May 15th Members Meeting and Demonstration by Carl Purcell, our May 2025 Workshop Artist
2025-05-15 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Amherst Community Church, 77 Washington Hwy, Buffalo, 14226, United States
After a brief in person Members Meeting, we will have the pleasure of a demonstration by our May 2025 Workshop Artist Carl Purcell. This meeting and demonstration will be IN PERSON at the Amherst Community Church on Thursday, May 15th from 7 to 9.

Carl Purcell taught painting and drawing at Snow College in Utah for 30 years. He is currently retired from the college but is a popular painting and drawing workshop instructor, having conducted workshops throughout the West, from Alaska to Arizona , and in Great Britain.
Carl is the author of the North Light publications, Painting With Your Artist’s Brain (a watercolor book) and Drawing With Your Artist’s Brain. In addition his art has been featured in numerous articles published in The Artist’s Magazine and in Splash I. He has been invited to jury exhibits in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Michigan and Califonia.
Carl has achieved signature member status in the National Watercolor Society and was given honor member status in the Utah Watercolor Society for his contributions to watercolor in the state. He has won numerous awards, including a purchase award in the 2008 National Watercolor Society’s international exhibition. In 2009 Carl was chosen as one of the panel of three judges for the National Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition.
“Stone Cadence” is one of a series of paintings I have been working on that explore the rhythmic patterns I see and feel in rock surfaces. I am drawn to the contrast of vertical fissures and cracks that cut through the horizontal layers of rock strata. To me these counter thrusts are like the unplanned events that cut through the well-laid plans of our lives. I see these rocks as living forms, moving and dancing to the rhythm of life.”
While his primary medium of choice is watercolor, Carl also loves to work in oil and acrylic. Carl lives with his wife Nan in Manti, a small town in central Utah. His paintings reflect his love of nature, especially the rock canyon country of Utah.

June Members Meeting, Show Your Art Show!
2025-06-19 18:00 - 21:00 | Amherst Community Church, 77 Washington Hwy, Buffalo, 14226, United States
SHOW YOUR ART SHOW! In person at Amherst Community Church
With Comments by Sherryl Perez and Sandy Ludwig, 6:00 pm, JUNE 19, 2025. Pizza at 6:00, Art Show at 7:00. Bring one painting, matted or framed and ready to share.

Sherryl’s Watercolor

Sandy’s Watercolor

Submission Period, Fall 2025 Members Watercolor Exhibition
2025-07-05 08:00 - 2025-08-15 23:30 | NY

September 18, 2025 In Person Members Meeting with Demonstration by Mike Killelea!!
2025-09-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Amherst Community Church, 77 Washington Hwy, Buffalo, 14226, United States
Our first Members Meeting of the year, in person on September 18, 2025 from 7 – 9 pm at the Amherst Community Church, 77 Washington Hwy, Snyder, NY. ( Lots of parking behind the facility.) Snacks provided by our Hospitality Committee.
After a brief Members Meeting welcoming everyone back, highlighting the upcoming events for 2025-26, and reviewing the work of a busy new Board of Directors, we will be treated to a demonstration by our Signature Member and Program Chair Mike Killelea.

Killelea’s plein air paintings, headlined as “exquisite watercolors” in American Artists’ Watercolor magazine, have appeared in print, museums and exhibitions. “I am a fanatic about painting in plein air. There are great scenes all around us, and even under our noses,” Killelea said. “By forcing an artist to choose a subject from an endless variety of options, their design and color skills are strengthened.”
Michael Killelea is an artist, author, teacher and traveler.
His work and biography have been included in the Smithsonian Institution’s Library for the American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery, the Library of Congress, the Watson Research Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and those have become the basis for permanent files on him. He has been included in the Burchfield Penney Art Center data base as one of 215 best past and present artists in Western New York. He has traveled extensively and painted in plein air almost everywhere he’s been.
He is the former Secretary and a Signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA). He’s also a Signature member and Program Committee chair of the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society, a former Board member of the Niagara Arts & Cultural Center in Niagara Falls, and a signature member of the Buffalo Society of Artists. Until Covid ended it, he painted year round in plein air with the All Weather Gang. Killelea is a graduate of SUNY Farmingdale and has attended Pratt Institute and the School of Visual Arts. His work is in numerous private collections, has been reproduced on book and magazine covers, posters, prints & greeting cards and is featured in two books he wrote and illustrated about Long Island’s rural North Fork.
His website is www.killeleart.com, and he posts a new painting every week on the Killeleart Facebook page.

