Tag: International Watercolor Society

Posted on

Live Interpretive Painting During Concert This Weekend

This Saturday night, at the Symphonic Watercolours performance by the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra, we will have two master watercolour artists painting, live, during the performance!  These two painters, Bonnie Steinberg and Andrew Sookrah, were both personally invited by the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC/SCPA) president Rayne Tunley, to demonstrate at this event.  They are both elected members of the CSPWC as well as other prominent societies, as you will see in their biographies below.

Artists’ Statements:

 

Bonnie Steinberg SCA, CSPWC, TWS

My watercolours encompass a variety of subject matter, with architectural detail, being my latest achievement. Ordinary “slices of life” are other choices for subject matter. My use of high-keyed colour and dramatic light are the trademarks of my work.
A recent exhibit of my work covered paintings ranging in a variety of subject matter, from Architecture, to landscape, to still life. The “passion” that I hope to convey through colour, design and light are the essence of my work. My objective could be summarized by the following passage:
“My visions encompass my views of the world and will aim to give the viewer a glimpse into this world. If this relationship occurs then the painting has been successful.”

Andrew Cheddie Sookrah CSPWC, OSA, SCA, PSC

All of my work is the result of an intense interview between my existence and that of my subject.
I would hope that the result be informed more by knowledge rather than mere belief.

Below are examples of Bonnie’s and Andrew’s recent work:

A Lawren Harris Mystery House. Watercolour by Bonnie Steinberg.
Clogher. Waves. Dingle. Watercolour by Andrew Sookrah.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew and Bonnie  very much for their unique contributions to this multimedia presentation, which will be the closing event of our month-long exhibition.  We are in for a treat!  This event takes place at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.

If you would like more information about Andrew and Bonnie, they have graciously provided their bios below, or you can go to their websites (Andrew’s website ; Bonnie’s website):

ANDREW CHEDDIE SOOKRAH CSPWC, OSA, SCA, PSC

Andrew Sookrah

Andrew Cheddie Sookrah is a Canadian professional artist living and working in Toronto. He is an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, Society of Canadian Artists (Lifetime, Mentor), Ontario Society of Artists, Portrait Society Of Canada.

Sookrah is a raw colourist whose free brushwork is confident and powerful. His strengths can be seen in his strong sense of design, exquisite use of effective composition, and confident presentation of bold colours.
His is a masterful expression of the unity of nature.

RECENT PAINTING EXPEDITIONS
Sable Island, 2017
Algonquin, Ontario, 2017
Shanghai, Suzhou, China, 2016
Killarney, Ontario, 2016
Haida Gwaii, Canada, 2016, painting, kayaking, camping expedition
Georgian Bay, Ontario, 2015
Gros Morne, Newfoundland, Canada, 2015
Dingle, Ireland, 2014, 2015

He has shown his Artist Project 2017, 2018, presenting work from painting trips to Sable Island, Killarney, Algonquin, the Canadian Arctic.

His body of work includes landscape, portraiture, figurative paintings, ceramic sculpture as well as conceptual / multimedia including “Can Religious Beliefs be Identified From Examining DNA?” Nuit Blanche 2012.

Sookrah’s work is in Corporate and Private Collections in Canada, the US and China.

TEACHING:
Andrew teaches painting in watercolour, acrylic, oil and at The McMichael Art Gallery (Kleinberg), the Richmond Hill Art School (Markham), Loyalist College (Belleville), The Town Of Richmond Hill, Luc Sculpture Art School (Toronto) and ARTiculations, (Toronto)

WORKSHOPS:
Andrew conducts 1-day, 2-day and 4-day painting workshops periodically.

CURRENT AND RECENT EXHIBITIONS:

CSPWC / FWS, Avignon, France
Open Water, Aird Gallery, Toronto (Winsor Newton / Currys Award)
The Artist Project 2018, Aird Gallery, Toronto
The Artist Project 2017, Toronto
The 3Rd International Art Festival, Nanjing, China
Current Connections, Toronto, Buckhorn
Opening of Wang Jianhua Museum, Suzhou, China

