Upcoming Membership MeetingsSeptember 26, Kathy Collins | October 24, Iain Stewart

St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church • 6:45 Social Hour • 7:15 Meeting

September-October 2017

SeptemberProgram –Kathy Collins

OctoberProgram –Iain Stewart

See more on page 6

Kathy Collins

Iain StewartWaterworks Juror

Kathy Collins, an avid hikerand biker, is inspired by thebeauty of the Northwest. Sheadmires John Singer Sargentfor his superb technique,Edward Hopper for his dramaand simplicity of design andEdward Vuillard and PierreBonnard for their color,especially their interiors. Thebrilliant hues in dresses at amuseum show prompted herrecent abstract series. Kathyhopes her viewers sense thesame emotion in herpaintings that she feels inseeing the drama in natureand everyday life.

Her award-winning paintingshave been featured inWatercolor Artist Magazine,The Artist’s Magazine,American Artist, “Splash”watercolor series, and 100Artists of the Northwest.

She is a Signature Member ofthe American WatercolorSociety, the NorthwestWatercolor Society, andWomen Painters ofWashington, Kathy is anenthusiastic painter andwatercolor instructor.

Iain Stewart is a watercolorartist / illustrator and asignature member of boththe American and NationalWatercolor Societies. His workhas received numerousawards in internationalcompetition and he is asought-after juror andworkshop instructor. He isalso an architecturalillustrator with aninternational clientele- abusiness he has run for thelast twenty years. Iainmaintains a studio in Opelika,Alabama. 

Artist’s Statement“I rely on instinct a great dealand my sketchbook whenselecting subjects for mypaintings. The lion’s share of

my work is done in onesitting as my real struggle inpainting is to capture theinitial vision for any givenpiece. I am most oftenmotivated by capturing adefinitive lighting conditionand how it influences shapeand value rather thanfaithfully representing thesubject as witnessed.Watercolor is uniquely suitedfor this task as “light” isreserved from the first brush

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Hola! The days are becoming shorter,cooler and kids are finally returning toschool. What a busy summer it has beenat the NWWS World headquarters. 

The board and I have been working hardto take a step into the future. Startingwith adding a few monthlymeetings, held on the fourth Tuesday ofthe month at Daniel Smith in downtownSeattle, in 2018. A resounding THANKYOU to Daniel Smith for letting us usetheir beautiful demo space in Seattle.

And that’s not all, we will be live-streaming our meetings via FacebookLIVE starting this month.  As you mighthave guessed, we are completelyredesigning our website to make thingseasier to log on and enter shows. Weappreciate your patience with theprogress. 

As you know the Signature show andWaterworks exhibition are just aroundthe corner. Iain Stewart will be our jurorfor Waterworks. The reception andawards ceremony will be held at theTsuga Fine Arts & Customs Framing inBothell, WA on Thursday, October 26,2017. 

Our Signature Members Show will beheld at the Shack Art Center in Everett,WA. With the reception and awardsceremony on November 16, 2017. Pleasedon’t forget that the final deadline forsubmitting your paintings is September12 - so don’t be late. 

Don’t forget the Fall Samish Paint Out onSeptember 20 - 24. It fills up quicklyevery year, so don’t be left out in thecold.

The Northwest WatercolorSociety Newsletter

P.O. Box 50387Bellevue, WA 98015-0387

www.nwws.org

President:Che Lopez

206-349-0876

Vice-President:Deborah Roskopf

425-754-0628

Corresponding Secretary:Shirley Jordan425-890-9289

Recording Secretary:Evette Norton425-442-5928

Treasurer:Peggy Meyers425-869-0783

Attorney:Rachel Schaefer | Riddell Williams P.S.

rschaefer@riddellwilliams.com206.389.1760

Newsletter Editor:Jeff Waters

jeffrey.waters@comcast.net

Newsletter deadline for theNovember-December edition

is September 10, 2017

E-mail your items tojeffrey.waters@comcast.net

(Subject line: NWWS or Hot Press)

Please send newmemberships/changes

of address to:Peggy MeyersP.O. Box 50387

Bellevue, WA 98015-0387peg5948@aol.com

Please send all bills to:Peggy MeyersP.O. Box 50387

Bellevue, WA 98015-0387

We have two great presenters inSeptember and October - in September,Kathy Collins(www.kathycollinswatercolors.com) andin October, Iain Stewart(www.stewartwatercolors.com).

