Category Archives: Call for Entries

Call for Entries, Classes/Workshops, Local Events, Member news, Monthly Meetings, Shows

CVWG’s Exhibit at The Center, February’s Challenge!, and More!

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A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.

CVWG’s Exhibit at The Center– New Timing June-July

CVWG has been notified that, due to recent closure of The Center facility in Charlottesville due to health protocols, our exhibit there has been delayed and is now scheduled for June through July 2021. Member and Past President, Linda Verhagen is leading CVWG’s efforts for this exhibition. Entry for this show is open so contact Linda to enter your work. Our webpage for that exhibit has been updated so please check out that page for latest details.

February’s Challenge! Show is Another Success

We again had a great response to the second of our monthly Challenge! programs. Eighteen (18) artists submitted paintings depicting the theme of “Faith…what does it look like?”. On Monday, February 22, over 30 member-artists joined our Art Show by Zoom to enjoy the paintings, hear from the artists, and engage with questions and feedback.

Please take a few minutes to page through the slide show, below, to view the paintings and to see what your fellow Guild members accomplished! The image at the top of this page was also part of our Challenge! titled “The Handshake” by member Rosemary Connelly.

  • “Northern Lights Over Aspinook Pond” by Deb Prum
  • “Prayer Warrior” by Don Whitson
  • “Meditation” by Jane Matthews
  • “Light Reflection in Nature” by Paula Eliasek
  • “Promise of Calm” by Marcy Springett
  • “Sunrise” by Donna Koutrakos
  • “Spring Awakens Again” by Linda Verhagen
  • “Colorado Mountains” by Patty Richmond
  • “Thank God We Have Each Other” by Karen Schwenzer
  • “Comfort and Strength” by Carol Greene
  • “An Ode to Trees” by Mark Fitzpatrick
  • “Crepe Myrles in Winter” by Robin Kuzen
  • “Sowing Seeds” by Carolyn Belt
  • “St. Non’s Well” by Harold Hallock
  • “Brighter Days Ahead” by Chee Ricketts
  • “Bulll Run” by Vivian Attermeyer
  • “Peace” by Phyllis Koch-Sheras

A reminder and preview that our March Challenge! is scheduled:

  • The theme for March is “Hint of Spring“;
    • What is popping up?
    • What is budding out?
  • Send a photo of your creation along with title to CVWG’s Webmaster by the entry deadline of Friday, March 19;
  • Join the “Challenge! by Zoom” meeting on Monday, March 22 where the works will be shared in full-screen and the artists will share their “stories”.
  • All Guild members will get an invitation to the Challenge! by Zoom” meeting on the morning of the Zoom call. Friends and Followers of our Guild are welcome to show your painting and/or attend our Zoom meeting but you must send an email to our CVWG Webmaster to be included.

CVWG’s Challenge! program is discussed further on our Challenge! web page.

Call for Entries– Taubman Museum of Art Sidewalk Art Show in Roanoke

Member Chee Ricketts has alerted us to this Call for Entries:

The Taubman Museum of Art is pleased to announce the 63rd ANNUAL SIDEWALK ART SHOW in Roanoke, VA – on June 5 & 6, 2021. This show provides an excellent opportunity to show and sell your works: Firstly, the show is a premier destination for fine art shopping that attracts thousands of art patrons to the streets of historic downtown Roanoke. Secondly, at our Online Art Sale, a newly added feature offering digital marketing efforts through the months of May – June 2021. 

Artists can select to exhibit in the physical show and/or the Online Art Sale.  Both involve a jurying process.  Mediums presented may include: fine craft, sculpture, original paintings, prints, watercolors, etchings, mixed media, jewelry and photography.

The application deadline is Friday, March 5, 2021 and the application can be found at this link: https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=9066.

Reasons to Attend Workshops by Karen Schwenzer

In the second of our ongoing series, CVWG’s Director for Workshops writes:

My number one criteria when choosing a workshop is to travel to a place I want to visit. But, some of the best workshops I’ve taken have been local ones, including with CVWG.  CVWG has previously sponsored well-known artists for a couple dozen students in bright, airy spaces. More recently, CVWG was sponsoring two and three day workshops with more local talent.

