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  • April 20, 2023 2:15 PM | Nancy Moody

    Upcoming May Show: 

    In honor of all the new springtime babies, May's theme is focused on playfulness. This can include children of any age, toys, or just the joy of being whimsical.

    Registration Deadline is May 3, 2023

    Click to see the: Prospectus

    Register HERE


    Upcoming June Show: 

    This month WAS-H artists create whatever makes their heart sing.  

    Registration Deadline: 

    May 31, 2023

    Click to see the show rules:  Prospectus

  • April 20, 2023 2:12 PM | Nancy Moody


    Each month, we need a volunteer to staff the Gallery on the 2nd Saturday. 

    Looking to staff the months of July, Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec.

    The hours are 10 am - 3 pm. If you can help out, please sign up if you are available for any of the months above. Clicking HERE to sign up.

  • April 20, 2023 2:10 PM | Nancy Moody


    Friday, April 21

    from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

    While this session is designed for new members, everyone is welcome to attend. There is no fee, but online registration is required.  Register HERE

  • April 20, 2023 2:05 PM | Nancy Moody

    by Karen Stopnicki, WAS-H President


    Dear WAS-H Friends,

    WAS-H is springing forward with a lot of activity this month. Our annual member renewal reminders will go out on April 14th, sent via email. You can easily renew online, or print a form and mail in a check, whichever you find most convenient. Your membership dues are a key support for WAS-H. 

     

    Working hard this past year, our bylaws committee lead by Marion Friedman with Kathleen Cooper, Beth Graham, and Donna Van Fleet have spent countless hours fine-tuning our WAS-H Bylaws. The amended bylaws reflect current WAS-H operations and practices while also allowing WAS-H the flexibility to adapt its structure and processes to changing needs over time. When you receive your mailing this month, please review and submit your ballot.

     

    Our April General Meeting featured an informative and entertaining demo by Patrick Palmer, Dean of the Glassell School. The current monthly gallery exhibit themed fences and borders is on display now… stop by to enjoy this beautiful show during April.

     

    Looking to May, our General Meeting will be on May 7th. Kat Rodgers, professional artist and WAS-H teacher, will be our demo artist. Our Gallery Exhibit theme is Playfulness with juror Bradley Kerl. The Awards and Reception will follow our General Meeting. Registration for the May 6th Paint-In with Bridgett Vallery has a few open spots left, so register soon.

     

    We have a number of classes on the schedule for April and May -- see our full class list HERE. Registering for a class is a great way to enjoy the camaraderie of other artists and enhance your artistic skills. Our standard events such as Open Studio, Model Lab and Senior Group are going strong and welcome you to join in. 

     

    I hope you will join with everything going on at WAS-H – thank you for being a part of our wonderful arts community at WAS-H!


     

    Warm Regards,

    Karen Houston Stopnicki

    WAS-H President

  • April 05, 2023 6:04 AM | Nancy Moody

    By Cissy Geigerman, Gallery Co-Director


    Our theme this month is Borders and Fences, real or rhetorical.  As always, our members love to apply the themes in many creative ways, including puns!  You will have to study Katie Steck’s painting for a minute to get it, but it will hit you.  After such a fabulous IWE show, it is nice to relax and enjoy the offerings from our members.   As volunteers this month we had Mansueto Fabugais, and our incoming Gallery Directors, Leisa Patin and Linda Flowers.  It takes a village to make this event go smoothly and we appreciate everyone’s help.  

    Our judgewas Diane Brahm. She is academically trained in art at the University of Texas at Austin and continues to develop and test a contemporary approach to modern portraiture and design.  She strives to progress toward a fresher presentation.  Ms. Brahm is adept handling oils, pastels, charcoal, and mixed watercolor.  Her art has won numerous awards in both regional and national shows and has been published in national art magazines.  She shares her gifts teaching art, currently in the west Houston area.  She also holds workshops for adults, teens, and school aged children.  Ms. Brahm has previously served on the boards of the Houston Civic Arts Association, Houston Art Society, and West Houston Area Artists.  

    Ms. Brahm did a thoughtful review of the entries.  She used our simple system of placing yellow sticky notes on her favorites and then narrowing it down.  “Such difficult choices!” she said.  There were many, many notes affixed.  Even though watercolor is not her primary choice of medium, she admires the versatility and look of watercolors.

    First Place

    Tamara Kontrimas “Shoring the Dunes”



    DB: This is a lovely play of lights and darks in an unexpected way, and an abstract representation of a very realistic subject.  This artist can draw, paint, and design.

    TK: I had been entertaining the idea for painting the beach fences for a while, and now was the time to do it.  I would love to paint more loosely like the painting next to mine, but it is more natural for me to approach it in a calculated way.  To make the fences, I thought about masking, but decided to trim some brushes to the exact width.  


    Second Place

    Larry Spitzberg “Seaside Village”



    DB: I noticed several of your paintings in the gallery today, and I chose this one because I was drawn in.  I love the looseness, the primary color palette, and the people in the painting.  I could look at it a long time and would enjoy it in my house.  

    LS: I have been trying to paint like Frank Webb who, many times, uses straight lines in his works.  I actually bought a ruler and used it in this one.  Frank’s first step is to splash on a bunch of color and then carry on from there. That was my approach but I think I failed because I don’t know how to paint.  

    Cissy Geigerman: I beg to differ. Also, I enjoyed talking to Larry’s wife and she shared with me that Larry painted several of these especially for this show.  The one that is recognized is actually the one that he kept going back to for tweaking.  It is always hard to know when to call it done.


    Third Place

    L. Lynn Adamson “Peace on Earth”



    DB: In spite of the small size, this is a little gem.  The colors are beautiful with plenty of realism.  We are glad you submitted this, keep it up!

