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December 2023 Luncheon

Logo of CWS

Press Release by Dori Sullivan
December 2023

Jerome Chesley’s collection of paintings, from his years of work, showcases a variety of subject matter including florals, still life, architectural and land/seascapes. His watercolor paintings, giclees and mixed media set the stage for surrounding oneself in a rich indulgence with a range of subtle to bold color.

Jerome is a signature member and 2018 President of the Florida Watercolor Society, Master Signature Member and past president of the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society and instructor at the renowned Chautauqua Institution summer program. He has won numerous awards for his paintings, many of which are in private collections. He has been twice selected as the Artist in Residence at the Art Ovation Hotel in Sarasota where he has had a body of his work exhibited in two exhibitions.
Are you excited about having a workshop with an outstanding artist? Why not share the experience and invite a friend to join you? That would be a unique Holiday gift for someone special.

Looking ahead, in January 2024, Lionel Sanchez will present a demonstration of his very special landscape and marine painting techniques followed by a one day workshop at Whispering Pines. Along with Lionel’s demo on January 12, we’ll have an “Artist of the Month” competition open to all members and the opportunity to see the exciting line-up of presenters we have scheduled for the rest of 2024. We’re starting off the New Year with vibrant colors, designs and composition in watercolor. Beginners are welcome – there is always something you take away from a workshop that adds to your personal style. Lionel’s demo is the highlight of that Friday meeting followed by a fun workshop that is very popular, so sign up soon. (Contact: Signian McGreary at [email protected] for details).

Citrus Watercolor Society meets on the second Friday of the month at the First Christian Church in the Friendship Hall. Our “Meet and Greet” time begins at 11:15 with light refreshments with a short business meeting at noon. The monthly demo follows the meeting. Guests are welcome and are asked for a $5 donation. Workshop fees vary with members having a significant discount. Annual membership is $35. Our website at www.citrustwatercolorsociety.org has membership details and all the benefits of being a part of the “friendliest watercolor society” around.

Until next time, my very best wishes for a Blessed Holiday Season, wishing you Peace and Joy in the New Year.
Dori Sullivan

Color Strategies in Abstract Design with Bev Yankwitt

Press Release by Dori Sullivan

Dori Sullivan

“Color Strategies in Abstract Design” and “Abstract Landscapes” by Bev Yankwitt brought to you by Citrus Watercolor Society.
It’s a busy month for Citrus Watercolor members and friends. Read all about it!


It’s not too late to sign up for Bev Yankwitt’s two-day workshop presented by the Citrus Watercolor Society, November 11th and 12th at the Whispering Pines Recreational Building. Our members’ workshop fee is $120 and non-members are welcome to attend for $150 (cash or checks payable to CWS). A complete supply list will be sent to you at the time of registration. Contact Signian Mcgeary at [email protected] for more information.

On Friday, Nov. 10th CWS will meet in the Family Center at the First Christian Church at 2018 Colonade Street in Inverness. On the agenda is light refreshments and “meet and greet” with members and guests at 11:15 until our regular monthly business meeting at noon. Following the meeting, Bev Yankwitt will present a demonstration of some of the techniques she will be using at her workshop. The demo is free to members and a $5 donation is asked from guests.

Bev’s striking paintings show all the basic components of art – value, perspective, design and color – lots of vibrant color with textures as well as surprise elements that bring excitement to every painting. She is an excellent teacher with a style that makes artists, both beginners and longtime painters, comfortable with their work. Please join us. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the workshop.

We are delighted to announce that the members of CWS will be having a juried Show and Sale at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park on Highway 19 in Homosassa Saturday Nov. 18 from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM and Sunday Nov. 19 from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. “Art in the Wildlife Park” will offer original watercolor paintings and greeting cards created by our members. A portion of the proceeds from our sales will be donated to the Park. Admission to the Show and Sale is free!

