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Highlights Newsletter April 2022
President's Palette
“The Last Train to BlackRock”
Pull up a chair “Partner” – I’d like to tell you the saga of “The Last Train to BlackRock.”(1) Once upon a time there was a BWS Art Train filled with glorious paintings that traveled around the state of Maryland, holding pop-up exhibits at galleries from the North to the South and from the East to the West. The Train didn’t have a permanent home base because the artists that painted the beautiful works lived all over Maryland plus in 6 other states and D.C. But in 2012, it developed a strong relationship with the magnificent BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, MD that, in turn, loved the BWS Art Train, and especially its big exhibit, the Mid-Atlantic.
The Conductor of the Art Train and the Conductor of the BlackRock Gallery as well as the volunteers and employees in them worked well together, and the non-profit organizations supported each other. In fact, during just the last 5 years of the 7 years that in person exhibits were held there, BlackRock received $3951 in commissions from sales of BWS Mid-Atlantic Exhibit paintings. Then when Covid-19 came along and in-person exhibits were not allowed, BWS even donated $1000 in 2021 to help support the Art Center through tough financial times. In response, BWS received a thank you letter from the CEO stating that “BlackRock would always be there for you (BWS), virtually and in person.”
But times change, people change, and people change jobs. In this case, there was a “New Sheriff in BlackRock” and our relationship changed. Actually, BlackRock now has both a new Gallery Director and a new CEO with a new direction and a new vision. We were concerned, but not worried, since we had written confirmation from both the old Gallery Director and the new Gallery Director that BlackRock would still honor their partnership and commitment with us to host the 2022 Mid-Atlantic. They kept assuring us that they “were working on the contract” up through February 18th. Then there was “e-mail silence” until March 4th when their new Gallery Director e-mailed, cancelling us out of the large first floor Kay Gallery, then offering us the smaller Gallery II on the second floor and an adjacent hallway in its stead.
Additionally, there would be a non-negotiable charge for the room where the Awards Ceremony had been held without a fee for years. The rationale? “I am unable to offer you a contract this year due to a change of exhibition priorities in that our goal is to represent and provide a platform for underrepresented peoples and individuals.” While this is their prerogative, and a very worthy goal which we support, it would have been far better for them to tell us this up front in November of 2021, saving us all many headaches, hassles, and e-mails.
The second floor space is just not sufficient to hold the prestigious Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibition with its 95-105 (mostly very large) paintings juried by an internationally known Artist Juror, its (required) associated demos and tours on Community Art Day, the Awards Reception, and its myriad of visitors. Our BWS Mid-Atlantic Chair (the Train Conductor) Sharon A. Green, with the whole- hearted affirmation of the BWS Board, declined the offer.
The Art Train has pulled out of the Germantown station for the last time and BWS has taken its “Last Train to BlackRock” -- likely never to return to exhibit there again.
The Board went into overdrive, closing Café event registration for several days, while searching for a new venue through their contacts and friends. One of our BWS Signature/Life members, Diana Marta, came to the rescue recommending The Gallery at CCBC Catonsville, in the Center for the Arts (thank you so much, Diana). Its Director, Nichole Buckingham Kern, hearing of our need, invited (Conductors) Sharon Green and Stacy Levy to visit and welcomed them, and the BWS Mid-Atlantic, with open arms to the beautiful facility. She even delayed the Gallery’s annual repainting until August in order to host us and keep our June – July schedule intact.
So, folks, there is a new station stop on the Art Train route, just off South Rolling Rd in Catonsville, MD. The 2022 BWS Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition is now alive (on Café) and in-person once again. The reception date and the sales commission percentage have slightly changed, so please see the new event announcement for information and get your registration in by the April 5th deadline.
“So take the next train to CCBC
And we'll meet you at the station
You can be there by 10:30
‘Cause you’ve made your reservation
Don’t be slow
Oh, no, no no
Oh, no, no no
And I must really go….”(1)
Sherry (otherwise known as “The Train Engineer”)
Upcoming Events
Note: The above Upcoming Events summary only displays the start date for each event. For full details please click on the event, or visit the Events page. Save the Date: Member Picnic & Plein Air
Thursday, May 19, 2022 Socialize with BWS Artists and Friends! Chef will prepare a box lunch. Dine under a huge tent. Enjoy 12 acres of vista, gardens, and the Patapsco River. Bring your easel and supplies to paint the Patapsco en plein-air. Sketch or take photos if you prefer. Stay all day (10am - 4 pm) or just come for lunch (12:30pm). Members and Guests are welcome. More details and registration coming soon! Welcome New AssociatesMarilyn Mix, Columbia, MD Catherine Petroff, Alexandria, VA Rebecca Wyatt, Lutherville, MD Member News
