Buildings and Barns, both publishedby North Light Books.

Her workshops have beensponsored by Coupeville Art Center, LaConner Art Workshops, Kirkland ArtsCenter, Skagit Valley College, the NWStudio and many art groups andsocieties.

Her diversity of work includesmarine subjects, still life, figures andlandscape. She has been making artand learning to see with an artist’s eyeall her life. Watercolor and gouache

followed heroriginal work in oiland acrylic. “Myoils beckon from acorner of thestudio, and I dotake themsometimes onlocation in betterweather. But Inever seem to getpast the openpalette ofwatercolors on mypainting table

Mike Svobis the juror forthe 69thAnnual OpenExhibit. He willspeak andpaint at theApril meetingand teach aworkshop April 27-May 1.Registration

form is available at www.nwws.org –members section under “events.”

This year, he is cele brating his 27thyear as a professional artist.Outstanding artistic achievementsinclude mastering watercolors, acrylicsand oils. An impressionist whose

April ProgramMIKE SVOB

March ProgramMICHELE COOPER

UPCOMING MEMBERSHIP MEETINGSMarch 24 with featured speaker Michele Cooper · April 28 with featured speaker Mike Svob

St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church · 6:45 Social Hour · 7:15 Meeting.

Continued on page 3

Continued on page 3

Northwest Watercolor Society

A Brush with ArtMarch/April 2009

“I only paint one thing - the effectof light. If I can do that, then anythingworthy of being painted will appear onmy paper or canvas - a tree, a forest, amountain. It will have been worthybecause of the unique river of light andshadow that flowed across it for thatone brief hour or two. Sargent, Homer,Renoir and most of the Impressionistsare my chosen mentors. I am awed bytheir vision and work to reach even anapproximation of their ability.”

Michele Cooper has been teachingwatercolor for over 25 years in thePacific Northwest. You can find quotesby Michele on Robert Genn’s ThePainter’s Keys website which is theResource of Art Quotations   Her workis featured in The Ultimate Guide toPainting from Photographs and GaryGreene’s Artists’ Photo Reference:

NWWS wasfounded in 1939.We’re into our 70thyear and startingto plan for our75th Anniversary.The possibilitiesare endless, andthe excitement ofdetermining whatprojects we will be

able to do is wonderful! Of course wewill want very special jurors for ourshows that year, as well as very specialvenues for the shows. We’reinvestigating the possibility of puttingtogether videos of some of ourmembers that could be used ontelevision or for other events. We’rethinking about displays at galleries andart stores throughout the United Statesand Canada. We will most likely have abanquet or two. The sky’s the limit! Ifyou have ideas for projects, let meknow. We want all of your ideas andwe’ll look forward to working with allof you on the celebration.

We are starting to recruit for nextyear’s NWWS Board of Directors.Many members of the board are

2

Widening the SearchIn our quest for

information aboutour craft, we mayoverlook theobvious – theinternet. I havebeen collectingsites that offer freedemonstrations.Some of these

feature video clips. Others offertextbook-like pages. My favorite are thespeed painting demonstrations wherethe images have been greatlyaccelerated to show the completepainting process in two or threeminutes. These can be surprisinglyinstructional. Others show painting atnormal speed.

Many are longer, teaser lessons toinduce you to buy the artists full-length

Northwest Watercolor Society

P.O. Box 50387Bellevue, WA 98015-0387

www.nwws.org

President:Sheila Mattick(425) 454-2546

Vice-President:Linda Dunn

(206) 459-6155

Corresponding Secretary:Genny Rees

(206) 232-63540

Recording Secretary:Amy Giese

(425) 277-4321

Treasurer:Shirley Jordan(425) 643-3123

Newsletter:Jeff Waters

(425) 396-1940

Newsletter deadline for theMay/June editionis April 10, 2009

Email your items tojeffrey.waters@comcast.net

(Subject line: NWWS or Hot Press)

or mail them toJeffrey Waters

P.O. Box 50387Bellevue, WA 98015-0387

Please send newmemberships/changes

of address to:Pat Hitchens

P.O. Box 50387Bellevue, WA 98015-0387

pjhitchens@mac.com

Please send all billsto Treasurer

Shirley JordonP.O. Box 50387

Bellevue, WA 98015-0387

President’s Message

Editorial

continuing, which is wonderful. Thereare still some spots to fill, and for thoseof you who are interested this is awonderful way to get to know some ofyour fellow artists and feel more a partof the organization.

