President's Message
Connectedness
What does connectedness mean? According to Merriam-Webster, it means joined or linked together, or having a social, professional, or commercial relationship. To me, it is the feeling for being part of something larger than oneself, such as being a member of the Vermont Watercolor Society. Feeling connected is a vital nutrient to a healthy life and certainly a necessary ingredient for the soul.
I have been reminded lately how grand it is to be connected and how inadequate I am at times in making connections. I wonder if you feel that way, too. Do you take the time to reach out to others just to say hi or to create an environment where you can meet someone new or get to know someone better?
As you will read, one of our members, Claude Janeway, passed away recently. She had been a member for five years and I never knew her. It saddened me to think that I never took the opportunity to know this person. I wondered why I didn't. Was I too busy? Didn't I care? I honestly don't know, but her passing has made me more aware of the importance of taking the opportunity to connect when it comes my way.
On the other hand, I did take the opportunity to learn much more about one of our members, Kate More. I had the good fortune to interview Kate for the member profile that Sheryl Trainer then wrote for this edition of our newsletter. I had met Kate and seen her at most of our VWS meetings. I saw Kate as a somewhat reserved individual who was an active signature member of the VWS since 2006. But that is all I knew. As you will read, there is so much more to Kate. I am sure you will agree that she is a true inspiration.
And just this past week I participated in Judi Wagner's inspirational workshop at the Landgrove Inn with a bunch of wonderful women, all watercolorists living within a 30-mile radius of me, most of whom I had never met. I found myself asking, "How could this be, how could these women live so close to me with similar interests and I don't know them?"
I don't know about you, but I certainly feel I have gotten a wake-up call. I am going to reach out more, get to know our members better, and take the opportunities that come my way to engage with others and share common interests.
I have taken a few moments to list some ideas of how we can meet and connect with fellow artists we may not know who are also VWS members:
1. Attend our annual meetings, spring and fall, or just come to one of them. Sit at a table with strangers. Offer to check people in and match names to faces. Carpool with neighboring folks--it is the green thing to do in the Green Mountain State!
2. Submit work and participate in the exhibits. Attend the opening receptions even if your work is not being shown. Introduce yourself to people you don't know. Ask them to show their painting and begin a discussion around it. Work toward obtaining a signature member status and join the 46% of our membership who have done so.
3. Join a committee or the board of directors or volunteer for a one-time event. Working with others with a common interest and goal is a great way to connect with fellow members.
I am sure that you can think of lots of other ways to connect.
Connectedly yours,
Jan Olmstead | | | VWS Spring Meeting Recap  On April 26th 53 members attended the VWS Spring Meeting held at the Quechee club in Quechee, Vemont. Over all, the meeting received very high marks (4.6 out of 5.0) based on the results of the meeting evaluation. It was a beautiful day, the facility was spacious and easy to get to and most walked away feeling proud to be part of a growing and active organization like ours. The keynote speaker Susan Abbott talked about her journey as an artist and delighted the audience with her sense of humor and her slide show. The business meeting was held to 45 minutes and member Bob Sydorowich concluded the meeting with a wonderful demonstration  . The vendor, The Drawing Board had lots of art supplies for sale and everyone walked away with a goodie bag filled with samples, coupons and more that Annelein put together from her other other life working with Boutilliers.
| | Artist's Profile - Kate More, Sharon, VT  Kate More grew up in Milton, Massachusetts and has been drawing and painting since she was a child. She initially focused on cartooning, as her mother had done in her youth. Kate thought that she would perhaps become an illustrator or cartoonist and refers to an early correspondence course as "the best training I ever had," but she also took classes at the Art Students League in New York, the Museum School in Boston, and the Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting. As an undergraduate at Vassar College, she majored in art history but discovered that, "I didn't want to be an art historian! I wanted to be an artist!"
