Bloomington Watercolor Society

State of the Society Year-End Report for 2011

Overview

2011 was a wonderful year for the Bloomington Watercolor Society. We held nine informative monthly meetings, two educational workshops, eight relaxing paint outs, two productive shows, and one elegant and enjoyable holiday party. Many highlights accompanied these events, including those enhancing meeting, outreach, and instructional efforts.  Note that there was no Signature Status Committee formed this year as it meets every other year.

Treasury

Year end count showed a total of 74 members. Carol Rhodes, treasurer, reported that between the beginning and the end of 2011 the treasury had positive income some of which could be attributed to the sale of notecards.

Meetings/programs

·  January 10: Everything you ever wanted to know about shows but were afraid to ask with Tricia Wente

·  February 14: All Shapes and Sizes with Jacki Frey

·   March 14:  Help! with Dan Alexander, Jacki Frey, Jeanne Iler, Linda Meyer-Wright, Carol Rhodes and Vi Working

·   April 11: Plein Air and Beyond: Choosing a subject, focus and composition with Jacki Frey and Nancy Metz

·   May 9: An introduction to Portrait Painting with Tricia Wente

·   June 13:  Painting rocks, pebbles, tree branches and trunks, with Jeanne Vieter

·   July:  No meeting/no program – summer break!

·   August:  No meeting/no program – summer break!

·   September 12: Splattering and Spattering! with Jeanne Dutton

·   October 10: Artist’s Travel Journaling with Cathy Korinek and Jo Weddle

·    November :  Artist Trading Cards with Jerry Harste

·    December:  No meeting/no program – Holiday Party!

Workshops

·     May 28:  Peggy Brown: Watercolor Collage!

·     October 1:  Rena Brouwer: Birds

Paint-Outs

·     April 30:  McCormick’s Creek State Park

·     May 21:  T.C. Steele State Historic Site

·     June 18:  Bloomington Farmers’ Market

·     July 16 :  Debra Rush’s aunt’s farm, Smithville

·     August 20:  The shop fronts at South Dunn Street

·     September 10:  T.C. Steele State Historic Site

·     October 10:  Annual Picnic at Musgrave Orchard

·     Ad hoc: September 8: B-Line Trail Opening Reception at the invitation of the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department

Shows

·     May:  The Venue Fine Art and Gifts: Creative Senior Show. Opening: May 6

·     November – December: Annual Show:  “We Paint… Parks!” at City Hall Atrium. Opening: November 4, closing: December 2. This show was a year-long collaborative project with the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District and the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.  Forty-six paintings were exhibited. BPR chose three paintings to publish in the Summer program guide. Deborah Rush’s “Playground in Spring” (Bryan Park) was chosen for the front cover and Deloris Schneider’s “Neighborhood Park” (Highland Village Park) and Diane Probst’s (Leonard Spring Nature Park) paintings will be included inside the program guide. Barbara Hawkins’ “Where the Fun Begins” (Allison-Jukebox Community Center), Nancy Davis Metz’s “Griffy Lake” (Griffy Lake Nature Preserve), Cassidy Young’s “Third Street Park” (Third Street Park), and Tricia Wente’s “Winslow Vignettes” (Winslow Sports Park), and Dan Alexander’s “Peoples Park” (Peoples Park) received Honorable Mention.

Holiday Party

·    December 19:  Holiday Party! Meadowood – ATCs, door prizes

Select Highlights

·     Introduced the exchange table, complete with “Free”, “Borrow” and “Try It” sections.

·     Secured new “Bloomington Watercolor Society” signage complete with logos for paint outs and other events.

·    Updated Web site and included new gallery for BWS member’s works, thanks to the efforts of Charlotte Griffin and Carol Rhodes.

·     Added “President’s Column” and “Inspirations”, a place to feature member art, sections to Brushstrokes newsletter

·     Created new Honorary Membership Committee and inducted first member, Heidi Heiser, graphic designer who has created the postcard invitations to membership shows for several years.

·     Added new Scholarships Committee, the goal of which is to research, design and present a scholarship to a high school senior in 2013.

·     Helped members of the public connect with nature by teaching watercolor painting techniques, “Cave Paintings”, hosted by The Venue Fine Art and Gifts.  This was another collaborative effort with the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.

·     Began networking at the state level with the Watercolor Society of Indiana and other watercolor organizations

·     Introduced, approved, and began planning for “We Paint…The Springs” conference, a collaborative effort with Ivy Tech’s Center for Lifelong Learning and French Lick Resort.