    LA: I am new to WASH from Minnesota, and this is my first entry.



    Honorable Mention

    Laurie Hammons “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors”



    DB: I love the limited color scheme, the washes, and splashes.  Just beautiful.  A good title too!

    LH: I started with the houses, then later got the idea for the fences and kind of went crazy.


    Honorable Mention

    Irene Sheytman “Walls”




    DB: This is a large stone road and buildings.  I love the way the roughness of the stonework and brickwork is displayed.  The composition draws you in, my eyes follow all the way up the road.

    IS: This is from a photograph for reference, but I changed the composition quite a bit.  I added more walls, staircases, and of course railings to go with the stairs.  


    Honorable Mention

    Carla Gauthier “Hiking Near Austin”


    DB: This artist has control of the medium.  It is a lovely landscape and I love the depth shown from the transition of foreground to background.  

    Cissy Geigerman: Carla Gauthier could not attend the reception, but is very pleased to be recognized.  She is a popular instructor here at WASH and contributes in many ways.  We appreciate her enthusiastic response when the Gallery puts out a call for entries.  

  • April 03, 2023 3:21 PM | Nancy Moody

    Fontaine Jacobs is a self-taught artist who has shown in galleries and won awards for both her commercial and fine art throughout the United States. Her most famous commission was of Octavia Spencer from The Help. She was honored to present the painting and meet the actor at a Cancer Fundraiser in Memphis, Tennessee.  

    Fontaine is a Signature Member of the National Society of Artists. At the Watercolor Art Society of Houston's February Membership Show, she won the First-Place Award for "Palmetto. Blue Faced Iguana" which also won the First-Place Award at Galveston Art League’s 2022 Fall Juried Show. 

    Fontaine paints portraits, landscapes, animals, and abstracts. She strives to merge impressionism with realism to capture an image or go completely abstract. Visit Fontainefineart.com to see additional works or request a commission 

    "Mallard"


    "Sailor's Delight"


    "Curious Cayman Iguana"

  • April 03, 2023 3:11 PM | Nancy Moody

    This month's exhibit "Fences and Borders" is now open, showing through April 29, 2023.  Come take a look!


  • April 03, 2023 2:52 PM | Nancy Moody

    Congratulations to the 2023-2024 officers newly elected  at yesterday's general meeting:

    President: Karen Stopnicki

    Vice President: Donna VanFleet

    Treasurer:  Janet Traylor

    Secretary: Kathleen Cooper  

    We appreciate your willingness to lead WAS-H into the new fiscal year!

  • March 18, 2023 9:12 PM | Nancy Moody

    WAS-H 2023-2024 proposed slate of officers

    Karen Stopnicki is a native Houstonian and lifelong artist, who while in the 4th grade convinced her parents to let her to take adult painting classes, and ultimately earned her BA in Art from the University of Texas. She currently runs a busy household that includes her husband, 13-year old son, a cat and a dog, does commissions as a professional artist, and is a consummate volunteer.

    A long-time WAS-H member, she is currently serving WAS-H as President and has previously served on the WAS-H Board of Directors in a variety of roles including Public Relations Director, Annual Members Exhibit Director, and Website/Technology Director. She has also served key volunteer roles in the Mark Twain Elementary PTO and the West University Little League Auxiliary.

    She will bring business acumen to her role as WAS-H President from her years in corporate advertising and marketing for local and national retailers. “I hope to marry my love for WAS-H with my background and experience to keep the organization heading in a positive direction. We have so much to offer the community, and I look forward to seeing WAS-H full of shows, classes, and events with members and guests.”

    _________


    Donna Van Fleet has passion for the arts, project management, and helping organizations thrive, and she is enormously grateful to WAS-H for allowing her to indulge these passions as Co-Vice President and IWE Chair.  A math major who took every art class and was editor of the college newspaper, Donna became an executive at an international computer company and has chaired the boards of an opera company, a school of natural sciences, an adolescent girls’ organization and a hospital.  

    I look forward to ongoing collaborations at WAS-H to make life colorful!


    ________


    Janet Traylor is a native Houstonian.  She attended University of Houston and received a degree in Accounting.  She then followed her dream of working in the Oil & Gas Industry; she worked for just over six years with Tenneco Oil Company.  When Tenneco sold its position in exploration and production in 1988, she had just had a beautiful baby girl.  Great timing, she became a stay at home mom, volunteering with Service League, tutoring children in math, and holding the position of her church bookkeeper.  She was a ballet mom, Swim mom, and waterpolo mom serving on many boards as needed.  When her daughter left for college she resumed her career in Oil and Gas Accounting at Houston based Enervest, where she retired as Manager of Accounting Advisors in April 2017. 

    Her first dabble in Art was in 2006 when she took some classes at the Jung Center in Chinese Brush Painting.  After retiring in 2017 she discovered WAS-H and has taken many classes and major workshops since.  She loves the interaction of the classes at WAS-H, but needs to spend more time working on her art at home on her own.  

                I have enjoyed serving as the secretary on the WAS-H Board for the year 2022-2023.  I am looking forward to getting back to the numbers by switching places with our esteemed current Treasurer Kathleen Cooper for the 2023-2024 Board.

    ________


    Kathleen Cooper spent her career in the field of tax accounting and planning, mostly dealing with the international tax issues of major corporations.  She has been the WAS-H treasurer from January, 2021 through the end of the current fiscalyear.  She is now passing the baton, and will work as the Secretary in the coming fiscal year while helping the new Treasurer get acclimated. 



  • March 13, 2023 11:33 AM | Nancy Moody

    The Crѐche Festival Houston is inviting artists to submit work which explores, depicts, or interprets Christ’s nativity for a juried and judged exhibition: They would like to see more watercolors in their exhibit.

     For more information, click HERE




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