BWS Highlights Newsletter • November 2024

President’s Palette

The Baltimore Watercolor Society is hosting the Mid-Atlantic Exhibition at the Arts Barn and Kentlands Mansion Galleries in Gaithersburg, Maryland from October 11, 2024 through January 5, 2025. Jim Sanford has done an outstanding job as the chairperson of this event. I admire how well he works with the committee to improve the exhibit each year.

I hope that you will join us on November 10th at 2 PM to view the paintings and see the artists receive their awards selected  by this year’s judge, Russell Jewell. I am grateful that I did not have to make these decisions!

Looking at this year's collection of paintings, I questioned how there could possibly be such a variety of subjects and different ways to portray them. Which brought me to this question: Why do artists paint?

There is, of course, no one answer to this question... painting can be a kind of wordless communication, a form of self-expression. It can give artistic expression – for artists to express what they need to say. This can be done by artists of all levels of experience. All artists need to be encouraged to learn new things and grow. The Baltimore Watercolor Society provides many opportunities to do this.

“The only time I feel alive is when I’m painting.”
~ Vincent Van Gogh

I believe that what Vincent stated may be true for many artists today. Sometimes you need to be able to say things without words. Many artists, myself included, find that painting is a sort of meditation. Some call this being in a “state of flow.”

“I found that I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way - things I had no words for.”
~ Georgia O’Keefe

Our world is moving very quickly in many directions all at the same time. Painting can be a way of slowing things down and having it make sense. Whether you are trying to be more creative, or share yourself or a positive outlook with others – you must make time to paint. When you do, consider entering your painting in next year’s Mid-Atlantic Exhibition. We would love to see your artistic expressions!

Happy painting!

BWS President

Opening Reception for Mid-Atlantic Exhibition takes place November 10

The 2024 Mid-Atlantic Exhibition opening reception will take place Sunday, November 10, 2-4 pm at the Arts Barn and Kentlands Mansion Gallery in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Both galleries will be open, so you can see the whole show. The awards ceremony will be held in the auditorium on the second floor of the Arts Barn, beginning at around 2:45 pm, or you may use that time to continue to view the exhibition.

The exhibition is in two gallery buildings, the Kentlands Mansion (south) and the Arts Barn (north) separated by the quiet Kent Square Road. The gallery location does not lend itself to a simple set of driving directions so it is recommended that you let your GPS do the work using the following address:
320 Kent Square Road
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878

There is plenty of on-street parking on the quiet streets around the gallery. Both galleries, as well as the path between them, are fully handicapped accessible. Handicapped parking is available on Kent Square Road between the two galleries.

The exhibition will remain open through January 5, 2025. Additional information, including the normal exhibition hours, is available on the Mid-Atlantic Exhibition web page. Don’t hesitate to email questions to midatlaticexhibit@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org.

In this Google Maps view facing west along Kent Square Road, the Arts Barn is on the right and the rear of the Kentlands Mansion is on the left.

From the Archives: Glimpses of the 1953 Annual Exhibition

Jim Sandford, Mid-Atlantic Exhibition Chair

The 1953 Baltimore National Watercolor Exhibition was held in February 1953 at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). It was the 48th annual exhibition put on by the Baltimore Water Color Club (BWCC, the predecessor of BWS) since the first in 1892 (we have noted that years were occasionally skipped, for example during World War II and in 1904, the year of the Great Baltimore Fire). It was the 21st such exhibition to take place at the BMA.

Records found in the BMA archive give us the opportunity to compare this exhibition with the Mid-Atlantic Exhibition we know today. The numbers of artists and paintings entered and selected for the exhibition are pretty similar between 1953 and 2024. It cost two dollars to enter, although there must have been some who were allowed to enter for free (and nobody had to use CaFÉ). The prize money was a small fraction of what it is today, even adjusting for inflation. And the lack of dollar indications next to the honorable mention awards suggests that that is exactly what the awardees received, an honorable mention!

And for a mere $175, the winning painting, Starry Night, a full sheet size casein painting by Robert Gates, was yours to take home.

Alas, the BMA archives do not include images of the exhibited artworks. But there are some newspaper reviews and photos, which will be featured in an upcoming issue of the newsletter.

A summary sheet of the 1953 Baltimore National Water Color Exhibition, from the BWCC files of the BMA Archive.

The entry card for the winner of the 1953 Baltimore National Water Color Exhibition, from the BWCC files of the BMA Archive.

Receive American Frame Discounts Through Our Artist Alliance Program

American Frame is a second-generation, woman-owned, family-run company, dedicated to serving artists like yourself since 1973. Our mission is to provide excellence in custom framing products, fine art printing and related services while advancing a socially responsible company that gives back to the arts. As such, we are proud to be counted among the list of donors to the BWS Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibition. If you need design assistance or have questions about the website, we are here to help. We offer free samples, phone support as well as face-to-face ‘zoom style’ consultations via our Virtual Showroom. Our goal is to serve you in the way that makes you most comfortable.

Apply your American Frame account to the Baltimore Watercolor Society through this link: https://www.baltimorewatercolorsociety.org/Member-Discount-Codes/12652400 (you must be logged in to BWS Wild Apricot to see the link). Click on the link and sign-up or login to the American Frame Alliance Program and you will receive a reusable discount code as well as earn credit for your purchases for BWS. Be sure to check ‘Agree to Terms and Conditions.’ Once your American Frame account is linked to the Alliance Program, all of your orders will benefit BWS, even if you choose another discount to use for that order (e.g., free shipping).

Membership

Welcome New Signature Member

Jennifer Koury, East Aurora, NY

Welcome New Associate Members

Mary Alves, Parkton, MD
Amy Browning-Dill, Springfield, VA
Polly Cox, Royal Oak, MD
Robert Maarsen, Silver Spring, MD
Judy Mckinley, Masset, BC
Michelle Reuster, Clarksville, MD
Laura Violand, Columbia, MD