President's Palette

This “President’s Palette” ushers in a (mostly) new group of leaders for BWS with new ideas, new programs and bold new directions. I want to welcome them to the BWS Board and introduce you to them, especially if you didn’t read their bios already.

Our new President, Linda Luke, has been a BWS member since 2013 but is more familiar to artists in the Annapolis area as she was formerly the excellent President of the Annapolis Watercolor Club. We look forward to having this accomplished artist at our helm.

PRESIDENT
Linda Luke has served as president of two prior art organizations, the most recent being President of the Annapolis Watercolor Club. Linda has enjoyed a long career as a professional artist and has been commissioned by a variety of professional and private clients. She is an internationally recognized fine arts professional. She was raised in Pennsylvania but has lived in many states. The first solo exhibit of her paintings opened on her 21st birthday at the Widener Museum of Art in Chester, Pennsylvania. She has a long history of volunteering and working to raise funds for charitable causes. Her ability to reach out and connect with young people will be a great asset as we expand our membership. Linda enjoys teaching at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. She resides in Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and little dog named Josie. Linda often says, "I'm happy when I paint... I hope that shows!"

April Rimpo, our trusted BWS Membership Chair since 2004, took over as Treasurer in 2022 and is returning for another term. She holds all the purse-strings, keeps the books straight and us in line. We are so glad that she is in charge of both the funds and excel spreadsheets (because some of us are “spreadsheet challenged”).

TREASURER
April Rimpo served as BWS Treasurer for one year. Prior to that she was the BWS Membership Chair for twenty years, since she became a BWS Signature Artist - Watermedia Master member. In her late teens/ early twenties she worked in the office of her parent's small manufacturing business where her mother taught her to do the bookkeeping and invoicing for the company. She worked as an Electrical and Systems Engineer for 32 years before retiring to be a full-time artist. She has Signature status in 7 watercolor organizations, the International Society of Acrylic Painters, and Nautilus Fellow status in the International Society of Experimental Artists. Painting is when she is happiest, so she paints, enters national exhibitions, and sells her art through HorseSpirit Arts Gallery on a regular basis.

Our new Secretary, Janet Hansen Martinet, while only a BWS member since 2022, is an old hand at watercolor, watercolor associations and taking notes efficiently as she was Secretary of the Washington Water Color Association for 20 years, among others. Welcome Janet, and we promise to speak slowly and distinctly on Zoom.

SECRETARY
Janet Hansen Martinet is the Northern Virginia Representative for the Virginia Watercolor Society, an active member of the Potomac Valley Watercolorists and Treasurer of p-ART-ners. Janet belongs to the Loft Gallery of Occoquan; she strives to capture the light and spirit of the moment in her watercolors. In the past, Janet has served as secretary to ArtBeat Art Gallery and the Manassas Art Guild. She was Treasurer of the Washington Water Color Association from 2001-2021.

Our Vice President position remains open, but we hope not for long, as we are still seeking someone with organizational abilities to join us on the Board in that capacity.

So please welcome our new officers when you see them at events and give them your support by joining in BWS activities. That’s were I’ll be.

As always - see you all at the next exhibit or workshop,

Sherry Morell
Past President

DEADLINE ALERT:
2023 Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition

The CaFÉ system (CallforEntry.org) will be open for applications to the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition through Aug 2, 2023. Selected artists will be notified September 1.

We are excited to hold this year's exhibition at the beautiful Arts Barn and Kentlands Mansion Galleries in Gaithersburg, Maryland, running from October 6, 2023 to January 15, 2024. We are also excited to have Alexis Lavine (NWS, TWSA, BWS) as this year's juror of submissions and awards.

Here are some useful links for viewing the requirements and details of the application process:

• 2023 Mid-Atlantic Exhibition Prospectus
• Call for Entry in CaFÉ 
• Click here for the BWS webpage for the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Exhibition, or use the Public Events drop-down menu on the BWS web pages. (As the Exhibition process unfolds, additional information and links will appear on this webpage.)

The fee for entering one or two paintings in the exhibition remains at $30 for BWS members ($35 for non-members). An email was sent in early June with the coupon code needed to get the member discount at application checkout (see note below). You will also be asked to consider making a $5 voluntary donation toward the production costs of the BWS Mid-Atlantic Exhibition Catalog.