Members are welcome to bring one of their paintings to our meeting for the “Artist of the Month” competition. Please have your paintings matted or framed. It is a “Viewer’s Choice” vote and certificates are awarded to the first and second place entries.
The weather is becoming simply wonderful for painting “on site” and CWS offers monthly outings to local parks and other sites for plein air experiences. You will enjoy visiting the location Joyce Cusick has selected and after painting, have lunch together at a local restaurant. Outings are scheduled on the Tuesday following our meeting at 9:30 AM. CWS members and guests meet and spend the day guided by Joyce, painting the images brought to you by beautiful Citrus County Florida.
In December we celebrate the Holidays with a luncheon and special guest at the Citrus Hills Golf and Country Club. Reservations must be made in November, so be sure to come to our monthly meeting where you can RSVP, make your menu choice and learn about our guest artist, Jerome Chesley.

CWS offers many opportunities to its members to enhance their watercolor techniques through our monthly workshops and demonstrations. Sharing the time and talents of our members is a fun experience and there always seems to be something new that makes our paintings better than ever. Annual membership is $35 and a membership form is on our website at citruswatercolorsociety.org. We look forward to meeting you soon.

In the meantime, stay well, and keep those paintbrushes wet!
Dori

Simple Stencils, Dramatic Effects by Darla Goldberg – October 13, 2023

Press release by Dori Sullivan
September 2023

Back by popular demand … Artist Darla Goldberg will present a demo on the use of stencils to enhance your painting as well as a one-day workshop to make unique stencils and create the promised “Dramatic Effects” in your painting. The demo will be held immediately after the Citrus Watercolor Society meeting at noon on Friday, Oct. 13 at the First Christian Church of Inverness at 2018 Colonade, Inverness. The workshop will be held at Whispering Pines Recreation Building Sat. Oct. 14 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The cost is $95 for members, non-members fee is $115. The demo is free to members and a $5.00 donation is appreciated from guests. is an award winning artist and I’ve enjoyed her presentations and workshops immensely. She is a fun instructor who works closely with those in her classes. All levels are welcome. Darla’s specialty is photo realistic eyes based on her professional history as an oculist who designed prosthetic eyes. Her artwork has been enhanced with unique techniques and “painterly” ways of creating beautiful backgrounds to make her work (and yours) “pop”. It’s been my observation that textures, enhanced colors and other striking additions to your artwork is the way to go. When you visit local galleries and art centers, look closely at what paintings attract you. Today, an addition of a variety of techniques has become popular and adds to the excitement of modern paintings. With all of CWS workshops, there are many new techniques you can learn to give your painting the spark it may need.

CWS offers its members opportunities to learn not only at our workshops and through our demonstrations, but by interacting with our artist/members during our pre-meeting “social hour” that begins at about 11:15 in the Family Center at First Christian Church. Light refreshments are provided and individuals who wish to bring in their painting for an “Artist of the Month” competition are asked to bring their work by 11:30 for the viewer’s choice vote. We have both beginners and longtime artists within our membership and we provide helpful hints just for the asking. Our library is crammed full of resources, both books and DVDs that are available for your use. We also have those important plastic “sleeves” for matted paintings and cards for sale.

Looking ahead, we will once again host Art in the Wildlife Park Show and Sale at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Wildlife Park, Saturday and Sunday, November 18th and 19th ,2023. Admission to the show is free and a percentage of the artist’s sales are donated to the park. Mark your calendars now and come to the show and sale, just in time for holiday gifts.

In September, it was my privilege to present the CWS Founder’s Award to Darla Goldberg for her stunning watercolor painting of a blooming cactus flower. We want to thank the following for participating in the competition and sharing their inspirations and techniques used in their work. They are Gingi Martin, Jeanneine (Cole) Chesnul, Polly Boston, Darla Goldberg, Dori Sullivan, Signian McGeary, Judy Snow, Aileen Croly, Yvonne Brunelle, Judy Miller, Heather Doherty, and Ellen Hines.