Both meetings will be held in Bellevue. Ican’t wait to watch these two artistspaint and share their love of watercolormedia. 

We have jammed-packed, comingmonths, but the sun is still high andwarm in the sky, so get out there andpaint. Remember to visit#northwestwatercolorsociety onInstagram and link it to your Facebookaccount.  We are everywhere now, so logon and share your stories and art.  

Che LopezNorthwest Watercolor Society President

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE | CHE LOPEZ

NWWS ArtistWebsite Links

Add traffic to your website with alink on the NWWS website. Memberscan publish an image, artist’sstatement with a link to theirwebsite for a $10 initial set-up feeand $25 annual fee. An applicationform is available on the NWWSwebsite under Membership/Joinselect the Member Linksoption. Renew now for September2017-August 2018.

Questions?Please contact Jodi Steele or CheriConnell at webmaster@nwws.org.

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Big News: Meeting Sharing

Beginning Jan. 2018, meeting locations will alternatebetween Bellevue (St. Andrews Lutheran Church) andSeattle (Daniel Smith Artists’ Materials).

Here is the new meeting calendar and locations:

2017 Sept. 26 – St. Andrews Church

2017 Oct. 24 - St. Andrews Church

2017 Nov. 28 - St. Andrews Church

2018 Jan. 23 - Daniel Smith Store/Seattle

2018 Feb. 27 - St. Andrews Church

2018 March 27 - Daniel Smith Store/Seattle

2018 April 24 - St. Andrews Church

2018 May 29 - Daniel Smith Store/Seattle

Remember that you receive a discount at Daniel Smith onour meeting days.

Communications

Expanded focuses reaching out to members in bothtraditional, familiar ways (we do LOVE our Hotpress!) andways involving new platforms that more and morepeople want to use. Social media will include Facebook,Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter, so be sure you haveaccounts set up for all 4.

Website Redesign

Everyone agrees: it is time. With a fresh new look andimproved organization, we’ll make it easy to find whatyou’re most often looking for, plus add new features.We’re beginning the work this summer and will let youknow as we progress.

A Summer Something

Many think there should be “something” during thesummer months, so we’d like to organize a social eventfor next summer. Naturally it should be awesome, so sendus any ideas. Easy we can do, but if your suggestioninvolves a higher level of organization, please volunteerto help coordinate.

Pop Up Paint Outs

This is starting to happen already! If a sunny day pops upand you plan to pop outdoors for some plein air painting,pop onto Facebook or Twitter and invite others to joinyou. Organize it however you’d like, as it is up to you andyour pop up paint pals. Don’t forget to take some photosand post. So it is: plan, pop on, post, paint out, post,photo, post, & applause.

Enjoy this end of summer, everyone, and we wish youmany sunny days of brilliant painting!

Membership Drive

Don’t forget that Tues., November 28th is our “NovemberSplash” new-members meeting. Bring your guests andthose who may want to join NWWS for this energetic,social night of simultaneous painting demos just as we allloved at last year’s November Splash. Again, eachpainting will be an interpretation of the same photo andyou are free to roam among the four artists, be up closewhile they work, ask questions, and watch their paintingscome to life.

WE’VE BEEN LISTENING!Your thoughtful feedback from the recent opinion questionnaire sparked manyconversations and is helping to shape the commitments necessary to maintainNWWS as a premier art society and to reach out to new members. Your busyNWWS board thought you’d like a sneak peak at some of what’s in the works.

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SEPTEMBER PROGRAM | Continued from page 1 OCTOBER PROGRAM | Continued from page 1

strokes and must be protected throughout the paintingprocess.

