President's Palette

Paying it Back – or Forward

What does the Baltimore Watercolor Society mean to you?  I don’t necessarily mean only monetarily. What part does it play in your life? Has membership in it been a pivot point in your development as an artist?   

Over the years many of our members have “Paid it Back” in thanks for all the experiences and lessons that BWS has given us – by working on the Board, or committees, volunteering for all sorts of jobs at events, participating in events, or making donations toward Awards or Memorials.     

But recently, one BWS Member surprised us all when she also “Paid it Forward”. 

BWS was contacted in late 2020 with the news that a former BWS member had left a bequest to our organization in her will.  The Trustee of her estate, a second cousin, said that  “She wanted to share a portion of her assets with several non-profits that promoted art and artists, including the Baltimore Watercolor Society.” Wow- and we didn’t know how big a “Wow” until recently. 

Our benefactor, Alberta C. Lasham, was born in Washington, DC in 1926 and spent most of her adult life in Silver Spring, moving to Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg for her final years.   Like many BWS members, she was an avid photographer and started taking art lessons after she retired.  Alberta loved translating her photographs into works of art and became a BWS Signature Artist in 1990.  Not long after that, she won the Gold Medal at our 1998 Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition with her painting “The Window Washer” (shown). Her only surviving family, two “second cousins”, said that she spent many hours painting.  She became a BWS Life Member in 2001 at age 75 and even though she knew that she was not required to pay dues anymore, she notified our Treasurer that she was going to continue donating $25 a year to BWS.  Alberta passed away in November 2015, her husband having died in 2010, leaving no descendants.   Her estate was just recently settled and now her love for art and artists will live on in the effects of her donations and bequests. 

BWS plans for the Alberta Lasham Bequest are in the formative stages but we have resolved to use it wisely over the next years, helping to raise up the next generation of watercolor artists partly by our outreach into the Public Schools and the local Community Colleges.  In addition, as a “Thank You” in recognition of her generosity and a nod to the part the Mid-Atlantic Exhibit played in her life, we are naming this year’s 2023 Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition Bronze Medal Award, the “Alberta C. Lasham Award”.  (It is funded by our General Fund, not by her bequest that totals just over $10,000 and was received early in January.)  As I said, she valued the part BWS played in her life and she “Paid it Forward”, playing a part in the future of Watercolor in the region.  What about the rest of us, do we have Alberta’s clear vision?  What measure of our life will we leave behind us?

Sherry Morell
BWS President

It’s Back – New York City, Here We Come!

BWS Bus Trip to the American Watercolor Society Exhibition in NYC – April 17, 2023

Come with us to see the paintings, 13 of them by our fabulous BWS artists, which were accepted into the most prestigious exhibition in the U.S. 

Mask Policy will be in place on the bus for your safety in close quarters and to protect any in our midst at high risk or with families at high risk of respiratory illnesses.

Available to BWS members and the public.  You may invite a guest.

April 17, 2023; 7:00 am -11:00 pm.  2 bus pick-up locations: Security Park and Ride/ Deereco Park and Ride, Timonium.

The Bus trip to NYC to see the American Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition will be on Monday, April 17, 2023, on a chartered Gunther Bus.

The bus will have two pick-up locations:

Arrive at 6:45 am at the Security Park and Ride at the end of I-70 at exit 94 off the Baltimore Beltway, with prompt bus departure at 7:00 am.  A BWS member will check you in at the Security Park and Ride.

Arrive at 7:15 am at the Timonium Park and Ride, Deereco Road between Timonium and Padonia Roads, with prompt bus departure at 7:30 am.  A BWS member will check you in at the Deereco Park and Ride.

The bus will arrive at the Salmagundi Club at about 11:30 am.  You will have some free time to explore until the Salmagundi opens at 1:00 pm. There are several good restaurants on University Place, one block east of where the bus drops us off in front of the Salmagundi Club.  Also the Strand Bookstore is nearby at 828 Broadway and 12th Street. You may want to have your main meal at lunchtime due to our early departure time and no dinner stop. 

Promptly at 2:40 pm the bus will transport you to the Metropolitan Museum of Art  (the MET)  at 1000 5th Avenue at 82nd St.; Admission: Adult: $30, Senior: $22, Student: $17. NOTE: These museum fees are not included in the BWS event fee.  Another option to visit in the area is the Guggenheim Museum, several blocks away along 5th Ave at 1071 5th Avenue, between 88th and 89th.  You may grab a quick bite at a local restaurant in the area, at a café in the MET, or buy something off of a Food Truck in front of the MET.  The MET closes at 5:00 pm.

Board the bus at the MET at 5:45 pm for a prompt departure from the Metropolitan at 6:00 pm.  The bus will be waiting in front of the Museum for the return to Baltimore.  IMPORTANT: If you are not on the bus by 6:00 pm at the MET, we will assume that you have made other plans to return to Baltimore. You must inform the trip organizer of all plan changes.  We do not want to leave you in NYC due to miscommunication.  

Drop off:
Deereco Park and Ride: 10:30 pm

Security Park and Ride: 11:00 pm

Registration opens for BWS Signature Artist, Life and Associate Members on March 1, 2023.

