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We welcome our newest member:

Karen Spaulding — Alabama

Greetings WSA Members,

Isn’t autumn a wonderful time of the year, especially if you can find beautiful fall

colors to paint en plein-air. Autumn is certainly a wonderful season in the life of WSA. Our

Members’ showcase exhibits some of the finest work by Alabama artists. The exhibition at

the Birmingham Library closes October 30. Our gratitude and thanks go to the Selection

Juror, Jean Warren. Many of us got to know and appreciate Awards Judge, Don Taylor, who

conducted a highly praised workshop.

WSA’s First Online National Juried Exhibition that was planned for this fall has

been delayed but it will happen. We are planning and looking forward to our 2016 national

which marks the 75th anniversary of WSA Annual National Exhibition competitions. This

exhibition will be held at the new Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur, Alabama, in May.

The prospectus will be out soon, watch for it, and mark your calendar for the WSA workshop

by Janet Rogers on 12 – 14 May. Please celebrate with us and make this landmark event

extra special with your great works of art!

As this is my first President’s message, I would like to thank our outgoing President,

Jaceena Shepard, for her dedicated leadership and continued service to WSA. We would like

to express our appreciation to outgoing Board member Corky Goldman, who has efficiently

set up our financial management system. Many thanks go to Toska Courbron who expertly

designed and maintained the excellent WSA website. We also thank Lyn Gill for starting

and keeping the tremendous Facebook and to Rick Adkins who served as the new Newsletter

Director this past term.

Fortunately nearly all of the Board members have agreed to stay; we welcome new-

comer Deb Allen to the team. WSA Board members are not only highly capable artists, they

are a team that embodies expertise in law, business, education, technical and managerial

skills.

If you have a particular skill (in addition to your art) that you would like to share

with WSA, please contact any one of us. Or, if you would like to stretch your abilities by vol-

unteering to help in some other capacity, please let us know. Your questions and comments

are always welcome.

Most of all we thank you, dear member, for your continued support to WSA. I wish

you a grand autumn season and happy, happy painting.

Shirley Tucker

Inside this issue:

All Members Showcase 2

Members Spotlight 3

Newsletter Info 3

WSA News 4

Members News 4

New Board of Directors 4

Membership Dues

& Application

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Alabama Members Showcase 2015

Congratulations, Award winners!

Award of Excellence—Look! - Paulette B. Parks

WSA Board of Directors Award - Enjoying Nature - Joan DiLaura...

President's Award - Bonjour, Kitty - Marsha Nelson

Merit Award - Hilltop - Walt T. Costilow

Merit Award - Living in Sunshine - K. M. McWhorter

Merit Award - Quiet Waterways - William C. Morris

Certificate of Recognition - Berries and Wildflowers - Becky Kennedy

Certificate of Recognition - Special Delivery - Diane D. Shepherd

Certificate of Recognition - Herbaceous Border - Hannah Brown

Certificate of Recognition - Polly - Cynthia Massey Parsons

Certificate of Recognition - Heartstrings - Deborah Rae Hall

Special Thanks

to our

Selection Juror,

Jean Warren

&

our Awards Juror,

Don Taylor

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Members Spotlight

Please submit any member news you may like to share of upcoming workshops you may be teaching,

exhibitions in which you were juried in, photos, etc.

Please feel free to submit information on any topic related to watercolor. Hopefully we all will learn

something, however small, from one another as we endeavor to make art. Do you have opinions on

watercolor papers, paints, brushes, etc?

WSAnewslettereditor@gmail.com

WSA’s Winter Newsletter deadline will be December 21, 2015.

It is a pleasure to introduce Lyn Gill, a member with many hats. Lyn is a signature member of the WSA , she

is also our Third Vice-President, the Publicity and Facebook editor, and our 2016 Members Showcase Director.

She also teaches Biology at Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton, AL. and also finds time to paint.

Her earliest memory of art is drawing a horse at the age of three or

four years of age. A blissful recol- lection as her mother recognized it was

a horse. She was encouraged by her first-grade teacher when she recog-

nized Lyn was utilizing prospec- tive in her drawings. Her love of art

continued while a junior in high school. She took an oil class and stat-

ed she was mystified. “I had done paint by numbers before and this was

nothing like that!”

It wasn’t until she completed her master’s degree that she took a class in

watercolor. And it was another twenty years before she said she

sought after a more satisfying art education in the form of workshops.

Stating she has attended many workshops in the past ten years.

Lyn paints in oil and acrylics but watercolor is her favorite. She finds watercolor to be a challenge and she

states she loves a challenge.

