President's Palette

On October 2nd I entered the Kentlands Mansion in Gaithersburg, Maryland with great anticipation since it was the day that artwork was being delivered to the annual Mid-Atlantic Exhibition. I was also there to thank Exhibition Chair, Jim Sandford, and all of the many volunteers that have worked all year long on this highly competitive exhibit. It has a 100-year tradition of excellence showcasing the variations of the medium of watercolor. Professional artists as well as amateur artists, from 7 states, had submitted digital images of their 370 paintings for possible inclusion in this exhibition. Our juror, Alexis Lavine, certainly had a great challenge before her that day. Now she had to select (in person) the 22 Award Winners from among the final 95 paintings she had chosen for the Exhibit.

I met many BWS Board members and people on the committee in person for the first time. It was a bit of a challenge to do this due to my need to still wear a mask in public and the fact that I was not in a 2-inch by 3-inch Zoom box! I even wore a handwritten name tag to try to help facilitate conversation with everyone. Meeting in person was a delight! One of the greatest surprises was conversing with so many of the artists. Many were art friends I had not seen since the COVID Pandemic and others I have only met through hosting them in one of over 40 demonstrations or workshops when I was the President of the Annapolis Watercolor Club. The event was like a mini-reunion!

Needless to say, seeing the actual artwork as it was delivered or uncrated is so much different than online. The three days of hanging the exhibit in the various rooms in two buildings was just the beginning. I can’t wait to return with a group of my students to look at everything more closely at a leisurely pace. I hope that you will all do the same and of course, join us at the reception on November 12th.

Keep painting!

Linda Luke
BWS President

2023 Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibit

Open through January 15, 2024

Opening Reception: Sunday, November 12, 2-4 pm

Kentlands Mansion and Arts Barn
320 Kent Square Road • Gaithersburg, Maryland

Juror: Alexis Lavine, alexislavineartist.com

The Gold, Silver and Bronze award-winning paintings are listed below. To view the Exhibit online, and for a complete list of award winners, please visit the Mid-Atlantic Exhibit web page.

Congratulations to the winning artists! 

BWS Gold Medal in Memory of David Churchill,
Donated by Susan Churchill and Michael Eddy

Opening Reception for Mid-Atlantic Exhibition takes place November 12

The 2023 Mid-Atlantic Exhibition opening reception will take place Sunday, November 12, 2-4 pm at the Arts Barn and Kentlands Mansion Gallery in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Both galleries will be open, so you can see the whole show. The awards ceremony will be held in the auditorium on the second floor of the Arts Barn, beginning at 3 pm.

Voting to open for the Mid-Atlantic Exhibition Artists’ Choice Award

Twenty two award recipients have been announced for the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition. The list of award winners has been posted on the Mid-Atlantic Exhibition web page.

The Mid-Atlantic Awards Chairs have set aside funds for one more award, the Mid-Atlantic Artists’ Choice Award, for which the criteria are as follows:

• Voting is open to all current BWS members (Associate, Signature, Signature-Life), and to all artists who submitted entries to the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Exhibition, whether or not they were accepted into the show. One vote per eligible artist.
• Voters may select any of the paintings in the Mid-Atlantic Exhibition that have not already won an award.
• Voting will open in early November and remain open through November 21.
• Voting will be via an email to midatlanticexhibit@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org with the subject field “My Artists’ Choice vote is: _____ by _____“, filling in the blank with the painting and artist name of your choice. You don’t need to say anything else in the note.
• Eligible voters are being sent an email with these instructions and a list of eligible Mid-Atlantic paintings. The easiest way to vote is to simply reply to this email, cutting and pasting the work of your choice from the list into the subject field of your reply.
• Apologies, but it will not be possible to reply-to/acknowledge everyone’s voting email.

The winning artist/painting will be announced by early December.

You are free to base your choice on whatever criteria you value. Your vote can be based on an in-person visit to the exhibition or a review of the online exhibition.

Happy voting!
Your Mid-Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic Awards Chairs

Special Discount Offer for Members!

American Frame, 2023 BWS corporate sponsor, has instituted a new discount program for BWS members called the Alliance Program (see their ad in this newsletter). This is an automatic 10% member discount on any purchase with no minimum purchase requirement.

To sign up for the Alliance Program, scroll down to the bottom of the American Frame website home page, click on “Resource” and “Discount.” Complete the form, which includes a drop-down menu item to select BWS. You only have to fill out the form one time and it will be linked to every order. The discount will automatically be applied each time the member returns to make a purchase, unless the member chooses to take advantage of a different temporary offer. No matter the discount applied, BWS will earn points each time a member makes a purchase. Accumulated points will determine the value of next year’s award donation. It’s a win for members shopping for quality frames, and a win for BWS!

Membership

Welcome New Associate Members

Maryann Burton, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
Janet Ewing, Annapolis, MD
Dennis Guard, Annapolis, MD
Megan Kafka, Baltimore, MD
Valerie Kutchey, Baltimore, MD
Elisabeth Nicholson, Silver Spring, MD
Kathi Scott, Arnold, 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.