Congratulations are in order to these WOWS members:
Rosewood Gallery's "35th Annual Dayton Works on Paper Exhibition”
- Tessa Kalman won 2nd Place with her painting “The Homecoming Parade”
- Yuki Hall’s painting “ Vintage Tram in Milan” won a People’s Choice Award and her painting “The Vine” was sold during the show
The Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society Presents a one-day in-person watercolor workshop by WYN ERICSON: MASTERING WATERCOLOR PORTRAITS
Date: May 2, 2025
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4p.m.
Location: Arts Connect of Springfield Township
9158 Winton Road, Building A
Cincinnati, OH 45231
Click here to see flyer for details
News
Yuki Hall, "The Vine"
From the President
Remember, if you'd like a mention in the newsletter for your newsworthy accomplishments, please send an email to wows4info@gmail.com a few days before the first of the month.
Show Opportunities
Western Ohio Watercolor Society Members' Spring Fine Art Show
Our spring members show will be on display from May 16 through June 15, 2025, at the Tipp Center, in Tipp City, Ohio. The show will be exhibited in the large lobby area of the facility and should get a lot of good exposure due to all the visitors, employees and tenants who pass through. Because of the freestanding nature of the exhibit panels, our artwork size and weight requirements are a little different for this show; please see the prospectus (click here) for all the details and the registration form.
Tipp City Area Art Council's "a fine art exhibit"
March 31 - April 5, 2025. Registration must be submitted by Sunday, March 16, 2025 See their website for entry details.
Shows to Visit
Connie S. Gifford and her daughter, Brandi Harris, will have an art show at the Beavercreek Senior Center, Lofino’s Art Gallery, for the month of March, with an art reception planned Wednesday March 5, 2025, 5:00 pm till 6:30 pm. The Lofino’s Gallery is located at 3868 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek, OH 45432.
The Greene County Council on Aging and the Fairborn Art Association will present the 2025 Senior Artisan Show on Sundays, March 9 and 16, 1:00–3:30 pm, and Wednesday, March 19, 11:00 am–2:00 pm, at the Fairborn Art Association, 221 North Central Avenue, Fairborn.
an art affair
April 5, 2025 | 10:00am–4:00pm at the Tipp Center
855 N 3rd Street | Tipp City, Ohio
FREE Admission, details can be found here
Fairborn Art Association’s Members Fine Art Show
April 26 - June 3, 2025 (Various dates and times throughout) - see their website
FAA Gallery, 221 N. Central Ave., Fairborn, OH
Workshops
March, 2025
Hey WOWS, welcome to March!
Greetings to you all from the warm climes of Tucson, Arizona! I’m out here in the desert southwest visiting family, enjoying wonderful weather, and getting a chance to do some outdoor painting that I normally couldn't do in February. I've also been able to take in a few art shows and visit some galleries; Tucson has quite a vibrant arts scene, including over 300 murals that adorn the city’s walls (check ‘em out at tucsonazmurals.com). It’s fun to take a day or two and do a mural tour of the city. - some are very large and are hard to miss; others are tucked away in small neighborhoods. A good sign that this is an arts town is that they have at least 3 brick-and-mortar art supply stores!
One of my favorite places to visit is a small historic village south of Tucson called Tubac. It features lots of art galleries, studios, art shops, and an art school and museum (along with plenty of restaurants, retail shops and watering holes. The old adobe buildings, surrounding mountains, and historic presidio make it a great spot to do plein air painting or take reference photos for studio work. (I sound like I’m on the Chamber of Commerce, haha!)
As great as it is to be a "snowbird" out here for a while, it will be a sweet homecoming, to be back with my family and friends there in Dayton (especially my Thursday morning painting buddies!). I'll be home in time to see you all at the first WOWS meeting of 2025, which will be held on March 18th. This issue will feature some tips on using a different way to protect and display watercolor paintings, Works on Paper show results, and news on upcoming shows, especially our Members’ Spring Fine Art Show in which you’ll want to participate!
Cheers,
Tessa Kalman
The Wisdom in a
Brush Tip...
Cold wax varnish for watercolors - Tessa Kalman
Although it’s a technique that’s been around a while (and some of you might already be doing it), I’ve recently become aware of the method of using cold wax (such as Dorland’s or Gamblin) as a protective coating for watercolors, eliminating the need for traditional framing with glass or plexi. This intrigued me, because of the possibilities this offers - not having to cut mats, buy frames, worry about glass glare/breakage/weight, etc. Applying the wax does not disturb the watercolor pigment on your paper (I would not try this on Yupo). It protects your painting from dirt and moisture, without the glare and weight of glass.
This is not an in-depth tutorial on how to do it - I’ll just mention some basic steps to introduce you to the concept. There are plenty of good demos on YouTube on the details (check out Brienne M Brown’s channel), as well as this article on The Artist’s Road website at https://www.theartistsroad.net/articles/waxing-watercolors. Here’s the basic idea: once your painting has thoroughly dried, you have options on how you want to display it. If you like the traditional look of a frame, you can just wax your work, mount it to a thin panel, and then frame it as you would an oil or acrylic painting. Or as many do, you can mount your painting on a cradleboard (painted or stained) and forego the framing altogether.
I wanted to test this technique, so I chose a small painting that I didn’t care about too much. Some artists suggest spraying the painting with a light coat of Krylon UV Archival Varnish (matte texture) before waxing to help with lightfast-ness, but this isn’t mandatory - your paint will not smear if you skip this. Since I had some, I did give it a light spray and let it dry. Then using a lint-free cloth, I thinly applied some Dorland’s wax medium, working it gently on the surface with small circular motions. Once dry (this could take a while - 6 hours, overnight or longer, depending on humidity levels), you can leave it as is with a matte look, or you can buff it to a sheen, which I did. Repeat the wax application at least one more time, two if you want; better several thin coats than one thick one.
I was very pleased with the result I had on my test piece - the finish had a nice sheen without being overly glossy, the wax gave a richness to the colors much the same way that varnish does on an oil or acrylic painting, and I liked the pebbly texture that resulted when waxing on cold press paper. This artist’s website shows her technique and the result really well: https://katysmithartist.com/waxed-watercolors. This may not be for everyone, but if you want an option beyond frame and glass, I recommend it! ~ Tessa
Yuki Hall, "Vintage Tram in Milan"
Tessa Kalman, "The Homecoming Parade"
Page updated 03/17/2025
Brandi Harris and Connie Gifford at Beavercreek Senior Center’s Lofino Gallery
Fairborn Art Association will hold a workshop: “Paint Bold in Watercolor” with guest artist Fran Mangino to be held May 5–7, 2025. Registration form can be found on the FAA website, or a printed one is available at the FAA gallery.
Meetings are held the third Tuesday of the month:
March, April, May, June, September, October
(NO meetings the months of:
January, February, July, August, November and December.)
Fellowship at 12:30 PM; Program at 1:00 PM