The underlying narrative in my work is not based on any themein particular but quite simply how “place” is inhabited and useddaily.

I often use remembered atmospheric and lighting conditionsin my work and would say that I paint from life and memorysimultaneously. My watercolors are not only a translation ofwhat I see, but more importantly, an expression of how Ichoose to view the world.”

ADDITIONAL PAINTINGS BY KATHY COLLINS

clothes. I thought he lookedregal so I made him a Romanemperor.

Subjects: Portraitsubjects do not have tobe human. Here is mygranddaughter’s alpaca,Maxie.

See Molly Murrah’sOpportunities piece forher portrait class atDaniel Smith. I may slipinto that one.

In the immortal words ofEric Wiegardt, “Keepyour brushes wet.”

Jeff

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Faces andFiguresMany of us paint largelandscapes or cityscapes andomit the people. Sometimes,that is appropriate butoccasionally, a spot of humaninterest would liven up ourwork. Why don’t we addthem?

The dirty little secret is thatwe are afraid to. What if theydon’t look like people? Will itruin my painting?

Let me pass on some ideasthat have helped me.

Carrot figures: These aresimple exclamation pointshaped splashes with adisconnected dot for a head.Keep the heads small. Don’ttry to add hands and feet. Youcan extend an arm or leg ifappropriate. They lookamazingly convincing in awatercolor landscape.

EDITORIAL | JEFF WATERS

LETTERS

Blob figures: Make arandom scribble then decidewhere to place heads. Greatfor doing a crowd. Practicethese techniques on theback of a failed painting.

Portraits: Paint what youactually see! Don’t fall prey toa stylized idea of the shapeof an eye or mouth. Paint the

shadows and the light. Notethat in Che, the eyes are noteven visible. Look carefully atthe photo of the subject,then lightly lay in shadows toform the image. Intensify andadjust color later. The light iseverything!

Portraits do not have to berealistic. See Tom Hoffman’s

Che

Tom Hoffman – Self Portrait

MaxieRoman

self-portrait. I painted theRoman with Dan and Joe in aworkshop. The model wassimply a male in street

Good morning, Jeff,

Still in my robe and jammies, I opened up Hotpress and wasmoved to send you a note of appreciation for the wonderfuljob you do. From the introductory article on the Open throughthe emphasis on painting whites articles, I’m loving the wholething. It is a great combination of news and learning.

Your love of watercolor always comes through. Thank you sovery, very much.

Debbie Roskopf

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A Peek at Upcoming ProgramsSeptember 26Kathy Collins, an avid hiker and biker, is inspired by the beauty ofthe Northwest. She admires John Singer Sargent for his superbtechnique, Edward Hopper for his drama and simplicity of designand Edward Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard for their color, especiallytheir interiors. The brilliant hues in dresses at a museum showprompted her recent abstract series. Kathy hopes her viewerssense the same emotion in her paintings that she feels in seeingthe drama in nature and everyday life.

October 24Iain Stewart relies on instinct a great deal and his sketchbookwhen selecting subjects or paintings. To capture his initial visionmost of a painting is done in one sitting. This captures a definitivelighting condition and how it influences shape and value. Hepaints from life and memory simultaneously. His paintings are anexpression of how he chooses to view the world.

January 23Eric Lin is an expressionist painter who draws inspiration from hisfamily, friends and surroundings. The scenery paintings of JosephZbukvic have influenced him with his mastery of atmosphere andCharles Reid with his sense of color and character design. In hispainting Eric hopes to capture for viewers the things aroundthem that are often neglected because we are too busy. Hewants us to appreciate the world around us and see the world ina different way.

March 27Maria Coryell-Martin is an expeditionary artist following thetradition of traveling artists as naturalists such as John Muir andfinds inspiration in the work of Thomas Moran especially his fieldsketches and smaller drawings done on the fly. In high school andagain in 2003 she visited Alaska as part of the Juneau Icefieldresearch Project. Having an artist on a scientific expedition bringsscience to a larger audience by capturing the personality of ananimal and an expedition in a painting.