When you’re the President of anorganization, you receive many, manyrequests for information . . .”I bought apainting twenty years ago by an artistnamed June Jones, can you tell me ifshe’s still alive and where I can contacther?” . . . “I give color theory classesand would love to present at yourmembers’ meeting.” One I receivedrecently was about some floralpaintings by Marjorie Bruce that are forsale. They are very lovely, and ifanyone is interested, the contactinformation isdrdonaldgrim@gmail.com or call 509-669-2995. I do pay attention to theserequests and forward them to theperson who can best decide how tohandle the request All of you out theremake life very interesting for me!Thank you.

Sheila Mattickmattick1@gmail.com

videos. All contain valuable informa -tion. You can search Google by keywords. Try “Free Watercolor Videos”.

The four sites listed below mayrequire a little internal navigation tofind what you want but all are valuableresources.

1. youtube.com – This is the holygrail. Simply type “Watercolor” in thesearch box and a long list of optionsappears. Click “Watercolor Tutorial”for recorded demonstrations. You canproceed to the next set by clicking thenumbers at the bottom of the page.

2. watercolorpainting.com –This is a rather messy site but has lotsof good stuff. There is a connection tothecardermethod.com. At the end ofhis video, he demonstrates aproportional divider. This is an ancientbut ingenious device for scaling yourdrawings. I’m building one.

3

EDITORIALContinued from page 2

MICHELE COOPERContinued from page 1

MIKE SVOBContinued from page 1

3. jerrysartarama.com – Clickon “Free Art Lessons” then“Watercolor”. The material may strikesome as basic but I found somevaluable tips.

4. Cheapjoes.com –Click on“Artist’s Community” then “Joe MillerVideo Quick Lessons”. These are verygood little snippets delivered by Joe,himself and filled with helpful tips. Ihave E-mailed him asking for access toback editions.

Let me know if you find sites youlike.

Paint boldly! Watercolorsenses fear.

Jeffrey Waters

Letters to the editor welcome. Jeffrey.waters@comcast.net. The thoughts andopinions ex pressed in this editorial arethose of the writer and do not neces -sarily represent any position of NWWS.

Overlake Hospital VenueA new opportunity has opened for

NWWS painters to show their work atvarious locations in Overlake Hospitalin Bellevue.  This is a wonderfulcollaboration between our talentedpainters and Overlake whereby we canprovide art in several locations for theenjoyment of patients, visitors andstaff.  There are at least three locationsand possibly more that will be ours tofill, allowing over 70 paintings to beshown.  There will be a quarterlyrotation of new work. This opportunitywill be open to all members ofNWWS.  Painting subject mattershould be upbeat, light, colorful, restfuland feature landscapes or floralsubjects. 

At least three volunteers areneeded to manage the displays asthese are in sensitive areas like post-surgical recovery and patientdischarge.  Please contact Linda Dunnat 206-459-6155 if you want to help

Tr ip s for th e ad v en tu r eso me ar ti s tA diffe re n t kin d of to u r. A diffe re n t pa rt of Ita l y.

Ad v en t u re Pu gl i a

ww w .ad v en t u r ep u gl i a .c om

Call for details: K L Wright 425 761 9609

8 day visit - 7 nights lodging. Dates subject to change, other can be arranged.

Spring 1: April 18 - 26Spring 2: May 30 - June 7*Fall 3: September 27-Oct 4Fall 4: October 11-18

Must register 4 (*6) weeks prior Group size: 5,to 8

Package 1: Economy $1,300.00 usdPackage 2: Full service $2,000.00 usd

Alberobello

Giovinazzo.

work is easily identified by hissignature use of strong bold color, Mikehas had over 65 exhibitions and hasproduced 25 large scale muralsthroughout North America.

Mike studied at the University ofWestern Ontario. He is a past presidentof the Federation of Canadian Artistsand is also a senior member of thissociety. As an award-winning artist,leading teacher and workshopinstructor, Mike strongly believes thatsharing knowledge among fellowartists and art students provides onlypositive results for all.

His paintings are held in manyprivate and corporate collectionsthroughout the world. His work hasbeen featured in International Artistmagazine and Magazine Art. He is alsothe author of Paint Red Hot LandscapesThat Sell! published by InternationalArtist.

Waterworks!The 2009 Waterworks members’

show will be held at the KaewynGallery in Bothell, WA. from mid-October to mid-November (dates arebeing finalized as we go to press).Artists’ reception and awards will beThursday, Oct. 29. Christopher Schinkwill be the juror. His website iswww.christopherschink.com.