Be sure and check out our website at www.citruswatercolorsociety.org for all the latest news about our activities. Annual dues are only $35 and the benefits are many. We’d love to have you become a member of the “friendliest little watercolor club anywhere”! Until next month, stay well and enjoy the inspirations that drive you to painting.

Dori Sullivan

Members Show & Tell- September 8, 2023

Press Release by Dori Sullivan

Yes! It’s September and on Friday the 8th, Citrus Watercolor Society will host their membership’s annual “Show and Tell” which includes the CWS Founder’s Award. It’s been a long, hot summer and we’re excited about seeing your latest paintings.

You did spend time in air conditioned places painting, didn’t you? Please bring a single piece of your artwork to our meeting by 11:30 AM so they can be displayed and sign-in if you wish to share a bit about your work. We’d love to know about your techniques and inspirations. We’ll meet in the Family Life Center at the First Christian Church at 2018 Colonade, Inverness. Light refreshments will be served as you enjoy seeing the paintings and mingling with the artists.

The competition for Best in Show, Second and Third place are awarded by “viewer’s choice” so please be sure to vote for your favorite. The Founder’s Award is a cash prize and certificates are awarded to the runners up. Please bring your original watercolor or water medium on paper, no prints.

Our membership is growing and we invite our readers to think about joining the “friendliest watercolor society” in Central Florida. Annual dues are $35 payable to CWS and, in addition to seeing free demonstrations throughout the year, you receive a members’ discount for our workshops. We have an exciting line-up of artists who will be providing a variety of techniques during our busy months in 2023 and 2024. Some names may be familiar to you – Sue Primeau, Jerome Chesley, Darla Goldberg, Lionel Sanchez, Libit Jones, Bev Yankwitt and more. All are talented and fun workshop leaders. Our workshops follow our regular monthly meeting on the second Friday of the month, either for one or two days at the Whispering Pines Recreational Building. Workshops are a fun weekend spent with artists like you!

In September, the Florida Watercolor Society will be having their 42nd Annual Convention in nearby Ocala. We’re pleased to announce that three of our members, Kim Shields, Judith Callison and Polly Boston have been accepted into the Convention’s Exhibit. For more information about the FWS Convention, please explore their website: http://FloridaWatercolorSocity.org for details.

Congratulations to Judi Miller who won the Artist of the Month award for August. Her striking watercolor floral painting was determined winner by popular vote at our recent meeting.

Looking ahead, we have some big news. In November, CWS members will present a Show and Sale at the Homosassa Wildlife Park. The show will be judged and 20% of the artist’s sales is donated to the wildlife park. So, tell your friends about our fund raiser for the State Park, home to many Florida birds and animals. It’s always a great time to visit and November 18th and 19th a great place to shop for the Holidays.
Please check out our website https://CitrusWatercolorSociety.org for all the latest updates as well as membership and workshop details.

Thank you readers, we appreciate your continued support.

Dori

Announcement, September 2023

President Dori Sullivan presented the Founders Award to Darla Goldberg for her stunning cactus flower painting.

Getting Your Painting Ready to Show- August, 2023

Getting Your Painting Ready to Show!


On Friday, August 11, Citrus Watercolor Society will present two noted local artists, Curt Bond and Kim Shields, to demonstrate what is needed to make your artwork ready for exhibit. Our CWS business meeting, as well as the demo, will be held in the Family Life Center at the First Christian Church of Inverness at 2018 Colonade, Inverness. Light refreshments and opportunities to vote on the monthly “Artist of the Month” paintings begin at 11:15. The meeting and demo (Getting Your Painting Ready to Show) begins at noon.

Both artists have vast experience in showing their work. Curt is a watercolorist whose work is mostly birds – beautiful water fowl and birds of all shapes and sizes. You can usually see his work at the “Art in the Wildlife Park” show and sale held at the Homosassa Wildlife State Park. He is past president of CWS and involved with Nature Coast Painters (Beverly Hills).

