Thouraya and Terri braved the drizzly rain at our plein air event in lovely Mead Gardens, in Winter Park. We found shelter at a covered area near the discovery barn. There are lots of things to paint and draw at Mead, so we should plan another visit there sometime.
Terri did a botanical drawing of a Bleeding Hearts (Clerodendrum thomsoniae) vine. Since they were out in the rain, it was a chance to practice painting rain drops!
Clerodendrum thomsoniae
Thouraya did a beautiful landscape painting, with a strong oak tree and colorful shrubs.
More plein air events will be announced. See you out in the beautiful Florida Landscapes in 2022!
The 2021 Holiday In-House Member Show and Party of the Central Florida Watercolor Society is taking place in the Kingswood Manor Association Clubhouse on Sunday, December 5th, at 2:00 pm. 1737 Baltimore Dr, Orlando, FL 32810.
To guard the safety of our membership we require that attendees be vaccinated and wear masks inside the clubhouse.
The art show will be set up in the clubhouse on tables. Some easels will be provided, though it would be wise to bring an easel if you have it. Paintings for the Christmas In-House Member Show can be matted and framed or just matted. One painting per person. There will be monetary “People’s Choice Awards!” Votes are collected in a container by the check-in table and will be tallied by two designated counters. At the conclusion of the party the winners will be announced and checks issued: $100 1st place,$75 2nd place,$50 3rdPlace.
Please bring finger foods to share: Snacks, finger sandwiches, heavy hors d’oeuvres, sushi, veggies, fruit, cookies or dessert bites – no utensils will be offered, just plates and napkins.
B.Y.O.B.
Coffee, tea and water will be provided. You can donate a beverage of choice. We will have a tent outside for food and beverages with a bartender to pour wine supplied by members.
Mini-painting size is 2 1/2” X 3 1/2”- – Holiday or any subject. You will put your mini in the clear sleeve of the mini poster display. Two boards will be provided. They’re on display during the meeting and then put into the box for a drawing. One painting per member. If you put one in, you can take one out!
Santa will be on hand, in the tent, to pass out the raffled gifts that have been donated by our sponsors.
It will be so great to get together in person after so long.
We are making arrangements to Zoom the gallery to those who are unable to attend.
We have the clubhouse for the whole afternoon, so we can mingle!
November 20, 2021 – Our next Plein Air will be at the beautiful Mead Botanical Gardens, 1300 S. Denning Drive, in Winter Park. This is a popular spot to paint! Your muse will be happy! There are 47 acres to explore of streams, a pond, native plant garden and tortoise habitat, and hiking paths. Lots of turtles and fish and birds!
Free Admission – We’ll meet at 10 a.m.
Bring a bag lunch, hat, sunscreen and your art supplies!
We will meet at the little amphitheater near the restrooms.
There were 4 CFWS Plein Air artists at the Tibet-Butler Preserve on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. They had a very nice day painting at Tibet Butler, even though it was very humid.
Ann, Leslie and Jane relax and paint.
There were 4 painters:
Jane B.
Ann W.
Leslie R.
And Marcela M.
The artists enjoyed sitting in rocking chairs on the porch and painting together! Everyone had a good painting!
Jane B. did a lovely landscape.Bees and blue flowers by Leslie R.Ann W. did a little white house in the landscape.Marcela M. did a sketch of the landscape and Darwin the African tortoise!
They even got to see Darwin, the African tortoise! A huge tortoise that has been there since it was very young, donated by someone who couldn’t take care of it when it became very large.
Darwin the tortoise
What fun! Beautiful paintings and a chance to relax, socialize and do some art… what could be better!
Join us next month for plein air at:
November 20, 2021, Saturday 10 am – 3 pm Mead Botanical Gardens: 1300 S Denning Dr, Winter Park, 32789
December 15, 2021, Wednesday 10 am – 2pm (closing time) Nehrling Gardens: $5.00 donation is appreciated, this is a volunteer organization. Please enter through the pedestrian entrance. Please park across the street in the church parking lot or the open field next door. 2267 Hempel Ave, Gotha 34734
Dec. 5 – Holiday Party at Kingswood Manor, off Lee Rd. There will be the raffle, mini paintings, members paintings, outdoor tent for finger foods, and a special appearance by Santa. Masks required for indoor activities. See our newsletter for details and sign up to help with and activity!
