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BWS Highlights Newsletter • June 2026
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President’s Palette
Jennifer Kohn Murtha President, Baltimore Watercolor Society Today was the second monthly meeting of the Schmoozer’s Society. This is where a bunch of us who love watercolor get together to eat lunch and gab about our favorite subject, watercolor. Of course we were talking about watercolor, because that is who we are, Baltimore Watercolor Society. Anyway, we had a wonderful time! We met at Shannon’s Saloon in Ellicott City. Good food, good service and good parking. If you have food allergies, are a vegan or a vegetarian, no worries. Shannon’s has something for everyone. The Schmoozer’s Society is the same: we have something for everyone, whether you are an associate, a signature artist or whomever, if you are a watercolorist, you are cordially invited to schmooze with us. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday June 3, Shannon’s Saloon, at 11:30 am, until whenever. ALL are welcome! Come on down and hang out with your peers. You might have fun, no, you will. AND you might learn something. Please send me an email or a text to let me know if you can make it at jkmportraits@gmail.com or call or call or text at 443-834-4160. You’ll be glad you did. Remember, we will not be having a Mid-Atlantic Competition and Show this year, for various very good reasons. So, as I like to take my time when painting, I got my drawing finished a week or two ago, and then life interfered, as it often does. Freak City! Cause, I was thinking, I’ve got an entire year to paint this. But it’s getting perilously close to June 2026 and I haven’t even put brush to paper yet and the Mid-Atlantic Show is next April! Eeeekkks! Less than a year to go!I’m letting you all know this, dear artists, so that you avoid panic mode and just pace yourselves accordingly. We ALL want to get into the Mid-Atlantic Show. Simply, the best. This is, of course, a case of “do as I say, not as I do.” I’ve earned the right to freak out, if I so choose, and I chose. You do what you choose to do.
A New Three-Year Term Is Approaching for BWS Officers BWS Bylaws stipulate that officers (President, VP, Treasurer, and Secretary) serve 3 year terms beginning around June. The current term is now coming to an end. (Recall that Linda Luke was elected BWS President in 2023 and that Jennifer Kohn Murtha has been serving out the remainder of her term.) At this time, all the existing officers have expressed interest/willingness in continuing for another term. The BWS Board of Governors plans to finalize the slate of candidates at its next meeting on June 22, after which an online poll will be sent out to BWS Membership to vote on any officer positions that are being competed, and to reconfirm the existing officers for positions not being competed. If you are a BWS Signature (or Signature Life) member interested in running for one of these positions, please let us know before June 19 so that we may answer your questions and include your name on the slate. Please contact Sharon Green at sharongreen@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org. |
2026 Member Exhibits: Watch for Dates and Details Our all-Member exhibit at the Meeting House Gallery in Columbia, MD runs from May 16–July 25. The call for artists for this exhibit went out on February 1, and registration was open through April 1, 2026. More information is available here. Two Signature Member exhibits are planned for the remainder of the year: a summer exhibit at The Creative Alliance Gallery in Baltimore and a winter exhibit at the Delaplaine Gallery in Frederick, MD. Stay tuned for details! |
BWS Paintings Inspire at Manor Mill Poetry Day Jennifer Azar, Publicity Chair Ever think your art could inspire poetry? Well, 21 lucky artists from the recent BWS Manor Mill Gallery exhibition in Monkton, Maryland recently served as muses to several local poets. Manor Mill (a creative community of art, music, and performance, housed in a restored grist mill located in rural Baltimore County) celebrated Poetry Day on Sunday, April 26 with activities that included an invitation to poets to use the BWS exhibit as creative inspiration for an Ekphrastic Poetry Gallery Event. What exactly is ekphrastic poetry? It is defined as a vivid description of a work of art where the poet interprets the art and then creates a narrative that represents their reaction to it. It is a conversation between poetry and visual art. Participants were given several weeks to write their poem either using the digital image provided or by visiting the galleries at Manor Mill to write directly in front of the artwork. On Poetry Day, the poets themselves toured the galleries together, reading their work directly in front of the corresponding painting. We’ve included two examples below for your enjoyment. Paintings and poetry used with permission of the artists.
