By Karen Stopnicki, President

Dear WAS-H Friends,

I feel so lucky to live in Houston, an area with a wonderful arts scene – and an abundance of arts activities. And I am proud of WAS-H, and all that we have to offer. We have the largest class schedule we have ever presented, with a wide variety of learning opportunities from in-person to online, morning, afternoon and evening, and single day to multiday classes. A monumental thank you goes to Cheryl Evans and Susan Giannantonio, our Education Directors.

Our General Meeting on Sunday, November 5, begins at 2pm and will feature a fabulous demo by Ellen Orseck, who will show us how she paints underwater figures. Join us -- you will not want to miss this! Our meetings are a great chance to get together with others in the WAS-H community.

We are looking forward to our Holiday Gallery Show! The opening reception is Sunday, November 5, following our General Meeting and Demo. The show will be up through the end of December and will feature smaller paintings priced to sell, making great gifts for friends, family, or yourself! The sales are cash and carry, meaning you can take your purchase even before the show ends!

The last Paint-In for the year with Judi Coffey is tomorrow, (Saturday, November 4), and still has a few spots available. Judi is an award-winning abstract artist who paints primarily in acrylics.

The January Gallery Show theme will be "Doors" and February Gallery Show theme will be "Love Is In the Air", so look for the prospectuses to be available soon. Speaking of shows, the International Watermedia Exhibit is now open for entry, the registration is HERE On Call for Entry.

We have some key volunteer opportunities, so if you are looking for a way to participate at WAS-H please consider volunteering. Most immediately, we need a Paint-In coordinator for next year, a social media coordinator, and a group of gallery attendants. Please contact Nancy Moody, our Volunteer Director, if you are interested in a meaningful way to volunteer. Her email is volunteer@watercolorhouston.org.

As I close, I ask you to look for the letter we will be sending to members asking for your support. As a non-profit organization, we depend on you to donate funds to maintain our facility, put on our current programs, and expand with more. Donations are the primary form of revenue each year, followed by membership dues. The bulk of the revenue from our classes support our teaching artists – helping them continue their art practice and share their knowledge. We are grateful to have so much to offer at WAS-H, and we would be thankful for any support you choose to offer. If you like, you can donate online HERE.

As we enter November, I am sending you my warm wishes from home to home and from heart to heart to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am appreciative to all of you for being a part of WAS-H. I hope to see you soon!

Warm Regards,

Karen Stopnicki