BONNIE STEINBERG CSPWC, SCA, TWS

Bonnie Steinberg

THORNHILL, ONTARIO watercolours@rogers.com

ARTS EDUCATION

York University, Toronto, Ontario. (Hon Bachelor of Fine Arts.)
Selected courses at:
Seneca College:
Atkinson College (York University): Ontario College of Art and Design1972-82
Margaret Roseman, Jack Reid, Jane Champagne: Brent Heighton, Stephen Quiller,

SOLO EXHIBITIONS (partial list)

Kathleen Gormley McKay Art Centre, Unionville, Ontario
2007 Roselawn Theatre and Art Centre, Port Colbourne,Ontario
2007-04 Thornhill Visual Artists’ Studio Tour, Thornhill, Ontario
2002 Illuminary Gallery,Toronto, Ontario
2001, 1999, 97
Daruma Gallery,New York , New York
1993 Delta Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
Gallery Beaux Arts, Toronto, Ontario

JURIED EXHIBITIONS (partial list)

2018 SCA 50th Juried International Open Juried Exhibition at the Papermill Gallery.
2018 IWS Canada /CSPWC (A Symphony in Watercolour) Exhibition

2018-1990 Toronto Watercolour Society – Aquavision Spring and Fall
2009, 01 Haliburton School Of Art, Faculty Show, Rails End Gallery
2007-01
2000 Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour – Open Water – John B. Aird Gallery
2000 Fourth Annual Members Show / Art Dialogue Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y., Western New York Artists’ Group
1999
Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour – 75th Anniversary Exhibition at the Roberts Gallery, Toronto
Society of Canadian Artists – Fall Show – John B. Aird Gallery
Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour – 75th Anniversary Exhibition at The Arts and Letters Club, Toronto

AWARDS(partial list)
2016-platinum level of distinction for 50 juried shows for fall and spring TWS(Toronto Watercolour society)
2016-25 year membership award for the Toronto Watercolour Society
2015-spring watercolour show: Aquavision 2015 for Toronto Watercolour Society
2014-Award for excellence in transparent watercolour _the Bruce Snell Award for The Toronto Watercolour Society
2010-silver Medal for Toronto Watercolour Society
2010 Award of distinction for the Toronto Watercolour Society(Gold, silver and bronze)
2002 -1997 Toronto Watercolour Society-Award of Merit, Best Architectural, Best Still Life, Jururor’s choice and Artists’ choice awards.

COLLECTIONS(partial list)

Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia
Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
Cedars Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles
Pettle Foods Canada
IBM Canada
Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
M. Tan Associates, Toronto
Colm (Phantom of the Opera) Wilkinson
Mr. Justice Howard Wetston (Federal Court of Canada), Ottawa
Delta Gallery
Lotus Corporation
Permanent Collection – Heintzman House, Markham Ontario

GALLERIES(partial list)

Rails End Gallery, Halliburton, Ontario
Art Dialogue Gallery (Buffalo N.Y),
Nuance Gallery (Tampa, Florida),
Karger Gallery (Elora, Ontario).
Details Gallery, Charlottetown, P.E.I.

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS AND WORKSHOPS(partial list)

Italy: Painting tour of Venice, Tuscany, and Florence2011
Italy: Painting tour of Florence, and the Amlfi coast-2013
Sedona Arizona-September 2012
PEI School of the Arts, North Rustico, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Dundas Valley School of Art Dundas,Ontario
Loyalist College, Belleville,Ontario
St. Lawrence College: 100 Islands Summer School for the Arts, Kingston,Ontario
Cornell University, Ithica, New York
Halliburton school of the Arts, Haliburton,Ont.
Visual Arts Mississauga,Ontario
Thornhill Seniors Centre, Thornhill,Ontario
Sunbury Shores St. Andrews by the Sea,: New Brunswick
Burlington Centre for the Arts ,Burlington :Ontario
Southampton Art School: Southampton, Ontario
Wellington County Museum and Archives: Elora Ontario
Williamsburg Watercolour Society: Amherst New York
Pumphouse Gallery,: Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario
Mc Conoughy Seniors” Centre, Richmond Hill, Ontario
Seneca College,King Campus, King City, Ontario
Victoria, British Columbia

Posted on

Watercolour Demonstrations!

Opening of ‘A Symphony in Watercolour’ International Art Exhibit:

Friday Sept. 28.  Boynton House, 1300 Elgin Mills Rd. E., Richmond Hill.