BWS members may submit a 60-word announcement gratis to be listed under the heading "Member News." Images will be included as space allows. Submissions are due by the 15th of the month preceding publication date, and may be edited for length or clarity. Please e-mail your submissions to the Newsletter Editor at joanna@joannabarnum.com. Boxed off featured ads are available for $25 and may include up to 100 words and one image. Contact the Newsletter Editor at joanna@joannabarnum.com for details. J. M. Littleton would like to congratulate Littleton School of Art students Debbie Keane for winning First Place in the BWS Associate Members Exhibition and Takayo Hatakeyama for participating. Littleton School of Art is offering a Spring Special Offer for new students through April 2, 2022. JMLittletonart.com for more info. April Rimpo’s painting, “Loss”, was selected by Ken Call for inclusion in the Louisiana Watercolor Society’s 52nd Annual International Exhibition. "Loss" by April Rimpo
Carolyn Councell is having a studio tour of her paintings Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 from 10am to 4pm, at 420 Riverside Drive, Pasadena, MD. Caramarb@aol.com, 410-437-5474. Nishita Jain's painting "Winter's Symphony: has been selected for the 2022 Transparent Watercolor Society of America 46th Annual Exhibition. The exhibition will be held from May 7th to August 7th, 2022 at the Kenosha Public Museum, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Joanna Barnum was awarded the Carl Folke Sahlin Medal for her watercolor "The Poet is a Funnel" in the upcoming American Watercolor Society International Exhibition. "The Poet is a Funnel" by Joanna Barnum
Peg Sheridan is teaching several watercolor workshops this spring. She will be in a group show "Rivers and Streams of Western Virginia" in Harrisonburg, VA, May 6-27. She will be co-leading the trip "Plein Air Painting in Coastal Maine" September 8-14, 2022, through Beverley Street Studio School. See her website for details, pegsheridan.com Stacy Lund Levy won the gold medal at the California Watercolor Associations 52nd National Exhibition. "Treading Tribe" by Stacy Lund Levy
Member Resources & Discount CodesWe've added the BWS Member Mid-Atlantic entry discount code to the Member Resources page of this website. This code is also included in the Mid-Atlantic event description, but this is another place you can find it if you're looking for it! We have also added a new 20% off discount code to American Frame just for BWS Members and provided by our award donor. Note that you'll need to be logged in to view the Member Resources page. You can also find the Member Resources page by clicking on "Members Only" in our website's main navigation, and then select Member Resources in the drop down menu. Once on the Member Resources page, you'll also see the option to subscribe to receive e-mail notifications of any new additions to that page, such as when new discounts from our award donors are available. Tips For Our Membershipby April M Rimpo Did you know that you can sign up with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to receive SCAM Alerts? I just stumbled upon this feature when I went to the BBB website trying to look up a business. I received my first scam alert today that described a common scam trying to trick Instagram users into sharing not only their passwords, but also to verify their login e-mail. The scam warns that you have violated copyright laws and your account will be deleted within 24 hours. It goes on to describe how the scam typically works. Apparently, they use intimidation techniques by providing short timelines hoping you won’t take time to research if it is legitimate. Specific to a particular scam, like the one summarized here, BBB provides tips to help you spot a scam, like checking the source e-mail address by hovering over the e-mail address and links to see the real source. Browse their TIPS page at https://www.bbb.org/all/scamtips where scams are categorized into 30 categories, including: Government Grant Scams, Emergency Scams (to help a family member or friend who “needs money”), Fake Invoice Scams, Identity Theft Scams, Healthcare Scams, Tax Collection Scams, and Travel & Vacation Scams. If you can think of a topic there is probably a category for that scam. At the bottom of the page you will see links to other topics. Under the CONSUMER column you will see an option that says, “Sign up for Scam Alerts.” Click on that link to sign up to receive these. OpportunitiesWest Virginia Watercolor Society Center for the Arts Evergreen Evergreen, CO https://evergreenarts.org/calls-for-entry/ Entry Deadline: May 16, 2022 FYIVladislav Yeliseyev Berkeley Arts Council In MemoriamDoris Davis-Glackin, West Chester, PA Painting by Doris Davis-Glackin
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Board of Governors and Committee Chairs
Baltimore Watercolor Society, a 501c3 Nonprofit Organization
Please note: Multiple names are listed for several positions as both the outgoing current Board Member and the new member in training are included.
President: Sharon Morell, slmorell12@gmail.com, 443-465-1863
Vice President:
Secretary: Deborah Cohan, 301-977-6212
Treasurer: April Rimpo, bwsocietytreasurer@gmail.com, 443-766-0148
Assistant Treasurer: Ruth Lampi, rthlampi@gmail.com 240-515-0552
Mid-Atlantic Co-Chair (outgoing): Sharon Green, bwsmidatl@gmail.com, 410-363-1922
Mid-Atlantic Co-Chair: Stacy Lund Levy, 410-446-2714
Mid-Atlantic Co-Chair: Susan Bradley, 301-525-6303
Workshops: Sabine Yeager, bwsworkshops.sabineyeager@gmail.com, 410-245-0366
Programs: Dana Kleinsteuber, Kleinstk@verizon.net, 410-917-7935
Webmaster: Bob Coe, 410-877-3730
Newsletter Editor: Joanna Barnum, joanna@joannabarnum.com, 410-428-3432
Newsletter Committee: Carolyn Murphy, 443-578-8343
Archivist: Karen Norman, 301-318-2224
Hospitality Chair: Karen Schuster, 410-531-5768
Hospitality: Bonita Glaser, 301-498-3946
Hospitality: Joan Orcutt, 240-381-9309
Membership/Database: Janice Hendra, bwsmembership@gmail.com, 410-271-4943
Membership/Jurying: Kathleen Gardiner, 410-991-1183
Mid-Atlantic Awards: Janet Arsenault, 410-713-0248
Mid-Atlantic Awards: Janet Freeman, 410-299-3906
Exhibits Chair: David Drown, 410-971-9769
Exhibits: Kathy Daywalt, 410-507-1662
Exhibits: Jennifer Murtha, 443-834-4160
Publicity: Harold Walpert, 443-825-8463
Social Media: Annie Strack, 610-925-2815