Highlights Newsletter November 2020
President's Palette
Welcome to Fall everyone!
During this quarantine I’ve spent way too much time at my desk and that is dangerous. As a result, this month’s Palette consists of items and musings from the (often very cluttered) desk and mind of the BWS President:
Printed Newsletters:
We have been struggling with delivery of the printed BWS newsletter in this pandemic and now going forward. Early on we had cancelled the printed/mailed edition to safeguard the health of our members but kept publishing the online version. Pre-Covid we had been sending out 60 hard copies each month to members who had requested a printed version. In going over those membership records recently, we have determined that there are very few members (only about 20 or so out of almost 670 members) who do not have any functioning email addresses on file by which to receive the online BWS Highlights edition. In addition, the public software app which Joanna has used for creating our newsletter (in both formats) is being updated and will now be fee based only, so she will be investigating new systems. This impacts our printed version so we will not be commercially printing it or automatically sending out those printed copies by mail even after the virus abates. We will be contacting those members who are not online and will try to work with them on a case by case basis.
What’s a Life Member?
Yikes - Just this past year I became a BWS “Life Member”! This membership status is defined as a Signature Artist member who has reached the age of 75 or has been a Signature Artist member for 25 years. You might be surprised to know that fully a third of our members have Life status. That’s 216 out of our 668 members! And a third of the Board members are also Lifers, filling vital positions. In delving through the BWS records and newspaper articles on the net in the past few days (trying to track down email addresses– see first topic) I have been literally blown away by the exploits of some of our BWS Life Members. I read of one member Ruth E. Lotz of Bethesda, MD, who, though in her late 90’s and legally blind with macular degeneration, still paints scenes from memory in a “fresher, freer style." She had an exhibit of her works in the Clinical Center Arts Gallery at NIH not long ago, showcasing her stunningly beautiful paintings. Another, Eleanor Tyndall Meier, a retired art educator, who has spent her retirement painting and winning awards in national and international exhibitions and working with museums, galleries and art organizations, was chosen as the August 2018 Artist of the Month by the Long Island Museum in NY. She is also a former President of the Catherine Lorillard Art Club, a 130 year old society of women artists funded by a bequest from the only woman on the founding board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Aimo Hill was a career Naval officer and aviator who retired then went on to train formally at the Schuler School. He now paints and exhibits both oils and watercolors in the Annapolis area, and travels in his camper van to about 15 (mostly outdoors) art shows/festivals a year, exhibiting and selling his art. Hazel Camp (who now lives in Newport News, VA) taught a watercolor class at 93 and gave a watercolor demo and print signing at Yorktown National Historical Park at 97! And there are so many more.
In the past year or two, we have lost many BWS members who contributed significantly to the art scene in the MD/VA area. Charlotte Hoover, 92, a lifelong artist, was recognized for her art and leadership in the Frederick County Art Association and Frederick Art Club. Judith Wengrovitz, 87, of Springfield, VA, not only won Awards of Excellence from VWS and the American Pen Women but was a past President of VWS, Springfield Art Guild, PVW, and the Alexandria chapter of the American Pen Women. In later years she also hosted her own TV show “Welcome to the Painter’s Palette” teaching watercolor to seniors in her community. Patricia Harrington, 95, Lynchburg VA, who supported and always donated an Award to our Mid-Atlantic Exhibition, was also an AWS, NWS, VWS and Southern WS member who won numerous very prestigious awards, assisted in founding VWS, and initiated and funded the Lynchburg City Schools Youth Art Exhibit and the Art Galleries at the Allen B. Pearson Cancer Center. What rich lives they led and what legacies they left! The list goes on and on.
I came away from my reading with a new outlook and with the new motto – “To live a long, full and rewarding life – get out there and be an Artist - with a capital A!”
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) and the Quest for Diversity:
In Spring of 2018 the BMA, under the leadership of Director Christopher Bedford and its Board, announced that they would be selling some major works from their collection to facilitate the purchase of works by women and artists of color in order “to rectify centuries of imbalance”. (As of 2019 the BMA had 95,000 artworks, only 4% (3,800) of which were by women.) By December of ’18 they had sold 5 works for nearly $8 million and used some of the money to make the first four purchases. In 2019, in addition to more purchases, they announced the radical move of only acquiring works by women in 2020 and that each of the 22 BMA exhibitions in 2020 would also “have a female-centric focus." Three other Baltimore museums followed suit with their exhibitions – many extending into 2021. In the November 15, 2019 Baltimore Sun, Dir. Bedford is quoted: “This is a declaration of intent going forward of the kinds of exhibits we will have and the kinds of acquisitions we will make. There can be no beginning and no end, just a consistency of effort in the right direction.” Such a move has not been without controversy.