April 24Mark Mehaffey has been painting since he was 10. He paintscolors he feels rather than colors he sees. His paintings take on alife of their own. Some paintings need a studied design approachand some a visceral approach. He hopes that he communicateswith viewers who will see something of what he sees and feelsomething of what he feels.

May 22Carla O’Conner is a Gold Medal Fellow of NWWS. The humanform has been the inspiration for her paintings. She has beenadding animal creatures with the human. Actual paintingsupplies her with inspiration in the form of shapes, textures andcolors. Nicolai Fechin, Asian Wood block Prints and Egon Schieleare some of the artists who inspire her. Her aim with eachpainting is to involve the viewer in some way emotionally and toengage their imagination, memories and curiosity.

Meeting Locations.The number of members living in Seattle communities vs.the eastside communities is about the same (slightly moreon eastside). Beginning 2018, we’re cleared with DanielSmith to begin holding 1/2 our meetings at their store and1/2 at the church. Seattle members will attend moremeetings and we will attract more Seattle people as newmembers. We’ll try it for a year or so and check how it isworking. 

2017 Sept 26  Church2017 Oct 24 Church2017 Nov 28 Church2018 Jan 23 DS2018 Feb 27 Church(Open digital show)2018 March 27 DS2018 April 23 Church2018 May 28 DS

Summer eventNot for this year, but next. Be thinking about what we caneasily do, especially social, to bring people together andget to know one another. Family picnic, pub crawl,art/draw/wine tasting? Monthly? Just one?

Pop Up Painting.We want to encourage members to ask others to join themto paint plein air on a sunny day. They can let people knowvia Facebook and the group can organize it themselves.This has already happened. Another way to bringmembers together without board involvement.

I’ll set up an official Instagram account. We’ll haveInstagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

Let’s hear from you.

Che Lopez, NWWS, PSGNorthwest Watercolor Society Presidentwww.nwws.org 

Che’sNotes

7

Peggy Isaacson-Jacobs1918-2017

Peggy passed away early Sunday morning Aug 6, 2017, after a week stay at Evergreen HospiceCenter in Kirkland. She was just two months shy of 99 years. A Celebration of Life service willbe held at Westgate Chapel in Edmonds with details to follow.

Peggy was a “people-person” and that combined with the love of art drove her to be a naturalencourager to others for experiencing the art field for themselves, or to have the beauty andpleasure of having an art piece in their homes. With her bubbly personality and invitingenthusiasm, she made many friends and acquaintances. Peggy’s greatest reward was all thewonderful people she met through her art career.

She often was membership chair in her art clubs sponsoring many aspiring artists to join thefellowship of other artists and its many perks for exhibiting their work. She also was active inexpanding the exhibition opportunities throughout the community for displaying thepaintings of club members.

Peggy Isaacson-Jacobs became an established name throughout the years and her energeticapproach to her profession resulted in numerous awards and successes. Professionalaffiliations of life memberships included: Seattle Co-Arts, Women Painters of Washington,

Northwest Watercolor Society, and Gallery North.

Peggy’s Artist Statement: “I always saw beauty in nature as an exciting adventure to capture my emotions and feelings infresh rich color. I enjoy the challenge of building jewel-like paintings that stress value and design using both realistic andabstract techniques, hoping to bring the same amount of pleasure to the viewer.”

Remembering Peggy: Peggy was one of the first to welcome me as a new member at Gallery North in Edmonds along about1986. Not only was I impressed with her beautiful paintings, but also with her ability to sell not only hers, but other’s work as well.She was a dynamo and a valued member there for many years. I’ll always be grateful to her for her friendship and her mentoringalong the way.

– Ruth Handewith

Dear Artist Friends of Peggy,

Peggy Jacobs passed away on August 6th 2017.  A celebration of her life will be held:

Saturday, September 23, 2017 · 1:00 pmWestgate Chapel

22901 Edmonds WayEdmonds, WA 98020

(See westgatechapel.com for directions and map under contact info/see larger map).