Kim is known for his plein air paintings done on site from the Inverness area to points South such as Tarpon Springs. Kim also served as president of CWS as well as president of the Florida Watercolor Society. Besides an award-winning watercolorist, Kim works in Pastels as well. And I’ve heard they are both entertaining with their presentations. You certainly don’t want to miss this CWS demo. There is no charge for CWS members, and a $5 donation is appreciated from guests. All are welcome.


Interested in learning more about Citrus Watercolor Society, check out our website: http://citruswatercolorsociety.org and be sure and look at the gallery.

We meet the second Friday of the month, except for July (no meeting) and May and December when we have luncheons at local restaurants. Our meetings begin at Noon, but come at 11:15 AM to meet and greet other members/artists, enjoy light refreshments and see some of our work on display.

Until next month, stay safe and keep your images bright.

Dori Sullivan

June 2023 – Paint-Around

Note from President Dori Sullivan:

Thank you all for your participation and support of our Annual Paint Around in June. Our wonderful artists worked together in a quick competition with every painting definitely a winner. We really appreciate your time and talents – all of you – for making this event such a success. (You can see photos on the CWS website) Thank you again, Curt Bond, Deb Newman, Ellen Hines, Darla Goldberg, Polly Boston, Lionel Sanchez and Barbara Kerr. Signian McGeary and her volunteers also did a fine job having the tables ready for the Paint Around, helpers for the artists as well as ticket sales and a matting team ready to add the finishing touches for our raffle. It was an impressive lineup of fine paintings and volunteers! I also want to thank Dick Carlton for putting together the room layout according to our specific needs.
Here is the link to the video created by Kim Shields.

Additional photos of the event are below.

July 2023 News

CWS Takes a Short Summer Break!
News Release by Dori Sullivan
Summer is here! And along with many of you, the membership of Citrus Watercolor Society is taking a break. There will not be a meeting on the second Friday in July, however, look for us in August. We’ll be hosting a demonstration on how to “Get Ready to Show” (matting and framing) with Curt Bond and Kim Shields. This will be valuable to all of our artists who enter competitions or hang their art at various venues. It’s always stunning what a good mat and frame will do for your work

Generally, CWS meets the second Friday of the month in the Family Life Center of First Christian Church of Inverness for most of the year. We do have two social luncheons, one in May and the other at the December holidays and July is our “vacation”. After our regular meetings, we present a demonstration by well-known artists who may follow the demo with a one or two day workshop. Keep reading this column to learn more about our upcoming programs.
I started exploring fine arts around 2008 with basic drawing. CWS artists Ellen Hines and Kim Shields were my first “drawing instructors”. Ellen’s saying “the more you see, the more you draw” or better yet, “the more you draw, the more you see” certainly is a truism as you become an artist. I thoroughly enjoyed drawing and then moved on to watercolor painting. Whoa … what a difference. With drawing everything was “black and white” (pun intended) then layering watercolor, watching it ebb and flow on a wet surface and making startling colors and shapes … well, it was an eye opener. Not the control of drawing, but amazing results that made me fall in love with watercolor.

As part of my “what I’m doing this summer” is a project to go back and look at my old drawings – with a bit of a critical eye. What I see is that most drawings were a “#5” if you used a value scale with the lightest being white and “#10” as the darkest hue. That was not good; artwork without distinct values can be boring. I had lost something that I want to regain in order to add the needed “punch” to my watercolor paintings. As an exercise, I’m recruiting the help of fellow artists to play at taking a second look and maybe re-thinking a drawing and/or a painting. Maybe there will be a breakthrough for me that will help improve my artwork. At least I’ll have fun trying plus enjoying the company of friends and artists. If you’re new to painting or an old hand who’s been painting for years, sharing your work with others has many benefits. A suggestion or two here, or a different approach there, can brighten your work so it suddenly comes alive.