Kate's dream of being a fine artist was put on hold when she decided to move back to the Boston area shortly after graduation. She taught English at Milton Academy until she married and began raising a family. When the children were all in school, she enrolled at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis where she trained and saw patients becoming Assistant to the Director for two years. In 1991, Kate moved to the family vacation home in Vermont. It wasn't long before she was able to retire from psychoanalysis and dedicate her free time to the study of painting. Oil painting was Kate's first love, and after moving to Sharon, Vermont, she started taking classes at AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, NH. She says that she prefers oil painting because, "I can correct my mistakes and make changes. I'm more experienced in oil painting, and it seems to match my temperament best."
More recently, Kate began painting in watercolor taking classes with Woodstock artist and former VWS president Annette Compton. She cites watercolor's portability, "especially on trips abroad" as her primary reason for trying this challenging medium. After coming to appreciate watercolor, Kate joined the Vermont Watercolor Society to "get opportunities to exhibit, to meet other artists, and be part of the art scene" in Vermont. Through the VWS, she has exhibited her work in many of the juried shows and has earned her signature membership. She has also pursued further education in watercolor painting internationally, and has taken workshops in Tuscany, Holland, and studied in Greece this May. She also participated in five residencies at the Vermont Studio Center working in both watercolor and oil.
It has taken a lifetime to get there, but Kate is living the life she dreamed of as a teenager. She says, "Making art-painting-is my life! In childhood I loved making pictures and felt that art was my destiny, even though I didn't have good materials or training. Art is a powerful means of communicating. It stimulates ideas, enriches mind and spirit." As she set off on another painting trip this spring, it seems that Kate More's life is very rich indeed.
| | News about Gruppe  Sandra Ershow, Nancy Stone, Lisa Beach and Theresa Somerset worked very hard checking in the submissions for the Gruppe exhibit. Thank you all very much. We couldn't have done it without you. Pictured are Theresa and Sandra
Thirty-one out of 48 entries were accepted. The jurors were Dianne Shullenberger, a layered fabric collage and color pencil artist from Jericho, Vermont and Marilyn James, a watersoluble oils artist from Essex Junction, Vermont. The show in Jericho will run through June 28, 2009.
| | The Grafton Exhibition at the Hunter Gallery of Fine Arts, Grafton, July 1 - August 2 Our first awards exhibition is just around the corner with $750 in cash awards and three merchandise awards. Please join us for the Opening reception on July 4th from 6-8 pm when the winners will be announced.
| | Fall Exhibition at SVAC
Keep in mind our annual Southern Vermont Art Center JURIED exhibit from Oct. 31 to Dec.1, 2009. A perspectus will be mailed to the membership in August.
| | Member News Lyn DuMoulin's, September Heat was chosen by juror Pat Walker to represent the VWS postcard for the Grafton Show. Lois Macuga of Quechee was accepted into the Academic Artists Show in Springfield, MA which is a national show.
Diane Bell of Weston was chosen to paint at Basin Harbor and then participate in their exhibit of plein air paintings of the area in August. | | In Memorium
 VWS member Claude Janeway died after a sudden illness on Saturday, May 23, 2009. She was born in Solesmes, France and grew up in Liege, Belgium, and retained her lovely French accent, of which she was very proud, throughout her life. In the early 1950's, she moved with her family to New York City and enrolled in Barnard College where she earned a Bachelors of Arts degree. She later earned a PhD in biochemistry at Tufts University and over the course of her career conducted biochemistry research at universities throughout New England including Southern Massachusetts University, University of Rhode Island, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Boston College, and the University of Vermont.
