Watercolor Society of Alabama
Watercolor Society of Alabama

Annual Members’ Showcase

September 15 – October 25, 2024 Heritage Hall Museum, Talladega, AL
Deadline was July 19th. Members Only.
Shade & Shelter by Ellen Jean Diederich
Shade & Shelter by Ellen Jean Diederich

Deadline for entry has passed.
View open calls for entry

Deadline for entry was July 19, 2024

Venue

Heritage Hall Museum
200 South St. E.
Talladega, Al

Valerie White, Director
heritagehallmuseum.org
256-761-1364

Juror of Selection

Shelley Prior, CSPWC

Shelley Prior is a Burlington artist and art instructor. Her watercolor painting style has evolved into a highly realistic style covering a variety of subjects which may include birds & wildlife, nature, portraits, floral, still life & landscape. Subjects with reflective qualities like glass and metal are especially intriguing to her. She is a very active instructor teaching regular classes as well as traveling to teach workshops throughout Ontario, Canada and occasionally in the US which she has done for about 30 years. Although she paints in acrylic and oil as well, her main medium is watercolor.

Achievements:
  • Splash 25 finalist - newsstands July 2024
  • 2nd place and member's choice award - The Artist's Mark competition, BFAA Oct 2023
  • Best of Show & 22 first place ribbons – Rockton World’s Fair, Oct 2023
  • Michael Harding Merchandise Award – CSPWC Open Water Comp. Sept 2023
  • Award of Merit – Society of Canadian Artists International Juried Exhibition Sept 2023
  • International Watercolor Masters – Honorable mention, Aug 2023
  • Best of Watercolor Magazine – Splash 23 winner, summer 2022
  • Finalist Highly Commended - International Watercolor Masters competition/show, Aug 2022.
To see more of Ms. Prior’s work please visit shelleypriorart.com.

Awards Juror, and Workshop teacher

Ellen Jean Diederich, RRWS, TWSA, WW, WSA

Ellen Jean Diederich with studios in Rancho Mirage, CA & Fargo, ND is a National award winning artist creating Neo-Impressionistic paintings working primarily in watercolor and acrylic. Ellen’s rural and city backgrounds play a significant role in her choices of subject matters. She particularly enjoys painting landscape, flowers, architecture and domesticated animals. Proud of her Midwest heritage, Diederich brings sincerity and love to each painting.

Having earned a BA in Art Education and a BFA in Fine Art Ellen is an honored alumnus of Minnesota State University-Moorhead. Diederich has been painting professionally since 1985. She has exhibited widely and was featured in Fargo at the Plains Art Museum and the Underbrush Gallery, The Rourke Art Museum in Moorhead, The Capital Gallery in Bismarck and Jean Stephen Galleries in Minneapolis and many more in the Dakotas and Minnesota.

Diederich is the author and illustrator of two award winning children’s books and her art book “Progressive Painting - Your Creative Journey” as well as a workshop instructor and juror.

You are invited to sign up for her “Painting of the Week” blog and see more of Ellen Jean Diederich’s work at givinity.com.

Awards

The Awards Judge will make the awards selection from the actual paintings displayed in the exhibition. Monetary awards for top three awards; three merit awards and seven certificates of recognition will be granted. Only one award per selected artist will be granted. All artists exhibiting in the show will receive one-half point toward Signature membership or advanced levels of membership.

How to enter

Follow all instructions carefully. Print and retain this prospectus for future reference. Begin by preparing the digital images. Keep in mind that these images are what the Juror views for acceptance into the exhibition. For more information on the entry process, please see the Entry Guide.
  • All entries must be submitted online. NO email/postal mail entries accepted. Successful completion of your online entry will be acknowledged with an automated notification of your entry data from the website.
  • If you have a problem submitting your entry online, contact Nancy Paden at [email protected]

Artwork Images

  • Artists must submit digital JPEG files.
  • One image per artwork may be submitted (up to 2 artworks per artist).
  • It should be correctly oriented. (See How to Photograph Art and How to Prepare Images and other tips at Resources/Tips on watercolorsocietyofal.org)
  • Prepare your digital images before filling out the 2024 Exhibition Entry Form. Save these files on your computer where you can locate the image(s) to upload when completing the Entry Form online.
  • Color must be accurate for web and catalogue publication.
  • Images must be cropped to exclude frames, mats & background and must be correctly oriented (vertical or horizontal).
  • Changes/substitutions to entries can be made by you at your account of ShowSubmit up until the deadline. No changes after the deadline.
For more information, please see the Image and Filename Specifications section below.

