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

FWS Convention 2022

Punta Gorda, Florida

Several members of CWS attended the FWS convention in Punta Gorda. Aileen Croly sent a few pictures that she took of our members at the Paint Around.  Aileen commented: “And great job, Lionel!!  We love watching you paint — like a maestro conducting an orchestra!!” We all agree!!!!

Lionel Sanchez – FWS Paint Around

Next year… FWS comes to Ocala!!!!!

Citrus Watercolor Presents… April 8, 2022

APRIL 8, 2022 Press Release by Dori Sullivan

Friday, April 8th, at the Citrus Watercolor Society meeting, Darla Goldberg will present a demonstration showing her unique “Emphasis on Backgrounds”. Very often we paint the perfect bird, flower or animal but then are stymied with the emptiness shown in the background. You’re invited to see Darla present ideas about textures, color and techniques that will complete your painting and not only enhance your image but add excitement to your artwork. She will introduce several methods of creating those attention-grabbing backgrounds including Brusho, a powered watercolor ink, to further develop color and texture.

Darla Goldberg is not only our featured artist in April, but also serves as the current President of CWS. Darla is an artist who has always painted, drawn and even sculpted since early childhood, eventually, she focused painting in oils. Originally from Pittsburgh, Darla moved to Florida when she retired in 2001. Shortly after settling in Citrus County, friends invited her to Citrus Watercolor Society meetings where she was so impressed with the friendly people and dynamic workshops, that watercolor and CWS soon became her passion. After taking many workshops, attending demos and entering various competitions, Darla set her goal to become an artist who shares her talent thru teaching. She is a member of the Florida Watercolor Society as well as Citrus Watercolor Society and hangs her paintings in the Frank Anderson Gallery in Crystal River.

Professionally, Darla was an Ocularist who designed and fitted artificial eyes. She followed her designs to the lab where the eyes were manufactured; and then fit them for the patients. When you look at her paintings of animals and birds be sure to take note of the realistic eyes that capture light, shape and realism.

The Citrus Watercolor Society (CWS) monthly meetings are held at noon on the second Friday of the month at the Family Center in the First Christian Church of Inverness, 2018 Colonade St., in Inverness. Guests are always welcome. CWS welcomes all ages, men and women, beginners as well as long time painters. See our website for more information: www.citruswatercolorsociety.org.

Prior to the business meeting, members have the opportunity to vote for the “Painting of the Month”. Winners are selected by popular vote for the artwork brought in by members. Congratulations to our March artists, first place winner was Peg LeFebvre for her “Traveling Bright” watercolor painting and second place winner Polly Boston for “Bricks”. All CWS members are encouraged to bring in their work to show during the meeting.

With spring in the air, you might want to consider joining CWS member, Joyce Cusick, on one of her fun “Plein Air” outings. Monthly, on the Tuesday following the CWS business meeting, Joyce selects a local venue and invites those interested in painting “what you see” at that particular site. We arrive at a time when the light is interesting (9:00 – 9:30 AM) and finish up our painting before noon. Joining together at a local restaurant for lunch adds to the fun. Check out details at the CWS website. Joyce is probably the most devoted of plein air painters I know. It’s rumored that she’ll even paint during a rainstorm, in her car, of course! Joyce and her enthusiasm for painting on location is remarkable. Thank you, Joyce, for sharing your love of “en plein air” with us.

All are welcome at the Citrus Watercolor Society monthly meetings. I hope to see you there! Until next time, stay well – enjoy a colorful Spring. 

Dori

Seeing Color – Everywhere!

February 2022 Press Release by Dori Sullivan

It is so exciting when we get to enjoy one of the spectacular Florida sunsets or see the striking variety of shades of green and bright golds popping up within the wonderful landscapes found in our own back yard. No wonder artists from all over come to our communities to create beautiful paintings. The Citrus Watercolor Society is pleased to invite you to the February monthly meeting of CWS where you can see noted watercolor artist, Kathy Durdin, demonstrate how to expand your color palette and apply what you learn to working from photographs. This demo and meeting of CWS will be held Friday, Feb. 11 at the Family Center of the 1st Christian Church of Inverness, 2018 Colonade Street, Inverness, FL at 12 noon. Guests are always welcome.

The demonstration will be followed by a two day workshop entitled “Loosening Up and Seeing Color Everywhere” on Feb. 12 and 13 at the Whispering Pines Recreation Building from 9:00 to 4:00 PM (including a lunch break). The workshop fee is $110 for CWS members, $140 for non-members – checks are payable to Citrus Watercolor Society. To register for the workshop or more information, email Susan Strawbridge, at [email protected].