The McGuffey Art Center is a local treasure located in downtown Charlottesville. The McGuffey Association consists of 150 artists, of which 46 have studio space at McGuffey. This winter and spring, McGuffey is sponsoring a variety of workshops and classes, online and virtual. The in-person classes are held at McGuffey, usually in the artist’s studio, or at a private studio off-site. Studio space tends to be tight, though there are a few larger classrooms at McGuffey. Regardless, class size is usually small which allows a fair amount of one-on-one attention from the instructor. There are also open, live, figure drawing sessions without instruction. I have attended a few of these sessions, getting into charcoal for a while. The studio back then was a windowless, dark, cluttered, basement room that I swear had an old coal chute. Now, live figure drawing sessions are being held in one of the upstairs classrooms and seating is limited. Check McGuffey’s website for more details on all of McGuffey offerings. You are going to recognize some CVWG members amongst the artists. www.mcguffeyartcenter.com. 

Karen Schwenzer

Member News

Member Dianne Phillips writes:

I have been notified by The Nelson Fine Art Gallery that I have been accepted to show my art from the 7th through all of April. A reception is being planned for the 9th from 5-7pm. I hope my CVWG friends and fellow artists can attend.

Member Peg Sheridan writes:

I am hoping we are all able to get out more in the coming months!  I am finishing up teaching a 6 week Zoom class, “Loosening Up in Watercolors”, through Beverley Street Studio School, in Staunton. It went really well! I had students from our area, Richmond, and northern Virginia. I also taught an in-person workshop, ” Small Splashy Paintings in Watercolor”, through the Shenandoah Valley Art Center, in Waynesboro. We kept the class size small, and followed CDC guidelines, and it went well. 

Peg continues to offer workshops– one of her next ones is titled “Make Your Watercolors Sparkle by Using the White of the Paper“– so check out her web page at www.pegsheridan.com/.

Peg Sheridan also sent in information about this year’s Highland County Maple Festival by way of a friend:

It’s that Sweet Season Again! While it is true that the Chamber of Commerce cancelled the (official) Highland County Maple Festival, there will still be LOTS to do in Highland County on Maple Weekends! All of the sugar houses will be open, and Back Creek Farms will be open for the first time! (Our hours will be 10 – 5 on Saturdays, 11 – 4 on Sundays.)

Since we normally have a booth on the Courthouse lawn, we are planning to bring that same festive atmosphere to Back Creek! We will have pottery, jewelry, lavender products, woodworking, baskets, chocolate confections and food including hand pies and streusel – yum!

We are planning to follow the current COVID safety guidelines, so please bring your masks for a tour of our sugar house and see where the “magic” happens! Vendors, food, etc. will be outdoors, with some shelters available. We do have handicapped accessible parking.

Some other sugar houses will also be hosting vendors, and Highland County businesses will be OPEN!

Please support Highland County!Plan to visit March 13 – 14 or March 20 – 21 – we’re looking forward to seeing you!

Valerie & Pat Lowry of Back Creek Farms

Please Share Your Activities!

We invite you to share any aspect of the artistic “you” with us…activities, muses, workshops, travel, etc. We are also always looking for ways to feature our member artists’ work and invite you to be featured in one of our periodic Featured Member Artist profiles. Simply contact the CVWG Webmaster.

Administration, Call for Entries, Classes/Workshops, Monthly Meetings, Resources for Members, Shows

We Welcome a New Director to Our Board

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A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.

(Re-)Introducing Karen Schwenzer, Our Newest Board Member

Central Virginia Watercolor Guild President, Donna Koutrakos, recently announced that member Karen Schwenzer will be joining our Board to help bring awareness and visibility to a wider range of water media workshops.

Karen Schwenzer

Karen writes:

Dear CVWG Members,

I have volunteered to be the workshop coordinator for the guild.  I will not be organizing de novo workshops, but providing information about workshop opportunities elsewhere.  My intention is not to keep a list of all possible workshops, but to share my and other’s experience. If you have had a particularly rewarding experience (or a particularly bad one) with a workshop company or workshop artist, please share the details with me.

Many members have experience with workshops, attending and teaching. But even the most experienced artist may benefit from new venues and new techniques. I love attending workshops, whether near or far.