Entry Fee

  • $40 for up to 2 entries per artist.
  • Non-members can enter by becoming members, paying the $40 entry fee plus yearly member dues of $40.00.
  • If you have not paid your current membership dues, or if you would like to join as a new member, select Enter as New Member under the Membership heading in your entry.
  • Payment may be made by credit card. Cards that are accepted - Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JBC, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Link. ShowSubmit does NOT ACCEPT PayPal.
Paying by check
You can set up your account in ShowSubmit and enter your images and information, then pay by check. IF YOU CHOOSE THIS OPTION-You will need to contact the WSA show Director. Your entry will not be marked complete until WSA has received your payment and notified ShowSubmit. This must happen BEFORE THE DEADLINE!

Artist Eligibility

Exhibition is open to ALL WSA MEMBERS, who are at least 18 years of age and whose dues are current.

See the Membership section below for more information.

Artwork Eligibility Specifications (read carefully)

  • Eligible paintings are limited to water-soluble media applied in an aqueous, watercolor manner. For more information on the term “aqueous, watercolor manner” see FAQ at watercolorsocietyofal.org/faqs
  • Entries must be original, painted after January 1, 2021, and NOT PREVIOUSLY JURIED INTO ANY WSA EXHIBITION.
Allowed:
  • Only original composition and artwork by the artist is accepted. See FAQ: How does WSA define the original art requirement for entries at watercolorsocietyofal.org/faqs
  • Water-soluble only.
  • Watercolor, acrylic, casein, gouache, egg tempera, metallic, watercolor ink, watercolor pencil, and watercolor crayon.
  • Watercolor paper, watercolor or illustration board, watercolor canvas (without added medium) and clay board (example, Aqua board), Yupo or other synthetic paper.
  • Collage items: original work by the artist on one or a combination of watercolor paper, white rice paper without inclusions, white tissue paper, Yupo or other synthetic papers.
Not Allowed:
  • Alcohol Inks and oil paints of any kind.
  • Textured medium, textured applications (e.g., with pallet knife, applied textured papers).
  • Raised paint. Raised paint when applying any of the allowed media, e.g., acrylic, indicates the application is not aqueous enough.
  • Diptychs or triptychs unless in a common frame.
  • Pastels.
  • Class or workshop paintings, copies, computer generated art, digital images, prints or reproductions.
  • Copies or likeness of another’s work (i.e., painting, drawing, photograph, digital image or prints).
  • Original artwork derived from any published source or other artist’s work.
  • Varnished or waxed paintings.
  • Canvas Supports, except Watercolor Canvas.

Presentation of Framed Art

Allowed:
  • Minimum image size: 140 square inches (multiply height x width, e.g., 10” x 14”).
  • Maximum frame size: 48” in any direction.
  • Maximum frame width: 3 inches.
  • Wood frame: simple wood tones or painted gold, silver, white or black without ornamentation. See FAQ at watercolorsocietyofal.org/faqs for examples.
  • Metal frame: gold, silver or black (without decorative corners).
  • Light enough to be handled by one person.
  • Plexiglas plastic glazing only.
  • Wire must have taped ends or plastic coating, ready to hang and support the strength of the painting.
  • Mats required or image floated with a mat- (inner and outer) must be white.
  • Wood Liners/Filets, if used, must be wood tone, white, gold, or silver.
Not Allowed:
  • Glass.
  • Non-glare glazing.
  • Frayed wire ends.
  • Colored mats/liners including beige and yellow tints.
  • Saw tooth hangers.
  • Smudged, dirty mats.
  • Painted colored frames.

