California Watercolor Association

Member Spotlight

Jeannie Vodden lives in the foothills of the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains. She lives on a beautiful oak-covered property in the Gold Country of California. Here she dedicates her time to expressing her love of beauty in the garden, in her home and in her watercolors and drawings. Jeannie works in watercolor, painting floral, still life and portraits, and in graphite, drawing whimsical little people and animals.

Visit her website at https://www.jeannievodden.com/
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Member Spotlight

By day, Beth Grant works in tech; by night she dreams in paint. Her lifelong passion for drawing and painting has only grown stronger over time. After years of focusing on portraits and figures, she has recently ventured into landscape painting, embracing the new challenges it brings.

For her, painting is her “Art Church”—a place of slow observation, intentional creativity, and a much-needed reset from the fast pace of Silicon Valley and the chaos of family life. Exploring light, color, and texture in the outdoors keeps her curiosity alive and thriving.

Visit her website at https://www.bethgrantart.com/
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CWA Member Samantha McNally Watercolors has two paintings, "Daisies" and "Bouquet," in the upcoming Lamorinda Arts Alliance Exhibit at Main Street Arts in Martinez. "Delighted by Light" is showing during the months of September and October.

The Reception is 6-9 on Friday, September 6th during Martinez First Fridays. Come and vote for the People's Choice Award! www.mainstreetarts.net and www.laa4art.

CORRECTED DATE!
Please join us for our first in-person general meeting and live demo with next month at the Lafayette Library! CWA is thrilled to invite all members and prospective members to this *free* event.

Date: September 18, 2024
Time: 7:00–9:00 pm PDT
(doors open at 6:30 pm)

Location: Don Tatzin Hall in the Lafayette Library
3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, CA 94549 (Parking is free)
Public Transit: 10-minute walk from Lafayette Bart, 4 minutes off Hwy. 24

The demo will be streamed to our YouTube channel as well, if you cannot attend in person.

Member Spotlight

Tony Segale’s artistic journey began with childhood doodles and cartooning for his school newspaper. A self-taught artist, Tony transitioned from the retail meat trade to a full-time career as a commercial artist, specializing in reverse glass gold leaf and large-scale murals. His watercolors serve as the foundation for his creative process, leading to his unique style of abstract realism.

Tony enjoys plein air painting and reimagining his sketches in the studio, creating original interpretations in his bold, graphic style. He also shares his expertise through workshops on watercolor, drawing, brush lettering, and reverse glass gold leaf.

“Every creative action risks failure. If the risks are little, the reward is little.”

Visit his website at https://www.tonysegale.com/
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In case you missed it, here's 's finished coastal piece and the link to the recording for last week's demo - https://bit.ly/LaitinenRec

If you painted along, please share your version!

Member Spotlight

Marilyn Wear, a Signature Member of the CWA, National Watercolor Society, Watercolor West, and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, discovered her passion for art at a young age. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she pursued her love for drawing and painting, earning a BA in Graphic Design from San Jose State University.

After a successful career in commercial art, Marilyn transitioned to fine art, quickly gaining recognition in national watercolor shows. Her favorite subjects are wildlife and landscapes.

Visit her website at https://www.marilynwear.com/
Facebook: Marilyn Wear
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Member Spotlight

Meet Nancy Partovi, a passionate watercolor artist who has honed their craft through a diverse and rich journey that includes studying with master watercolorists like Cheng-Khee Chee, Arne Westerman, Lian Zhen, Alvaro Castagnet, and John Salminen. Nancy is a Signature Member of CWA and paints both in the studio and en plein air, often with the Jade Fon Plein Air Painters. You can regularly find her work on display at the Valley Art Gallery in Walnut Creek.

Visit her blog at https://nancypartovi.blogspot.com/

This is tonight at 7:00pm Pacific Time! Please share as this is open to members and non-members.

Zoom link is bit.ly/LaitinenDemo

Member Spotlight

Baltimore native Stacy Lund Levy has been creating art in various forms since kindergarten and specializes in capturing water scenes. With a background in Biochemistry from Hood College and a Master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins Art as Applied to Medicine program, Stacy blends her artistic talents with her love for anatomy and science. She began her career as a medical illustrator before launching Lund Art Studios, where she now works with clients nationwide, juries shows, teaches classes, gives demos, and exhibits her artwork.

While watercolor is her primary medium, Stacy also creates stunning wearable art. She’s a Signature Member of the American, Baltimore, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia Watercolor Societies, as well as American Women Artists. Check out her work at https://bakerartist.org/portfolios/stacylundlevyart

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🎨 Member Spotlight

Helene Roylance is a talented artist based in the San Francisco East Bay Area who loves creating hand-painted ceramics and watercolors. Alongside her husband, who crafts beautiful wood pieces, she brings to life the whimsical world of Lumpy Doodles.

