Highlights Newsletter November 2021

President's Palette

Ouch...

The Orthopedic Specialist looked at the x-ray and said, “Your patient profile says you are an artist – do you paint using an easel or flat on a work table?”

“I’m a watercolorist and paint mostly flat,” I responded.

“That’s good,” he said, “because your range of motion in your right painting arm will be diminished even after the fractured humorous is healed – which will take about 6-8 months. With extensive PT, you still wouldn’t be able to reach the top of an easel.”

Ouch – the implications of that statement hurt almost as much as the recent break does. Fortunately, no surgery is needed as the fractured humorous head and shaft pieces have not separated, but months of painful work lie ahead to try and repair the damage that happened in just a minute with an unexpected fall in the ocean surf. A fall, the results of which could have been far worse if several people had not been there to rescue me. Life is like that – it only takes a moment – or a word – to damage a life forever. And sometimes what we need is someone to step in when we are most helpless and stop the process.

Your BWS Board members are all very cognizant of that fact, of our responsibilities, and of your trust in us, so over the past several years we have taken steps to try and make our events as safe and welcoming to everyone as we possibly can. Several years ago we instituted a “Code of Etiquette” which we have used successfully in our workshops to point out any behavior that was disruptive to the class, annoying to its members and was just plain “unacceptable.”

With the current rise in awareness of the impact of words as well as actions of discrimination, harassment and bullying in any form, we have felt it imperative to add to that “Etiquette” document, a new one that will outline not only the forbidden actions and speech but the channels for reporting problems and their consequences. This hasn’t been an easy decision to make or process forward, so we have enlisted the assistance of a lawyer who works with individuals and organizations in the creative arts (e.g. visual artists, writers) and with whom several of our members have taken workshops on the legal aspects of the business of creative art. The resulting document is still in the draft stages, but we felt you should be informed as to its existence and of the work going into it.

It is a necessary document to protect you, our members, and if you have any pertinent input we would be welcoming to hear it. Just contact me or Joanna Barnum, our Newsletter Editor, who is also the Board liaison to the lawyer.

As always, 

Sherry

P.S.

On a much lighter note – PLEASE, PLEASE, gather a group of friends or “painting buddies” together and visit the BWS Signature Member Exhibition at the McBride Gallery in Annapolis, then go out to lunch at one of the open air eateries along Main Street. It is a spectacular exhibit with 75 paintings of “Mid-Atlantic” quality and excellence. If you miss seeing this exhibit in person, you will regret it. It is a feast for "beauty deprived” (i.e. Covid-isolated) eyes and is guaranteed to have you rushing home with your head filled with dozens of creative ideas and your fingers itching to grab a brush! The show lasts until December 2nd but many paintings have already been sold. Congrats to all the award winners for their paintings which we will feature in the December Highlights newsletter.

S