Congratulate Shelly Johnson and Hugh Mossman for reaching Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (WFWS) Signature status. WFWS honors active member artists who have achieved Signature Status by being accepted into three WFWS shows.
If you are planning to attend WFWS in Colorado in May, please email me, and I will send you the link to the discounted hotel rate. Hotel is the Hilton Garden Inn Denver Tech Center, 7675 East Union Ave, Denver, CO. To get the discounted rates, you must book before April 8.
Thanks,
Shelly Johnson, WFWS IWS Delegate
Shellyejohnson@yahoo.com
Registration for Xi Guo’s workshop at WFWS51 in Denver, Colorado is now open. Since Xi lives in Florida and does most of her workshops on the East Coast, or Italy, this is a great opportunity to take her workshop in the West where it is easier for most to attend. If you are an IWS member, you can take Xi’s workshop for $400.00, otherwise it is $450.00 for non members. Workshop is May 5 to May 7, 2026. All the info is on the website, https://coloradowatercolorsociety.org/event-6571135
Please congratulate the six Idaho Watercolor Society members who had paintings accepted into the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies 51st Annual Juried Show:
Jessica Bryant, Fluid Harmony
Gail Greco, North of Ketchum
Shelly Johnson, Beau at Easter
Hugh Mossman, First Snow
Ying Peng, Smoker
Lori Kay Seale, Citizen Dreams Fading Away
32 IWS members submitted 66 paintings for consideration, and only 100 were accepted out of the 877 entries from the 10 WFWS member societies.
Thank you to all that entered!
Shelly Johnson
IWS WFWS Delegate
WFWS
Only a Few More Days to enter WFWS51! The WFWS entry deadline is February 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm. Thank you to all who entered so far. As of Saturday, WFWS51 had received entries from 20 IWS members. Don’t wait until the last minute! You can find the prospectus on the Colorado Watercolor Society’s WFWS webpage (https://coloradowatercolorsociety.org/western-federation-of-watercolor-societies) by clicking the yellow “download prospectus” button. Please contact Shelly Johnson if you have any questions about entering or issues with ArtCall – shellyejohnson@yahoo.com
CAPITOL ROTUNDA SHOW
Deadline to enter is February 25, 2026 or until the 75 painting limit is reached.
For full details on how to participate — including eligibility, submission requirements, and deadlines — visit the ArtCall site – https://iwsrotundashow42.artcall.org/
The 2026 exhibition will be hosted by the Colorado Watercolor Society and will be on display at the Curtis Center for the Arts, 2349 E Orchard Road, Greenwood Village, CO.
Exhibition Dates are May 8
Key Deadlines
Dec 15, 2025 – ArtCall Opens for entries
Feb 1, 2026 – ArtCall Closes
Feb 27, 2026 – Jury Results Released
Feb 28, 2026 – Xi Guo Workshop Registration Opens
Apr 3, 2026 – Paintings Due to Delegate
Events
May 5–7, 2026 – Xi Guo Workshop at Curtis Center
May 8, 2026 | 6–9 PM – Awards Dinner, Hilton Garden Inn, Denver Tech Center
May 9, 2026 – Exhibit Opening Reception
To view the prospectus, go to https://coloradowatercolorsociety.org/western-federation-of-watercolor-societies/ and click on Download Prospectus.
I look forward to another super showing by Idaho Watercolor Societies members.
Shelly Johnson
IWS WFWS Delegate
Please congratulate Gail Greco, who won the Sunshine Award ($1,000) sponsored by the Arizona Watercolor Association for her painting, “Winter Twilight”, Jessica Bryant, who won the Yellow Rose Award of Excellence ($900) for her painting, “Endurance”, and Shelly Johnson, who won the David Dean Memorial Award ($800) for her painting, “Happiness on a Tire Swing”, at the 50th Annual Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Exhibition in Lubbock, Texas. Jessica Bryant, Renee Galligher, Gail Greco, and Torgesen Murdock also received WFWS Signature status this year. All IWS members who entered WFWS50 should receive their catalog later this month.