Talk about interacting with other artists, I hope you enjoyed our June “Paint Around” where seven Citrus Watercolor artists started with their individual drawing, painted for 10 minutes then passed the work on to the next artist who added his or her special techniques. The end results were truly beautiful! Lucky winners got to take home a unique painting. If you missed it this year – keep following CWS and be sure to put this event on your calendar next year.

We look forward to seeing all of our members again at the August meeting. Guests are always welcome at our meetings. If you’re not already a CWS member, consider joining us in August when we have a regular meeting and demonstration planned. Annual dues are $35 and the benefits of membership are many. Check us out on our website www.citruswatercolorsociety.org. You won’t be disappointed.

Until next time, stay cool and enjoy your art. Dori Sullivan

Paint-A-Round, June 9, 2023

CWS Presents “Paint-A-Round- in June

Something “old” and something new! No, not a wedding … but a repeat of one of my favorite CWS activities … the “Paint -A-Round”! In addition, there’s something “new” – the Installation of new Officers for the Citrus Watercolor Society 2023-2024 Board. Read on … and put the date on your calendars!

Our monthly meeting will be Friday, June 9th at noon in the Family Center at the First Christian Church of Inverness, 2018 Colonade St., Inverness. Guests are always welcome and we know all will enjoy this fun Paint A-Round event. Besides watching our outstanding artists work, you’ll have the opportunity to bid on the finished paintings! Members are free and a $5 donation is requested from guests.
What’s a Paint A-Round? This year seven artists come prepared with a concept, paper and supplies to setup at the appointed hour. They start their painting and after ten minutes, their work is passed on to the next artist who adds his/her special touches … and so it goes until all have added color, textures, perspectives on each painting and the artwork finishes the cycle and returns to the original artist. Those finished paintings are signed by all artists, matted and displayed. Tickets are sold and then drawings are held to determine the winners of each of the seven finished paintings. Proceeds fund CWS activities. The artists have all donated their time and talents.
Thank you to: Curt Bond, Barbara Kerr, Darla Goldberg, Ellen Hines, Lionel Sanchez, Deborah Newman and Polly Boston. Each of these artists has their own particular style and preferences for their work. From birds, to animals, landscapes, flowers and more, imagine how the individual additions to each other’s work are going to add magic to the finished paintings. CWS members and guests watch the action from start to finish, mingling and seeing the fabulous paintings evolve in less than 90 minutes. Don’t miss it!

The 2023-24 Installation of the CWS Board of Directors was held at our May luncheon. It was a beautiful time of good food, an outstanding presentation by Mindy Lighthipe and the installation conducted by Barbara Kerr. New officers include: Aileen Croly (Member Delegate), Marjorie Bannish (Ambassador and Past President) Richard Carlton (Facilities Coordinator) Gingi Martin (Corresponding Secretary), Deborah Newman (Recording Secretary) Jan Kuukari (2nd V.P. Membership), Signian McGeary (1st V. P. Programs) and Dori Sullivan (President) … now that’s a familiar name …! Thank you CWS members and friends for giving me the privilege to serve as our next President. As the members of the board and I were installed, we became a team who has close ties to our watercolor artists/members and all look forward to continuing as the “friendliest watercolor society in Florida” with many opportunities for our members in the coming year.

In addition to the officers, CWS has a long list of wonderful volunteers who make sure that all the needs of the society are met, and many hands make light work of what makes our society so successful. Think about joining us – our annual dues are $35 and due this month. Check out our website at citruswatercolorsociety.org for details.

Until the next time, stay well and continue to reflect the beauty around you in your artwork. Dori Sullivan.

CWS June 2023 Chronicle Article

May Luncheon -2023

Celebrating 42 Years as the Friendliest Watercolor Society in Florida


There will not be a regular meeting nor a workshop held in Inverness on the second Friday in May. The membership will be enjoying a Spring Luncheon at the Citrus Hills Country Club on Friday May 12th. On the program, besides a delicious lunch, will be the Installation of the Officers of CWS for 2023-24.