Fall 2025 Workshop with Gary Tucker, Mood and Atmosphere in Watercolor
2025-10-14 09:30 - 2025-10-17 16:00 | Kenan Center, 433 Locust Street, Lockport, NY, 14094, United States
Dates and times: Tuesday, October 14, to Friday, October 17, 2025, 9:30 – 4 pm
Location: Taylor Theater Meeting Room at The Kenan Center in Lockport, NY (behind Kenan House – accessible ramp) 433 Locust Street, Lockport, NY 14094
Fee: Members: $400 Non-Members: $460 (see application for details)
Here’s your link to the Workshop Page and the Registration Brochure.

October Members Meeting and Demonstration by Gary Tucker!
2025-10-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Amherst Community Church, 77 Washington Hwy, Buffalo, 14226, United States
Our October Members Meeting will be in person on October 16, 2025 from 7 – 9 pm at the Amherst Community Church, 77 Washington Hwy, Snyder, NY. ( Lots of parking behind the facility.) Snacks provided by our Hospitality Committee.
After a brief Members Meeting bringing us up to date on our Fall 2025 Exhibition’s Reception and Awards Ceremony on October 18th, and, highlighting other upcoming events for 2025-26, we will be treated to a demonstration by our Fall Workshop Artist, Gary Tucker.
About the Artist:
Gary started to make art his life path while still in high school under lifelong mentor Anita Fahs. Eventually Gary was drawn east to Boston where he met Professor Kaji Aso at the SMFA. Professor Aso introduced eastern aesthetic, calligraphy and sumi painting. Gary graduated to the media of watercolor and found he could achieve more subtlety, power and expressiveness in his painting.
Artist’s Philosophy:
What is the place of the artist in society? I feel the artist to be caretaker of the heart. Human beings have empathy for each other, for other creatures, even for plants. The artist values this empathy. This empathy leads them to the heart of human beings, and the artist seeks to move the hearts of others through their artwork.
To communicate through any medium, we need to understand how to employ our craft. We learn this through immersion. We study nature, we look to the great art of our predecessors, we train our eyes, our ears, our mind and our heart to become more perceptive, more sensitive so that we may say something more. A good teacher will emphasize the fundamentals until the student becomes the artist. The fundamentals are constant through every culture, every medium and every masterpiece.
See Gary Tuckers’ website: www.GaryTuckerartist.com for more information and images.

Reception and Awards Ceremony, Fall 2025 Members Watercolor Exhibition
2025-10-18 12:00 - 14:00 | Carnegie Art Center, 240 Goundry Street, North Tonawanda, NY, 14120, United States
Our reception and awards ceremony will be on Saturday, October 18th from 12 to 2 pm at the Carnegie Art Center, 240 Goundry St., N. Tonawanda, NY

Board of Directors and Volunteers Meeting
2025-11-11 16:00 - 18:00 | NY
The meeting will be at 4 pm at Sally Treanor’s Home, 756 Richmond Ave., Buffalo. Potluck!!

November Members Meeting and Demonstration by Tanis Bula on Zoom!
2025-11-20 19:00 - 21:00 | On Zoom
Our November Members Meeting will be on Zoom on November 20, 2025, from 7 – 9 pm. We will send an email to all members early in the week of the Zoom call.
After a brief Members Meeting bringing us up to date on our late fall/early winter upcoming events for 2025-26, we will be treated to a demonstration by our Internationally renowned watercolor artist Tanis Bula.

About the Artist:
Tanis Bula is an internationally renowned watercolorist. She is the winner of
numerous awards and has been featured in Watercolor Magazine. She has
exhibited in Europe and Japan as well as the US, and her work is included in
corporate as well as individual collections. In Japan, she was one of three
American watercolorists selected for individual shows. For three diﬀerent years
she went to Japan to sign paintings and meet with buyers.
Tanis studied at Iowa State University and the Kansas City Art Institute and has
participated in workshops both nationally and internationally. She has painted in
France, Italy, Portugal, Japan, the Caribbean, and Mexico. She was the owner of
an award-winning graphic design firm in Denver before gaining the recognition
that allowed her to turn to painting fulltime. She has painted a variety of subjects
including landscapes and is best known for her vibrant florals.
Artist’s Statement:
Somewhere, some place, someone is having a terrific time! For me, that often
means being struck by the incredible beauty of nature. Nature oﬀers an
abundance of complex shapes, textures, patterns and colors. The constant
shining of light makes each moment unique. I capture this moment in my
painting. Flowers especially exhibit this feeling in nature, incredible beauty
constantly in transition. Their fragility and delicacy lends itself uniquely to the
light and transparency possible with watercolor. I love bright colors and strong
contrasts, and this too is reflected in my art. My joy is to bring a wonderful
moment to life in a way that can be shared and returned to me again and again.

Tanis Bula graciously sent us a photo of the iris she will paint and a list of the pigments on her palette. Thank you, Tanis. We look forward to your demonstration.