My last in-person workshop was to Maine [see photo at the top of this post] in September 2019 (pre-pandemic). It was organized by Beverly Street Studio School in Staunton. The leaders were our very own Peg Sheridan and eco-historian/artist Betty Gatewood.  A great small group of artists, generous and knowledgeable leaders, and a dramatic venue made this a wonderful workshop.  BSSS had been running workshops, even international ones, over the years. For the Winter of 2021 BSSS is advertising two workshops, one in person and one virtual, as well as classes. Check out their website www.bssschool.org for details.

So, as we get this pandemic behind us and more people get vaccinated, many of you will want to travel and work on your art. So, feel free to contact Karen for ideas!

Reminder: Only 1 Week Until Challenge! Paintings are Due

A reminder that our February Challenge! Art Show by Zoom is coming up on Monday, February 22 at 1:00 PM. All entries must be submitted to our CVWG Webmaster by next Friday, February 19. Our theme this month is “Faith…what does it look like?“.

In January, we had a great restart of our Challenge! program with 18 member-artists showing 19 paintings and 30 members joining in on our Art Show by Zoom. As of this posting, fewer paintings have been submitted than last month so let’s get busy, finish those paintings, and get them submitted.

All members will be sent an email by 11:00 AM the morning of each month’s show (February 22) providing the web link to join our Zoom Art Show. Friends and Followers of CVWG, please feel free to join in as well— contribute a painting or just join the show, up to you– but you need to send a specific request to our CVWG Webmaster to be included and be sent the invitation and Zoom link.

If you need a refresher about our Challenge! program, please visit our dedicated page at https://cvwg.art/challenge/.

Reminder: Call for Artists– CVWG’s Exhibit at The Center

Member and Past President, Linda Verhagen, is leading our efforts to show members’ artworks at The Center in Charlottesville in May through end of June, 2021. Entry for this show is open so contact Linda to enter your work. Our webpage for that exhibit has been updated so please check out that page for latest details.

Member News

We did not receive a single piece of member news since our last posting. I know that mid-winter is depressing and, between the weather and this COVID nonsense, we are not able to to as much. Still, I know that many of you are working on your art.

We invite you to share any aspect of the artistic “you” with us…activities, muses, workshops, travel, etc. We are also always looking for ways to feature our member artists’ work and invite you to be featured in one of our periodic Featured Member Artist profiles. Simply contact the CVWG Webmaster.

Administration, Call for Entries, Local Events, Member news, Shows

A New Look for Our Guild

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A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.

Check Out Our New Look!

Many of you might recall that the Guild formed a Publicity Committee last year to review our logo, branding, and other matters and update how our Guild presents itself to our communities. That Publicity Committee was completing its work for our printed media just as COVID-19 took over and forced restrictions.

At the end of 2020, several Directors– representing our Publicity Committee, Website, Membership, and Leadership– restarted the work to modernize our web presence. In the past few weeks, we have built a temporary test website and tested different logos, backdrops, color schemes, etc. In addition, a new streamlined use of menus on our website makes it easier to navigate, especially with mobile devices which are quickly dominating our society.

The resulting header image is shown above and is now “live” on our website. Check it our on http://www.cvwg.art.

A special Thank You! to members Bill Snow for his original art for our logo, Mary Spear for her leadership on the Publicity Committee, Linda Verhagen for her original art used as our backdrop, Rosemary Connelly for her help with redesign of the menus, Donna Koutrakos for her current leadership of the Guild, and our Board and all our members who helped in many ways!

Last Call if You Need Help Using Zoom

This is the last notice that our CVWG Webmaster, Mark Fitzpatrick, is planning to host a “CVWG Test Meeting by Zoom” where you can join, get some pointers, ask your questions, and get any tutoring you might want in using this increasingly popular “app”. This meeting will be set up in coming few days. You have to take the action to send an email to Mark to be included in this special session.

Reminder: Call for Artists– CVWG’s Exhibit at The Center

Member and Past President, Linda Verhagen, is leading our efforts to show members’ artworks at The Center in Charlottesville in May through end of June, 2021. Entry for this show is open so contact Linda to enter your work. Our webpage for that exhibit has been updated so please check out that page for latest details.

