Press Release

CWS Jan 2026 article for Citrus Chronicle

Artist Lionel Sanchez Welcomes the New Year with Citrus Watercolor Society

Happy New Year! CWS is kicking off the New Year with the unique watercolor and ink style of Lionel Sanchez in his two-day workshop on January 10th and 11th at the Art Center of Citrus County. His workshop, entitled “Representational Paintings of Urban and Rural Subjects” will result in your painting showing color, shadows and depth that will add much to your personal repertoire. 

A demonstration by Lionel will be included at our monthly business meeting on Friday, Jan 9th in the Education Building at the Art Center, 2644 N. Annapolis, Hernando FL. Join us at 12:30 for “Meet and Greet” with light refreshments followed by a short business meeting and the demo. Painting of the Month is also on the agenda. Bring in your latest painting to display with awards determined by “Viewer’s Choice” vote. 

Registration for Lionel’s workshop is available at our website https://citruswatercolorsociety.org or by contacting Vicki Pritchard at vickipritchard@gmail.com. CWS members’ fee is $125, non-members $155. Checks are payable to CWS and a supply list will be sent to you upon receipt of your registration.

Vicki Pritchard also coordinates our weekly Plein Air Outings. In January we will be painting at Lake McKethen near Brooksville – contact Vicki at her email above for more information.

There is an opportunity for CWS members to join in with the Art Center of Citrus County’s Nature’s Coast Exhibit on January 14th. This is a juried show with awards and exhibited paintings will hang in the Art Center for a month. Think of all the exposure for your work! For additional  information, please see https://artcenterofcitruscounty.org/nature-coast-exhibit-prospectus . 

Looking ahead CWS has artists Lynn Ferris (February) and Polly Boston (March) scheduled as well as our annual Paint Around that includes five local artists in a fast moving challenge to complete a joint painting in less than an hour. Come join us for fun and learning with one of the friendliest art groups in Central Florida!

Until next time, wishing you all the best in 2026. Dori Sullivan

Press Release

11/30/2025 Dori Sullivan

Happy Holidays from all your friends at Citrus Watercolor Society. In December we’re celebrating the Season with a pot luck luncheon at the Art Center of Citrus County on Friday, Dec. 12 with a demo by one of our favorites – Kim Shields. It will be a fun filled event, door prizes, drawings for baskets of art related “goodies” and time to share memories of the past years’ workshops and more.

On the following day (Sat 12/13) Kim will do a one-day workshop, “The Use of Contrast to Improve Your Landscape Painting”. Currently, the workshop is filled, but you may contact Ginger Bryers at gingerbryers@gmail.com to be put on a waiting list if you are interested. The fee is $95 for CWS members and $125 for non-members.

Congratulations to the winners of our November Painting of the Month competition. Yolanda Baretto won first place with her stunning painting of Christmas Tree Ornaments that included multiple watercolor techniques. Jeanniene Cole and Curt Bond tied for second place. Jeanniene submitted a watercolor portrait of a dog and Curt showed a watercolor painting of a FL Ibis. All paintings were judged by Viewer’s Choice for the awards.

Looking ahead to an “Art-full” 2026 we start in January with a two day workshop with Lionel Sanchez entitled “Representational Paintings of Urban and Rural Subjects”. Lionel is an award winning artist/teacher in central Florida and is a fun workshop leader whose talents lead to exciting, watercolor paintings for all his students. Details are available on the CWS website: www:citruswatercolorsociety.org

Annual dues for membership at CWS are only $45 a year and the benefits are immeasurable. There are generous discounts for workshops, weekly plein air outings, free demos and opportunities to meet both beginner and long time artists to share ideas and techniques. We meet on the second Friday of the month at the Art Center of Citrus County at 2644 N. Annapolis Ave. in Hernando.  All are welcome.

Press Release

Dori Sullivan
09/2025

Citrus Watercolor Society presents a colorful workshop with Linda Wokoun – Award winning Florida Artist. 

We’re so excited to welcome back Linda Wokoun on Friday October 9th for a demonstration followed by a two-day workshop entitled “Finding and Losing Detail” Sat. and Sunday at the Art Center of Citrus County, 2644 N. Annapolis Ave., Hernando FL. Member’s fee is $225, non-CWS members, $255. The demo is at 12:30 PM following a brief business meeting. Guests are welcome, members are free, a $5 donation is asked of guests. Hurry and sign up – the weeks are flying by! 

Artist’s Statement  “I’m Linda Wokoun, a watercolor artist and instructor originally from Chicago and transplanted to Southwest Florida ten years ago! I dreamed about life as an artist since childhood but have only recently had the luxury of painting full time.

I enjoy leveraging the natural characteristics of water to bring energy and movement to my paintings. I like to incorporate both abstract and representational elements in my work and feel that water media is particularly well suited to my approach.  My process is wet into wet, blending colors and creating textures directly on the painting surface.

I am a signature member of the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society and currently serve as its president. I’m also a member and exhibitor with the Florida Watercolor Society and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. I have become a regular art workshop instructor throughout the Florida area as well as conducting my own online workshops.”

In this workshop we will focus on a variety of wet-into-wet and negative painting techniques. If you are interested in loosening up your painting style, this class is for you. Subjects include a stylized tomato plant and a cityscape in Glasgow. All watercolor skill levels are welcome!

Looking ahead, in November a demo by Elaine McLaughlin, followed by a one day workshop  “Batik: Using Indonesian Tjaps to create design with Watercolor and Wax”. Keep up with our workshops at www:citruswatercolorsociety.org.

