A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.
The photo at the top of this post is by Judith Ely from our Guild archives of several years ago.
Our Member Meeting is on a Special Day: May 20
The Guild will hold its next meeting on Monday, May 20. We have moved this meeting ahead by 1 week to avoid any conflict with the Memorial Day holiday. We will meet at the following times:
12:30 PM– Social Time
1:00 PM– Start of Short Business Meeting
1:30 PM– Program
3:00 PM– Adjourn
When April showers bring May flowers, we mean it. Our scheduled presenter for this month has cancelled. Being ever resourceful, CVWG will be hosting an informal interactive program sitting at tables around the room. Fresh flowers will be our inspiration to paint loose and lively watercolors. Program Director and Vice President Virginia Evans will bring the flowers, but if you want to share your own garden delights, please do. Don’t forget a vase or other container such as a water pitcher or cup. This will no doubt be a great afternoon of Creativity and Camaraderie.”
May Challenge! Topic
Our Challenge! topic for May is Doors Take Us Places. We wnt you to paint a memory from your travels.
Everyone is invited to bring a single, new piece of art you have created to express this topic. You will have a chance to share your inspiration and your art with our Guild during the short business meeting. Please see our Meetings, Programs, and Challenge! web pagefor more information on how our Challenge! is run.
Opportunity for Hosting a Class/Workshop at Mt Ida Winery
We recently received the following offer for our member artists consideration:
I’m messaging you from Mount Ida in Charlottesville. Do any of your members ever host off-site classes? I’m interested in hosting a workshop here on the Reserve. Thank you!
Email Catie Ardito if interested or get more information.
Drop our CVWG Webmaster an email to let everyone know what you are doing and how your artistic journey is progressing.
A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.
The photo at the top of this post is from our Guild archives. If you recognize the work and/or artist, please drop our CVWG Webmaster an email and we’ll cite it in our next post.
Our Member Meeting is This Coming Monday, March 25
The Guild will hold its next meeting this coming Monday, March 25. As is our common practice most months, we will meet at the following times:
12:30 PM– Social Time
1:00 PM– Start of Short Business Meeting
1:30 PM– Program
3:00 PM– Adjourn
Our program will be led by artist Mike Powers on the topic of Strong Linear Design: Figurative Work and Illustration. Mike is expected to discuss some techniques and processes but likely not a demonstration, per se. Mike has an interesting background, a variety of works so it looks like an interesting meeting to hear about his life as an artist, an illustrator, and graphic designer. Mike appears very interested to hear questions from our members and enjoy a back and forth dialogue with us.
March Challenge! Topic
Our Challenge! topic for March is “Here Comes the Sun”. Everyone is invited to bring a single, new piece of art you have created to express this topic. You will have a chance to share your inspiration and your art with our Guild during the short business meeting. Please see our Meetings, Programs, and Challenge! web pagefor more information on how our Challenge! is run.
Opportunity for Hosting a Class/Workshop at Mt Ida Winery
We recently received the following offer for our member artists consideration:
I’m messaging you from Mount Ida in Charlottesville. Do any of your members ever host off-site classes? I’m interested in hosting a workshop here on the Reserve. Thank you!
Email Catie Ardito if interested or get more information.
Our Website has Some Updates
The CVWG Member Directory has been updated with current membership. Check it out on our Membership Directory page. The password to view, download, or print those pages remains the same as last year. Contact our CVWG Webmaster if you need a reminder.
We’d Love to Hear From You!
Drop our CVWG Webmaster an email to let everyone know what you are doing and how your artistic journey is progressing.
A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.
The photo at the top of this post features the art by our featured artist, Linda Abbey. Read below about Linda leading our October program and some of the classes she offers.
Final Meeting and Program for 2023– December 4 Potluck Luncheon
In deference to the Thanksgiving holiday and member travel plans, CVWG’s final member meeting of the year is planned for Monday, December 4. As is our tradition, this final meeting will be a Potluck Luncheon. We’ll meet at 12:30 in our usual location (see our Meetings and Programs page). Keep an eye on your inbox for an email from our President, Karen Schwenzer, for details. Note that we willnot be having a monthly Challenge! for this meeting.
Renew Your Membership (or Join!) for 2024
Our website has been updated to accept Membership for next year’s meetings and programs using a credit or debit card through PayPal. Alternately, you can join or renew through USPS mail. Look for the following top and left-side menu options on our website (www.CVWG.art).
