2024 Memorial Awards

Baltimore Watercolor Society has decided to name several Awards in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibition after several special members who have passed in the last 18 months.  Also commemorated here is one recurring Memorial Award that is not fully funded by the artist's legacy. We hope you enjoy learning more about them and consider donating to their memorials as your thanks to their contribution to your love of watercolor.

Painting images are thanks to Sharon Morell and Ann Weller Dahl

Frederic Schuler Briggs (“Fritz”) (1937-2024)

Fritz Briggs passed away in his sleep on August 19th. The life of Fritz Briggs was dedicated to creating two things: both excellent watercolor paintings and outstanding watercolor artists. With a BFA from MICA and a love of painting, he taught traditional Watercolor classes at Schuler School of Fine Art (in the home where he was born), at other artists’ studios, in church basements and beyond, and also plein air painting in the farms, estates, and villages across the beautiful state of Maryland. He always encouraged his students who had a love and aptitude for the medium to join BWS.

Fritz had a long BWS history. He had a painting accepted into the Mid-Atlantic in 1964 at 27, then joined BWS in 1966, and was President twice. He also served as Protocol Advisor for years, providing astute advice up into the early 2000’s. In 1968, Fritz was admitted to the prestigious American Watercolor Society, won an Award at their 2010 Annual Exhibit and had paintings in their traveling exhibits twice (1972 & 2010). He was also elected to the coveted Salmagundi Club (NYC) in 1973, winning First Prize in their 1980 Exhibition.

But his heart was always with BWS. He achieved the esteemed rank of BWS SIG-WME because he had been accepted into our Mid-Atlantic Exhibition 23 times from 1964-2013!

Fritz won Mid-Atlantic Awards four times - including in both his first and last times entered. Fritz was a faithful BWS member for 58 years. What better way to honor him than a Mid-Atlantic Award in his name?

We know that Fritz’s former students and friends make up a large contingent of BWS members and we would like to offer them, and all of our BWS members, the opportunity to honor and thank this excellent painter and life-long teacher by donating to an Award.

William Lawrence ("Skip") (1943 - 2024)

Since Skip was not only a great artist but a wonderful teacher and writer we've included words from his website.

"I love everything about painting. I love feeling the paint, seeing a rich color spread under my brush onto a surface, and the play between colors coming together. I love watching my idea take form until a painting finally says “it” and I am surprised and delighted every time. I love sharing my art and knowing that someone is moved by it.

I see no hierarchy among realism, abstraction, and non-objective painting styles. I see only the relationship of colors,shapes, surface, and line that either thrills or bores me. When these elements come together to communicate an artist’s intention to the viewer, to connect with someone, it is nothing short of wonderful.

Teaching, for me, is nothing more than sharing my experience with applying paint. And my experience has shown me that most of us are taught to spend too long learning how to paint before graduating to why we paint. Painting from an expressive idea allows us to evaluate our results, encourages exploration, and can lead to new possibilities. I believe that once you hone in on the "Why" of your painting, the "How" will naturally follow. As a teacher, it is my desire and joy to help artists find out what it is that they want to say and to best say it in paint, in their unique way.

... Like many new watercolorists, I was excited by the medium’s ability to capture glowing light and subtle atmosphere, and the landscape is an endless source of material. However, I missed the expressive lushness of oil painting, so I started using watercolor as I do now, in a more direct, opaque way. The freedom from the “thou shalt/shall not” of traditional watercolor opened up endless expressive possibilities and subjects to me."

-  Skip Lawrence

Denny Bond (1952 - 2023)

Denny was passionate about actively spending time with his family and friends through pickleball playing, landscape gardening, hiking, and trail biking.

Denny exhibited in 21 Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibitions, receiving awards in 9 of those shows. He learned he was receiving BWS Watermedia Master Elite status a couple weeks before he passed and was thrilled at the recognition,

Don Hilderbrandt (1939 - 2024)

Thoughts from Mark Hiderbrandt (son)

"My father Donald F. Hilderbrandt II passed away on February 29th, 2024. My bother and sister and I will miss him very much. He was loved by our entire family.

He was born August 30, 1939, in Bloomsburg, PA, the son of the late Donald and Beatrice Hilderbrandt. He earned his bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture at the Pennsylvania State University and his Master’s in Landscape Architecture at the University of Michigan. Don was a co-founder of LDR International, an urban design/land planning firm. He was highly recognized as an accomplished and award-winning watercolor artist and graphic illustrator. He was also the author of several publications.

He achieved worldwide recognition for his many urban design projects. He was a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects; past President of the Landscape Architecture Foundation; Alumni Fellow of The Pennsylvania State University; and he was a visiting critic and lecturer at many prominent Universities. Some of his significant projects included several planned communities including Columbia, MD; The Woodlands, TX; Nun’s Island in Montreal, Quebec, as well as many others around the world.

Don began a successful art career in 1967 and was recognized as an award-winning watercolor artist. He received seven awards from the Baltimore Watercolor Society’s annual expedition, including three first-place awards, and he received the 25th Annual Sam Hemming Award for watercolor at the Academy of Art. He also was invited to exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art, numerous colleges, and the Center Club in Baltimore, and was represented by the William Riis Galleries in numerous locations in PA and NJ. In his retirement, he also opened Trippe Hilderbrandt Studios and Gallery, in Easton, MD, with Nanny Trippe."

Many of you may remember "Trippe Hiderbrandt Studios and Gallery" in Easton and may have cross paths with Don while he lived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Others of you may remember Don from his earlier days in watercolor while living in Pennsylvania.

William Frederick Kreitlow  (1942 - 2024)

On June 5, William Frederick Kreitlow of Ellicott City, MD passed away peacefully following a brief illness. He was the son of the late Kermit William and Matie Ditlevson Kreitlow.

Born in State College, PA, he moved to Maryland with his family as a child. Bill was a graduate of Northwood High School in Silver Spring, MD and continued his education at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD where he earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 1964. He worked as a graphic designer but was also a gifted watercolorist. In his free time, in addition to painting, he loved playing tennis and pickleball, watching the grandchildren play sports, and volunteering at his church.

He was also active in his community and enjoyed traveling and spending time with family and friends. The pride and joy of his life were his three children and six grandchildren.

Virginia Baier "Ginny" (1937-2017)

On October 19, 2017, Virginia "Ginny" Baier (nee Dembeck) passed away at Stella Maris after a long battle with brain cancer.

Watercolorist Ginny Baier was an exhibiting member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society and the Philadelphia Watercolor Club. She has participated in numerous national and international juried exhibitions in past years. Her studio was located at the historic Oella Mill in Ellicott City, Maryland where her paintings of landscapes, still lifes and nude studies could be viewed.

Ms. Baier wrote articles for American Artist magazine and was a contributing editor to Watercolor magazine. Her  article, "San Antonio," appeared in the Fall 96 issue of Watercolor.

She received her first fine art training in Detroit, Michigan at the School of Arts and Crafts with Sarkis Sarkisian and Guy Palazzola while in high school, and upon  graduation received a full scholarship to the Art School of the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, where she studied with Garo Antresian and Robert Weaver.