It was an outstanding show and IWS was well represented in accepted work and in awards this year.
Thanks,
Shelly Johnson
IWS WFWS Delegate
Last Reminder – WFWS
WFWS deadline to register is March 10. Also, some people have registered but not paid their invoice. Please check your email to make sure that the invoice is not in your spam folder. If you have questions about your registration or haven’t received an invoice, please contact Nathalie Kelley at nathkelley@yahoo.com.
Hello Friends!
You are invited to the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies 50th Anniversary Awards Banquet hosted by the West Texas Watercolor Society in Lubbock, TX on April 13, 2025. We hope that you will be able to attend and spend some time getting to know our city and all it has to offer. Lubbock is well known for its home grown musical talent, wineries as well as farming and ranching history. The Lubbock Arts Festival, always a highlight in the arts community, will be in full swing during the gala weekend. For more information about Lubbock and various venues, please click on the links below.
Links to the WFWS50 registration pages have now been added to the wtws.org website, the deadline to register for the banquet and weekend activities is March 10. The hotel links are also provided on your registration page. The reservation deadline to get the WFWS50 hotel rate is March 20.
We are looking forward to April and hope to see you all then!
Hello Friends!
You are invited to the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies 50th Anniversary Awards Banquet hosted by the West Texas Watercolor Society in Lubbock, TX on April 13, 2025. We hope that you will be able to attend and spend some time getting to know our city and all it has to offer. Lubbock is well known for its home grown musical talent, wineries as well as farming and ranching history. The Lubbock Arts Festival, always a highlight in the arts community, will be in full swing during the gala weekend. For more information about Lubbock and various venues, please click on the links below.
Links to the WFWS50 registration pages have now been added to the wtws.org website, the deadline to register for the banquet and weekend activities is March 10. The hotel links are also provided on your registration page. If you registered but did not receive an invoice, please check your email to make sure that the invoice is not in your spam folder. If you have questions about your registration or haven’t received an invoice, please contact Nathalie Kelley at nathkelley@yahoo.com.
Delegates will have excursions to the National Ranching Heritage Center and the Windmill Museum Friday afternoon and the Lubbock Arts Festival Saturday, unless they decide to do something on their own.
We are looking forward to April and hope to see you all then!
The Ken Call Workshop at WFWS50 in Lubbock, Texas, has Open Spaces!
In case you have been delaying signing up, now is the time. April 9, 10, 11. This is a great opportunity to learn watercolor techniques from an expert. He even gives you the option of doing landscapes on Day 1.
Class Description
The Enlightened Brush
Ken Call shares his passion for portraits and figures in his unique watercolor style. Learn how he takes advantage of their ability to convey a mood, be spontaneous and still have the needed tightness to capture the proper likeness. Come and learn to paint dynamic, colorful, figures and portraits under the guidance of an accomplished expert. Based on an intimate dance of light and color, Ken will show you how to bring your paintings to life while using your own personal vision and experiences. Comprehensive portrait and figure painting will be featured in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. You will have the opportunity to work with your own personal favorite subject matter as well as reference photos provided by the instructor.
There will be daily demos and plenty of one-on-one instruction for all who desire. Ken will in addition make available to the class his reference to paint from if they so desire. At the end of each day, you will have the opportunity to share your work with Ken and the class for review and discussion. You are encouraged to bring several samples of your work to share with Ken for feedback.
Day 1 Instructor demo and students paint their choice of any subject (landscape, portrait, etc)
Day 2 Instructor demo and focus on portraits or figures — (Ken provides reference photo)
Day 3 Instructor demo and focus on portrait and figures— (participants bring their own pre drawn photo reference)
Check out his website here. Or search Youtube for a few videos other societies have posted of his demos.
Go sign up on the WTWS website or contact Cecilia at 806-778-2289
The price for the workshop is $350.
Find the Supply List here
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