BWS Highlights Newsletter • April 2025

BWS, WE HAVE A (TEMPORARY) SOLUTION

In last month’s newsletter (see “BWS, We Have a Problem”), we explained that BWS has thus far been unable to fill the position of President, left vacant by Linda Luke, who is stepping down for personal reasons. We proposed a solution, the formation of a three person Temporary Presidential Governing Committee (TPGC), and alerted members of the need for a vote on changes to the BWS Bylaws that would support this solution.

We are happy to announce that the requisite changes to the Bylaws have been approved by a wide margin of BWS membership and are now in effect. A new Section 10 has been added to Article IV, allowing the BWS Board to appoint a TPGC in such circumstances, and defining the framework within which the TPGC operates.

We are also pleased to announce that the BWS Board has appointed its first TPGC. Matt Fenton, April Rimpo, and Jim Sandford will share the responsibilities of BWS President while maintaining their ongoing positions as BWS Vice President, Treasurer, and Mid-Atlantic Chair, respectively. Under the new rules, the TPGC will remain in place until a new President can be found and approved. The BWS Board will review (renew or modify) the composition of the TPGC every four months if a new President has still not been found.

Other proposed changes to the BWS Bylaws were also approved by wide margins, including:

• Generalization of the definition of Student Membership to include anyone between ages 16 and 25 with an interest in art (Article II, Section 5)
• Opening of Bylaws Amendments voting rights to BWS Associate and Student Members (ages 18-25) (Article IV, Sections 1&2)
• Clarification of the language for election of officers (Article V, Section 1)

The full text of the revised BWS Bylaws can be found at the following link: https://www.baltimorewatercolorsociety.org/Bylaws

Meanwhile, the recruitment search for a new BWS president continues as a top priority. We urge all BWS members to consider whether they, or someone they know, might be able to serve in this position (as well as other positions we are continually looking to fill). The rewards of participating in BWS leadership are substantial in terms of building professional and personal connections, and expanding artistic horizons. Please contact us at info@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org if you are interested in learning more.

Thank you for your patience and commitment as we navigate this transition together.

Respectfully,
Your BWS Board of Governors

Announcing the Winners from
“Blossoms and Beyond: BWS Signature Member Exhibition”
at the Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House

What I Look for in a Winning Painting
Juror of Awards, Michael Kotarba

From the Archives: 
Continued Stories from the 1940s - Rebirth

Jim Sandford, Mid-Atlantic Exhibition Chair

We continue our tour of the archives in search of details of the statement in the 1985 (Centennial) Exhibition catalog...

“The club experienced a short eclipse from 1942 to 1947, due to World War II. Funds of the treasury were used to buy a mobile kitchen for the Red Cross. A revitalized group incorporated the club in 1947 under the leadership of R. McGill Mackall.”

Last month’s installment took us through the December 1942 suspension of the Baltimore Water Color Club (BWCC, the predecessor of BWS) following the sudden death of BWCC Executive Vice President John McGrath.

The suspension of the club naturally produced a corresponding gap in archival sources. Newspapers made no mention of the club from 1943 through September 1948 except for brief mentions in 1944 articles celebrating the 100th birthday of club co-founder Christiana Bond (I promise a discussion of her life in a future article). Likewise, the BWCC archives at the BMA go dark until 1950. Newspaper references to BWCC resume slowly in late 1948 and are our best source of information for BWCC’s revival.

On October 30, 1948, an announcement appears in the Baltimore Sun for the upcoming 1949 Baltimore National Watercolor Exhibition.

Dano Jackley (1900-1967) was a prominent architect and etcher. An early 1943 reference identified Jackley as BWCC Treasurer, a role he must have stepped into when McGrath moved up to Executive VP.

The 1949 Baltimore National Watercolor Exhibition was a major show which came about as a collaboration between the BMA and the re-emerging BWCC. “1949” appears in the exhibition title even though most of the exhibition took place in late 1948. It appears that the exhibition was conceived, planned and executed as a one-time affair, rather than as part of a continuing series. In the 1950s, when BWCC annual exhibitions got back on their feet, they eventually resumed the exhibition numbering system that was initiated in 1892, but the 1949 Exhibition did not count.

It seems that the BWCC members who were re-constituting the club in 1947 and 1948 decided they needed to go big, so they partnered with BMA Director Adelyn Breeskin to produce an exhibition that would make a splash and say “BWCC is back” to the Baltimore art world. They were not thinking in the manner of ongoing sustainment of BWCC activities because there was not yet much to sustain, and the future success of BWCC was not yet assured in any way. Director Breeskin was the perfect partner for this comeback exhibition. Recall that she had been the BMA contact receiving the news of BWCC’s suspension in late 1942, and now she was collaborating with BWCC artists to chart the club’s comeback.