In lieu of flowers, Peggy had designated memorial gifts be given toSeattle Co-Arts Scholarship Fund. Gifts to be made out to: Seattle Co-Arts; notingPeggy Jacobs/Scholarship Fund and sent to: c/o Sally Rawlings, Seattle Co-Arts,8520 17th Ave NE Seattle WA 98115

Thank you!

Marilyn Kelly (daughter)

206 362 0417

8

a

“Family Foto 2” by r. mike nichols

Exhibition DatesOctober 24 – November 22, 2017

Reception & Awards CeremonyThursday, October 26, 6–8pm

Tsuga Fine Art & Framing10101 Main Street, Bothell, WA 98011

Juror – Iain Stewart AWS, NWS

Internationally renowned artist, juror and NWWS

workshop instructor

Waterworks 2017Annual Membership Exhibition

MOLLY MURRAH IN SEATTLEWATERCOLOR PORTRAITS: A DIFFERENT APPROACH• 2-Day Workshop September 16-17,

10am-4:30pm, $200

CATHERINE GILL IN SEATTLEPRINCIPLES OF OOZE: WATERCOLOR AND PASTEL• 2-Day Workshop September 23-24,

10am-4:30pm, $190

DON COLLEY IN SEATTLE• 1-Day Workshop October 1,

10:30am-4pm, $95

RON STOCKE IN SEATTLEWATERCOLOR: DON’T FORGET THE BASICS• Free Demo September 24,

11:30am-1pm• 2-Day Workshop October 14-15,

10am-4:30pm, $250

JANE BLUNDELL IN SEATTLEWATERCOLOR• Free Demo October 7, 1pm-3pm• 1-Day Workshop October 8,

10:30am-4:30pm, $125• 2-Day Workshop October 9-10,

10am-4pm, $250• 1-Day Workshop October 11,

10am-4pm, $125

MITCHELL ALBALA IN SEATTLELANDSCAPE PAINTING POWER STEPS OILS OR ACRYLICS WORKSHOP• Free Demonstration October 14,

1pm-2:30pm• 2-Day Workshop November 4-5,

9:30am-4:30pm, $235

JEAN HAINES IN SEATTLEWATERCOLOR• Free Demo October 27, 5pm-7pm• 2-Day Workshop October 23-24,

10am-4pm, $200• 2-Day Workshop October 25-26,

10am-4pm, $200• 2-Day Workshop October 28-29,

10am-4pm, $200• 2-Day Workshop October 30-31,

10am-4pm, $200

JOHN SALMINEN IN SEATTLEWATERCOLOR: REALISM THROUGH DESIGN• Free Demo January 27, 2018, 11am-1pm• 5-Day Workshop January 28-February 1,