January 2026 Members Meeting and Demonstration by Andy Evansen
2026-01-15 19:00 - 21:00 | NY
Our January Members Meeting will be on Zoom on January 15, 2026, from 7 – 9 pm. We will send an email with a link to all members early in the week of the Zoom call.
After a brief Members Meeting bringing us up to date on our winter’s upcoming events for 2026, we will be treated to a demonstration by our nationally renowned watercolor artist Andy Evansen.

March 19, 2026 Members Meeting and Demonstration by Jody Ziehm
2026-03-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Amherst Community Church, 77 Washington Hwy, Buffalo, 14226, United States
Our March Members Meeting this year will be different! It will be in person on March 19, 2026 from 7 – 9 pm at the Amherst Community Church, 77 Washington Hwy, Snyder, NY. ( Lots of parking behind the facility.) Snacks provided by our Hospitality Committee.
After a brief Members Meeting highlighting the upcoming events for 2026, we will be treated to a demonstration by an amazing artist, our Signature Member and popular teacher Jody Ziehm

Jody is a beloved watercolor artist and teacher based in Niagara Falls New York. Jody creates drama in her paintings by turning up the “volume” with color. While preserving the white of the paper for lights, creating mystery in her darks, invites the viewer in. Expressive marks using unconventional tools such as sharpened sticks, create a raw textural quality. Two important words in her process are “letting go”, enforced with the use of a misting bottle. She is more interested in the emotion of her inspiration, rather than replicating an image.
Although she believes that there are paintings surrounding us in our everyday lives, Jody’s most recent portfolio is inspired by hosting Artful Travels, guided journeys across Europe and the United States. We come together to explore communities in their rich history weaving together art, culture0 and shared discoveries.
Host of “The Art of Watercolors by Jody Ziehm” a long running local cable community program. It can be seen online at WWW.LCTV.NET on demand.
She teaches 3 weekly classes at the Carnegie Art Center in North Tonawanda New York. She also teaches an annual fall workshop at the Chautauqua Institution Chautauqua, New York. Conducts workshops in an around Western New York and Canada.
Most recent award -National Watercolor Society 2025 members Exhibition awarded the Julian Ellsworth Garnsey Past Presidents award. Juror Mario A. Robinson.
Accepted into 2025 Transparent Watercolor Society Annual exhibition.
Solo exhibition 2024 “Saturated Expressions” Carnegie Art Center North Tonawanda New York.

April Members Meeting and Demonstration by Catherine Hillis on Zoom!
2026-04-16 19:00 - 21:00 | On Zoom
After a brief Members Meeting bringing us up to date on spring upcoming events for 2026, we will be treated to an zoom online demonstration by Virginia incredibly creative watercolor artist and teacher Catherine Hillis.

Catherine Hillis has competed in national watermedia competitions and plein air events for decades, earning hundreds of awards and many signature memberships along the artistic way. Her paintings can be described as traditional landscapes, still lifes and figures but she relies on a unique perspective to draw the viewer into the world as she sees it, incorporating humor or beauty whenever possible in unexpected places. An eager traveler, and perhaps even a bit of a gypsy, she attains to view everyday subjects with fresh eyes. “I paint both en plein air and in the studio but I cannot tell you which I prefer. I only know that whatever piece I’m working on at the time is the one I am meant to create.” Hillis’ works and articles about watercolor painting are published regularly. Among the many publications she’s contributed to are American Watercolor Weekly Newsletter, Watercolor Artist Magazine, the SPLASH books, PleinAir Magazine, The Art of Watercolour and Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine. She’s served as Artist in Residence in Dinan, FR, at Hot Springs National Park, AR, and at Chateau d’ Orquevaux. Watercolor paintings by Hillis are included in museums, corporations and the homes and offices of private collectors. Known for her commonsense approach to teaching, the artist has taught throughout the Washington, DC region, across the country and overseas. She believes in presenting multiple demonstrations and personalized individual coaching during each class or workshop. “I believe in giving back to the community by sharing my skills with others. It’s my desire to provide students with skills for a lifetime.” “Our daily lives are hectic. I like to think my work can slow the pace, and make a troubled world feel better as I take a wide view of the chaos and bring focus and order to the pandemonium around me by squinting and then positioning my pencil and brush onto paper or canvas.”The artist has earned Signature Memberships with the National Watercolor Society, Laguna Plein Air Painters, the San Diego Watercolor Society, Southern Watercolor Society, Georgia Watercolor Society, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, Virginia Watercolor Society, Missouri Watercolor Society, the Washington Society of Landscape Painters, Baltimore Watercolor Society and the Western Colorado Watercolor Society
Catherine Hillis is a daydreamer and a bit of a gypsy. Wherever she happens to be is probably where she’ll be painting, whether in the studio or outdoors. If the light is just right and there’s a compelling narrative, brushes and paint come out. She invites viewers to join her on the journey and enjoy traveling to another time and place with a satisfied smile on your face.