Official Schedule:

Booths and exhibition will be open from noon until 5:00 pm within the garden area of Boynton House.
12:00 – 12:15 pm: Welcome speeches and official ribbon cutting ceremony by the Presidents of IWS Canada, IWS Globe & CSPWC/SCPA on the porch of Boynton House
The following events will then take place in booths in the fenced garden area of Boynton House or on the main porch of Boynton House:
12:15-12:45 pm Demos of products/talks by QoR and Da Vinci
1:00-1:30 pm Demos of products/talks by Winsor & Newton and RockWell


1:45-2:45 pm Demos by IWS Master watercolour artists Ze Ze Lai (vice president of IWS Globe)

 

and Rainbow Tse (youth juror for our show)

 

2:30-3:00 pm Live music by the Hill Chamber Players on the porchway of Boynton House
3:00 pm Award presentations and speeches on the porch of Boynton House
3:45-4:00 pm More live music by the Hill Chamber Players
4:00-4:30 pm Demos/talks by Daniel Smith and DeSerres
4:30-5:00 pm Chance to talk to people at booths and see exhibition at your leisure.

Burr House Craft Gallery & Tea Room, 530 Carville Road, Richmond Hill.

6:00-8:00 pm: An informal gathering of artists and art lovers; a time to relax, socialize and see the rest of the exhibition. Watch the Burr House spinners, weavers and potters at work. Tea and scones will also be available at a small charge.

Saturday, Sept. 29.

Richmond Hill Central Library, 1 Atkinson St., Richmond Hill, ON L4C 0H5

10:00- 3:00 pm 3rd floor of library: Try your hand at watercolour, an activity sponsored by DeSerres, where we can give back to the local community. Connect with people from Richmond Hill and experiment with simple techniques for painting in watercolour.
10:00-10:50 am Watercolour demo by Michael Solovyev, IWS Canada International Director. Watch him create a painting and ask questions.

10:55- 11:50 am Watercolour demo by Atanur Dogan, IWS Globe President and Founder. Watch a painting come to life before your eyes.

 

 

 

 

12:00-1:15 pm Take in David McEown’s presentation: ‘Water & Light, an Artist’s Journey from Antarctica to the North Pole”. David narrates an entertaining digital show that merges painting, video and photography inspired from travels in the Great Bear Rainforest, Africa, Antarctica and the North Pole. Stories of chance encounters with many creatures including polar bears and emperor penguins are woven together with reflections on the environment, and the inner creative process of painting with watercolour.
2:00- 3:00 pm Watercolour demo by Vera Bobson, CSPWC

 

 

As you can see, there is plenty to keep an artist interested. These watercolour artists that are demonstrating, are some of the best in the whole world.  Almost like attending a workshop only without the fee!  Both days are registered Canada-wide Culture Days events.

Those are just the first two days of the exhibition.  All information that you could possibly want, including maps, are on the home page of our website iwscanada.ca.

Gather a friend or two and have a fun field trip!!

Posted on

Rockwell/Eureka Awards!

We have three more very exciting awards to announce for our Symphony in Watercolour Exhibition. Thank you to RockWell and Eureka Global Art for donating these generous awards!

The RockWell/Eureka Award 1- will win the Award to participate in an event in China, with other International Masters. The trip will be totally free (some conditions apply), and a free Rockwell Master solid water color set of 24 colors.

The RockWell/ Eureka Award 2- will win the full accommodation Award to participate in an event in China, with other International Masters, (some conditions apply), and a free Rockwell Master solid water color set of 12 colors.

The RockWell/Eureka Award 3- The 3rd top Artist, will win a free Rockwell Master solid water color set of 12 colors.

For more information on our ‘A Symphony in Watercolour’ Exhibition visit our home page.

Posted on

QoR Modern Watercolour Award!

Some very lucky artist is going to win the QoR Modern Watercolour Award at our ‘A Symphony in Watercolour’ Exhibition which opens on September 28th at Boynton House, on Richmond Green, Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Thank you QoR Modern Watercolors by Golden from all of us at IWS Canada and CSPWC/SCPA.

Golden Artist Colors will also have a booth on our opening day with representative Bianka Guna demonstrating products.

For more details of our 5 day event please visit our Home page, the Exhibition page, or view the 5 day event PDF .

Posted on

One Month Until Opening of ‘A Symphony in Watercolour’!