Please note that our 2024 dues are $45 for an individual or $50 for a couple living at the same address. Please contact our Treasurer, Robin Kuzen, regarding membership or dues and our Webmaster, Mark Fitzpatrick, regarding our website or PayPal issues.
October’s Meeting Led By Linda Abbey
CVWG members met on Monday, October 23, for social time, our short business meeting, and a program by member-artist Linda Abbey. Says member-artist Patty Richmond, about the program:
Linda Abby, a long time member of CVWG and an instructor at the Senior Center gave us several demonstrations as she taught us about Contour Drawing. We were given charcoal, a sharp pencil, and several sheets of white paper. Linda began by demonstrating how to make a value chart and then challenged us to do the same.
Linda then tasked us to draw the profile of the face of a Barbie doll. She demonstrated how to do this by showing us how we had to cross our drawing hand over our body. This was followed by drawing the profile on the opposite side. The top and body were connected to make a vase.
In her last assignment tpo us, Linda showed how to do a contour drawing of our hand. We then had to turn our bodies around look at our hands and draw a hand without looking at the paper, only looking at our hand and drawing slowly: this took deep concentration. Finally, we were allowed to look at the hand we were drawing and glance at our paper.
Linda’s goal for us for this program was “to increase our powers of concentration.” I can vouch that her mission was accomplished!
Patty Richmond
The photos, below, are from Patty.
Volunteers Needed!
Volunteers keep our Guild humming and infuse the atmosphere with camaraderie and creativity. No experience is needed, just a bit of enthusiasm!
CVWG’s Webmaster for the past 4+ years, Mark Fitzpatrick, has announced that he will be “retiring” (again!) at the end of our 2024 program year. We are seeking a volunteer to mentor under Mark’s tutelage to then assume the full role. The current and future generations of web publishing tools make this easy; no programming is required.
CVWG still needs 2 or 3 volunteers in 2024 to help build the success of CVWG and become our new Program Directors. Please consider donating some time and talent to our Guild.
Member artist Chee Ricketts sent us a postcard for Open Studio sessions at her studio in Stanardsville, VA. Check out her professional website (www.cheekludtricketts.com/) for workshops and other upcoming events she hosts.
Member-artist, Linda Abbey, is teaching classes and offering workshops. Surf over to Linda’s professional website (www.lindaabbey.com/) for those details or send her an email. Linda also announces that her current Paint Loose II class will have a show of their work on Monday Nov 27 from 10-1 at the Center in the atrium.
A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.
The photo at the top of this post features the art by our featured artist, Amy Woods. Amy will be providing our members and guests with this month’s program at our member meeting. Read more, below.
Plein Air Painting at Grace Episcopal Church on August 26
Grace Episcopal Church in Cismont, VA– northeast of Charlottesville on VA highway 22– is continuing their hosting of plein air painting this summer from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturday, August 26. Registration forms are available at this link. Feel free to join the festivities, wander the grounds, admire the work of fellow artists, and enjoy the late summer day.
August 28 Member Meeting at Usual Time and Place
After our visit to a local art museum last month, we return to our traditional meeting format and venue at 12:30 PM on Monday, August 28th at the Church of Our Saviour on Rio Road in Charlottesville.
Artist Amy Woods will be demonstrating a pastoral scene in watercolors. As Amy says of her personal artistic journey,
I’ve painted in between all the cracks and changes of life including various jobs, moving (lots of that), marrying and now “mommying”. My journey has been much like a watercolor itself – full of fuzzy and hard edges, puddles of swirling color and full of light. I am inspired by my garden, nature and the everyday beauty of home and life. I live in central Virginia in the beautiful hilly town of Lynchburg, Virginia.
Our monthly Challenge! theme is Still Life. We invite you to create a new and unique piece of art tied to this month’s theme. Bring your art to the monthly meeting…no framing is needed. See our Meetings, Programs, and Challenge! page for more details.
Touring the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum in July
In lieu of a member meeting last month, about a dozen CVWG member artists met on Tuesday, July 25, to tour the Kluge-Aboriginal Art Museum in Charlottesville. The photos, below, are from member artist Patty Richmond.