Member News

We are glad to see that member-artist Bill Snow is getting recognition beyond our Guild and within the neighboring communities. The Fluvanna Review newspaper published, back in mid-autumn time frame, a very nice article about Bill. You can read the article at this link. A special Thank You! to our ever-alert member Bunny Creasy for seeing this and sending us the notice.

Please Share Your Activities!

We invite you to share any aspect of the artistic “you” with us…activities, muses, workshops, travel, etc. We are also always looking for ways to feature our member artists’ work and invite you to be featured in one of our periodic Featured Member Artist profiles. Simply contact the CVWG Webmaster.

Call for Entries, Classes/Workshops, Local Events, Member news, Resources for Members, Shows

January Challenge Was a Huge Success!!

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A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.

A Great First Challenge! of 2021!

CVWG had a fantastic (re)start of our Challenge! program. Nineteen (19) paintings from 18 member-artists were submitted on subjects ranging from figure studies, landscapes, still life studies, and fantasy related to our theme, “A New Year for All”. The image at the top of this page was also part of our Challenge! titled “Celebration” by member Jane Matthews.

Please spend a few minutes to step through a slide show, below, to see what your fellow Guild members accomplished!

On Monday, January 25, at least 29 Guild members joined in on a virtual “CVWG Art Show on Zoom” of these paintings. Each artist was allowed 1-3 minutes to talk about their painting, their muse(s), their approach, the paints and media they used, and any other topic of their choosing.

  • “Election Night” by Deb Prum
  • “Returning to Family Homes” by Linda Verhagen
  • “Lamb Love” by Juliette Swenson
  • “Forging Ahead” by Judy Ely
  • “Walk in the Woods” by Donna Koutrakos
  • by Robin Kuzen
  • “Reflections on Travel” by Mark Fitzpatrick
  • “From Chaos to Hope” by Carol Greene
  • “Celebrate” by Patty Richmond
  • “Brighter Days” by Carol Williams
  • “Experiment!!” by Carolyn Belt
  • “Hope Shines” by Carol Williams
  • “2021 Sunrise” by Harold Hallock
  • “Incredible Lightness of Being 2021” by Phyllis Koch-Sheras
  • “Connelly CLan” by Rosemary Connelly
  • “Freedom” by Marcy Springett
  • “Free Once More” by Patricia Travers
  • “Life After COVID” by Paula Eliasek

Thank you all for the great meeting yesterday. The art work was creative and fun to see. Glad we were able to see some of the members and know we are doing well. Look forward to the next one!

Mary Ann Friedman

The Zoom online video conferencing app somewhat hampered a free discussion but we are working to improve for February. Please plan to join us for the February Challenge! Art Show by Zoom:

  • February’s theme is “Faith“;
    • What does it mean to you?
    • Not (necessarily) religion or religious;
    • Think about all the ways you have faith…families, loved ones, etc.
  • Send a photo of your creation along with title to CVWG’s Webmaster by the entry deadline of Friday, February 19;
  • Join the “Challenge! by Zoom” meeting on Monday, February 22 where the works will be shared in full-screen and the artists will share their “stories”.
  • All Guild members will get an invitation to the Challenge! by Zoom” meeting on Monday morning. Friends and Followers of our Guild are welcome to show your painting and/or attend our Zoom meeting but you must send an email to our CVWG Webmaster to be included.

CVWG’s Challenge! program is discussed further on our Challenge! web page.

Do You Need Help Using Zoom?

Some of our Guild members had difficulties in joining our Zoom meeting, issues with audio, and other matters that (we hope) should be easy to fix. Our CVWG Webmaster (and resident techno-geek) is planning one (or maybe more depending on number of interested members) a “CVWG Test Meeting by Zoom” where you can join, get some pointers, ask your questions, and get any tutoring you might want. This meeting will be set up for early February. You have to take the action to send an email to our CVWG Webmaster to be included in this special session.

Reminder: Call for Artists– CVWG’s Exhibit at The Center

Member and Past President, Linda Verhagen, is leading our efforts to show members’ artworks at The Center in Charlottesville in May through end of June, 2021. Entry for this show is open so contact Linda to enter your work. Our webpage for that exhibit has been updated so please check out that page for latest details.

