BRUSHSTROKES

APRIL 2009

DATES and UPDATES
April 13
Monthly Meeting
6:00 p.m.
First Christian Church
After a short business meeting, our esteemed president, Nancy Davis Metz, will present the monthly program.
Ever stare at a blank sheet of watercolor paper? Have you stalled out after completing a major piece? Or maybe you just need a boost to get your watercolor groove back?
Using Nita Leland's "The New Creative Artist" and other recent books on creativity as inspiration, Nancy will lead three activities designed to help you break through creative barriers, see the familiar in a fresh way, and try something different. Bring your paints, some paper, and your stash of pencils, markers, watercolor crayons, and other art goodies.
Also, bring your tips on boosting creativity to the meeting, and we'll compile a list of how BWS members feed their muses.

Bill Borden workshop attendees, please bring your work in progress (or finished) to show and share with the group. And speaking of the workshop last Saturday, it was a great success! Bill discussed the importance of planning your painting well in advance, drawing the analogy of starting a trip without a map to starting painting without a plan. He shared his thoughts on sketching and doing value sketches, then painted a beautiful example for us.

Thanks to Lisa Tipton Kocela for sharing the photos, to Tina Allgood for the yummy cake, to Jacki Frey for the luncheon salad, and to Nancy Metz, Jo Weddell, Carol Rhodes, and the volunteers who helped set up and clean up! All their hours of organizing and hard work made for a fun day for everyone.

KUDOS and CONGRATULATIONS
Shelly Ritter's Redbud art class was interviewed and video taped by CATS, the television broadcast center at the Monroe County Library. The project for the day was watercolor and BWS got plugged! Thanks, Shelly!

Sara Steffey McQueen is the proud recipient of a Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship. This coming summer, Sara will travel through Britain painting and photographing sacred places. This will culminate in an exhibit at the Women's Institute in New Harmony in the summer of 2010. Good job, Sara!

OPPORTUNITIES
en plein aire painting
Shelly Ritter has offered her Worker Farm for plein aire paintouts either for groups or individuals. She has a 17 acre sustainable farm with 2 miles of easy walking trails. Contact Shelly at 812-679-8879 or email shelnew70@yahoo.com if you are interested.

OPEN STUDIO
Friday, April 17
10:00 - 12:30
Jacki Frey is offering a free open studio session to discuss and review notes and techniques from the Bill Borden workshop. If you want to attend, please RSVP to Jacki at 320-6745 or jackifrey@hotmail.com.

WEBINAR
BEAD is offering professional development courses to local artists and art organizations free of charge. The web-based courses are administered by Americans for the Arts, a national organization for artists and arts presenters.
Webinars are scheduled monthly on Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. in the McCloskey Room on the first floor of City Hall and last approximately 90 minutes. A complete listing of seminars and dates is available by visiting www.bloomington.in.gov/bead. Topics include funding, collaboration, marketing, leadership, planning, programming, development, sustainability, budgeting and new technology.
The Wednesday, April 15th Webinar topic is
Organizational Planning for Local Arts Agencies
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 2:00 p.m.
The 90 minute program will include types of plans, plan development and effective use of plans to improve both the day-to-day operations and long-term health of arts organizations.
Attendees are asked to RSVP by contacting Erin Coon at coone@bloomington.in.gov.

Wildflower Foray – 24th Annual
April 24-26, 2009
Saturday, April 25
T.C. Steele Art Trek, 10:00 a.m.
Take to the woods with TC Steele staff member/artist Amber Zaragoza and natural science illustrator Gillian Harris to enjoy and capture the beauty that inspired artist T.C. Steele 100 years ago. Bring a sketchbook and your choice of drawing media for a 2-hour sketching walk on a MODERATE, established trail.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/docs/events/wildflowerforay_schedule.htm

First Brush of Spring - 11th Annual
April 23 - 25, 2009
Sponsored by IPAPA• New Harmony Artist Guild • Hoosier Salon
Check in for the paint out is 7:00 – 9:00 am, Thursday and Friday, 7:00 – 8:00 am Saturday, at the Hoosier Salon Gallery, 507 Church Street, New Harmony.
The schedule for the three day event includes:
Thursday – After painting all day, there will be a reception at the Rapp Granary. Immediately following the reception, award winning artist and teacher Jeanne McLeish will conduct a painting critique.
Friday – After a day of painting, artists will gather at 7:00 pm in Murphy Park, downtown New Harmony for a bonfire, cookout and music.
Also available is a tour of the Gardens of New Harmony
Saturday – Judging begins promptly at 1:00 p.m. followed by art sale.
For complete information and a downloadable registration form, go to www.inpainters.org

Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School
Saturday April 25
3:00 -6:00 pm
Burlesque style figure drawing
$6.00
Rachael's Cafe
http://drsketchysbloomington.blogspot.com/

2nd annual Spring Blossom Arts Festival
May 8 - 10
There is still time to participate in the 2nd annual Spring Blossom Arts Festival to be held throughout the Village of Nashville May 8-10. Applications are available online at http://www.browncounty.com//crm/index.cfm?action=ViewForm&FormID=50
For full information, please contact Debbie Dunbar, Director of Marketing and Communications, Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800.753.3255 #11.

T.C. Steele Festival of Flowers Paint Out
Saturday, May 16
7:00 am to 2:00 pm.
The Festival of Flowers Paint Out provides a unique insight into the methods of T.C. Steele, an artist greatly inspired by his natural surroundings. Participating artists will work much as Steele did--outside, in the open air. Judging begins at 2:00 p.m. While the event judges are hard at work, visitors may vote on their favorites for a “People’s Choice” award. Artists must be pre-registered in order to submit their work for judging, but may also paint for their own enjoyment.

Special Note: Artists and visitors who come to enjoy the Festival of Flowers PaintOut will be able to enjoy the artistry of not of one Steele, but of two. While T.C. Steele occupied his time painting the landscape around him, Selma Neubacher Steele was creating her own “landscapes.” Selma’s gardens in May are a dazzling display of peonies, irises, foxgloves, and other “old-fashioned” favorites massed in garden beds and naturalized across the hillsides. The Festival of Flowers was created as a result of requests from artists who wanted to showcase Selma Steele’s gardens as T.C. Steele did.
A new category for artists has been added to the traditional drawing and painting media: “Garden Sculpture.” Entries in this new category must be appropriate for garden display (weather-resistant), and may include sculpture, assemblage art, or a combination of the two.
The gardens near the judging area will be the setting for an outdoor concert by local swing and jazz trio, Sarah’s Swing Set.
For more information, please call (812) 988-2785.

CURRENT EXHIBITS

Tricia Wente “Portraits and Landscapes” at ByHand Gallery in Fountain Square Mall through April.

Jeanne Iler and Carolyn Rogers Richard “Absolutely Abstract!” at Gallery North on the Square, now through April 24. Also featured are artists Anabel Hopkins and Lee Chapman.

Connie Brorson at Meadowwood, now through April.

Brushstrokes is an (almost) monthly
publication of the Bloomington Watercolor Society
Nancy Davis Metz, president
Jeanne Ellen Dutton, editor
PO Box 5236
Bloomington IN 47407
email: members@bloomingtonwatercolor.org
www.bloomingtonwatercolor.org