President’s Palette

I have  been thinking about all kinds of art stuff lately. Surprise, you  think,   she’s  an artist.  Yes,  that  is  true,  I am  an artist…so what am I thinking about? 

I am  a book dragon: I devour books.  I am  also  a very fast  reader who likes reading books in series  and who gets panicky when a series ends and  there’s  no new book!    What does that have to do with anything? Well, I  have  discovered that I like to paint in series too.  

I started watching silent movies when I was two,  in New York, from whence I  hail.  Grandma and Grandpa  Kohn  were married in the twenties, their  time  to  shine…may we all have them. 

Anyway,  the Roaring  Twenties was  the heyday of silent films.  Grandma and I watched The Joe Franklin Show. He talked extensively about silent movies, to which my grandmother was addicted. I grew up watching  silents  and still  do.  No color, just black and white and  super-expressive  acting that made sound superfluous. 

Remember Gloria Swanson  in  Sunset Boulevard? “They had faces” said she and how right she was… 

Fast forward to about five years ago.  I had just finished my latest portrait commission;   was   at  sixes and sevens.  Explored  Google and lo and behold, I discovered a wonderful photo of Lillian and Dorothy  Gish.  Drew it and then, decided to make it extra-chalky with  the liberal use of titanium white, mixed with ivory black, so that it looked like an old photo. 

I like to explore different  techniques in watercolor,  and was, eventually,  pleased  with my results, having never used such an opaque color  as titanium white is  before. Next, I painted a portrait of Buster Keaton…and so it went…I’m  still  on a roll  with silent movie stars and am just starting another portrait of the Gish sisters but this one is in living color. 

All of which brings me to my next point. I do  a good job  on these…but  I cannot  enter them in competition. Which, I must admit, bugs me.  Copyright laws,  etc, not my photo, not original  thought, more  etc. 

But,  so what?  I  don’t  usually enter competitions. I  never have  in 35 or so years. Most of my artist friends enter their fine work  often.  Me? In an odd way, why bother? I might get in, might not, but  do I care? Not particularly.  I’m  at the stage of life where I  want to paint what I want to paint.  I have been painting portrait commissions for many years and while I love  painting  them, I want  less and less  to paint what my clients want and  more and more  to paint only what I want.  

My conclusion is this:  paint what you want, how you want, when you want.  While I do believe in reincarnation, we may not come back as artists. So,  enter all the competitions you want to, but paint only what  is your heart’s desire.  If you want to  paint with  competitions in mind, knock yourselves out.  If you want to paint abstracts, go ahead. To thine  own  selves be  true!    Now, where is that palette with my purples? 

All-Member Exhibitions: From Pigments to Pixels 

The submission period for entries to the From Pigment to Pixels online exhibition closed on September 30.

This online exhibition was open to all BWS Members and will appear in the BWS Virtual Gallery beginning in November (everyone will get instructions on how to get to it).  Each BWS member was invited to submit one watermedia painting image for inclusion in the exhibition.  Since this is an online exhibition, there were no size restrictions for paintings (big or small).The entry fee was $20.

The juror of awards will be Pittsburgh-based artist Jeannie McGuire.  There will be two sets of awards, one set for Signature members, the other for Associate and Student members.  Each set will include: 1st place: $400, 2nd place: $300, 3rd place $200, plus three honorable mentions $100 each.  Award winners will be announced by mid-October.

If BWS is contacted regarding purchase of an artwork, BWS will provide the artist with contact information for the prospective buyer. All sales are to be completed by the artist. The artist will notify BWS if the painting is purchased, so it can be marked as sold on the online presentation. There is no gallery commission (yay!) but BWS requires payment of a 10% commission on all sales paid within 30 days of the sale. Sales tax is the responsibility of the artist.  Sales inquiries received after March 1, 2027 will no longer require a 10% commission to BWS.

Note that we won't be posting images on the Baltimore Art Billboard as was done in the previous Pigment to Pixels exhibition.

The Next Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition

Don’t forget to plan your submissions to the next Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition which will take place April-May 2027 at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia.  CaFÉ will be open for Mid-Atlantic submissions (one or two submissions per artist) December 2026 through January 2027 (which is not that far off).

Questions or comments are welcome, please contact sandford.jim@baltimorewatercolorsociety.org.

BWS Donation Goals

Goal: $9,000.00

Collected: $2,627.00

To help The Baltimore Watercolor Society, Inc. achieve our October 2025 - September 2026 growth goals:

2026 Signature Member Exhibit at Delaplaine Gallery in Frederick

Dates and Details

For this Exhibit, paintings submitted are limited to quarter sheets  (15 X 10), and BWS will wave the traditional 10 inch minimum per side so that pieces less than that will be acepted down to 3 X 3 inches or 9 square inches.

This refers to the painting size, not the mat and frame.

Important Dates

• The deadline for entries  is Saturday, November 14, 2026 or when the exhibit is full, whichever comes first.
• Drop-off date: Tuesday, December 1, from 10–11 a.m.
• Opening reception: Friday, December 4, 3–5 p.m.
• Pick-up dates: Sunday, January 31, 2027, 4:30–5:30 p.m. or Monday, February 1, 2027, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 

Each registrant can enter only one painting. Registration fee is $20.00.

Your membership in BWS must be current in order to register for this show, 

For more information and to register online, visit www.bws.wildapricot.org and go to Public Events. If you are a member, be sure to log in so that you can register. 

Signature Membership Registration Continues through October 3

Janet Arsenault

Interested in Applying to be juried for Signature Membership? 

Registration period is  August 1–October 3, 2026 

Jurying will take place October 17, 2026. 

Nonmembers seeking information can find it on the home page under “Upcoming Events” by dragging down to open a listed subject with “jurying.” 

Associate members have been emailed a notification with a link to detailed information.

In addition to donating towards a Mid-Atlantic award, Holbein has provided 15ml sample paint tubes as hand-outs/door prizes for BWS workshops.

Learn about the Potomac Valley Watercolorists, one of our BWS Mid-Atlantic Sponsors of Awards. Perhaps you'll want to join them. Visit www.potomacvalleywatercolorists.org for more information.