Member News

Member Susan Rosen sends the following information about a free workshop:

There is a free workshop with an artist I have studied with for three years.  He is generous and a great teacher and people who study with him advance so much in their art practice.  I have taken his extended 12-week course twice and will take it again this year. The free workshop begins on February 15.  The link below will get you there!
https://share.tellafrienda2l.com/a/a2lworkshop2021/Secbud821

Member Chee Ricketts emailed the following news:

After a long absence from teaching, I began working with adults again last fall through OLLI. Due to concerns about the virus, the class was taught online on Zoom. I hauled all of my equipment from my Greene County studio to the OLLI conference room in Charlottesville and taught there with the technical support  of the two amazing OLLI staff members, Tay Strauss and Steve Bevins.

When the class concluded, several of my students asked me to continue with online teaching. As a result, I have set up a space in my home studio and it seems to be working well. My eight watercolor students are incredibly good-natured and patient with me as I navigate between PowerPoint, screen sharing, and my webcam.  I’ve attached a photograph of my space, complete with my faithful studio cat, Harvey, who insists that my chair is HIS. 

Strathmore Online Workshops Return for 2021

Strathmore, known for their artists papers, is again offering a series of 4 free online workshops this year. The workshops cover a range of topics– watercolor and gouache, mixed media, drawing, and oil painting– so we hope you might find one or two of interest. Follow this web link to their workshops page: https://www.strathmoreartiststudio.com/.

Please Share Your Activities!

We invite you to share any aspect of the artistic “you” with us…activities, muses, workshops, travel, etc. We are also always looking for ways to feature our member artists’ work and invite you to be featured in one of our periodic Featured Member Artist profiles. Simply contact the CVWG Webmaster.

Call for Entries, Local Events, Member news, Monthly Meetings, Resources for Members, Shows

Less Than 1 Week Until Challenge! Returns!

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A reminder that Central Virginia Watercolor Guild is found online at www.CVWG.art.

Challenge! Deadline Is This Friday, Jan 22

One final reminder that your Guild is (re)starting our monthly Challenge! and there is less than a week to get your painting entered. You can read about this activity on our Challenge!2021 webpage including the monthly themes, entry deadlines, and Zoom Meeting dates. Again, a special Thank You to two longtime CVWG members and directors Bunny Creasy and Carolyn Belt, the Challenge! for leading this.

We remind you:

  • January’s theme is “New Year for All“;
  • Send a photo of your creation along with title to CVWG’s Webmaster by the entry deadline this Friday, January 22;
  • We will hold a “Challenge! by Zoom” meeting next Monday, January 25 where the works will be shared in full-screen and the artists will share their “stories”.
  • All Guild members will get an invitation to the Challenge! by Zoom” meeting on Monday morning. Friends and Followers of our Guild are welcome to show your painting and/or attend our Zoom meeting but you must send an email to our CVWG Webmaster to be included.

Call for Artists– CVWG’s Exhibit at The Center

Member and Past President, Linda Verhagen, is leading our efforts to show members’ artworks at The Center in Charlottesville in May through end of June, 2021. Entry for this show is open so contact Linda to enter your work. Our webpage for that exhibit has been updated so please check out that page for latest details.

Member News

Member Karen Schwenzer emails:

For many years I’ve been doing travel journals   And I did one for the only trip I took in 2020 -February in Zanzibar and the Seychelles. I then started a series of sketch books and watercolor journals for the entire year. I always had one or both with me. I attach a selection of what I’ve been doing in my isolation. 

A few images of Karen Schwenzer’s travel journal.

The image at the top of this post is also Karen’s.

Please Share Your Activities!

We invite you to share any aspect of the artistic “you” with us…activities, muses, workshops, travel, etc. We are also always looking for ways to feature our member artists’ work and invite you to be featured in one of our periodic Featured Member Artist profiles. Simply contact the CVWG Webmaster.

Administration, Call for Entries, Local Events, Member news, Monthly Meetings

Good Riddance, 2020! Welcome 2021!

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

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

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!

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/.

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!

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.