There has been intermittent confusion on using the BWS member coupon code to obtain the $5 discount for entry to the Mid-Atlantic Exhibition. First, check the box next to $35.00 (as well as the $5 donation, if you wish) then immediately below the $35.00 enter the member coupon code and click on "Apply Coupon". You will then see the reduced rate of $30 and be asked for payment information.

Finally, in an effort to introduce new artists to BWS and the exhibition, this year we are adding a new discounted exhibition entry category for students enrolled in a degree or certificate program at an art school or institution. A flier explaining the program is available here. Any of you with art school student or instructor contacts are asked to pass the word.

Questions and requests for clarification are always welcome at midatlanticexhibit@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org.

Please give serious consideration to submitting your artwork this year and pass the word to your artist friends in the Mid-Atlantic region. We are looking forward to seeing your submissions.

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BWS Outreach: Baltimore County High School Exhibition Student Awards

On May 30th, the BWS team of Jim Kuhlman and Sherry Morell (now Past President) had the honor of judging the watermedia-based entries in the 35th Annual Baltimore County High School Art Exhibition. Jim, a BWS Sig-WM since 2007, has taught art for 42 years, the final 20 at Dulaney H.S. as Art Department Chair. Jim also presented the Awards at the reception several days later, this year distributing 3 $100 BWS Awards instead of our previous 2 $100 annual Awards, as the work exhibited was so diverse and skilled. 

Two of the award recipients were present at the ceremony with an emergency precluding the attendance of the third.  During the presentation, Jim spent a few moments highlighting the reasons for each honor so that, in addition to a check which when cashed, was gone, each young artist could revel in reviewing some specifics relating to their efforts.

Eva Hawkins' large cropped watercolor portrait, "Pink Magnolia”, showed strong compositional consideration and rewarded the viewer with two eyes worth studying individually.  Both mastered liquidity and freshness yet their intentional differences made each demand to be explored alone.  In addition, the attention to shadowing across the face created multiple abstract patterns which may have been overlooked by a lesser art student. She seeks a career as an artist and applied for a design internship at NASA.

Dao Ho's pen and ink rendering was entitled "The American Dream".  Small in dimensions, it was a monumental gem and a masterwork of dedication.  A street scene was meticulously created that contained an almost No-Tan-like balance of positive and negative space.  Similar to an Escher tessellation where white fish swimming in a black sea morph flawlessly into black birds flying against a white sky, Dao's work brilliantly played black against white in a testimony to concentration and application.  Every inch of it was captivating. He will study computer science and business at Northeastern and keep doing art on the side.

"Noob" by Breon Jobes, the third winner, playfully used a consistency of mark making and a commitment to each shape and texture to portray challenging influences in his life.  Again a small piece, it was painted with mixed water based media to startling effect in a unified and endlessly inviting effect. He will study Molecular Biology at JHU in the fall.

The Awards were all well deserved and we had a difficult time deciding on only the 3 winners, so maybe the word is spreading that “watercolor/watermedia” painting is worth exploring. That’s what our “Outreach” is all about.

  

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. Alexis Lavine will be coming to Maryland to judge the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Exhibition and do a workshop for BWS in October. She will be teaching us about painting on anything but cold pressed paper. Check out the announcement in the upcoming events section of the BWS website for more information.

2. Possible Marbling Class For Those Interested - Liz Walker, our first free demonstrator last December and workshop leader in January 2023 uses Marbled watercolor paper for some of her fluid acrylic and watercolor paintings. Several of you indicated an interest in learning about Marbling. Liz notified us that Brittani Lock will be offering an Introduction to Marbled Paper course at the National Sporting Library and Museum in Middleburg, VA on September 30, 2023. We asked Brittani what paper she would be using and whether watercolor paper could be used in her class. She’ll be using Muninsing #30 type paper. It is a mid-weight paper that is smooth and very strong and absorbent. It holds up well to getting wet and does not shrink or wrinkle much. She is open to our members attending her workshop and bringing our watercolor paper to try. The watercolor paper must be prepared with alum by the student prior to the workshop. The alum treatment must dry well, then the paper must be kept in a plastic bag until the workshop, so no moisture penetrates the Alum’ed paper. She offered to still provide the paper she will be using in the workshop if the Alum treated watercolor does not work.  If interested, sign up on the National Sporting Library and Museum website: Nationalsporting.org/index.php/nslm/event_details/1301/

If a few of you sign up, Liz Walker offered to send a package of Alum, along with instructions for mixing the Alum, to one person who plans to attend this workshop and is willing to distribute the Alum or hold an Alum prepping event with the others who sign up. Sign up is unaffiliated with BWS, so you will need to coordinate among yourselves. The person who will coordinate the Alum preparation can contact April Rimpo at BWSocietyTreasurer@gmail.com. April will provide their contact to Liz Walker so she can provide her instructions on using the Alum. To read more about the type of Alum Liz Walker uses with watercolor paper go to https://a.co/d/bPfzxPc. She recommends her instructions over those on this website.

