Tag: press release

CWS Artists’ Paint-Around June 10, 2022

Video of the 2022 PAINT AROUND
with Curt Bond, Polly Boston, Darla Goldberg. Barbara Kerr, and Lionel Sanchez

JUNE 1, 2022 Press Release by Dori Sullivan

Citrus Watercolor Society’s monthly meetings will resume on Friday, June 10th at noon at the Family Center in the First Christian Church of Inverness, 2018 Colonade Street in Inverness. Guests are always welcome and I hope you’ll drop by to see what we have in store for CWS members and friends.

Ever hear of a “Paint Around”? Five artists come prepared with a concept, 12 x 16 paper and supplies, to set up at the appointed hour. They start their painting. For the next ten minutes they add color, define shapes and begin painting their individual design. But wait! After 10 minutes, volunteers take their paintings and pass them on to the next artist so he (or she) can add their special touches. Around the room, from one easel to the next, the paintings fly – from one gifted artist to another. Then the magic begins to really show. Details are added, colors are deepened, perspectives become apparent! The artist who has a love for landscapes is suddenly adding their “flare” to a floral arrangement or a still life. After each artist has had a go at every painting, the circle is complete and the initial artwork is returned to the original artist who has the final 10 minute segment to add their final touches.

What’s next? The paintings are signed (by all five artists) and matted. Drawing tickets are sold (this event is a fund raiser for CWS) and one lucky ticket is drawn for each painting. The winners get to take home a unique original watercolor painting.

Our artists this year include: Darla Goldberg, Lionel Sanchez, Curt Bond, Barbara Kerr, and Polly Boston. These amazing artists have tremendous talents and you’ll have a great opportunity to see them create great artwork from beginning to end. I hope you will join us on Friday, June 10th at noon. You’re invited to come a little early (11:30) for light refreshments and to meet your fellow artists and members of CWS.

At the Spring Luncheon and Installation of the 2022-23 Citrus Watercolor Society board, the following members have volunteered to work together to make the “friendliest watercolor society” even better. President: Marjorie Bannish, 1st V. President: Susan Strawbridge, 1st V. President Assistant: Helene Lancaster, 2nd V. President: Jan Kuukari, Treasurer: Aileen Croly, Recording Secretary: Deborah Newman, Corresponding Secretary Gingi Martin; Director, Facilities Coordinator TBD, Assistant Terrance Carter, Director, Ambassador Darla Goldberg and Director, Member Delegate: Ellen Hines. Congratulations all!

For more information about CWS check out our webpage at www.citruswatercolorsociety.org. I hope you will be able to join us June 10th. You’re in for a painting treat! Until the next time, stay well!
Dori Sullivan

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].