Registration is open to the public on March 15, 2023.

Deadline for registration is April 8, or until the bus is full, whichever comes first.

Cancellation Policy:  75% refunds if notified on or before March 27, 2023.   

Important:  Registration is dependent upon reading and agreeing to the “Release and Indemnity” waiver on the registration form: 2023 BWS NY Bus Trip to AWS Show 

Cost:  $75 per person

Come with us.  See the Upcoming Events section for the link to the event for more details, and see you on the bus!

Please direct questions to Sherry Morell at slmorell12@gmail.com.

HELP WANTED
Program Chair Needed

BWS is looking for a volunteer to take on the job of Program Chairperson. This is an opportunity to work with a group to choose the kind of educational programs and workshops you think would be best for our membership. This is an opportunity to get involved. We have artists doing many kinds of art and they all need educational opportunities. You get to attend the programs you arrange and the BWS board meetings held on Zoom. Your primary responsibility would be the programs that are 1 to 2 days long and the free demonstrations. The ideal person has the time to do the job, basic computer skills and the ability to attend programs during the week from 10:00 to 4:00. If you are interested in finding out more, email Dana Kleinsteuber at kleinstk@verizon.net to discuss the details.

Signature Artist Jurying March 2023

The BWS invites and encourages all Associates and non-BWS Artists who reside in the “Mid-Atlantic Region (Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia) to consider becoming a “Signature Member Artist”. Please choose four of your best paintings and register for the March 2023 Jurying Event.

Registration closes March 9th at 11:30pm
Please review full instructions on the BWS website: https://www.baltimorewatercolorsociety.org.
Questions?  Please contact Kathleen (Kathy) Gardiner, BWS Jury Chair at kathyrgardiner@gmail.com or 410-991-1183.

We look forward to seeing your work!

Nishita Jain’s painting "Winter’s Swan Song" (shown) has received ‘Honorable Mention’ in the ArtistsNetwork’s Splash 24: The Best of Watercolor competition. Additionally, her painting "Promising Warmth" has been selected as a finalist. Both will be included in a special edition of Artists Magazine, set to hit the newsstands in July 2023.

Denny Clarke, BWS, WVWS of Martinsburg, WV has won the Honorable Mention award at the WV Member Exhibition for his painting "Busy Dock" (shown).

Eric Miller was awarded first place in the "Works on Paper" category in the Carlisle Arts Learning Center's "Green Energy" theme exhibit. His winning painting is titled "Panic Attack" (shown). The exhibit is on display until March 11 in the CALC Gallery, 38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle, PA.

Lessons We Picked Up Along the Way

Hi fellow artists, me again. This column is a place for sharing art related tips. Any time you come across a great product, website or technique that seems useful pass it on to the rest of us. If we have to rely on me alone to come up with ideas this column will not last long. Send your tip to Dana Kleinsteuber at kleinstk@verizon.net. I will post them here so we can all benefit. The tips are for all levels of painter so some things you may already know and some may be a revelation. The idea is that we can all share great ideas. Some examples are below.

1. You may have noticed that Joe Cibere is coming to Maryland to teach us about using ink with our watercolor. Ink is a watermedia and allowed in many shows. If you are curious, check out Cibere's “Sunset Sky” demonstration at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsF0LdESDAE. The effects are really lovely. For more information on the Cibere workshop look on the BWS website under Events. There are still spots left.

2. Are you ready to show the world your art? Associates are offered the opportunity to show their work about once a year. The Roland Park Presbyterian Church Gallery show has 39 more slots to fill. It's an excellent location. The same prizes are awarded in the Associate show as the Signature shows. Take a chance. Step forward and enter your art. My worry is that the Associates show may disappear if people don't participate.

3. Hand sanitizer is not just for killing germs. If you get thalo green or thalo blue paint on your skin, it stains. Now you can use hand sanitizer to get it off. Hand sanitizer will also rejuvenate a dried out marker. Who knew?

4. The Mid-Atlantic show will be held in October this year. You can sign up to participate starting in June. So the question is, are you ready? See the hints below...

1. Everyone who lives in the Mid-Atlantic states is welcome to enter. Everyone means everyone - Signature members, Associate members, and those who are not members at all. The Mid-Atlantic states include MD, NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA, WV, and The District of Columbia.

2. Artists of all experience levels have a chance of being selected for the show. In the past we have had award winners with no Art Society membership at all.

3. All forms of watermedia are welcome.

4. If you don't know how to enter the show we have you covered. BWS will have a free 2 hour Zoom program in early June, with Stacy Lund Levy, to help those not yet comfortable entering a show. She will talk about many things including how to resize a painting and how to use Café (https://www.callforentry.org/). If you still have questions ask your teacher or someone you know who has entered before. If you can't get a teacher or friend to help, you can talk to our new Mid-Atlantic chairman Jim Sandford. He can connect you to volunteers who are willing to help.

5. So now we have covered most of your questions. Look at the paintings you have done recently and pick one or two you like the most. There is no reason not to try. Think about it.