It all started with Lumpy, a stray cat who captured their hearts. One morning, after feeding him breakfast, Helene’s husband wondered where Lumpy spent his days. As they watched him stroll toward a nearby horse farm, the idea of Lumpy as a horse wrangler sparked Helene’s first Lumpy Doodles piece—a ceramic platter depicting his imagined adventures. Since then, Lumpy Doodles has evolved into a collection of vibrant, playful designs and personalized custom pieces.

Visit her website at: https://www.lumpydoodles.com/
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CWA Board Member and Watercolor Teacher Extraordinaire, Leslie Wilson, shares some helpful quick tips for entering our 55th International Exhibition. Bonus: We've extended the deadline by ONE WEEK to September 23!

Check out the prospectus here: https://bit.ly/intlexhibit

Member Spotlight

Salinas-based artist R. Mike Nichols is a Master Signature Member of CWA and Watercolor West, and also holds Signature Memberships with prestigious organizations like the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society and National Watercolor Society. His dedication to his craft keeps him busy showcasing his work nationwide. We’re huge fans of his unique style, especially how he captures the distinct personalities of people and animals in his portraits!

Visit his website at https://mnico.weebly.com/
FB: R. mike nichols studios

🎨 Member Spotlight: Rebecca Krutsinger

Rebecca Krutsinger, an Iowa-born artist based in Illinois, has a deep passion for watercolor painting. Self-taught but enriched by workshops with watercolor masters, Rebecca excels in portraiture, capturing the expressive power of eyes. While portraits are her main focus, she also explores landscapes and florals with a painterly, impressionistic style. ✨

Visit her website at https://rputbresewatercolor.com/
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🎨 Member Spotlight: Liz Walker

Born in Pennsylvania and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Liz Walker’s art is infused with the vibrant culture and colors of her surroundings. After a decade in technical writing, she rediscovered her passion for painting and fully embraced her calling in 1997. Although watercolor was her first love, she has since moved on to acrylics and marbling, and her award-winning work is showcased in collections across the country. She is a Signature Member of CWA, San Diego Watercolor Society and numerous others.

Visit her website at https://www.lizwalkerart.com/
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Save the Date: August 21, 2024

🎨✨ Don’t miss our General Meeting and Demo! Join us for essential CWA updates and an amazing demo by award-winning artist Dale Laitinen. His vibrant, energetic watercolor technique is a must-see! 🌟👩‍🎨

You do not need to be a member to join this online event!

ZOOM LINK: https://bit.ly/LaitinenDemo

Schedule of other demos: https://bit.ly/CWAschedule

Member Spotlight

John Giannotti is a retired graphic designer who turned to painting later in life. He is based in San Jose and has won several awards at various art shows. We love the vibrancy and boldness of his color choices, as well as his recent paintings done in homage to the great . We're glad you started painting John!

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Attention CWA Members:
Splendid Surroundings is now open for entries! This show will run at the San Ramon City Hall Gallery, October 2 - 30, 2024.
Juror of Selection: Afsaneh Micheals, Walnut Creek artist and teacher
Juror of Awards: Georganne Zaro, MCWA

View the prospectus at https://bit.ly/Spendid

This is a MEMBERS-ONLY show, so if you'd like to participate, you can join CWA today at https://bit.ly/joinCWA

Member Spotlight

Laurie Wigham is the talented organizer of the SF Sketchers meetup group and an incredible artist! Based in the Bay Area, her paintings and sketches beautifully capture the vibrant life on the streets of San Francisco and the breathtaking wilderness of the Sierra Nevada mountains. We absolutely love her fresh and unique style!

Visit her website at https://lauriewigham.com/
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Congrats to CWA Members .pigments and for their winning paintings at the Plein Air Paint Out!

Save the Date!
The next CWA Plein Air Outing will be on Saturday, August 17 from 10-1PM at Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area. Meet at 10:00 am at the Interpretive Pavilion, and paint anywhere in the park. Bring your lunch and meet back at the Interpretive Pavilion to show your paintings at 12:30 pm. Park hours are 6:00 am–9:00 pm. Parking is available on-site for $6.00 per vehicle (carpooling is encouraged).