Retiring officers have served CWS faithfully for their time in office and we want to thank them for all they have done. During the year of Covid and the following months, while we’ve been taking time to get our lives back together, these loyal men and women did their utmost to bring new life and enthusiasm into our organization. “Thank you” just doesn’t seem enough. There is a large Board of Officers and Directors that together pitched in and made those very big jobs relatively simple. Sharing the load, under the leadership of Marjorie Bannish, they worked and we’re happy to say our membership is growing again and we have some exciting workshops planned for the coming year.


Meetings are held on the second Friday of each month, August- June. Meetings are held at The Family Center of the 1st Christian Church of Inverness, 2018 Colonade Street, Inverness, FL. Our May and December Luncheons are held elsewhere. Check the Calendar page of our website for location and directions. There is no meeting in July. Annual dues of $35 are payable to CWS in May.


The Executive Meeting begins at 10:30 AM. Light refreshments are available during Social “Hour” 11:15 am-12:00 pm. Painting of the Month Competition begins at 11:30 am. Please join us so you can get to know our friendly members and artists. The Members’ Business Meeting is at 12 pm, followed by a special Demonstration of about an hour.


A very special guest artist, Mindy Lighthipe, will present a demo on her amazing botanical and nature paintings at our Spring Luncheon. For more information about the May 12th luncheon and demo, please look to our website at www.citruswatercolorsociety.org or contact Ellen Hines at [email protected].

Until next time, stay well and think about taking an active part with a great group of men and women artists at Citrus Watercolor Society. Dori

Polly Boston – April 14, 2023

Press Release by Dori Sullivan

Painting underwater is a whole lot different than painting any above water scenes but with Polly’s techniques your Clownfish will be swimming along, happy to be in the deep blue sea. The demo is free to CWS members ($5 donation is appreciated from guests) and the workshop is $95 for members, $115 for non-members. Registration and checks made payable to Citrus Watercolor Society may be mailed to CWS, PO Box 2464, Inverness FL 34451-2464. Polly told us “you will have a lot of fun, because you can’t really do anything very wrong in this class”… and she doesn’t give demerits! One and all come and have a fun day with the friendliest art group around. You can make a splash!


Polly’s career centered around music, but when she retired and moved to Florida she took classes in painting and loved it. A student of Anne Abgott, she was persuaded to enter the Florida Watercolor Society exhibition where her work was accepted for three years in a row. She’s acquired “Signature” status within FWS. Polly specializes in commission work, painting many different subjects. Her style is colorful and realistic. Her personality is delightful. You can see her work at the Rainbow Springs Art Gallery in Dunnellon.


Artist of the Month: During the CWS monthly meetings, members bring in their latest artwork and attendees vote on their favorite. This month Susan Holley’s painting of Hollyhocks came in first place and Polly Boston’s monochromatic painting of wine glasses came in second. Congratulations to you both. Thank you all for sharing your latest artwork. We love seeing your paintings!


Annual Spring Luncheon: There will not be a regular meeting nor a workshop held in Inverness on the second Friday in May. The membership will be enjoying a Spring Luncheon at the Citrus Hills Country Club on Friday May 12. On the program, besides a delicious lunch, will be the installation of the Officers of CWS for 2023-24. A very special guest artist, Mindy Lighthipe, will present a demo on her amazing botanical and nature paintings. For more information about the May luncheon and demo, please look to our website at www.citruswatercolorsociety.org or contact Ellen Hines at [email protected]. Seating is limited and the deadline for menu choices and reservations is May 5th.

I’m enjoying the exciting days of Spring in Florida and hope you are too. There is much to see and paint. Bright colors, changing light and inspirations are everywhere.

“Colour is my day long obsession, joy and torment” Claude Monet

Stay well. Dori

Polly Boston Demonstration

“Under the Sea” Workshop

Polly Boston and Joyce Cusick
Everyone did a great job!