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Lemon Wedges by Frank Spino
| “Lemons in Light” by Nicole Tsygan
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Lombardy PL by Lois A. Ward
| “Windows Opened” by Meg Elliott
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From the Archives: The 1962 Exhibition
by Jim Sandford, Mid-Atlantic Exhibition Chair
Late in 1961, the Baltimore Museum of Art ended its long-standing practice of hosting the Baltimore Water Color Club’s (BWCC, the predecessor to BWS) annual exhibitions, a relationship that had endured since 1925. We’ve discussed the complex reasons underlying this complex BMA decision in past issues; In this issue we look at the 1962 exhibition which came in the aftermath. BWCC’s 58th Annual Exhibition was held at the Maryland Institute, March 18 - April 6, 1962. The BMA’s BWCC Archives ends with letters documenting the decision to cut BWCC loose, and contains no information on the 1962 show or subsequent shows. For the next several years, our best source of records is newspaper archives.
Without the infrastructure of the BMA, the 1962 show came and went without much fanfare. There was a brief announcement on March 4…
…and award winners were announced on March 18…
The March 18 Sun also published a grainy image of Gene Klebe’s first prize winning painting (taken at a bit of an angle). I’ve not been able to find any published reviews of the exhibition.
The following year’s exhibition (1963) would take place at the Westview Art Gallery. (Somebody who’s been in Baltimore longer than I have can perhaps tell me what used to be there before the movie theater and later the Home Depot.) Then two more years (1964–65) at MICA followed by three years (1966–68) at the WCBM gallery on N. Charles Street (later WJHU). No exhibition was held in 1969 or 1970.
It does seem that the 1960s was not the BWCC’s finest decade. The next stable location for the annual exhibition would be the Johns Hopkins Turner Auditorium, 1971–97. BWCC was reincorporated as the Baltimore Watercolor Society in 1976, marking the rebirth of the organization.
The next Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition (the 120th Annual Exhibition of BWCC and BWS, by my count) will take place in April and May of 2027 at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria Virginia. Applications will be accepted in CaFÉ in December 2026 and January 2027. Meanwhile, there are plenty of opportunities to exhibit your work: In addition to the current BWS Member Exhibition at the Meeting House Gallery in Columbia and the Signature Member exhibition in August at Creative Alliance in Baltimore, there will be an online exhibition, From Pigment to Pixels, for all BWS Members beginning in December 2026, submissions to be received in September. Keep an eye on the Upcoming Events section of the BWS Website for the details of all these events.
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BWS Seeks Student Members!
Do you know of a young art student who could benefit from joining the BWS?
If they are between the ages of 16 and 25 and are interested in art or are pursuing an art degree or certificate, they are eligible to join BWS for the discounted membership fee of only $20.
Benefits of student membership include: BWS social activities, programs, and workshops, plus receipt of the monthly newsletter. Students may also participate in those BWS exhibits that include student members.
Let’s encourage our student artists in their pursuit of the watercolor medium! We look forward to their participation and, as with all members, their fresh ideas on possible activities and directions for BWS.
Support BWS Sponsors
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In addition to donating towards a Mid-Atlantic award, Holbein has provided 15ml sample paint tubes as hand-outs/door prizes for BWS workshops. |
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American Frame Alliance Discount
The more members spend, the more BWS will receive in merchandise certificates to be used for a Mid-Atlantic Award.
Please be sure to log into American Frame to sign up.
STEP 1:
Before purchasing a frame at American Frame, each BWS member should go to the American Frame Alliance discount website at https://learn.americanframe.com/alliance-discount, register by filling out the form "Sign up to Receive your Discount," select Baltimore Watercolor Society in the drop-down list of “Arts Club or Organization” and press "submit."
STEP 2:
You will receive a reusable discount code as well as earn credit for your purchases for BWS. Be sure to check ‘Agree to Terms and Conditions.’ Once your American Frame account is linked to the Alliance Program, all of your orders will benefit BWS, even if you choose another discount to use for that order (e.g., free shipping).
If you are having trouble, American Frame’s phone number is 1-800-537-0944.
American Frame is a second-generation, woman-owned, family-run company, dedicated to serving artists like yourself since 1973. Our mission is to provide excellence in custom framing products, fine art printing and related services while advancing a socially responsible company that gives back to the arts. As such, we are proud to be counted among the list of donors to the BWS Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibition. If you need design assistance or have questions about the website, we are here to help. We offer free samples, phone support, as well as face-to-face ‘zoom style’ consultations via our Virtual Showroom. Our goal is to serve you in the way that makes you most comfortable.
