A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found on the web at CVWG.art.

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A Message from Our 2021 Guild President

2020 has been a crazy difficult year that I am looking forward to putting behind us. But it does give us the opportunity to count our blessings and show appreciation to all those who helped make it happen.

Thanks to all of our members for hanging in there, to all our Board members for their work this year, for Mark for helping us with our meetings on Zoom, and I would also like to take this opportunity to thank President Linda Verhagen for the fantastic job she did leading us through the last 2 years.

So as we bid 2020 a farewell I wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday Season and here’s to a prosperous and healthy 2021!

Donna Koutrakos

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Early Results of Our Survey

We have closed the Survey Monkey poll that we started just before Thanksgiving. In the four weeks it was open, we had 49 respondents sharing their views and perspectives. The full results are being reviewed by our Board of Directors to influence what programs and offerings we attempt this coming year. Some key findings that your responses are providing our Directors:

• Only 12 responders would consider attending Guild meetings in a face-to-face environment;
• Online exhibition(s) and monthly Challenge(s) are a popular idea supported by about 70% of respondents…read on!
• Of various online meeting apps, our responders were familiar with more than 8 different ones with Zoom being the single most familiar tool.

Our Board will meet again in early January 2021 so look for more feedback as we enter the new year. Thanks, again, to all our responders as this really helps our Board understand your ideas, perspectives, and desires for our Guild!

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Early Call for Artists– A 2021 CVWG Exhibit

Central Virginia Watercolor Guild has been accepted to provide an exhibition of our members’ art at The Center in Charlottesville. The exhibit will run for approximately two months starting May 3 until June 30. This exhibit is open to all members and there is room for 42-48 paintings depending on the size. Details and the submittal timeline for this exhibit will be forthcoming in early 2021 but matting, framing, and identification marking will be similar to our non-juried Courthouse shows. A new web page has been added to this site to share information and guidance at this link: https://cvwg.art/2021-exhibit-at-the-center/.

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Our Monthly Challenge is Returning by Zoom!

Given your responses on our survey, a couple of Directors and Volunteers are in early planning to resume our monthly Challenge paintings. Look for details in January but here is an overview:

• We will hold our Challenge “meetings” by Zoom at our regular monthly meeting day and time, the 4th Monday of every month at 1:00 PM.
• We’ll post the monthly Challenge themes on our web site and via this blog;
• Artists are free to paint anything remotely related to the monthly theme;
• Artists will take a photo of their painting using their phone or tablet device and email it to our CVWG Webmaster, Mark Fitzpatrick (cvwgwebmaster@gmail.com) by each months’ deadline, generally the Friday before our Monday Zoom meeting;
• All paintings will be posted on our web site;
• All interested artists will be sent a Zoom meeting invitation;
• Our host will convene the Zoom meeting then share each painting in full-screen color for all attendees to see. Each artist will be given 2-3 minutes to discuss their muse, their technique, or any other aspect of their painting.
• Attendees will be able to ask questions and engage with each other after each painting is presented.

Let’s all shake off our COVID and mid-winter blues and get painting!

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Member News

Only one member has shared any information with us since our last blog. As always, we are very interest in hearing about any news, reviews, interesting online tutorials, or other information we can share with each other. Send all input to our CVWG Webmaster.

Member Peg Sheridan sends the following updates:

• I’m looking forward to offering a Zoom class through Beverley Street Studio School.
• My painting “Late Evening on the Cowpasture River”, which won Best Watercolor in the August “Plein Air Salon” is in the December-January issue of Plein Air Magazine.
• I had two featured artist shows in November, at CoArt Gallery in Staunton, and at 7 East Gallery in Woodstock.
• I am keeping my mind and body active during this time. Painting certainly helps my outlook! I have taken a 2-hour online class in gouache from Manon Sander, which was really fun! I am also taking a 4-week online watercolor class from Vermont watercolorist Tony Conner.
• More information is always available on her website and Facebook pages.

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