(Director Bedford's quotes from 11/15/19 and 12/15/19 Baltimore Sun articles by Mary Carole McCauley)
The Value of the Virtual:
A year ago in November 2019, we had never even heard of Zoom (or GoToMeeting, BlueJeans Meeting, or ZoHo) much less used it for our survival as an organization. We would have laughed if you had told us we (and all other watercolor organizations) would be cancelling/postponing all in-person exhibitions and workshops and jurying and that we would be organizing, judging, demonstrating - doing everything on our computers and iPads. That we would be shut up in our homes for months at a time, only getting to talk/visit with family via FaceTime or HangOut or whatever! No Hugs. But we are making it through and carrying on with our BWS Board meetings, exhibits, and now even jurying in new Signature Members via Zoom. As the next weeks unfold, you will see more programs being announced on virtual platforms as we seek to reschedule instructors, workshops and events. BWS will be there for you.
A New Face:
Lastly, I would like to announce a change on the Board. Cheryl Himmelright joined us in March to work with Dana Kleinsteuber on Mid-Atlantic Awards but she has moved on to understudy Gaye Holcomb, our Treasurer. In her place, working with Dana, will be Janet Arsenault, a very familiar face in our exhibits and workshops. Welcome Janet. Her bio is below.
Stay safe and healthy all,
Sherry
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With a degree in Art Education from VCU in Richmond and a Masters in Special Education from Johns Hopkins, Janet has had a rewarding career teaching middle and high school students with special needs. Retired since 2018, Janet plans to return to teaching part time at the Delaplaine Art Center after the pandemic. With three children off on their own, a new grandchild, and another one on the way, Janet lives with her “mountaineer” husband Neil, surrounded by nature in the mountains close to Frederick. Besides visiting their children, Janet stays active, enjoying hiking, camping and still some rock climbing with her husband. In recent years she has been releasing what she describes as a pent up energy to paint often. Painting plein air combines her love of nature with her enjoyment of painting and learning with friends, while painting in the studio enables her to experiment with watercolor techniques and her approach to a variety of subjects. Either way, Janet says her goal is to express in her paintings what she feels when encountering a place or aspect of nature.
"This piece has a grandiose composition, a harmonious color scheme, and impressive use of medium. The mood created by the artist may give you an impression of life being lived beautifully."
"This piece has a unique composition, and textures. The subject looks randomly picked, but the flowers and plants feel like they're full of life. The artist has a good eye and understanding of good form from their subject matter."
"This piece is strong in terms of composition and detail work. The good use of contrast of tones and colors make this farm so accessible visually."
Member Discount Codes
Airfloat:
airfloatsys.com
20% discount with code BWCS at checkout
American Frame:
americanframe.com
5% discount with code Alliance2018 OR free shipping on orders over $99 with code Alliance99 (may not be combined)
Board of Governors and Committee Chairs
Baltimore Watercolor Society, a 501c3 Nonprofit Organization
President: Sharon Morell, slmorell12@gmail.com, 443-465-1863
Vice President:
Secretary: Deborah Cohan, 301-977-6212
Treasurer: Gaye Holcomb, 410-442-1922
Assistant Treasurer: Cheryl Himelright, 301-829-2331
Mid-Atlantic Chair: Sharon Green, bwsmidatl@gmail.com, 410-363-1922
Workshops & Programs: Sabine Yeager, bwsworkshops.sabineyeager@gmail.com, 410-245-0366
Webmaster: Bob Coe, 410-877-3730
Newsletter Editor: Joanna Barnum, joanna@joannabarnum.com, 410-428-3432
Newsletter Committee: Carolyn Murphy 410-771-4351
Archivist: Karen Norman, 301-622-3770
Hospitality Chair: Karen Schuster, 410-531-5768
Hospitality: Bonita Glaser 301-498-3946
Hospitality: Joan Orcutt 240-381-9309
Membership/Database: April Rimpo , bwsmembership@gmail.com, 443-766-0148
Membership/Jurying: Stacy Levy 410-446-2714
Mid-Atlantic Awards Chair: Dana Kleinsteuber 410-917-7935
Mid-Atlantic Awards: Janet Arsenault
Exhibits Chair: David Drown 410-971-9769
Exhibits: Jeffery Turner 410-964-8282
Exhibits: Kathy Daywalt 443-695-4008
Publicity: Harold Walpert 410-358-9543
Social Media: Annie Strack 610-925-2815