Upcoming Events
Note: The above Upcoming Events summary only displays the start date for each event. For full details please click on the event, or visit the Events page. Teach? Update Us Please Whether you’re teaching at a university or providing one-to-one tutorials, if BWS members can sign up to learn from you, we want to know what you’re doing. The Baltimore Watercolor Society has a list of members who teach on its website -- that’s a great resource. However, after introducing a “Teacher Tuesday” feature to BWS Facebook and Instagram, Social Media/Publicity Chair Lia Nigro discovered it’s not always easy to define what’s going on at the moment. “I’ve run through the list and profiled everyone where I could immediately find information on current classes. But I know there are more teachers out there!” BWS social media is a great way to get free publicity and reach new potential students, especially if your watercolor instruction goes beyond beginning levels. Want in? Just send a note to publicity@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org. Already profiled in a “Teacher Tuesday”? Don’t be shy about providing updates. We look forward to hearing from you. Member NewsBWS members may submit a 60-word announcement gratis to be listed under the heading “Member News,” along with one image related to the announcement. Submissions are due by the 15th of the month preceding publication date, and may be edited for length or clarity. Please e-mail your submissions to the Newsletter Editor at newsletter@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org. Be sure to include your phone number in case there are any questions about your announcement. Boxed-off featured ads are available for $25 and may include up to 100 words and one image. Contact the Newsletter Editor at newsletter@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org for details. April Rimpo’s “Ships Through Time” was selected by juror Carol Carter for inclusion in the Georgia Watercolor Society’s 2026 46th National Juried Exhibition. Her “Celebrating Fall” was selected by Matthew Bird for inclusion in the Louisiana Watercolor Society’s 56th Annual International Exhibition. Look for April, other BWS members, and other artists you may know at these exhibitions: https://georgiawatercolorsociety.com/26-natl-images and https://louisianawatercolorsociety.org/exhibitions/56th-annual-international-exhibition/. Catherine Champion has six paintings included in Birds 2: Feathers and Forms, a group exhibition at Manor Mill in Monkton, MD, running May 16–June 28, 2026. Her painting, "Eastern Phoebe with Dogwood Blooms," has been juried into the Rhode Island Watercolor Society’s 2026 National Watermedia Exhibition in Pawtucket, RI, which will run from May 30-–July 3, 2026.
J. M. Littleton's work is featured in the May issue of Plein Air Magazine for winning first place in the Animal & Bird Category for PleinAir Salon. Littleton School of Art: Watercolor summer classes begin June 12th & 13th. Learn a proven process to begin, develop and finish a watercolor painting successfully. # 410-828-1198, https://JMLittletonart.com All images are the property of the artists and protected by copyright. No image can be used without the written permission of the artist.
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Membership
Welcome New Associates
Alex Bender, Monkton, MD
John Hutchins, Columbia, MD
Leslie Milton, Owings Mills, MD
MaryRose Noto-Hardy, Mechanicsburg, PA
Swati Phatak, Ellicott City, MD
Sara Shoob, Reston, VA
Other Art Organizations’ Events and Opportunities
The 93rd Annual International Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature
The exhibit, sponsored by the Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington DC, is held at the Strathmore Mansion in North Bethesda, MD. Deadline for submission is September 5, 2026. The exhibit runs from November 21, 2026–January 9, 2027. If you've never tried miniatures before, this is a great opportunity.
More information is available at the Society's web site, here.
| Learn about the Potomac Valley Watercolorists, one of our BWS Mid-Atlantic Sponsors of Awards. Perhaps you'll want to join them. Visit www.potomacvalleywatercolorists.org for more information. |
Board of Governors and Committee Chairs
Baltimore Watercolor Society, a 501c3 Nonprofit Organization
info@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org
newsletter@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org
publicity@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org
President: Jennifer Kohn Murtha
Vice President: Matt Fenton
Secretary: Janet Hansen Martinet
Treasurer: April Rimpo
Mid-Atlantic Exhibit: Jim Sandford
Mid-Atlantic Awards: Janet Freeman
Workshops/Programs: Yogini Dahiwadkar
Webmaster: Robert Coe
Newsletter Editor: Kia Penso
Archivist: Karen Norman
Volunteer Recruiter/Protocol: Sharon Green
Membership Database: Janice Hendra
Membership Jurying: Janet Arsenault
Exhibits: David Drown
Publicity/Social Media: Lia Nigro