RSVP to Nutan Singh at .pigments or Nutan FineArts - Gallery

Member Spotlight

With his bold, loose painting style, Eric Wiegardt has left a significant mark on the American and International art scenes. He’s participated in numerous museum exhibitions across the US and China and has taught over 5000 watercolorists through his popular “Wiegardt’s Painterly Watercolors” workshops. In addition, he has received the highest honor in watercolor painting: the Gold Medal and Dolphin Fellow from the American Watercolor Society! 🥇

Eric is a signature member of prestigious organizations such as the American Watercolor Society (Dolphin Fellow), National Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America (Master Status), and Watercolor West (Master Status). He has been honored with the 2012 AWS Gold Medal of Honor and served as the 2023 Selection Judge for the 156th Annual International Exhibition of the AWS, among many other accolades. His work has also been showcased at International Watermedia Shows in Nanchang and Shenzhen, China.

Visit his website at: https://www.ericwiegardt.com/
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Quick reminder that our 55th International Exhibition is open for submissions! Whether you're in the throes of completing your next piece or contemplating a new one to submit, check out this short article on "How to Catch a Juror's Eye" by : https://bit.ly/4doy2XH

The deadline for submissions is September 16, 2024 (corrected date)
Prospectus link: https://bit.ly/intlexhibit

🎨 Member Spotlight: Kathleen Mooney

Meet Kathleen Mooney , a Michigan-based abstract artist who masterfully works with various water media. Kathleen’s art journey has taken her to some of the world’s most iconic and inspiring locations, including Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, Orkney, the Outer Hebrides, Great Britain, France, the Great Lakes, the American Southwest, Canada, and US coastal regions. She’s always on the hunt for vast horizons with long timelines and deep layers.

Kathleen shares, “Experiencing these iconic locales with the time to focus on painting, sketching, prehistory, and history has been a unique artistic privilege - fueling my art practice with memories and powerful inspirations.”

A Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society, Acrylic Painters USA, the International Society of Acrylic Painters, and the International Society of Experimental Artists, Kathleen’s work is a testament to her dedication and passion for the arts.

Explore her world of abstract beauty at https://kathleenmooney.com/
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Member Spotlight

is an award-winning artist and instructor who enjoys working in watercolor, oil, acrylic, and other media. Her artwork and handmade greeting cards have been featured over the years at specialty shops in Philadelphia, New York City, and London, including the A.I.A. Bookstore and the The Morgan Library & Museum Shop.

Suma has been an exhibiting member at the Rowayton Arts Center and is a past member of the Connecticut Watercolor Society. Her work is included in Archisketcher (North Light Books) by Simone Ridyard. She has been juried into Carmel Art Festival, Los Gatos Plein Air, and Frank Bette Plein Air Paintout and has been a faculty member at the Plein Air Convention & Expo. She has taught sketching workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area through Colibri Gallery, ARCH Art Supplies, and School of Visual Philosophy, and is the instructor of the online class "Urban Sketching in 15 Minutes a Day" on Craftsy.com.

Visit her website at https://www.artbysuma.com/

Open for Registration!

is excited to announce that registration is open for the East Bay Open Studios December event. Interested artists may submit artwork for the event campaign (guide cover and promotional assets), and applications are open for artists who wish to apply for fee waivers and open studios event space requests. Don't wait, early bird registration closes on July 31st at 11:59pm and regular price registration is open from August 1 to August 31st at 11:59pm.

https://eastbayopenstudios.com/registration-2/

Member Spotlight

Meet Jean Pederson CWA, the author of “Expressive Portraits: Creative Methods for Painting People”! With over twenty years of painting experience, Jean masterfully balances her teaching and writing with her passion for visual storytelling. 📚🖌️

Her art spans referential imagery of people, still life, landscapes, and abstract compositions. Jean’s work is distinguished by the intricate layering of various media, creating dynamic edges, lines, and textures. While she’s renowned for her watercolor expertise, mixed media has become a vital part of her creative journey.

Explore Jean’s vibrant world of art and be inspired by her innovative techniques and expressive portraits at https://www.jeanpederson.com/

Member Spotlight

By day, Nutan Singh is an engineer, but outside of work, she’s a dedicated artist with a passion for bringing creativity to life. 🎨✨ You might recognize her name because she’s the incredible force behind restarting our CWA Plein Air outings! 🙌

While watercolor is one of her loves, Nutan also creates stunning acrylic pieces and participates in plein air events throughout the Bay Area. She shares, “For me, art has been my refuge in bad times and a celebration in good times. I want to share this way of experiencing life with fellow humans.”

Nutan’s energy and enthusiasm are truly infectious! We hope to see you at one of our monthly plein air outings. The August date will be posted soon—stay tuned! 📅🌟

Visit her website at https://www.nutanfinearts.com/
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Welcome New Members to our ever-growing art community. Please tag us at so that we can continue to share our member updates.

If you're thinking about joining or need to renew your membership, please visit us in the link in our profile. Members enjoy discounted workshop fees, 3-4 members-only shows per year, and access to a network of other artists.