Claude was an active and vibrant individual, and had been mountain biking with friends only a few days before her death. She had ascended all 46 Adirondack peaks over 4,000 feet and was an advisory board member of the Adirondack Trail Improvement Society. She was also a core member of the Ottaquechee Section of the Green Mountain Club. In her "retirement" Claude continued to teach French on a substitute basis, and participated in the Institute for Lifelong Education and Dartmouth (ILEAD). This spring she traveled to Egypt with ILEAD. She enjoyed painting in watercolor and studied painting with former VWS president Annette Compton and at the AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, NH. She had taken several watercolor workshops in the Adirondacks, Italy, France, and Nevis and had exhibited her work with VWS and at AVA. She is survived by her husband Ed of 45 years and their two daughters Annie and Margaret.
| | Five VWS Members Attend
Workshop at the Landgrove Inn  This was Judi Wagner's second workshop at the Landgrove Inn in two years. Five VWS members attended and all agreed that Judi is one of the best watercolor teachers around. Judi loves doing workshops; she shares her experience and her vast body of work. She demos each day, reinforcing the eight points of a good painting: shape, balance, value, alternation, gradation, depth, dominance and focal point. And she encourages all the students to "stay in the process and out of the results; then you're learning color, placement, balance and all the rest."
Deb Lyneis said, "Her loosey goosey style is wonderful; She is very organized and has a definite lesson planned each day.
Sally added, Judi is "a really good teacher and covered whatever we wanted. She's good with all levels (of painter). Students made a list of their learning concerns and Judi tried to include everyone's requests."
Judi loves the variety that the Vermont landscape offers. The foliage, the mountain views, the ever-changing weather conditions just add to the mood. She said that the Landgrove Inn "is one of the best facilities I've ever taught in." InView has the space, perfect light, it's fully equipped, and the innkeepers Tom and Maureen are the sweetest and the most accommodating people she has ever dealt with. "Their all-in-one lodging, dining and fun space in which to create, exhibit and learn is a win-win for everyone."
Judi teaches in East Booth Bay, Maine in the summer and in Florida in the winter. Go to the web for her schedule:www.judiwagner.com or email her at judiwagner@worldnet.att.net.
| | Two Member Donations We are very grateful for two recently received donations that will go towards the revision of our website. Marijke Westberg of Londonderry directed a donation of $100 from one of her client-friends and Bruce Wilkie of Bermuda gave $100 to the Society. Thank you both very much for your generosity. | | Other Exhibits and Workshops Exhibition at Grafton 2009, a select juried art show of more than 50 original works by professional artists from the East Coast, will be held in Grafton, Vermont from August 30 through September 10, 2009.Go to the perspectus at: http://gnsgrafton.com/exhibition_at_grafton1.htm for the show details and the call to artists.
Annelein Beukenkamp, VWS signature member and a member of the VWS Board of Directors is a new instructor at the 13th Annual Vermont Art Event in Colchester from July 28 - August 1. Call 1-888-HOLBEIN for information and a class schedule.
Rob O'Brien, signature member and also a VWS board member is teaching at the InView Center for the Arts at the Landgrove Inn from September 8 - 10. Go to Rob's website for details
A Landgrove Inn workshop featuring portrait artist Paul Leveille is scheduled at the InView Center for the Arts at the Landgrove Inn from October 27 through the 29th. Contact The Landgrove Inn to register. Remember, VWS members get a 10-20% discount.
| | | New Painting Group in the East Region
A group of VWS members and other artists are meeting at the Bartonsville Grange off Route 103 south of Chester on Tuesdays from 8:30 to 12 noon. Come and paint, have fun and stay for the critique. All levels are welcome! Call Marlene Kramer for more details at 802 722-3378.
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Artful Things in Lebanon Offers:
Prints on 4 substrates with archival inks on Somerset Velvet watercolor paper, glossy or matte canvas, and premium photo luster
Scans of your digital images or photographs with perfect accuracy
Reproduction with stunning detail
Photo restoration
Custom framing services and
Exhibition opportunities in our gallery.
Visit: www.artful-things.net or call 603 448-5100.
| | Happy painting and we look forward to seeing you at one or more of the Openings this summer and fall.
Cordially,
Diane Bell
Director of Communications
Vermont Watercolor Society | | |