Kathy Durdin is a national award winning watercolor and mixed media artist. She has exhibited across Florida, as well as from New York to California. She also teaches classes and workshops inspiring her students to loosen up their work and enhance their skills. Watercolor provides her with a medium that allows her to create work quickly and create paintings with freshness and immediacy as she expresses herself. Her style is loose, to take advantage of the characteristics of the medium. Her work needs to be viewed from a distance – small and large areas of color make up her images.

Workshop attendees will also work on creating focus, simplifying, and using photographs as a starting point to explore color and lost edges. There will be time to work on finding centers of interest and focusing detail in the area of the center of interest. You don’t want to miss this exciting workshop and the opportunity to paint with Kathy Durdin.

On a personal note, I can’t thank Norm Fryer enough for his dedication and talent that has been the backbone of “getting the word out” about CWS. These are big shoes for me to fill. I’m relatively new to watercolor painting and love painting “en plein air” (on location) around the area. For the past couple of years, I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences with Citrus
Watercolor Society and its caring, friendly membership. I do hope you will become a part of this dynamic group of artists. Until next time, stay well and add brilliant color to your life!


Dori Sullivan
[email protected]

Why do all good things have to come to an end?

January 2022 Press Release by Norm Freyer

While writing the Citrus Watercolor Society (CWS) column over the years, I am amazed by the number of people who actually read it. Those folks are not only artists but from the general public. Wherever I go there is always someone who will comment, “Oh, I read your column every month.” I must admit that I find this quite satisfying. But all good things must come to an end, and this column for the upcoming month of January 2022, will be my last.

I never intended to become an artist in my later career, but I did. And I never figured that I would produce a piece of art that someone would want to purchase, but I did. And I never intended to write this column for many years, but I did. And it was all great fun! To all those readers out there – thank you, thank you! And a special thanks to the Chronicle for encouraging me to write the column in the first place. In the future, artist Dori Sullivan of Ocala will write this column. She is an experienced writer and will manage it well.

The visiting demonstrator for the CWS January 14th meeting will be Frank Zampardi of the Villages, FL. Frank is a retired secondary school art educator, having taught in public schools for thirty-two years. For the past 15 years, Frank has established himself as an accomplished artist, specializing in exact detail through the use of graphite and colored pencil, watercolor and oil. Frank emphasizes intricate compositions and chooses subject matter for its design possibilities. These elements are coupled with the skillful use of light and shadows and enhanced with well-developed shading techniques. Frank’s work has been exhibited in numerous art festivals, the Central New York Adirondack Art Show, where he has been a first-place winner many times and selected for the Master’s Division. He has exhibited at the Central New York Community Arts Council, The Fenimore Gallery, The Smithy Gallery in Cooperstown, NY, Cooperstown Art Association Exhibition, The Gannett Gallery, Munson, Williams, Proctor Institute in Utica, NY, McKenzie Art Gallery in Cazenovia, NY, Rome Community Art Center, 531 Central Fire Arts Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL and the Wildlife Exhibit at the New York State Fair. Since moving to The Villages, Florida, Frank has continued to garner awards at events sponsored by the Visual Arts Association and The Villages Art League. He presently teaches twelve adult art classes through The Villages Lifetime Learning College and is the Chairperson for the Artists Helping Artists Program and directs the Jump Start Artists Program at Sea Breeze Recreation Center in The Villages; a program where self-motivated, like-minded artists can accelerate their artistic skills under Frank’s direction. You can view his work at his website at frank-zampardi.pixels.com

Frank Zampardi will conduct a one-day workshop on Saturday, January 15, 2022, at the Whispering Pines Recreation facility in Inverness, FL. For more information see the CWS web site at  https://citruswatercolorsociety.org/workshops.html,
or contact Susan Strawbridge at [email protected].

Artwork: It Tends to travel

January 2021

Press Release by Norm Freyer

As members of the Citrus Watercolor Society (CWS), many of us participate in art shows where our works are purchased by art lovers and collectors. Have you ever wondered where these painting end up? I have, and I find it quite interesting. Here are some of whom I am aware.