Feb. 6 – We hope to line up Niko Floyd, as a plein air event at Kingswood Manor. Check back for more info.
Our annual members art show will be chaired by Charlie Cipes. The juror and workshop artist will be Sue Archer. The workshop “Commanding Color” will be March 7, 8, 9, 2022 at a location to be determined.
Please check our website frequently and read the newsletter for continual updates on our upcoming season, and please consider volunteering to help us set up events.
Then Pam introduced our demonstration artist, Joan Lok, former president of the Sumi-e Society of America who paints in the Lingnan School style.
Joan talked about the basic 4 Treasures of Sumi-e: Paper, Brush, Ink Stick, and Ink Stone
Paper – we buy watercolor paper in weights of 140 or 300 lb. But rice paper, which is not made of rice but plant bark, is bought by the name of the paper. It comes raw (unsized) so when you touch the brush to the paper is absorbs quickly, or sized with alum, to slow down absorbency. Each family that makes the paper has their own secret recipe.
A variety of hard and soft round brushesHard and soft Hake, flat brushes.
Brushes – round brushes are used most of the time and they come in small, medium, large or extra-large sizes. They are constructed to use the entire hair and bristles are gathered to a point. (Our western watercolor brushes are cut to form the point.) Fan or flat brushes are used mostly for washes. Hard hair is bouncy and soft hair brushes, made from goat, is softer and doesn’t have as much bounce. Combo brushes have the harder hair in the middle surrounded by soft absorbent hair.
Ink Stick and stone – the ink is usually made with soot and glue, and then ground on the inkstone with a little water.
Eastern Art has 4 categories:
Mountain and stream landscape by Joan.
Landscapes – also called mountain & water, usually consists of scenery of mountains with water. Joan’s landscapes were painted with a limited palette using indigo for cool tones and burnt sienna for warm tones. Sunlight is not specific to a time of day. Seasons are more obvious.
Figures – which are ceremonial and usually not the center of attention, as is the custom in western art. Humans are shown in harmony with the universe.
Animals – often symbolic, such as fish being good luck. Cicadas, symbolize a hermit who doesn’t care for material things.
Grape vines with bird, by Joan.
Flowers & Birds – Mostly living flowers, in the garden, with birds in the composition.
She then showed a few samples, from the American Watercolor Society’s exhibition, highlighting the use of calligraphic strokes included in AWS paintings.
Diagram of how to triple load a brush.
She showed how to triple load a brush with light tone or water, medium tone yellow, then orange and dark red ink on the tip of the brush.
Flower petals and flower shown from the side.Triple loaded brush does lovely petals.Petal strokes for sunflower or cherry blossoms.
Push down, drag and then lift to make the petal. Three cherry blossoms painted holding the brush vertically, loading the brush with light, medium and dark paint. Practice as much as you can so you build “muscle training”.
Do a whole page of strokes, like the “bamboo stroke” which can be used for other things like electrical poles.
Power poles can be painted with the bamboo strokes.Practice, practice strokes to build muscle memory.
Try the stokes right to left, then left to right. Do a cart wheel, and other strokes to fill a page. Taking Chinese brush painting classes, or sumi-e, can help you brush stokes become looser.
Do a whole page of practice strokes to build muscle memory.
The demonstration painting was a Peony flower. Double load the brush with water and dark paint and work into the brush.
Double load with water and paint for petals.
Pres and lift the brush to do a thick and thin petal, remember to paint toward the center of the flower.
starting the peony by painting the top petals.Add 2 side stroke petals.
Then add water and paint 2 side strokes. Build petals outward.
Paint top center petals and build the blossom from the center outward.
After you do the blossom, refine and add a few more layers of petals.
Finished peony blossom.
Then add the leaves. Black or green can be used for sumi leaves. Paint 3 or 4 lobes for the leaves. When the leaf is semi dry add the veins in black. Practice the calligraphic strokes of the veins to elevate your painting.
Leaves have 3 or 4 lobes.Blossom with green leaves and black veins.
We use green in a big brush. Load with yellow, green and black on the tip. The finished Peony is beautiful. Thank you, Joan!
CFWS President Pam Chock, started off our new 2021-2022 season with a lively general meeting via Zoom. There were lots of beautiful paintings and information to share!