We are really excited to count down the days to go until the festival begins!  In case you haven’t visited the website lately, we have a whole bunch of information available on the home page, and also on the exhibit page.   But we thought we’d put a lot of it in this blog post anyway!

First: here is the poster our sponsor Focal Designs designed for us.  Thank you Focal Designs!

SiWC Poster-print

If you click on the link above you’ll see the poster – these will be on display all over Richmond Hill and further afield.  We are hoping that some kind souls might choose to print one copy themselves and help us out with our advertising!

Second:  A map of where it is all happening can be found here.  The map includes the two exhibit locations:

  • Boynton House & Richmond Green
    1300 Elgin Mills Road East
    Richmond Hill, ON L4S 1M5
  • Burr House Gallery & Tea Room
    528 Carrville Rd,
    Richmond Hill, ON L4C 6E6

The ribbon cutting occurs at noon at Boynton House and Richmond Green on September 28.  We will have some music at 2:30, then awards and speeches at 3:00 pm.  The exhibition paintings at Boynton House will of course be available all afternoon until 5:00 pm, and many of the master painters will be attending.  Throughout the afternoon there will be opportunities for plein air painting.  Also, there will be representatives from Winsor & Newton, QoR Watercolours, Daniel Smith, DeSerres Art Store, Da Vinci paints and RockWell Art Supplies demonstrating products.

At 6:00 pm, the opening day will continue at Burr House where the rest of the exhibition paintings will be on display.  Tea and scones will be available, and you can observe the local spinners and weavers at work in this heritage building.  Our opening day will end at 8:00 pm.

You’ll find the locations of all the festivities happening during the Five Day Celebration Event (September 28-October 2), and the location of the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, which is where the concert “Symphonic Watercolours” is being performed by the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra on October 27, to close the show, on the  MAP.

Third: here is most of the event information briefly summarized in one graphic suitable for sharing on social media.

Painting is ‘Inner Symphony’ by Ona Kingdon, CSPWC, NWS, TWSA, IWS Master – President of IWS Canada. (Subject is Jessica Kun, the artistic director of the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra.)

Fourth: here is a summary of the information for the Five Days of Festivities:

Painting is ‘Colour of Music’ by Anne McCartney, CSPWC, AWS, TWSA – one of the jurors for ‘A Symphony in Watercolour’.

Fifth:  A more detailed outline of the Five Day Celebration Event is here.

Remember – you are invited, and so are your friends, and their friends… please tell them all about it.

Sixth:  We cannot thank our sponsors enough!

 

Posted on

Culture Days – Richmond Hill Public Library – David McEown

Culture Days at Richmond Hill Public Library

Join us at the Richmond Hill Public Library in Richmond Hill Ontario Canada on Saturday September 29th. Watch this space for the exact time of David’s presentation but IWS Canada will be there from 10 am until 3pm with opportunities for you to experiment with watercolour.

David McEown, our Canada 150 national winner (see ‘150 Ways to Celebrate’), will be presenting, “Water and Light, an Artist’s Journey from Antarctica to the North Pole”.

David narrates an entertaining digital show that merges painting, video and photography inspired from travels in the Great Bear Rainforest, Africa, Antarctica and the North Pole.  Stories of chance encounters with many creatures including polar bears and emperor penguins are woven together with reflections on the environment, and the inner creative process of painting with watercolour.
“Experiment with Watercolour” activities will also be set up outside (or inside if inclement weather) to encourage the public to give it a try. We welcome your participation in this. Let us pass our enthusiasm for watercolour on to the local community hosting us for this event.

Saturday, September 29, 2018,   10am-3pm
Venue: Richmond Hill Central Library as part of the Canada wide Culture Days event.
(free activity)

For more information on our event please look at our detailed PDF.

Photo credit Daisy Gilardini
Watercolour by David McEown

Posted on

Da Vinci Paint Company Awards!

Da Vinci Paint Company have very kindly donated FIVE of these awesome travel palettes as awards for our ‘A Symphony in Watercolour’ Exhibition.  The awards will be announced at our opening event on September 28th at Boynton House on Richmond Green.  Da Vinci will also have a representative at our opening event to demonstrate their products to visiting artists.

Thank you Da Vinci Paint company for your generous sponsorship from all of us at IWS Canada and CSPWC/SCPA.

