Brushstrokes September 2012



West Baden Springs

 In this issue
September meeting
We Paint ... the Springs
Navajo Student Art Show
BEAD updates its website
2012 Great Outdoor Art Contest
Hiking and art: A perfect combo
Member News
Beyond BWS Borders







Welcome back, everyone!

It’s been a busy summer painting, planning, and preparing for the fall session and We Paint … the Springs. You surely are looking forward to being back in touch with your fellow artists. I know I am!

At the Sept. 10 meeting, Nancy Metz will bring you up to date on the watercolor conference, and a new yearlong cooperative project will be announced. And, of course, we have two paint outs left in the season – one at French Lick and one at Oliver Winery. Details will be provided.

Our program for September is “Show and Share.” Bring your paintings! They don’t have to be framed or fancy or finished. Just bring your summer work so admiration may be duly bestowed.

The meeting, which starts at 6 p.m., is at the First Christian Church at the intersection of Washington and Kirkwood.



We Paint ... the Springs will feature both West

Baden and French Lick Resort properties.



We Paint … the Springs

The weekend watercolor conference at the French Lick Resort Sept. 21 to 23 offers BWS members a variety of ways to participate. You can register for the entire conference, one day of instruction, or just the paint out on Sunday. Even if you haven’t registered, please join the fun by attending a social event or meal, visiting the gallery and artists who are painting on Sunday, or even by painting on the grounds (Yes, you can paint on Sunday without being registered; you just won’t get a box lunch or be able to enter a painting in the competition.)

Conference registration

Registration is hovering around 60 artists, and we still have a few days before the registration deadline. Although the deadline is published as Sept. 1, you may still be able to register by phoning Ivy Tech at 812-330-6041 on Sept. 2 or 3 and leaving a message. The staff will be returning calls on Sept. 4 and will take registrations until the 75 spots are filled.

Meal and social hour tickets

If you plan to visit French Lick Resort sometime during the conference and are not registered for the conference, you are welcome to purchase a ticket for a meal or reception. (All receptions and conference meals are covered by registration fees.)

Two receptions are scheduled, one Friday evening 7 to 9 p.m. in the Habig Room and Saturday evening 5 to 6:30 p.m. on the Mezzanine. Reception tickets cost $15 and cover food costs only. Cash bars will be set up for the receptions.

Saturday breakfast will be served 8 to 9 a.m. and will cost non-registrants $25. Saturday lunch will be served noon to 1 p.m. and will cost non-registrants $35.

The Sunday box lunch is $25 for non-registrants and will be available at the Event Center conference registration table around the noon hour.

You may purchase tickets at the Sept. 10 BWS meeting or by getting a check in the hands of Carol Rhodes, Nancy Metz or Jeanne Dutton by Sept. 16. We give the Hotel our final meal counts on Sept. 17 and will not be able to honor any meal ticket orders arriving in the mail after Sept. 16.

Sunday Paint Out

If you have registered for the whole weekend, you are registered for the Sunday Paint Out and lunch. You do not have to register separately.  However, if you are not registered for the weekend but would like to paint competitively and enjoy a box lunch, you must register by Sept. 1. To register, call 812-330-6041 or go to www.bloomingtonwatercolor.org/conference, print out the registration, and mail it with a check for $40 to Center for Lifelong Learning, Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St., Bloomington, IN 47404. Because of the tight time frame, please email nmetz@indiana.edu that you have mailed a Paint Out registration.

Paint Out awards will be presented in two divisions. In the beginner/intermediate division, $75, $50 and $25 gift certificates from Blick Art Materials will be awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. In the advanced/professional division, The Venue and an anonymous donor have  provided cash awards of $200 for first place, $100 for second place, and $75 for third place. French Lick Resort has provided an overnight package with breakfast for two for the artist whose painting is designated Best of Show.

Navajo Student Art Show

While sorting through a rising mound of old paintings and drawings, Betty Wagoner uncovered a box of student artwork from her days as a public school teacher on the Navajo and the Colorado River Indian Reservations in Arizona.

Betty now works at the Monrovia Branch of the Morgan County Public Library system, where the staff was looking for something to fill an empty display case. It was a perfect setup for a display of the students’ artworks, the first time the works have been opened for viewing since 1970.

Although the artwork is showing its age, a slice of time is revealed from sketches of the Navajo landscape, a painting of a ceremonial ritual, a photograph of children in ceremonial dress, a drawing in cubistic style and more. A mix of styles, media, and cultural influences is displayed. The artworks will be shown through the middle of September.

BEAD updates its website

The Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District has launched a new site (http://www.visitbead.com) with enhanced searchability and an updated look as well as other features.

Miah Michaelsen, assistant economic development director for the arts, offers the following guide for using the site.

For arts/cultural/entertainment/festival/shopping/dining events in BEAD

Send an email to bead@bloomington.in.gov or input the information directly into the calendar at https://visitbead.com/whats-happening/submit-an-event/. Don’t know the exact BEAD boundaries? Check the map at https://visitbead.com/getting-around/#text-16.

For arts/cultural/entertainment events outside of BEAD (including IU)

Send an email to bead@bloomington.in.gov and the event will be included (as space allows) in the weekly newsletter and social media. Please note that community-based arts and cultural organizations and events (wherever they may be) get priority. To subscribe to the newsletter, go to https://visitbead.com/whats-happening/#text-15.

