.
$100,000 in Artist’s Awards and Commissions are hoping to be distributed!!
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Gene Harrawood. His is something I’m working on:
Here are some I finished.
Tim Lewis. I was accepted to be represented by a new gallery. Gallery 02 is located at 1115 Broadway in Fort Wayne and will hold a grand opening celebration from 5 until 8 p.m. on May 4th. I will have six watercolors available and on display at the opening including “Snowed In” and “Ghosts Of Fenns.”
“Snowed In” – 22” x 15” watercolor, Tim Lewis, Artist
“Ghosts Of Fenns” – 16” x 12” watercolor, Tim Lewis, Artist
Carolyn Roger Richard. For the month of May, I will be a Featured Artist at the Hoosier Artist Gallery, a cooperative gallery in Nashville, Indiana. Also featured is Anabel Hopkins of Nashville. There will be an Art Walk on Friday, May 4th from 4 to 7 p.m. All are invited to attend. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day at 45 S. Jefferson St., Nashville, IN, directly behind the Brown County Art Guild.
One of the paintings being shown by Carolyn Roger Richards at the Hoosier Art Gallery
Zain Mackey. I’ve been having fun working with shapes and color mixing with abstracts. This painting “Ova Over Texas,” along with some older work is headed to the Boomerang Gallery, a pop-up art gallery at Boomerang Hall on Madison Street in Bloomington.
“Ova Over Texas,” Zain Mackey, Artist.
Patrica Uffman. This could be considered an homage to Linda Meyer-Wright. In one of her classes she told us that we could incorporate discarded items into our work; in fact, we could scape paint off our pallet to create something. That is what I did — scrape bits of hardened acrylic paint from my pallet to make this scene that I call “Paint Blob Panic.” It is 8” x 10” on canvas board.
“Paint Blob Panic,” Patricia Uffman, Artist.
Andy Roberts. I painted this En Plein Air as I love the house and many others in the Prospect Hill neighborhood. My Aunt Jennie actually lived in this house when I was a small child so hence the attraction also. Now that the weather is getting nice I hope to be more productive.
Andy Roberts, Artist.
Jerome Harste. One of the lessons the lions taught me during my last safari in South Africa is the secret to a long life. I’m calling this playful personification, “The Secret to Longevity: Marrying Well.”
Jerry also writes, “As many of you know I am a strong advocate of expanding society’s notions of literacy beyond reading and writing. To that end, when I teach courses (even those that deal with teaching reading and writing more effectively), I often ask students to recreate an artistic response to what they have learned rather than just asking them to write or talk about how they have grown. Below is a response from Elizabeth Pace, one of my students, that I thought was particularly powerful:”
Elizabeth Pace, Artist
“For this week’s art response, I felt that a butterfly would be a perfect representation of how my views on literacy have transformed over this course. Throughout this course, I have had to rethink what fundamental literacy means to me. Prior to starting this degree, I was very much a believer of a more phonics-based approach, especially in supporting students that had difficulties reading and writing. This has become what I now consider a “black and white” approach to literacy. Since then, my view of literacy has drastically changed to become one where fundamental literacy is the building blocks of who people identify themselves as and how they contribute to society, which has also become much more “bright and colourful”, as represented on the right side of the butterfly. Viewing literacy from a social perspective has improved my own practice, by stepping outside of the black and white, embracing more color, and finding new ways to engage, teach, and learn with students.”
Kathleen Barton. Here is one of the paintings I entered into my group show at Viridian Moon last spring. It is already framed and still available for purchase. More of my paintings can be viewed at:
Https://www. Kathysartllc.Square.site
Additional security has been added to this site. Enjoy viewing.
Kathleen goes on to say, “I have been told by some people I have been influenced by Matisse. Below is a gesture painting I created following a drawing session by Claude Cookman in March. II try to maintain some naïveté; and I find some similarities to Matisse’s presentation on the paper or canvas of spatial placement .
Kathleen Barton, Artist
MarySue Schwab. There is still time to sign up for my workshop on May 11th on “Polinators” (Artistists for Climate Awareness entry above). I also wanted to let you know that my paintings of seascapes has been accepted for the Light, Space, & Time Art Competition entitled “Seascapes.” Light, Space & Time hosts an online art competition featuring artist from around the world.
“Before the Storm,” Aritist MarySue Schwab
“The Great Pacific,” Artist, MarySue Schwab
CALENDAR
May 1 to May 24 — Submit Entries to WSI’s Annual Exhibition, Indianapolis
May 6 to June 16 — Submit Entries to Hoosier Art Salon Annual Exhibition
May 10 — Open Reception for Dutton-Coffman-Branstetter Exhibit at Cancer Support Center
May 11 — Artists for Climate Awareness Workshop, 9-4, Ivy Tech Community College, Bloomington
May 13 — BWS May Meeting & Program, First Christian Church, Bloomington
May 18 — Paint-Out, May Creek Farm, Bloomington