I received a call from my brother regarding a party in Rhode Island who were interested in one of my paintings. They wanted to know if the painting I had completed of Manatees was available. I responded to their call and learned that they had seen a photo of the artwork and that they wanted to purchase the original painting. I had already posted a price on the painting which they accepted. In addition, they agreed to pay the shipping cost to their location. So, it was off to one of the packing and shipping centers to prepare for shipping. The painting arrived in Rhode Island without any mishaps, and the purchasers were happy with the artwork. Sometime later I tried to follow up with these folks only to find that they had moved to Ft. Worth, Texas, Manatee painting and all!

Manatees by Norm Freyer

I am not a portraitist! But for some reason I decided to paint a portrait of Ralph Erickson, who was a neighbor of mine. He recently passed way. Anyone who knew Ralph would agree that he was a happy go lucky guy, always with a smile on his face, accompanied by some jolly conversation. Ralph was a native of South Dakota, which was heavy with Scandinavian neighbors. He always celebrated May 17th, the date of his birthday and “Norwegian Independence Day”. In preparation of the painting, I took a number of photos of Ralph, but he just would not smile for any of them. I finally picked one of the photos on which I based my painting and completed it. He did like the painting, thank goodness. It now resides with his daughter, who acts as family historian located in Denver, Colorado.

I was exhibiting at a Citrus County art festival a number of years ago. Two ladies came into the booth, who I learned were sisters. One sister was from Alabama, the other from the county area. The lady from Alabama had a photo of her two sons sitting with their dog, and she wanted me to do a portrait of the group. I tried to convince her that I was not a portraitist. We went back and forth for a while and she insisted that I do the painting. I finally submitted. At any rate, I did complete the portrait and I felt that it looked rather good. I had my wife, the ultimate reviewer of my work, critique the painting and she confirmed that it was well done. I called the lady from Alabama and let her know that I was finished. She said that she would be visiting her sister locally soon and she would pick up the painting. We decided a place to meet and the date finally arrived. I exhibited the painting for review, and I knew I was in trouble right away. She did not like it! However, the sister was of a different opinion. She said, “Wow! It looks just like them”! Thank goodness for the opinions of sisters! Her opinion settled the deal, and the portrait went back to Alabama.

And so, CWS artists, do you know where your artwork ends up once it has been sold? If you are able, do some research. You will be surprised. Artwork tends to travel.

International Award-Winning Artist Teaches at Watercolor Club

Holiday Luncheon December 2010

Press Release by Norm Freyer

The Citrus Watercolor Club will hold their annual Holiday Luncheon on Friday, December 10th starting at 12:00 Noon. International award-winning artist Steve Rogers will present the featured demonstration. Mr. Rogers is a signature member of the Florida Watercolor Society, The American Watercolor Society and The National Watercolor Society. Steve was the Chairman of the American Watercolor Society Jury of Awards in 2010.His painting “Aegean Blue” was included in the 1st Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary International Water Media Masters at the Jiangsu Watercolor Research Institute in Nanjing, China.

Steve Rogers Demonstration December 10, 2010
Photo Collage Courtesy of Ray Jowers

Steve Rogers was born in New York City. He attended Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, and graduated with a B.A. from Monmouth College in Monmouth, Ill.  Steve has made a career of painting since 1975. He lives in Ormond Beach, FL

with his wife Janet who is also a signature member of the American Watercolor Society. He has regularly presented watercolor workshops in Greece, Italy, Spain and France. “My purpose as an artist is to portray the beauty of light and color in God’s world as I experience it within my heart.”

Mr. Rogers will be teaching a two-day workshop on December 11th & 12th at the Whispering Pines Park Recreation Center in Inverness. For information, call Glenda Ackley at 352-560-4220.

HOLIDAY LUNCHEON VOLUNTEERS

CHAIRPERSONS: DARLA GOLDBERG & SANDY DUNHAM

Prizes and Gifts: Sandy Dunham, Mimi Salton, Pat Woodhouse
Card Exchange: Wanda McVeigh, Lois Moore, Delois Lang

Ham: Ada Hollingsworth
Refreshments: Barbara Berg, Delores Witt
Set up: Carol Tucker, Mel Rustom, Deloris Witt, Barbara Kerr, Jean Morey, Carolyn Park, Ellen Hines, Jane Kega, Delois Lang Dick, Suzie VonAmmon
Clean Up: Mel Rustom, Norm Freyer, Carol Scharf, Delora Scanlon, Marti Estep
Silverware: Verna Callender, Judi Snow
Center Pieces: Sandy Dunham, Mimi Salton, Darla Goldberg