Schink’s workshop will be fromOct. 26-30 Monday through Friday. Hewill be the speaker for our Octobermembership meeting Tuesday,October 27.

Kaewyn Gallery10101 Main StreetBothell, WA 98011425-483-7385

Waterworks Chairman:Cricket CrockettWoodinville, WACricket1crockett@aol.com425-483-9106

Workshop Chairman:Alix DespardKirkland, WAacdespard@aol.com425-889-0757

with this project.  In the past, the opportunity to show

at the hospital has been open only tothe NWWS Board which has reportedsales as a result of the exposure.Because of the recent expansion of thehospital, the space for our paintingshas more than tripled providing theopportunity for a much larger numberof artists to participate. We will berefining the details shortly.

once I’m in the studio.”Michele Cooper is a signature

member of the Northwest WatercolorSociety, Women Painters ofWashington and National CollageSociety. Her work is in collectionsthroughout the United States, Canada,Japan and Europe.

The art of Pat Hitchens, (NWWS andWomen Painters of Washington), canbe seen at Macy’s Art Gallery indowntown Seattle, 16001 3rd Avenue(6th floor). Pat’s solo show includesluscious watercolor and silk paintingsdepicting her unique style. The showwill be on exhibit through the end ofFebruary.

Cindy Briggs’, (NWWS) paintingAscendance recently was awarded theNational Arts Central Watercolor andPastel Show Daniel Smith Award at the6th annual exhibition in Bend, Oregon.

Bev Jozwiak (NWS, NWWS,Watercolor West) has two upcoming

Member News

4

American FrameCorporation

When you purchase frames andframing supplies from AmericanFrame Corporation and tell them youare a member of NWWS, they donate5% of your order to us! This rebatefunds the American Frame awardsgiven at our Annual Open Exhibitionand Waterworks. So, the more you buy,the bigger the award you may win!

See their products at www.americanframe.com or call 1-800-537-0944 fortheir catalog.

Ascendance by Cindy Briggs

solo shows -  May: Aurora Gallery, 1004Main St., Vancouver, Washington. June:Cole Gallery, 107 5th Ave. OpeningJune 13th.

Linda Dunn has just published abook of her largely plein airwatercolors in collaboration with herfriend, Kevin Osborne, whosewonderful poems accompany thepaintings.  The book is called Red RedGrass and can be seen atwww.blurb.com/books/569247.

Molly LeMaster’s watercolor paintingtitled Lee’s Nasturtiums won Best ofShow in the Art Merchant Internationaljuried show this month.

Patsy Surh O’Connell’s painting,America-Red, White, Blue, Black andYellow was accepted for the FirstResponse Exhibition sponsored by Penand Brush www.penandbrush.org.

Art on the WaterThe Center for Wooden Boats, Seattle

Nicholas Simmons began painting in Sarasota, Florida and studiedwith many well-known watercolorists, most notably Valfred Thelinand Barbara Nechis. He quickly developed a bold original style andenjoyed much early success. He has earned a reputation as one of themost exciting contemporary watermedia artists on the scene. His workis revered by fellow artists and is held in public and private collectionsthroughout the United States and abroad. In 2007, he won top prizeat the NWS 87th Annual Exhibition. www.nicholassimmons.com

Date: April 20 – 23 Time: 9:30 am – 4:00 pmCost: $495 members/$540 non-members Medium: WatermediaLevel: Beginner to Advanced Limit: 15 students

The workshop will concentrate on concepts and techniques unique toNicholas: diversity in subject matter; large scale painting; fluid acrylicused as transparent watercolor; unusual textures such as Nicholas’popular “batik” technique; computer-aided design (no computerrequired for students); composition; poured watercolor; and creativephotography for obtaining unconventional reference shots. Nicholas’professional music background brings a unique perspective to hismethods, attitude, and teaching.

Contact: Mareth Warren 206-706-3442 marethw@comcast.net

Membership Roster andRoster Addendum are nowavailable to registered NWWSmembers under “MemberInfo” on the web site.

5

Che Lopez of Daniel Smithdemonstrated their new WatercolorSticks for your editor. This is awonderful new product with unlimitedpossibilities. Each stick is pure pigmentand is the equivalent of 1 ½ to 2 tubesof paint. (See Daniel Smith ad in thisedition).