David Williams announced the senior painting group will begin Oct. 8th, at Casselberry Art House. Contact 407-262-7700, Ext. 112 for more info. He also asked us to call Marks Street Center at 407-254-1066, to ask them to reopen for the painting group.
New Season!
Our October demo artist will be Joan Lok, who will introduce the art of sumi-e (Water and Ink Painting). She will discuss its origin, materials, and the art form’s emphasis on brushwork, by creating floral and natural subjects.
Our November demo artist will be UK watercolor artist, Tim Wilmot, teaching his loose style of watercolor from composition to finished work.
Volunteers needed! We need someone to help with our CFWS checkingaccount. If you have one, you are qualified to help! Simple math is all that’s needed.
We also need help with our annual show. Good communication skills are all that’s needed. We have the juror, Sue Archer, signed up and need help with dates. She will conduct our workshop, at McRae studios on March 7, 8, 9, 2022.
If you have an artist you would like to watch while they do a demo for our group, please let a board member know ASAP. We still have a few spots to fill in 2022.
Membership chair, Diane Darnall, said we have 99 members.
Congratulations to these CFWS members who were accepted into the Florida Watercolor 50th Anniversary show! Diana Eagles – In Her Own World, Ron Malone – Rackleman Garden Guitar, Jackii Molsick – Captain Jack, Marian Wagster – First Date, S. Africa Series, Kim Minichiello – Bushido (In Memoriam)
Our Sanford art show at City Hall is getting great reviews. If you haven’t seen our Youtube video – check it out soon! Thank you to Cindy Sturla for setting this up!
SHOW AND TELL BY THE CFWS MEMBERS!
Shelly H. started our show and tell with a landscape painting from Maui, HawaiiMarianna Ross – b&w study and completed trees with human formsPam C. – lobster, sea creatures, inspired by French drawingsCindy S. – geese in a German plein airNancy L. – Vase with real flowers … dried in a microwave and added with Elmers glue.
Terri C.– Rainbow Lorikeets, in the Chinese Brush Painting styleMarian W. – Lake Apopka drive, Cattle Egrets. She masked the birds and poured the background.David W. – American flag in an old, textured wooden house.
Sandi B. – Bee house at Nehrling gardens
Roberta L. – Scotland bagpipe players getting ready for a showMarcela M. – Chapel on the cliffs of Algarve, Portugal.
Judy K. – Journaling at WDW, a colorful bird inspired by a Judith Leiber bag and a blue vase.
Ann W. – Kraft Azalea Gardens landscapeSharon S. – Heron from a San Diego photoGini McDonald – Studaies from Jean Haines book, palette colors that are put on paper and allowed to run down. See if they work well together.Gini – Checking colors to see if they’ll work.Thouraya Z. – Intuitive. Sumi inks and watercolor on top of a marbeling technique.Karen C. – boat on ocean and rain in distance, Grand Cayman dive, gouache and palette knife for wavesMike M. – Seashore, water, in the style of Tim Wilmot, whose YouTube videos are available for study.Jane B. – A black bird seen from the car at the Apopka Wildlife DriveMary D. – her granddaughter and her Mom, at the beachMary – Iceland cold and greyJanet A. – White ground orchid. Paper hands represent tending her garden.Julie N. – Red rose painted in Patty Kane’s class at Crealde.Susan G.M. – dog park in New Smyrna Beach, with undulating sand and lighthouse.Julie S. – a one color lake scene done in green/blue acrylic.Debbie G. – Leu Gardens Barred Owl. The hard part was getting the pink/grey colorDawn S. – White Chapel, inspired while studying “Alwyn Crawshaw paints on Holiday”
Mary reminded us to submit a painting for the Rotary Club of Casselberry Community Arts Calendar. Her painting of her granddaughter and her Mom was featured in July.
David and Nancy invited all of us to join them at the Princeton Senior Center, on Tuesdays from 9 to 1 pm. Address: 2393 Elizabeth Avenue, behind a Grammar school. Park in lot behind school.
Artscape has partnered with local spaces in the Central Florida area to take art out of the gallery. Get your art into local venues where you can get exposure or make a sale.
For a list of upcoming events, please click on the link below:
Judy K. – Journaling at WDW, a colorful bird inspired by a Judith Leiber bag and a blue vase.