Lynchburg’s Amazement Square to Hold Annual Chalk Art Festival Aug 19
Lynchburg’s Amazement Square has announced its annual Riverfront Chalk Art Festival for Saturday, August 19. from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. It is too late to register as an artist but we hope you might join the festivities.
Strathmore’s 3rd Online Workshop is Starting
Earlier this week on August 7, Strathmore Paper’s 3rd (and final for 2023, we believe) kicked off. It is not too late to join up.
The theme for this workshop is “Rendering the Human Face With Different Mediums”. You can read in depth about the class and register at this link. The workshop is entirely online and is free but please note that you are required to sign up with your personal email ID to access the course content.
Member News
Member artist Cecilia Pan demonstrates deep creative talents in two dimensions– watercolor journaling AND web videos– with the following video showing her recent art while cruising. Click on the image, below, to link to Cecilia’s travel video. Be sure to turn on your computer/phone/tablet audio for maximum enjoyment. This is likely the first video we have featured on our posts mostly because these can be a problem on slow connections; let us know your experience.
Be sure to take a fresh look at our Member Gallery as we have several recent additions.
Please Volunteer with CVWG
Volunteers keep our Guild humming and infuse the atmosphere with camaraderie and creativity. No experience is needed, just a bit of enthusiasm! We need 2 or 3 member volunteers in 2024 to help build the success of CVWG and become our new Program Directors. We just need two or even three people to step up and volunteer their time to the Guild.
Please contact Karen Schwenzer for information or to assist.
We’d Love to Hear From You!
Drop our CVWG Webmaster an email to let everyone know what you are doing and how your artistic journey is progressing.
A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.
The painting at the top of this post is by artist Eloise Giles, a past member of our Guild who influenced art throughout central Virginia. The Art Guild of Greene is hosting a show of Eloise’s work with donations to benefit Greene County Schools. You can view this painting by Eloise, better, on our website.
Eloise Giles Paintings are Being Offered by Art Guild of Greene with Donations to Benefit Greene County Schools
More than 30 CVWG members and guests attended our April meeting and enjoyed the discussions and watercolor demonstration of Warrenton artist Toni Bragg. Toni repeated what seems to be her personal mantra, “Teaching is a great way to learn!”. Toni creates her art somewhat different from other artists:
Her preferred paper is a 300 lb hot press;
She loves texture and seeks out ways to get more of it in her paintings;
She often paints small areas at a time and calls her approach “fractured”;
Toni does not use a reference photo;
Toni praised the work of artist Steven Quiller on his approach to color theory;
Toni promises to share her color palette with our Guild and we’ll publish it then.
Another of Toni’s sayings, “Order out of chaos”. Thanks, again, to Toni for her program! Some photos of Toni’s art and our program are below.
CVWG Exhibition at The Center in May and June
CVWG’s only planned 2023 exhibition “In The Garden” will be hung at The Center at Belvedere throughout May and June. A reminder for all enrolled artists that drop off is on May 1st 9:30-11:00 AM. CVWG’s leader for this exhibition is Donna Koutrakos.
A Look Ahead at Member Meeting on May 22– A Reception for CVWG’s Exhibition at The Center
A reminder that our member meeting in May will be a reception for our CVWG Exhibition. We meet at our regular time at 12:30 PM on Monday, May 22 at the Center at Belvedere in Charlottesville. As usual, we will hold a brief business meeting followed by a walk around enjoying the art of our fellow Guild members.
I have just received notice that I have been awarded signature status with the Baltimore Watercolor Society mid-Atlantic chapter. This means I have met their standards for excellency in watercolor, can participate in shows for only signature members, and can sign my paintings “Peg Sheridan, BWS” in addition to my VWS status.
Be certain to congratulate Peg when you see her next!
Member artist Chee Ricketts is being featured in a solo exhibition of her paintings at Westminster Canterbury in the Pantops area of Charlottesville from May 1 to 31. If you are over in the eastern side of town, stop by to view her works.
We’d Love to Hear From You!
Drop our CVWG Webmaster an email to let everyone know what you are doing and how your artistic journey is progressing.
A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.
The painting at the top of this post is by artist Steve Mitchell related to Strathmore Papers’ upcoming online Workshop 2, titled “Spontaneous Watercolor Landscapes“, starting on May 1. Steve’s painting and information on Strathmore’s workshop can be viewed on our website.