You can draw on dry paper like acrayon then smooth with a dampbrush to blend or sketch on wet paperfor an extremely smooth, butterystroke. Try passing a wet brush overthe end of the stick, similar to pancolors, to load it for painting.

A Lyra pencil sharpener will yield afine point. Save the shavings to blendwith water for paint. The Quin Coraland Hansa Yellow Medium combine toyield a lovely skin tone.

Currently, they are sold in a set ofsix colors. Others will be added soonand sold separately.

Stick It! CorrectionsMIVAL Holiday Show.  WandaHughes received the Third Placeaward and an Honorable Mentionfor her second painting.  DonStewart received a SpecialHonorable Mention award. 

New DVD’s – Hot Press stated thatartist Susan Harrison Tustain, whodonated the DVD’s is from Aus -tralia. She lives in New Zealand.

6

Kathy Collins WorkshopKathy Collins will teach a workshop inMarch and classes starting in April atKaewyn Gallery, 10101 Main St, Bothell.Workshop: Saturday, March 14th, 10:30 - 4,$95. Classes: Tuesdays, 10AM -12:30 PM,starting April 7th - 6 weeks, $120, all skilllevels. Register by email: kathy.collins2@comcast.net or call 206-399-524. View herwork at www.kathycollinswatercolors.com.

Art on the Water WorkshopsCenter for Wooden Boats is excited toannounce the new lineup for the “Art onthe Water” workshops for 2009. Sevenfabulous artists-instructors will gather atCWB’s docks to inspire and instructstudents at every level of ability. Theprograms will include watercolor, aqueousmixed media, gouache, drawing and oil.Contact Mareth Warren marethw@comcast.net prior to registering to makesure there is space available in theworkshop.

Donna Watson - Five dayworkshopMay 4-8, 2009 in Sedona, AZ.www.sedonaartscenter.com orwww.donnawatsonstudios.com.

Picture Source FramingPicture Source provides artwork andframing in the Northwest. Located in theGeorgetown neighborhood of Seattle, theyhave a large showroom and a great designand framing team that can help you withdesigning and framing your artwork. Theycan offer you a 40% discount off the retailprice in custom framing. You can findexamples of their stock moldings andframing designs at their website athttp://www.picture-source.com .

For SaleLogan Mat Cutter, model 450 - $95  ($150new)  Nearly new with extra cutting blades.Includes straight and bevel cutting heads.Call Espi Grundy at 206-323-5805

Frank Webb - Let’s Learn toMake Design the Subject of OurPaintingsLevel: Beginner to Intermediate - 4/15-19/2009 - $635 - Coupeville Arts Center -www.coupevillearts.org.

Jacqui Beck - Expressive AcrylicPainting Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 SAlaska Street, Seattle 98118. Thursday &Friday March 5 & 6 (10:00 to 4:00) [$135].Monday - Friday April 6-10 (10:00 to 4:00)[$325] - jacqui@ jacquibeck.com or call206-325-7267.

Molly LeMaster DemonstrationMolly LeMaster will be doing two demos atthe Daniel Smith Seattle store on March22nd  - at 12:00 and at 2:00.  The demos willbe textures in watercolor paintings,specifically painting underwater reef-typescenes.

Northwest Collage SocietyMarch 3 – April 5, 2009 at Parklane Gallery,130 Park Lane, Kirkland WA. 425-827-1462.www.parklane gallery.com. Openingreception - Thursday, March 12 from 6:00-8:00 pm at Parklane Gallery during theevening of the Kirkland Art Walk.

Mixed MediaWorkshopRuth Glenn Little will teachmixed-media coloredpencil and watercolorTuesdays from 4-7 PM atDaniel Smith Bellevueclassroom.  The classes, inMarch and April, will focuson creating a wax resistimage with Prismacolorpencils and a batik effectbackground.w.ruthglennittle.com - 206-300-6633

Subject Material10-inch, 300-dpi versionsof photos, to betransmitted via email, at$10 each -www.aphototopaint.com.

Call to ArtistsParklane Gallery’s 17thAnnual Miniature Show.May 5 -31, 2009. Entriesdue April 28, 2009.

OpportunitiesProspectus available atwww.parklanegallery.com. 130 Park Lane,Kirkland, WA 98033. For furtherinformation, contact Shan Koenig, Chair atShan_Koenig@ comcast.net or 425 4926871.

