Our September Members Meeting will be in person on September 17, 2026 from 7 – 8:30 pm at the Amherst Community Church, 77 Washington Hwy, Snyder, NY. We will end sooner than usual to accommodate the Bills Fans among us! Our demonstrating artist, Barbara Fox, has graciously agreed to working fast!!! (Lots of parking behind the facility.) Snacks provided by our Hospitality Committee.
After a brief Members Meeting highlighting the upcoming events for Fall and Winter 2026/2027, we will be treated to a demonstration by an amazing artist, our Signature Member Barbara Fox!
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Portrait painting should capture more than a likeness; the subject’s expression and environment also play a part. The artist’s handling of color, value and brushstrokes all contribute in telling the story of the subject.
BIO
Barbara Fox is an accomplished artist whose paintings and drawings have garnered numerous
awards and been included in distinguished collections. Her work is characterized by strong
values and vibrant, intense colors, capturing a wide range of subjects with exceptional precision.
Paintings have been featured in solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries throughout the United States, including the Phillips Museum of Art in Lancaster, PA, the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, NM, the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira, NY and the European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, Spain.
Fox’s work has been published in 5 editions of the watercolor publication Splash: The Best of
Watercolor Painting, and has been a featured artist in the leading national art magazines American Artist and Watercolor Magic. Fox leads watercolor workshops around the country, teaching her method of layering washes and painting details.
Barbara Fox also worked in illustration, including clients American Greetings, Timex Inc, Disney,
and the United States Mint. From 2007 to 2020, 23 of her designs were minted as coins and medals. Currently portrait work has led to commissioned portraits of retired judges for the Allegany County and Cattaraugus County Courthouses.
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.
Following a brief Members Meeting we will have the pleasure of a demonstration by the popular watercolor artist and teacher Michael Holter, from Plano, Texas!
This will be a Zoom event, held at 4 pm on Thursday, February 15th. A Zoom link will be sent by email to all NFWS Members on the Monday before the Thursday afternoon Meeting.
Michael Holter is known for his dynamic watercolor portraits, landscapes, and workshops. After a successful career inart education, advertisingdesign and creative leadership, Michael began focusing more seriously on his painting in 2011. Michael is a signature member of numerous national watercolor societies. His work is widely published and he has received numerous national and international awards. He has released four DVDs from Creative Catalyst Productions: 7 Steps to Landscape Painting in Watercolor, 7 Steps to Portraits in Watercolor, Watercolor Landscapes from Photos and Paint the Town. Although Michael has been painting most of his life, his work experience spans a wide range of creativity, from high school art teacher, advertising creative director and businessman. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education and an MA in Visual Communication.
Michael says, “My work is impressionistic. I like to represent people or places and allow the painting to evolve from the recognizable. The challenge is to balance the care needed to make the representation interesting… and perhaps believable, with the freedom, looseness and painterly quality that makes a painting so expressive.”
Following a brief Members Meeting we will have the pleasure of a demonstration by the popular watercolor artist and teacher Rick Surowicz, from Medina, Ohio.
This will be a Zoom event, held at 4 pm on Thursday, January 18th. A Zoom link will be sent by email to all NFWS Members on the Monday before the Thursday afternoon Meeting.
Artist Biography
Rick Surowicz, a painter currently living in Medina, Ohio, discovered how much he enjoyed the challenges of transparent watercolor in 1992. His paintings have been juried into exhibitions of the American Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Louisiana Watercolor Society, Georgia Watercolor Society, and Splash 21. Watercolor Artist Magazine did an eight-page feature article on his work in their 2021 Summer edition. His YouTube channel has over 65,000 subscribers with over 4.8 million views. Rick is a signature member of the Ohio Watercolor Society, and a current Trustee. He keeps busy with his online instruction.
Artist Statement
To look where others don’t look, to see what others don’t see, to say without saying inspires and challenges me as an artist. I look through underbrush to see the river, I see beyond the flower to behold the foliage, and suggest the tree by painting the woods. I seek to portray that which is not obvious. It’s not my intent to replicate but to interpret through the elements and principles of design. I enjoy the beauty of transparent watercolor and continue to learn and evolve with every painting, with every brushstroke.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_RHSK_GEIoVTF-QNKDRvgA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsurowiczart
Website: https://rsurowiczart.com/
June Members Meeting.
SHOW YOUR ART SHOW! In person at Amherst Community Church
With Comments by Rita Argen Auerbach and Sally Treanor
6:00 pm, JUNE 15, 2023. Pizza at 6:00, Art Show at 7:00
Bring one painting, matted or framed and ready to share.
Book Swap, 6:00-9:00 at Show Your Art Show. Lots of art books available.Pick up some new books and pass on the books that you no longer need.
Also, last call for paper at the meetings. NFWS will no longer purchase paper for resale. Grab your paper while it lasts.
The Three Keys to Creating Your Best Work
Join Mary Whyte for an inspirational presentation as she discusses her work and what she has learned to be the three keys to producing your best work ever.
A very special event for our monthly members meeting!