When I asked her did she have a favorite artist, she replied, “love Sargent and Wyeth, adore Charles Reid,

Frank Francese, Janet and Steve Rogers, and am currently inspired by Bev Jozwiak.”

So what is she working on presently? She currently is experimenting with hot press papers. However, she

states, “I will paint on just about anything. I started with Arches 140# cold pressed paper and still use it of-

ten, but I also use Fabriano cold and hot pressed papers.”

Curious as to what she considers the best advice she has been given as an artist she told me, “Keep painting.

Don’t listen to your inner critic too much, if you love holding a brush and moving paint around, JUST DO IT!”

Which led me to wanting to know if she won the lottery, what would be the one thing she would buy for herself

that would be art related? And I will have to admit I loved her answer. She said she would “travel. I’d love to

paint everywhere!”

So with this inspiring interview with Lyn I only had one more question to ask and that was how has being a

member of WSA helped her, as we know how actively involved she is as a member?

Lyn shared, “I have met some of the most wonderful, generous people and I am thrilled to be associated with

them. I have often found that artists are some of the most giving people around.”

Well, Lyn, I am sure most would agree, WSA is lucky to have such a devoted and active member as we do

with you.

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New Board of Directors

President – Shirley J. Tucker Membership Director—Heike Covell

President Elect – Lyn Gil Parliamentarian – Jaceena Shepard

1st Vice President – Jaceena Shepard Website Director/Webmaster – Rick D. Akins

2nd Vice President – Heike Covell Publicity/Facebook Director – Lyn Gill

3rd Vice President – Lyn Gill Newsletter Director/Editor – D.A. Allen

Treasurer – Charlotte McDavid Director of Regional Representatives—vacant

Recording Secretary—Melinda Mathews 2016 National Workshop Dir. – Jaceena Shepard

Corresponding Secretary—Tora Johnson 2016 Members Showcase Director – Lyn Gill

Historian—Peggy Milburn Brown

New WSA Signature member Ally Benbrook's painting "Last Connec-

tion 1 - Trust" was juried into the Shenzhen International Watercolor

Biennial 2015-2016, and she will be travelling to China for the week-

long festivities in Shenzhen. There were 7,800 entries with 230 paint-

ings chosen, including only 40 from the United States. In addition, dur-

ing 2015, she has earned signature status with 5 watercolor societies:

WW, PWCS, MSWS, WSA, and RRWS.

1st Online Membership Exhibition Coming!!

WSA is excited about offering the membership another means to exhibit their art. This will be in

addition to the National Exhibition and the Alabama Members’ Showcase we have each year.

The advantages to the online exhibition to our members will be in not having to incur the cost of

framing and shipping as they do with our other exhibits. In addition, there are no size limits on the

entries.

The results will be posted for one year on the WSA website, providing more exposure for the win-

ners’ art. Cash awards will be awarded. First prize - $500, second prize - $300, third prize and $100

and five merit awards.

Keep an eye out on the WSA website for further information.

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Dear WSA Member:

Watercolor Society of Alabama appreciates your membership.

Suddenly autumn has arrived and we are looking forward to another successful year in 2016. The

WSA membership year runs from 1 January through 31 December. You may, however, pay your

dues for 2016 at any time before this year ends and the new year starts, you would be paid through

the end of 2016. Your membership becomes inactive on 31 March if no dues renewal has been re-

ceived by then.

Renewing members after 31 March are asked to pay a $5.00 late fee.

Please notify me, preferably by Email at stuttgart80@knology.net of any changes in your mailing

address, phone, or Email address so that we may be able to contact you, if necessary, and send im-

portant information to you.

The membership form is printed below and also available at WSA website:

www.Watercolorsocietyofal.org

Checks should be made payable to WSA in the amount of $30.00 and mailed to:

Heike Covell – Membership Director

11012 Willingham Dr. Huntsville, AL 35803-2073

Thank you and Happy Painting!

MEMBERSHIP FORM

__________Renewing Membership __________New Membership

Note Change of: ______Address ______Phone ______E-mail

NAME_____________________________________________________________________________

ADRESS___________________________________________________________________________

CITY_______________________________________STATE_________________ZIP_____________

EMAIL_____________________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE_______________________________(H)__________________________________(Cell)

Active members are current with their dues and have full voting rights.

They are eligible to be officers, members of committees, and serve on the board of directors.

Active members receive mailings either by e-mail or regular mail including the

annual exhibition catalogue. Active members receive a discount on workshops

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Watercolor Society of Alabama

D.A. Allen – Editor wsanewslettereditor@gmail.com Heike Covell 11012 Willingham Drive Huntsville AL 35803-2073