2018, 10am-4:30pm, $625

STELLA CANFIELD IN SEATTLEWATERCOLOR• Free Demo February 3, 2018,

12noon-2pm• 1-Day Workshop February 23, 2018,

9:30am-4pm, $85• 2-Day Workshop February 24-25, 2018,

9:30am-4pm, $170

CAROL CARTER IN SEATTLEWATERCOLOR• Free Demo February 10, 2018,

11am-12:30pm• 2-day Workshop February 11-12, 2018,

10am-4:30pm, $250• 2-day Workshop February 13-14, 2018,

10am-4:30pm, $250• 2-day Workshop February 16-17, 2018,

10am-4:30pm, $250

FRANK EBER IN SEATTLEATMOSPHERIC WATERCOLOR• Free Demo March 10, 2018,

11am - 12:30pm• 2-day Workshop March 8-9, 2018,

10am-4:30pm, $200• 2-day Workshop March 11-12, 2018,

10am-4:30pm, $200

ALVARO CASTAGNET IN SEATTLEWATERCOLOR• Free Demo Saturday, April 21, 2018,

11am-12:30pm• 3-day Workshop April 18-20, 2018,

10am-4:30pm, $375• 3-day Workshop April 23-25, 2018,

10am-4:30pm, $375

WATCH FOR THESE EXCITING ARTISTS IN 2018!CATHERINE GILL, April 2018DAVID LOBENBERG, May 2018BJORN BERNSTROM, June 2018ANGUS MCEWAN, July 2018GEORGE POLITUS, July 2018IAIN STEWART, August 2018BRENDA SWENSON, August 2018RON STOCKE, August 2018JEAN PEDERSON, September 2018JEAN HAINES, October 2018THOMAS SCHALLER, November 2018

STORES

SEATTLE STORE4150 First Avenue South • (206) 223-9599

Two miles south of Safeco Field

BELLEVUE/REDMOND STORE15112 NE 24th Street • (425) 643-1781

Northeast of the Overlake Sears

• Visiting Artists • 2017 • 2018 • Call Stores for details or to register.

www.danielsmithstores.com

SAVE THE DATE

Our biggest event of the year

Saturday, September 30th 2017— SEATTLE VENDOR DAY EVENT —

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MARNE JENSEN CLASSES ATPARKLANE GALLERYInstructor Marne Jensen will be holdingclasses at Parklane Gallery, 130 ParkLane, Kirkland. This series will be four 2-hour sessions from 1 to 3 p.m onTuesdays, September 12, 19, 26 andOctober 3. Stimulate your artisticcreativity and imagination usingcombinations of watermedia, pastel,pencil and collage - or whatever mediayou choose - to become a moreexpressive painter. Have fun receivingand developing new ideas and becomemore proficient at using your intuition tocreate exciting artwork. Learn how to digdeeper into the right brain usingtechniques that will spark your creativityand spontaneity. This no-fear art class isappropriate for the beginning and mid-level painter. $150 for the 4 classes.Additional classes will be scheduledthroughout the year.marnejensen@aol.com for furtherinformation.

KATHY COLLINS’ CLASSESAND WORKSHOPSKathy Collins’ next four-week watercolorclass series begins Thursday, Oct. 26, 10-12, at Tsuga Fine Art, 10101 Main St,Bothell. $135., She teaches a rapid-process, impressionistic approach to themedium. See her work at www.kathycollinswatercolors.com. Contact Kathy atkathy.collins001@gmail.com to register.

Kathy Collins will teach a “Loosen Up”Watercolor Workshop Saturday,November 18, 10AM - 3:30PM, Tsuga FineArt, $95.  Learn a fast, big brushtechnique for impressionistic,loosely painted watercolors. Kathy willdo three demo paintings during the dayand will help participants come awaywith a minimum of three watercolorsfrom the workshop! Tsuga is at 10101Main St, Bothell.  Contact Kathy atkathy.collins001@gmail.com to register.

MOLLY MURRAH TWO-DAYWORKSHOPMolly Murrah will teach a two-dayworkshop at Daniel Smith in downtownSeattle titled “Watercolor Portraits: A

Different Approach” on September 16-17, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.Cost is $200. In this workshop we willdiscuss how to determine your bestcomposition, various ways to transferyour image to paper, Molly’s techniquefor applying both transparent and moreopaque pigments, and finally how tofinish your portraits with bright, opaquetouches that bring them to life.

Take the anxiety out of painting portraitsand have fun instead! Join Molly atDaniel Smith for this workshop. Helpfulhandouts and reference images will beprovided.

RUTH HOAG – ABSTRACTINGTHE LANDSCAPEAbstracting the Landscape with RuthEllen Hoag, AWS, NWS. February 5-7,2018 in Oregon City, OR. Open to bothwatercolor and acrylic painters, this

OPPORTUNITIES

MEMBER NEWS

workshop will focus on painting thelandscape as it feels, rather than as it is.Join Ruth Ellen Hoag in an exploration inabstracting from the landscape, usingeither photo references or plein airopportunities. Our spacious studiooverlooks rolling green hills andfarmland. For more information andregistration, visit: rutharmitage.com/art-workshops/ or email artistruth5405@yahoo.com, 503-998-5833.