Da Vinci travel palette

For more information about our five day event view our 5 day event pdf , or for a summary of the events see the image below:

The painting in this graphic, Colour of Music, is by one of our jurors, Anne McCartney CSPWC, AWS, TWSA
Posted on

Your Invitation to our Festivities

IWS Canada and CSPWC/SCPA Invite you to a 5 Day Celebration Event  –  September 28 to October 3, 2018

(Exact times and details may change due to weather conditions or events beyond our control).

This event is a celebration of not only watercolour but of how diverse cultures, by working together, can strengthen and enhance a community.

During these five days we will unite to celebrate our history, our differences and our common interests.

A community such as Richmond Hill, with its mosaic of residents from diverse cultures, its combination of urban and rural environment and its strong historical roots is an ideal venue for our Symphony in Watercolour Event.

Use the info-graphic below for an outline of the five day celebration, and visit this link for details.  Bring your sketchbook and some plein air painting supplies if you like – there will be several opportunities to create!

The painting in this graphic, Colour of Music, is by one of our jurors, Anne McCartney CSPWC, AWS, TWSA
Posted on

Finalists announced for A Symphony in Watercolour!

Our jurors Peter Marsh CSPWC, OSA, SCA, TWS, Anne McCartney CSPWC, AWS, TWSA and Rainbow Ze (youth juror) have completed their task in choosing the paintings that will be exhibited during our ‘A Symphony in Watercolour’ exhibition this fall, September 28th to October 27th, in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.  A huge thank you to them – it must have been really hard to choose from all of the great entries we had – a total of 320 from 32 countries!

These paintings are listed on the page entitled ‘A Symphony in Watercolour‘, which can also be viewed at the bottom of our home page.  Congratulations to all finalists!!

Also listed are paintings by the invited artists such as those who won our ‘150 Ways to Celebrate’ online contest last year, and the jurors and the presidents of our cooperating societies.

In addition to finalist paintings, there were many the jurors felt merited special mention.  These will not be physically exhibited, but will also be posted on the website during the exhibition.  They are listed below the finalist paintings.

Thank you to everyone around the world who entered our exhibition!  Your enthusiasm and talent for watercolour, and your contributions to our understanding of your perspective through art, are why we exist.  We couldn’t do this without you.

Peace and love through art!

Posted on

Featured Member – Tony Cook

Meet Tony Cook!

“I was born in England and worked as a newspaper reporter before serving in the Royal Artillery for my national service. I wanted to go to Korea with my unit – I mean, free travel and all – but wiser heads prevailed and I was given a War Office job testing new recruits. I emigrated to Canada in 1956 and entered the photographic business, intending to make a career out of my hobby. Surprisingly, I spent the following 40 years in the photographic and audiovisual industry in various senior marketing positions. Eventually tiring of the corporate environment, and foolishly forgoing the satisfaction of a regular paycheque, I started my own digital imaging and creative production house in Toronto, where I still live. I am married with three lovely daughters and three grandchildren.

Over the years, I’ve enjoyed working in various art forms, in addition to photography and computer graphics. In the late 1970s, I expanded a childhood love of scratching initials on school desks and assorted trees, and began wood carving. I joined the Ontario Wood Carvers Association (OWCA), studied with famed carving teachers Joe Dampf, Benoit Deschenes and Wayne Barton, and somehow developed my own style of interpretive carving. I probably wasn’t paying attention. I was President of the OWCA during the 1980s, and edited their newsletter and website for several years. I showed my carvings in OWCA competitions and at the Canadian National Exhibition, and was completely ignored by the jurors.

I studied drawing at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2004 and subsequently took up watercolour painting. Being a Brit, I figured this was the proper medium for me. I credit teacher Ruth Hayes with giving me assurance that I could handle this medium and Barry Coombs for introducing me to the finer points of brush handling, design and simplification. I have tried to pay attention. I have enjoyed workshops with Art Cunanan, Hi-Sook Barker, Doug Mays and Marc Gagnon, each of whom has been very patient.

More recently, I have begun to work with Acrylics, studying with Lila Lewis Irving and DiDi Gadjanski.

I am very fortunate to have discovered a friendly and supportive environment within the art clubs that have accepted me as a member.”

Below is an example of Tony’s work – “A Winter Walk”.  For more about Tony Cook, please visit his website.

Website Powered by WordPress.com.