Respectfully submitted,

Kriste Lindberg

BWS President 2011

Meeting Minutes, February 13, 2012

Bloomington Watercolor Society

Members in attendance: Tina Allgood, Bob Anderson, Connie Brorson, Bob Burris, Jeanne Dutton, Linda Endris, Jodi Estell, Julia Ferguson, Charlotte Griffin, Beth Gray, Jerry Harste, Sue Haverstock, Carla Hedges, Steve Jackson, Margret Kingrey, Kriste Lindberg, Nancy Metz, Kim Neubecker, Diane Probst, Meri Reinhold, Carol Rhodes, Deborah Rush, Joanne Shank, Deloris Schneider, John Shelton, Phyllis Taylor, Kathy Truelove-Barton, Betty Wagoner, Joanne Weddle, Tricia Wente, Donna Whitsitt, Cassidy Young.

New member: Julia Ferguson

The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. at the First Christian Church in the Great Hall on the second floor.  BWS President, Jeanne Dutton, introduced the newest member, Julia Ferguson.

Jeanne thanked the Hospitality/Cheer chair, Jo Weddle and her helpers for arranging for meeting refreshments.  Refreshments were provided by Kathy Barton, Carla Hedges, Kriste Lindberg, Diane Probst, and Deloris Schneider.  Jo Weddle passed around a signup sheet so that members could volunteer to provide refreshments for future meetings as needed.

The minutes of the last meeting (January 9, 2012) were available on the Blog and no additions or corrections were found from the members in attendance. Meri Reinhold motioned for acceptance and Carla Hedges seconded the motion.  The members accepted the minutes unanimously as written.

The Treasurer's Report was read by Carol Rhodes, Treasurer, and was accepted without vote.

Jeanne Dutton passed out the schedule of BWS events for February through July.  It included activities for each month including the program for each of the monthly meetings, planned workshops, and paint outs.  The handout was printed on heavy paper for posting on bulletin boards or refrigerators. 

1^ST Vice President, Kriste Lindberg, handed out copies of the 2011 year-end State of the Society and reminded those attending about all of the accomplishments of BWS during the year 2011.

Reports
Membership: Betty Wagoner, 2^nd Vice President, reported that the total membership was now 76.

Activities/Workshop Chair, Deloris Schneider, had flyers available describing the Judy Moore Mudd workshop on portrait painting to be held on March 31. She opened registration for the workshop as of this evening.  The class will be limited to 15 students and will be located at the First Christian Church.  By the end of the evening 10 people had already signed up. 

Publicity Deborah Rush has redesigned the BWS rack cards to include new art and condensed text.  The cards should be available at the next meeting.

Old Business:

Notecards: Margret Kingrey provided the price that was quoted for reprint of the current set of notecards.  After discussion, Tricia Wente motioned that BWS order 100 sets of cards.  Kathy Barton seconded the motion and the members voted to adopt the motion.  Margret reported that the main purveyor of the cards has said that purchasers have shown interest in having a different set of images from BWS.

We Paint the Springs Conference: Nancy Metz handed out copies of the Ivy Tech conference registration form to all attendees and encouraged everyone to register early for the discount and to make sure the conference will have enough enrollees to be viable.  Much work has already taken place and all who have worked on the conference so far were thanked.

New Business: None


Announcements:

o   Joanne Shank encouraged members to take part in the planned Open Studio Tour which will be held on June 3-4.  It is a way for artists to show and sell their art.  Cost per artist is $40 until March 3 and $50 if registering between March 3 and April 3.  It is possible for multiple artists to “share” a studio and there will be a public studio for a limited number of artists to share.  Artist should be present to show their work during the tour.

o   Some of Connie Brorson’s works are on exhibit at Meadowood until February 29.

o   Deborah Rush has a show at The Venue.  The opening reception is Friday, February 17, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.  Everyone is invited to attend.

o   Jacki Frey is looking for people who would like to make a road-trip to the Renoir to Chagal exhibit in Louisville.  See the Blog for information and links.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:53 p.m.. The evening program was presented by Tricia Wente. She talked about BWS Signature status plans for this year.  She then gave handy hints about how to get your work into juried shows (one of the signature status requirements).  She also did a demonstration on framing for juried shows with an eye toward economy.

Respectfully submitted,
Charlotte Griffin
BWS Secretary, 2012