22 WOMEN IN ITALY - A WATERCOLOREXHIBITION

Share the adventure of 22vibrant and experienced artistswho painted the beautifulscenery of Lake Garda andVerona, Italy.

Exhibition - August - October2017.

Artists Reception - Monday,August 7.  5-8 PM.MAX'S/Cucina Italian Restaurant3514 State Street, Santa Barbara93105

Laura Amour, Kathy Bart, CarolClarke, Jean Clarke, JaneyCohen, Lynn Coie, Ann Galloway,Lindsey Green, Shirley Horacek, FrancineMcOwen, Karen May, Julie Merrill, JulieMichaelsen, Susan Magness, JulieNeufeld, Cathy Quiel, Renee Salter andLiz Silacci.

KATHERINE WRIGHTEXHIBITION Katherine L. Wright will show herpaintings at Walters Cafe in Ballard, 640832nd Avenue Northwest, Seattle,Washington 98107. Sept 1 through Sept30, Artists reception on Ballard Night out,Thursday, Sept 21.

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Dear fellow NWWS friends,

I want to tell you a little about my journey with watercolors andwith NWWS. About ten years ago, I became a member ofNWWS while working full time at a corporate job. I would readthe newsletters, dreaming to one day be more active in mywatercolor pursuits. After over a year of reading thosenewsletters but otherwise sitting on the sidelines of my ownart dreams and of NWWS, I decided to volunteer with NWWS.This really helped me get more involved, not just with the artcommunity, but with my own painting as well. As myresponsibilities and roles grew within NWWS, so did the time Idedicated to painting. I became a signature member andshortly afterwards, decided to pursue art full time. To help paythe bills, I began teaching art as well.

Now, just ten years after that first NWWS newsletter whisperedinspiration into my heart, I can tell you that dreams do cometrue! But you have to push them uphill first!

I am opening my own art school and looking for artists to joinme to teach classes for kids, teens and adults. 

When I first began teaching my first art classes, I was sonervous! It was at a consignment store in Kenmore full of usedfurniture and bric-a-brac. They were closed on Sundays andwere therefore willing to let me teach in the shop. I had threepeople sign up for my first class. I had no idea of how todevelop this into my dream career, a full-time teaching artist.

Wow, that was just 6 years ago. Seems like a life time but I’vecome a long way since then. I have taught at several art schoolsin the area and I continue to teach at several communitycolleges. I’ve had hundreds of students, many of which havebecome dear friends. I’ve taken students to Italy, France andEngland sketching every year.

And, now, I’m opening up my own school. Wow. Just wow!

The school is Cloud 9 Art School, located in a lovely house at18414 103rd Ave NE in Bothell. We will open our doors inSeptember!

I have a lineup of exciting teachers. All are professional artists,who will bring their passion, encouragement, and expertise totheir students at Cloud 9.

We will offer workshops, ongoing classes, cultural events, andtravel adventures to inspire joy and creativity.

Our initial lineup includes art and mindfulness classes forpreschoolers, kids, teens and adults! The current schedulefeatures classes on drawing, sketch booking, watercolors,acrylics, ZenArts and jewelry making. We will continue to addnew classes and workshops for a variety of media and we willoffer an exciting line up of visiting instructors as well. Stay

tuned! But I am looking for more instructors, whether forongoing classes or the occasional workshop. Watercolors,acrylics, color pencil and drawing in particular!

Please visit www.cloud9artschool.com for more informationand to see our current schedule of classes, all of which will kickoff in September.

At Cloud 9, we are a joyful community focused on creativityand discovering our world. Cloud 9 Art School is committed tobeing a place where children, teens and adults find inspiration,learn, and have fun in a relaxed, professional studioenvironment. Come join me, either to take classes or teachthem. We will also rent out the space for meetings, lectures,events and more!