For calls to artists/grant announcements/studio space availability, etc.

Send an email to bead@bloomington.in.gov. These listings are a priority for the newsletter and social media (wherever they are located). A permanent listing of these resources is located at http://bloomington.in.gov/sections/viewSection.php?section_id=624.

To follow BEAD on Twitter, visit https://twitter.com/GoBEAD.

To Like on Facebook, go to http://www.fgacebook.com/bloomingtonentertainmentandartsdistrict.

2012 Great Outdoor Art Contest

The 2012 Great Outdoor Art Contest is approaching on Sept. 8. The autumn beauty of Brown County and the bluegrass sounds of the White Lightning Boy will provide inspiration. Between brushstrokes, sample wines and desserts at the Local Tastings Fair – new this year. Lunches provided by a local business will be available for purchase.

The registration form is available at http://www.tcsteele.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/GOAC-registration1.pdf. Complete the registration form and mail it with registration fees of $10 for adults or $5 for teens and children under 18 to GOAC, T.C. Steele State Historic Site, 4220 T.C. Steele Rd., Nashville, IN 47448. You may also register by calling 812-988-2785 and providing credit card information.

Hiking and art: A perfect combo

By Betty Wagoner

I have been busy this summer leading outings that combine trail hiking and art. These were scheduled outings with organized hiking groups.

The outings alternate hiking and an art activity, usually in a forest or state park. Each hiker chooses an art activity such as sketching, painting, reading, writing, photography, whittling, or simply meditating. We find places to stop with a nice feature like a waterfall or a rock formation. Art instruction is offered for beginners.

The first outing was to Gnaw Bone Camp with the Indianapolis Hiking Club on Memorial Day weekend. We walked to a lake where we sketched a shoreline with docks and boats. In June, members of the Hoosier Backpackers hiked and sketched in Shades State Park. On a 100-degree day in July, the Walking Women of Brown County hiked every trail of the T.C. Steele Historic Site, enjoyed a picnic lunch, and then toured Steele’s studio and home. August featured another trip to Shades State Park with the Indianapolis Hiking Club where we encountered much cascading water after a 2-1/2 inch rainstorm. It was a day for inspiring art and hiking.

I would be interested in finding BWS members or others who would like to combine trail hiking with an art activity. Anyone who finds this of interest, please look for me at a BWS meeting or call 812-323-3869.

by Jeanne Ellen Dutton

Member News

The opening reception for Jeanne Dutton’s solo watercolor show, “Garden and Table,” is Friday, Sept. 7, at The Venue, 114 S. Grant St. in Bloomington. The reception is from 5 to 8 p.m. The show, which celebrates the end of summer’s garden harvest, will remain up Sept. 5 through 16.

Sara Steffey McQueen is exhibiting her watercolors at Meadowood during September.

Sherry Redman will be selling wabytercolor paintings at the Third Street Community Art Fair over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1 and 2. She is also working on two cemetery paintings for the Bloomington Historical Society’s 2014 calendar contest. Sherry also has a “Linear Landscapes” show with watercolor and mixed media paintings at the Ivy Tech Waldron Arts Center Dec. 7 to 28. The opening reception is Dec. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m.

by Jacki Frey

Jacki Frey is offering private painting lessons in either watercolor or acrylic at her “The Blue Parrot” studio. A two-hour session costs $40 and can be scheduled by calling Jacki at 360-6745 or emailing her at jackifrey@hotmail.com.

Beyond BWS Borders

The Goshen Painters’ Guild offers “Batik Without the Mess,” a workshop taught by Sandy Maudlin, Sept. 13 to 15. Sandy has been developing her tape batik technique since the ‘90s. She will do several demos and offer hands-on guidance. The three-day workshop costs $225, and enrollment is limited to the first 20 persons who register. Additional information and a registration form can be found at www.goshenpaintersguild.org. You may also register by calling Donna Arnold at 574-831-6828.

“Cheesecake and Yupo! New Class with Watercolor” will be offered Saturday, Sept. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. at J.K. Cheesecake Café in Martinsville. Instructor Sally Hedges invites beginners to experienced painters to join the class, which will be painting a large floral in purples and blues. The class costs $35; charge cards are welcome. Preregistration is required. Call Sally at 765-792-0328.

Persimmon Festival Art Show will accept entries Saturday, Sept. 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lower level of the Mitchell Community Public Library. The Library is located at the corner of 8th and Main streets in Mitchell. There will be a Judged Division and a Non-Judged Division. In the Judged Division ribbons and prize money will be awarded in five categories: Landscape and Waterscape, Still Life and Florals, Portrait and People, Animals and Birds, and Abstract/Nonobjective/Fantasy. There will also be a Best of Show Award. Artists must pay $5 for each art piece entered into the Judged Division. There will be no entry fee for the Non-Judged Division. All entries are eligible for the People's Choice Award. Artists may submit up to three entries, space permitting. If an entry is quite large, only one artwork may be accommodated. Paintings and drawings need to be securely framed with strong wire for hanging. The artwork must not have been shown at previous Persimmon Festivals and must be suitable for viewing by all ages. Artists will need to pick up paintings on Monday, Oct. 1, between 4 and 6 p.m.