The resulting exhibition was high class, and successful. Working together, BWCC and the BMA enlisted a first rate jury, including artists familiar to BWCC in earlier years, Robert Gates and Andrew Wyeth. The exhibition produced a first rate 16 page catalog, which included black and white images of many of the exhibited paintings (to my knowledge the first BWCC catalog to do so). The catalog’s cover page includes a photo of a displayed work of our friend Ogden Pleissner. An introduction to the exhibition was co-authored by Breeskin and Jackley.

A year later in Feb-March 1950, BWCC resumed its own Annual Exhibitions. Although the exhibition numbering system did not reappear until a few years later, the eventually revived sequence numbers would be consistent with the 1950 exhibition being BWCC’s 45th Annual Exhibition, appearing seven years after it had initially been scheduled by BMA Director Breeskin.

The Baltimore Sun’s review of the exhibition on Feb 19, 1950 includes some of the information we have been searching for, bridging the gap between BWCC’s hiatus and re-emergence for Baltimore readers (and us). (Note the reference in the fourth paragraph indicating how the 1950 show demonstrated that the revived BWCC could now “stand on its own feet,” i.e. independent of the BMA collaboration which supported the glitzy 1949 exhibition.)

(“Purchase Prizes” is a concept I’ve seen in a number of articles about BWCC shows. Apparently, club members were entered into a drawing where winners received cash-equivalent prizes toward the purchase of a painting in the exhibition—I wonder if that would work today?)

The role of R. McGIll Mackall in the revival of BWCC remains a bit murky. Newspaper searches from the late 1940s and early 1950s reveal much information on Mackall as a preeminent Baltimore artist and Maryland Institute professor of the era who left all kinds of important artworks around Baltimore including commissioned murals. But the searches reveal nothing specifically linking Mackall with BWCC’s revival as the statement from the Centennial Catalog mentioned at the top of this article would suggest. The hunt for information on this will continue.

After 1950, BWCC’s annual exhibitions would continue uninterrupted through 1968. (It appears that the annual exhibitions paused in 1969 and 1970 although BWCC continued as an organization, another topic for a future article.)

And a final note on John McGrath. A 1948 article indicates that a prize was awarded in his honor at a show by the Baltimore Charcoal Club, in honor of his contributions to both the Charcoal Club and BWCC.

Entries for the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition will be accepted June 6 - August 6, 2025. The exhibition prospectus will be published in April. Each artist may submit one or two paintings, of which one may be selected for the exhibition by juror Joel Popadics (AWS, ASMA). Among many motivations, it’s your chance to be a part of the 134 year history of the BWCC/BWS’s prestigious annual exhibitions.

Finally, if you are interested in participating in the unearthing of BWCC and BWS history, I’d love to hear from you. I envision occasional email notes where we try to dig a little deeper into the organization’s history and perhaps solve a riddle or two along the way. You don’t have to be an old-timer to participate, although I’d love to tap into the memories of a few of them (maybe not for the 1940s, but perhaps the 1960s and beyond). Send me a note at sandford.jim@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org if you are interested.

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.

Support BWS Sponsors

Legion Paper, one of our 2025 Mid-Atlantic awards donors, wants to hear from you - take the survey!

On February 11, BWS received the first donation for the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Exhibition from Wind River Arts. Wind River Arts is a repeat donor, which each year sends us two $50 certificates for merchandise from their shop.

They are the only art supplier in the United States that carries Rosemary brushes, so we are always excited to receive their donation. Visit https://windriverarts.com for more information.

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Receive American Frame Discounts Through Our Artist Alliance Program

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.

Apply your American Frame account to the Baltimore Watercolor Society through this link: https://www.baltimorewatercolorsociety.org/Member-Discount-Codes/12652400 (you must be logged in to BWS Wild Apricot to see the link). Click on the link and sign-up or login to the American Frame Alliance Program and 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).

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.

Membership

Welcome New Associate Members

Mary Jo Adams, Baldwin, MD
Anita Baker, Heathsville, VA
John Grinstead, Charles Town, WV
MaryBeth McCabe, Waretown, NJ
Jean Price, Baltimore, MD
Susan Scott, Ellicott City, MD

In Memoriam

William (Bill) Gardner, Towson, MD
For over 50 years, Bill Gardner was a professional artist and an award winning member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society. His paintings include scenes from North America, historic sites in Baltimore County, and subjects derived from 24 trips to Europe. Select pieces of Bill’s artwork will remain on display at Edenwald Senior Living, where he was a resident.

Other Art Organizations’ Events

Opportunities

Dear Plein Air Artists,
Soon it will be nice enough to take your equipment outside without having to put foot warmers in your shoes! This year’s popular Frederick County Landmarks Foundation’s Barnstormers event will take place June 14, 2025. Registration information will soon be available at https://www.fredericklandmarks.org.