Paint the Mediterraneanwith Theresa Goesling andCindy BriggsJoin Daniel Smith featured artists, TheresaGoesling and Cindy Briggs on aMediterranean Cruise this summer to paintthe Greek Islands, and the coasts of Turkey,Croatia and Sicily.  Enjoy free time while inports then join Theresa & Cindy in theirprivate ship classroom while at sea for anoptional creative journaling workshop.Cabin rates start at $1199 pp/do.  July 8-18,2009.  See www.MakeEveryDayAPainting.com or call 425-802-3487. 

Edmonds Arts FestivalCall to ArtistsThe Edmonds Arts Festival is nowaccepting entries for the 2009 JuriedGallery Exhibition. All artwork exceptminiatures will be juried from digitalimages. Entry deadline is April 17, 2009 andnotification will be mailed to artists theweek of May 18, 2009. For a prospectus,write to: EAF Juried Gallery, P.O. Box 212,Edmonds, WA 98020, e-mail juriedgallery@edmondsartsfestival.com or visitwww.edmondsartsfestival.com for moreinformation and an online application.

Kathy Collins, ‘Other People’s Lives’

7

Figures in LandscapesFrequently I am asked: “How do

you paint people in a landscape?”Aside from the academic study of thefigure to learn proper proportions andanatomy, a concept has helped metremendously in incorporating thefigure in a landscape.

As in all aspects of painting, designis crucial. Not only must the artistconsider the relationship of shapes toeach other, but also the joining of

Wiegardt on Watercolor

adjacent shapes to make a betterpattern. This principle that is soeffectively applied to the landscapeshapes needs to be seamlesslytransferred to the figure shapes. Note Isaid “figure shape” and not “the figure”.The artist must shift in his or herthinking to perceive the figure as just ashape, as any other shape in thepainting, and not a separate entity.(Try to avoid thinking of a group ofpeople as individual figures. If painteddisjointedly, they will have the bowling

pin look – a static shapepattern that will be a visualdiscomfort.) The shift toabstract thinking from themere recording ofinformation is where true artand creativity begin.

I have found that if I cancreate a good abstract patternfirst, and then suggest a groupof figures from this pattern, Ihave a much higher successof integrating the figures inthe landscape. I try to makethe initial figure patternreflect the nature, or flavor, ofthe patterns alreadyestablished in the painting.

Also, I don’t wait to putthe figures in at the end,when I get the “nerve up” toput them in – most likely theywill tend to look pasted on.Rather, as I progress through

the painting, I incorporate surroundingshapes into the figure shapes, so as tolose edges and meld the figure into thebackground, creating unity andhelping me to concentrate on theabstract patterns. I don’t want to think“figure” until the completion of thepainting. I try to keep a steady focus onthe abstract patterns all the waythrough the process.

Whether painting a group ofpeople, or a single figure, I try to lookat it as an abstract shape, and connectthose shapes to each other and to thebackground to create a better abstractshape and thus a better design.

WATERCOLOR WORKSHOPSMarch 31-Apr. 2, Ocean Park, WA

May 4-7, Caro, MI • June 1-4, Springfield, ORJune 22-26 Ocean Park WA

NEW: Ongoing Sat. class in Ocean Park, WA

Eric Wiegardt AWS, NWS

Three DVD set:Secrets of Painting Loose

and DVD: Painting Loose – Street Scene

Wiegardt Studio GalleryBox 1114 • Ocean Park, WA 98640 • (360) 665-5976

watercolors@ericwiegardt.com

NORTHWEST WATERCOLOR SOCIETY

P.O. Box 50387Bellevue, WA 98015-0387

X

S

W E

St. Andrews Lutheran Church

Bellevue

Eastgate

Bellevue Community College

RobinswoodPark

SunsetVillage

Exit 11A Exit 11B

156TH AVE S.E

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148T

H A

VE S

.E.145TH PL S.E.

90

28TH S.E. ST.

ST. ANDREW’S LUTHERAN CHURCH2650 148th Ave SE · Bellevue, WA 98006

Hot Press Newsletter AdvertisingThe basic price for advertisements in Hot Press is $10 per

column inch, based on a 2.25 inch column.The newsletter will accept a full-page insert ad,

preprinted by the advertiser for $150. The number of insertsneeded is 300 for mailed copies. Another 700-800 view theirnewsletter at the members’ section of the web site.

Advertisers may take out a 1/2 page ad in three differentconfigurations for $130.

Advertisers may take out a 1/4 page ad in three differentconfigurations for $70.

3 column width is 7.25 inches across2 column width is 4.75 inches (includes column space)

The first inch is free for members (or $10 off).