Thank you April for sharing the marbling information.

3. A bike rack in the garage can be used to store empty frames. Racks are padded with bubble wrap. Caveat: glass must be stored elsewhere! Thank You Kathy Daywalt.

4. For less than $50 each (several years ago) plastic shelving can be turned on its side, and used as vertical storage. Floors can be made with old paneling and plywood and padded with interlocking floor pads cut to fit. The shelf units can be stacked with something sturdy in between (plywood). Bonus: This keeps art a few inches off the floor in the basement where concrete floors can be damp or get water. Thank you Kathy Daywalt.

New Option to receive BWS Reminders via Text Notification – Action Required

Our membership management system, run by Wild Apricot, has added a feature to send Text Notifications. These notifications will be used as short reminders to our membership. For example, a reminder to complete a survey, or a reminder that an event you signed up is the next day. These will not replace longer emails that provide much more information, such as a supply list reminders for a workshop. Emails will continue to be used. The purpose of the Text Notifications will be short reminders.

If you would like to receive these Text Notifications, then you must:

1. Log into your Baltimore Watercolor Society account.

2. Click on MEMBERSHIP INFO to see the MANAGE YOUR MEMBERSHIP menu option, and select that option.

3. Next Click on My Profile in the second bullet on the MANAGE YOUR MEMBERSHIP page.

4. On your profile page, Click on the Edit Profile button right below the large text “MY PROFILE”.

5. Scroll down and right below the Cell Phone field you will see the field where you give consent by checking the box. But before you check that box, click on the link that reads “BWS Text Notification Consent” to read the consent document. If you agree to the terms then click on the check box.

6. Make sure the Cell Phone number contains your current cell phone number as that is the number where the texts will be sent.

7. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on SAVE.

8. If you decide not to receive BWS Text Notifications, then do not check the check box and cancel your edit by scrolling to the bottom of the screen and selecting CANCEL.

4th Annual Women in Watercolor International Competition

The 4th Annual Women In Watercolor International Competition included over 1800 entries from over 60 countries. Listed below are BWS Members' Selections and Awards:

Joanna Barnum (3rd Place award - Portrait & Figure Category)

Ann Greene (2nd Place award - Abstract Category)

J.M. Littleton - Animal & Wildlife Finalist

Janet Belich - Still Life & Floral Finalist

Stacy Lund Levy - Judges' Favorite

Deborah Conn - Honorable Mention

Peggi Habets - Honorable Mention

Joan Lok - Honorable Mention

Anni Matsick - Honorable Mention

Deborah McFarlin - Honorable Mention

E. Jane Stoddard - Honorable Mention

Susan Stuller - Honorable Mention

Learn more at https://womeninwatercolor.com

• Periodic free Artist Demonstrations on Zoom
• Workshops, art talks, panel discussions held in-person or via Zoom
• Programs such as plein-air events, critique sessions, and how-to events such as photographing your art
• Reduced entry fee for the BWS Mid-Atlantic Exhibition
• Early access and reduced fees to programs and workshops
• Annual Social Event
• Advertising artists who teach or accept commissions
• Newsletters with upcoming events, member news, art tips
• A Member Profile Page where they can maintain various details about themselves, for example a link to their website, classes they teach, whether they accept commissions, etc.
• Participate in exhibits open to Student members

MEMBERSHIP

Welcome New Associate Members

Sarah Brenner, Columbia, MD
Pamela Chase, Millersville, MD
Carolyn Redwine Geer, Phoenix, MD
Joan Judge, Lewes, DE
Ken Lacy, Nottingham, MD
Jean Peterson, Frederick, MD
Lyn Poorman, Cockeysville, MD
Pam Taylor, Ellicott City, MD

In Memoriam

Mary Lou Bauer, Oakland, MD

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