Looking for Graphic Designers to Help with Design of a New BWS Recognition Pin

Recently the BWS Board of Governors reviewed the achievements of our membership and noticed several have been accepted into the Mid-Atlantic Regional repeatedly. We were impressed with your dedication to BWS, the consistent excellence of your art, and your faithfulness in entering our prestigious exhibition year after year.  

As you know, currently any member whose paintings are selected three times in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibition qualifies as a Signature Artist. We have voted and approved two new levels of recognition.

• BWS Watermedia Master is achieved when a BWS Signature Artist is selected at least six times in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibition. They are allowed to use the initials BWS-WM after their signature.

• BWS Watermedia Master Elite is achieved when a BWS Signature Artist is selected at least ten times in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibition. They are allowed to use the initials BWS-WME after their signature.

The Board agreed a lapel pin will be presented to the recipients as part of the recognition. Lapel pins can be worn not only on your lapel but on a purse or elsewhere. The current vision is to obtain a 0.75" die-struck pin with an imprint stamped in bronze-tone metal that reads "BWS Watermedia Master" or "BWS Watermedia Master Elite" around the edge of the pin with a graphic image in the center of the pin. As you may know the American Watercolor Society uses a Dolphin for their Dolphin Fellowship medals.  The Philadelphia Watercolor Society has a Crest Medal that looks like a wave. We are looking for Graphic Designers among our membership who could provide designs for consideration for the center of the pins. 

The best way to let us know you have Graphic Design experience is to select the Graphic Design option as one of your 'Participation Interests' in your BWS membership profile. Simply edit your profile to let us know. We'll query your records at the end of March, then reach out for your ideas for pin designs.  

Start thinking about simple images that would fit in the center of the pin. We are not looking to use the BWS logo.  Although AWS and PWCS chose water based images, it could be something as simple as a small sprig of flowers. The BWS Board reserves the right to make the final selection for the design.    

WORKSHOPS

Do you struggle with depth and dimension in your paintings? Are you lost in a mire of mid-tones? 
Then check out the article about our workshop instructor, Joe Cibere, in “Watercolor Artist” Magazine February 2019 issue, and sign up to learn not only a new technique, but how to use value to turn your photos into dynamic paintings.

"Mid-Tone Crisis - Ink First" with Joe Cibere

Registration for Joe Cibere's workshop closes March 27, 2023.
He will be teaching values by using waterproof inks and watercolors by using the process of "NOTAN" to see the shapes defined by light and dark values. The pictures are painted with waterproof India ink, so that all that's left to do is to paint the mid-tone color.
There will also be painting with special semi-waterproof ink that breaks down into several colors.

More information and registration can be found at bws.wildapricot.org/event-4997042.

Opportunities

Taubman Museum of Art
65th Annual Sidewalk Art Show
Roanoke, Virginia
https://www.taubmanmuseum.org/signature-events/sidewalk-art-show/
Entry Deadline: March 13, 2023

PleinAir Magazine
12th Annual PleinAir Salon Art Competition
Online
https://pleinairsalon.com/
Entry Deadline: Monthly

Watercolor West

55th Watercolor West International Juried Exhibition
Art Gallery at Coastline College
Newport Beach, CA
https://www.watercolorwest.org
Entry Deadline: March 15, 2023

West Virginia Watercolor Society
National Juried Exhibition: Aqueous 2023
Chuck Mathena Center
Princeton, WV
https://www.wvwatercolorsociety.org/
Entry deadline: March 31, 2023

Membership Renewal

As of February 1st, unpaid dues are now overdue. If your payment had not been recorded by then, you received an automated email telling you your membership lapsed. If you have not paid, please pay online with a credit card. To log on and pay your dues visit bws.wildapricot.org/Sys/Profile. 

You can also pay by sending a check made out to the “Baltimore Watercolor Society” and mailing it to:
Janice Hendra - Membership
103 Avondale Circle
Severna Park, MD 21106

Signature Artist dues are $40 and Associate dues are $30.

If I do not receive payment by late February, you will receive a second "lapsed" notice. You will still receive emails from BWS for a period of time, but if you want to register for an upcoming event you will need to pay your dues prior to registering.

Contact bwsmembership@gmail.com with any questions.

Janice Hendra, Membership Chair

Welcome New Signature Member

Amy Harris, New York, NY

Welcome New Associate Members

Carol Auerbach, Baltimore, MD

Patricia Beck, Mount Airy, MD

Gerardine Berman, Frederick, MD

Brenda Cretney, Brockport, NY

Terri Fabula, New Windsor, MD

Rosemary Gemp, Ellicott City, MD

Carol Lee Hartman, Chapin, SC

Barbara Killinger, Annapolis, MD

Miriam Pearson, Pottstown, PA

Marta Lopez Teigeiro, Silver Spring, MD

Linda Olsen, Newark, DE

Gregory Paul, Littlestown, PA

Teresa Rizzo, Kensington, MD

Doug Wolfe, Phoenix, MD

In Memoriam

Patricia Stonesifer, Joppa, MD

All images are the property of the artists and protected by copyright. No image can be used without the written permission of the artist.