I’m thrilled! You could say, I’m on Cloud 9!

Your friend,Charlene Collins Freeman, NWWS

AN OPEN LETTER TO NWWS

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EDITOR’S CONTEST WINNERS

NEW SIGNATURE MEMBERS

NOV.-DEC. EDITOR’S CONTEST

Only two entries! Was the subject too tough or are we all justsummer busy?

1st Place: Roger Baker’s lovely, soft evening painting of thereturning fishing boat.

2nd Place: JamesMcFarlane. James said hegot so caught up painting thebackground that he nearlyforgot the boat!

Note on the editor’s effort:I had randomly selected afishing boat from the harborto use as a model. Mine waspainted on the golf coursewhile hosting a hole for the

Kiwanis tournament. Nearly everyone who came by said, “Oh!Andy Babich’s boat!” Have since learned that the Babich familyis one of the original founders of Gig Harbor having establishedthe herring fishery. Everybody knows Night Hawk!

Paint a portrait. (See Editorial). This need not be elaborate oreven realistic. Simply make an effort and send your work tojeffrey.waters@comcast.net.

�

�

The NWWS Foundation was established to assist,encourage, promote and advance the visual arts in thePacific Northwest. One way is to promote art in theschools. A limited number of grants are offered eachyear by NWWF to volunteers and teachers working inschool art programs. The Art for Kids grant application ison our website. Here are some other ideas to promoteart for kids.

• Donate extra supplies from home to art programs inschools.

• Mentor a young artist

• Encourage young relatives with art supply gifts.

• Tell art majors about our scholarship

• Share your expertise with young artists.

• Invite new artists to NWWS and other club meetings

• Help young artists with competition submissions

• Donate books to schools

• Volunteer to demonstrate at colleges and highschools

• Help a student with tuition for school and classes

BringingArt toKids

Congratulations to our four new Signaturemembers, Jessica Bryant from Idaho, TiaKratter from California, Dashuai Sun from NewYork and Susan Zavadil from Minnesota.

13

Simplicity is a key element of a strongdesign, especially in shape and valueconstruction. However, the temptation,especially for novices, is to over-modelthe form, or volume, of an object. Wemay erroneously believe that for anobject to read realistically we need toshow all the value shifts.

For example, a cube may be renderedwith a different value for each visibleface plus an additional value for the

shadow. The front, top, side, and shadowwould be painted with four differentvalues in order to look three-dimensional. Unfortunately, each valuecreates a separate shape, yet the earlymasters taught us that one attribute of astrong design is a limited number ofshapes employed.

The question is, how do we deal withthis paradox of realism versus design? Ifwe don’t show some volume bymodeling, will the painting cease to lookrealistic? On the other hand, if we renderall the shapes to their realisticcompletion, will the painting cease tohave a strong design?

The answer is to incorporate the best ofboth worlds: design and realism. We canachieve this by reserving the renderingof form for the Area of Dominance, andoutside it we keep objects rather flat inappearance by assigning only one valueto them. Done skillfully, the viewer willnot recognize these simplified areas aslacking realism, the viewer’s mindactually is triggered to assign form by

WIEGARDT ON WATERCOLOR

Northwest Winter, 16 x 22

A DESIGN DILEMMA

association with the Area of Dominance.The Area of Dominance is strengthenedby having more form, or interest,reserved for it.

This works hand in hand with mystandard procedure: I initially connect allthe big shapes and like valuesthroughout the whole painting. There isno rendering of form in this block-instage: it all looks very flat. As thepainting progresses, I begin to renderform in the Area of Dominance in orderto draw the eye there, all the whileresisting the temptation tounnecessarily show form elsewhere.Learning this discipline of restraint isvery important.

Look for ways to strengthen yourpainting by “painting flat” and reservingvolume, and consequently interest, forthe area you want the viewer’s eye toland.

Keep your brush wet,

Eric

Box 1114 · Ocean Park, WA 98640

(360) 665-5976www.ericwiegardt.com

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