Last Call for New Members’ Feature
We invite everyone who joined to date in 2023 to send us art for a special post in near future. You can simply take a photo of one of your pieces using your phone or tablet (however, please avoid doing this under fluorescent lights) to CVWG Webmaster, Mark Fitzpatrick. On behalf of our entire Guild, we look forward to seeing your beautiful work! Loook for a dedicated email in coming days.
Join Us on April 24 for Our Program Featuring Artist Toni Bragg
Plan to join us on April 24 for our meeting:
12:30 PM – Social Time
1:00 PM – Brief Business Meeting
1:30 PM – Start of Program with Toni Bragg
3:00 PM – Usual end of meeting
Endless Possibilities by Toni Bragg
Our meeting will feature Warrenton artist Toni Bragg. Says Toni, of her work,
From my very first experience of water and color running freely on paper, I was captivated and exhilarated! And so began the quest of coaxing the medium into expressing my vision and my mood. I can imagine nothing more challenging and fulfilling than continuing to explore the infinite possibilities watercolor offers me. I am most inspired by its brilliant rich pure color and it’s transparent quality that can be enhanced with glazing and layering techniques, building value and luminosity into my paintings.
CVWG President Karen Schwenzer is calling a Board of Directors Meeting ahead of the April 24 meeting. Directors, please send any agenda items to Karen ahead of the meeting and plan to arrive before the 11:00 AM start time.
We Enjoyed a Great Half-Day Workshop with Peg Sheridan at March’s Meeting
I have to start this article somewhat in reverse…Our member artist Peg Sheridansent in the following message to CVWG members:
Thank you to CVWG for hosting my workshop “Designing Better Watercolors: Tips on Composition” on March 27. It was a joy to work with all of you. A special thanks to those of you who worked so hard to make this workshop possible. It was fun to see the wonderful work you all did.
Peg Sheridan
Peg’s excellent workshop was reviewed by member artist Patty Richmond:
Peg handed out a list of pointers to get us started. In Peg’s experience, it is of special importance to think about composition and Value. She gave us suggestions for nine possible compositions to try.
We went back to our tables and painted the examples of different compositions using light, medium, and dark values. Peg stressed experimenting; making up your own pallets of color. She likes sedimentary colors in her landscapes which she uses often.
In the afternoon Peg did a demonstration of a barn she sees often which is close to her home. She has painted it often each time from a different angles.
Peg’s calm, helpful manner kept us all mesmerized.
Peg’s presentation was well attended by >40 members and guests. Peg’s website is at www.pegsheridan.com.
CVWG Exhibition at The Center in May and June
CVWG’s only planned 2023 exhibition “In The Garden” will be hung at The Center at Belvedere throughout May and June. A reminder for all enrolled artists that drop off is on May 1st 9:30-11:00 AM. CVWG’s leader for this exhibition is Donna Koutrakos.
Donna, her team of volunteers, and the artists have worked very hard to contribute to this non-judged, non-juried show. All Guild members should show up to this meeting to support this part of our Guild.
A Look Ahead at Member Meeting in May– A Reception for CVWG’s Exhibition at The Center
A reminder that our member meeting in May will be a reception for our CVWG Exhibition. We meet at our regular time at 12:30 PM on Monday, May 22 at the Center. As usual, we will hold a brief business meeting followed by a walk around enjoying the art of our fellow Guild members.
Strathmore’s Workshop #2 is Starting May 1
Strathmore’s second online workshop of 2023, “”Spontaneous Watercolor Landscapes” is getting organized to start in a couple of week on May 1. See the painting at the top of this post to get a better idea as to what will be covered. Details are at this Strathmore web page. Note that you might be required to sign up using an email address but, otherwise, the workshops are free.
1st Annual Juried Show at The Arts Center at Montross
Janice, at The Arts Center at Montross— in the “northern neck” area of the state in Montross, VA,– sent us notice of an arts show they are hosting. Details for this juried show, “Animal Love“, can be viewed at their link: theartscenterofmontross.com/animal-love. Their deadline for submissions is Saturday, May 6.
I love getting up in the morning to surprising news. “Congratulations Don, your painting “Venice Canal”, has been juried into the Society of Watercolor Artists 2023 International Exhibition. April 16 – May 21 held in Fort Worth, Texas
