OCTOBER 2022

Fellow IWS Artists,

Since we only publish our newsletter quarterly, and IWS is ramping up activities, I thought an update was in order.           

Experimental Exhibition – Wow, what a turnout!  The board was delighted to have 53 entries into our first-ever “Anything Goes” exhibition.  A huge thank you to Cherry Woodbury for leading this effort.  If you were at the Annual Meeting, you saw the winning entries and know who the winners are.  If you missed that great event, here is the announcement…albeit delayed:

First Place, titled “A Night Out” by Jane Wilson $300
Second Place, titled “Summer Sunflowers” by Jean Nelson Ah Fong $200
Third Place, titled “Refugee” by Dave Earnest $100

A huge thank you to our juror Ruth Armitage from the Oregon Watercolor Society.

Annual Meeting – If you were not able to attend, you missed a good one!  So many people helped make this annual event outstanding, but special thanks to our Regional Rep, recently retired, Linda Carlson.  We will miss Linda, as she and her husband move to North Carolina.   We experienced five amazing Art Talks over the course of those two days:  Linda Aman, Sue Tyler, Torgeson Murdock, Yidan Guo, and Bernadette Regnier.  We tried our hand at block prints, visited the Idaho Falls Art Gallery, picnicked in the park, wandered through the amazing Japanese Gardens, and made and renewed friendships from across the state.  A huge thank you to all who helped make this event so enriching.  Watch for news about next year’s location and activities.

Strategic Planning – The day before the annual meeting in Idaho Falls, a handful of members gathered to envision and plan for our future…who we are, who we want to be, and the resources we need to get there.  Our goal over the course of the coming 9 months is to develop these plans and present them at our 2023 Annual Meeting for the organization’s approval.  Our next strategic planning meeting will be in Boise in November. If you are a visionary and/or strategic thinker and would like to be involved, get in touch with me.

Membership – Three announcements regarding membership:

1. To facilitate increased opportunities for our members, the board researched other regional arts organizations and voted to increase our dues by $5.  Dues will now be $45 per year.
2. Previously an additional $5 could be paid if a member wanted to receive the quarterly newsletter by mail.  Due to the increased cost of postage and printing, for a decreasing number of members, the board voted to provide the newsletter exclusively by email and eliminate mailed copies.
3. The board and members at the annual meeting voted to offer a third option for membership.  Joint membership with the Plein Air Painters of Idaho (PAPI) will be offered at a cost of $70.  This is a $20 savings if you belong to both IWS and PAPI.  Each organization will maintain its organizational structure and exhibition requirements. Joint membership will allow you to enter shows, workshops, and events for both organizations.   Joint membership can be paid for either by mail to Lynn McConnell or online at the IWS Website.

We will start our cooperative activities with the previously announced Plein Air Workshop on April 8^th.  It will be held at the beautiful Riverhouse in Star, Idaho, featuring the nationally acclaimed Plein air painter, Gabriel Stockton from the San Diego Watercolor Society.

Rotunda Show – Beth Trott and Bonnie Liles have been busy planning for this next exhibition at the Capitol Rotunda Show March 4 – 17^th.   We had so many visitors last year, and a first-time reception that was so well attended, it was crowded.  Just what artists, looking to sell their work (sans commission) like.

 Annual Exhibition 2023 – Plans are well underway with our experienced Exhibition Coordinator, Scott Muscolo.  Our Vice President, Don Belts has been working hard at securing a juror and workshop instructor for next year. We are pleased to announce that he has contracted with Robin Poteet of Virginia.  If you are not familiar with her work, check out her website.  I think you will be impressed.  The breadth of her work is amazing.  Scott will have more information and the prospectus available in January.

Regional Reps – I wanted to recognize the great work our Regional Reps are doing, hosting workshops, meetings, and art activities and recruiting new members.   Every week I receive notice from Lynn McConnell, our membership chairman, of new members joining IWS.  A huge thank you to Cathy Anderson, Connie Pepper, Cheryll Root, Les Scott, and Neila Loebs.

In closing, I am writing this from my daughter’s patio in Santa Barbara.  It is 89 degrees today!  Beautiful, but a little too hot in October for this native Idahoan!  Enjoy this beautiful Fall and paint like your life depended on it.  After all, we have numerous shows coming up:  Rotunda show, WFWS, Annual Exhibition, and probably more!

Carol HasBrouck Browning
IWS President