Just a few weeks ago, CWS had their annual “Show and Tell” that included the CWS Founder’s Day awards. Over 20 paintings by our member artists were displayed and viewer’s choice determined the winners. They are; third place Yolanda Barreto for her flying shore birds, second place Lionel Sanchez for his watercolor painting of an old mansion and first place went to Judi Miller for her watercolor representation of a bamboo forest. Congratulations all! There were really terrific paintings in the show and we look forward to even more next year.

Citrus Watercolor Society welcomes watercolor painters from Citrus, Marion and Hernando Counties. We meet monthly, on the second Friday of the month at 12:30 PM for “meet and mingle”, a brief business meeting followed by our invited artist who presents a demo of what they’ll be showing in the following workshop. Annual membership dues are $45 and include the Friday demo. The fees for workshops vary but CWS members always get a generous discount. If you’d like to volunteer to assist with our workshops, the discount is 50% off the workshop you host. Talk to any CWS board member for duty details. We hope to see you Friday, October 9th at the Art Center of Citrus County at 12:30 PM.

Press Release

September 2025

CWS presents our annual free “Show and Tell” program with the Founder’s  Day Awards in September.  

Come and join us in the Art Center Education Building, 2644 N. Annapolis in Hernando for this exciting display of watercolor paintings by the artist/members of Citrus Watercolor Society on Friday, September 19th beginning with “meet & greet” and light refreshments at 12:30 PM. There will be a short business meeting at 1:00 with previews of upcoming workshops and special events. Don’t miss it!!

Citrus Watercolor Society meetings, demonstrations and workshops are usually held the second weekend of the month, except this year. Please note the change of date for September, 2025.

We’ve spent the past year enjoying workshops and opportunities to make our watercolor paintings better than ever. Techniques learned from our guest artists who provided demonstrations and “how to” during their workshops are incorporated in our paintings. Our own plein air days provide on site painting activities in Crystal River, Inverness and now Dunnellon. We want to share our visions with you, our viewers. Weekly challenges and inspirations during our “casual painting” days portray our skills painting birds, fruit, flowers and more.  We’ve had a wonderful year and want to share the results of our labors with you. They’re all “labors of love”!

Yes! It’s time for current members and friends to bring their matted or framed artwork to the Art Center at noon,  display them, enjoy viewing each other’s work and most importantly, vote for your favorite. There will be monetary awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Founder’s Award by viewer’s choice votes. Talk about “inspirations” … this is it! We look forward to seeing you there.

Looking ahead to October, Linda Wokoun will be coming for a weekend workshop entitled “Finding and Losing Details”. Linda’s wet on wet florals and cityscapes are amazing and she’s an important Florida artist who always shows us exciting techniques during her workshops that may become part of our personal style. Linda’s demo is on Friday Oct. 10th at 1:00 but come early to enjoy meeting our members and the artist. The two day workshop is Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11th and 12th.  CWS member’s fee is $225 and non-members is $255. Details and registration forms are available on our website www.citruswatercolorsociety.org.

We’re looking forward to seeing you on September 19th at the Art Center of Citrus County – a facility for the fine arts, designed by artists.  See you soon!

Lionel Sanchez Workshop

Press release by Dori Sullivan
January 2024
Citrus County Chronicle

Happy New Year and Happy Painting with Lionel Sanchez!!

Here’s wishing you a very Happy New Year from the artists and members of Citrus Watercolor Society. We’re starting off the year with a “bang” and hope you will join us Friday, Jan. 12th at the First Christian Church at 2018 Colonade, Inverness for our monthly business meeting and demonstration by Lionel Sanchez. 

Lionel is one of our favorite landscape and marine watercolor artists who will conduct a one day workshop, Saturday January 13th at the Whispering Pines Recreational Building from 9 AM until 4 PM. Lionel’s subject will be from a selection of landscape or marine scenes that he will use to guide us, step by step thru the process, until we have a completed painting. It’s fun and yes, even a relaxing day spent with a fun artist who has a wealth of information and techniques to share with you. Please join us!

The workshop fee for members is $95 and for non-members, $125 payable to CWS. To register for the workshop, please go to our website http://www:citruswatercolorsociety.org . There is a registration form on the site as well as membership information. Guests are always welcome to attend our monthly Business Meetings. The demo is free to our members and we ask a $5 donation from non-members. Come and see what we’re all about. 

Our regular Business Meetings are held monthly except for May, July and December in the Fellowship Hall at First Christian Church. Doors open at 11:15 and light refreshments will be served. Our library will be open and an amazing selection of books and DVDs are available for you to borrow. There are also plastic sleeves for sale that are so important for those finished pieces of art you want to display or sell.

Speaking of displaying your artwork – members are welcome to bring in one of your latest paintings for our “Painting of the Month” contest. Certificates will be awarded to the first and second place winners. The popular vote by our members and guests determines the winners. We need at least five paintings to hold the competition. 

Looking ahead, we’re planning another “Art in the Wildlife Park” show and sale in a few months. Look for the date and details on our website or our Facebook page. This two day weekend show and sale includes a juried competition with awards for Best in Show, First, Second and Third Place, two Honorable Mention awards and the President’s Choice award. Entry into the show is for members only and a percentage of our sales is donated to the Wildlife Park in Homosassa. 

Until next time, stay well, paint and dip your brush into even brighter colors.

Dori
“Creativity takes courage” Henri Matisse. 

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 Signian@icloud.com 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 Signian@icloud.com 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

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

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