Membership

All entrants must be current 2024 members of the Watercolor Society of Alabama. Nonmembers may join WSA and enter the competition. There are a few methods to join or renew membership:
  1. You may join or renew membership at any time online using PayPal: Join WSA. You will only be paying the membership fee.
  2. You can join/or renew when filling out the Exhibition Entry Form – select Enter as New Member under the Membership heading in your entry.

    Please note: payment by PayPal will not be accepted through ShowSubmit, only credit cards, and those listed for ShowSubmit.
  3. If you wish to join WSA by mail, the membership form may be downloaded, printed and filled out: Member Application Form

    Make check payable to WSA in the amount of $40 and mail with completed form to Membership Chair.

    Mail to:
    Heike Covell, Membership Chair,
    11012 Willingham Drive,
    Huntsville AL 35803-2073.

Former Members

If you have not yet renewed your dues for 2024, your membership expired on Jan 1, 2024. If you are not listed in the website directory by your last name located below the Membership tab in the drop-down menu on the WSA website, you are not currently a member, and you need to pay your dues for 2024 either by check or by PayPal.

Please make checks in the amount of $40, payable to WSA. Mail to Heike Covell, Membership Chair, 11012 Willingham Drive, Huntsville AL 35803-2073. You may also pay by PayPal.

You can also join/or renew when filling out the Exhibition Entry Form – select Enter as New Member under the Membership heading in your entry. You will then be added back to the database as a member.

Note: If paying by mail, all membership checks must be received by the Membership Chair prior to your entry being added to the exhibition

Membership Benefits

  • Receipt of Newsletters
  • Discount on Workshop Fee
  • Copy of National Exhibition Catalogue
  • Option to be in Members Gallery of Website
  • Earn points toward Signature Membership. For info about Signature Member status, visit the Website at www.watercolorsocietyofal.org. (Dues must be paid annually to retain attained status.)

Sales

Paintings may be priced for sale or not for sale (NFS). Changes in painting name, price or NFS status are not permitted following acceptance. 10% of sale price goes to Heritage Hall Museum.

Delivered Works

DEADLINE for receipt at Heritage Hall Museum- Sept. 3-6 for Shipped Art & Sept.7 for Hand Carried Art
  • Artwork will be reviewed at the venue by the WSA Screening Committee to assure adherence to the Prospectus. The committee has authority to remove a painting from its frame if necessary to verify compliance with competition requirements.
  • Works that do not pass the selection image screening or on-site painting screening will be returned at artist’s expense. The Screening Committee’s decisions are final.
  • Entrants failing to deliver selected works may be denied entry to future exhibitions for up to two years.
  • No painting may be substituted, and none may be removed before the end of the show.
  • WSA reserves the right to refuse any painting that does not match the submitted entry, the prospectus, or framing criteria.

Delivery and Return Shipment

All artists whose work is selected for exhibition will receive instructions for shipping and delivery in the Acceptance Letter emailed to them. The Accepted Artist List will also be posted on the WSA Website.

A $25 HANDLING FEE will be charged for all shipped paintings. Make check payable to WSA in the amount of $25, place it in an envelope and attach it to the wire on the back of the painting along with the return shipping label. AIRFLOAT boxes are recommended (20% off for WSA members) OR similar reusable boxes such as Uline sells. It is for the safety of your paintings and ease of boxing and unboxing required by WSA volunteers.

ABSOLUTELY NO STYROFOAM PEANUTS ALLOWED-YOUR PAINTING WILL BE RETURNED UNOPENED.

Liability

WSA and the Heritage Hall Museum will take every precaution against damage or theft but will not be responsible for damage or loss whatever the cause. Artists should carry their own insurance.

Agreement

After you have completed your artwork information and uploaded your images, you will be required to electronically sign the online agreement as it appears below on the 2024 AMS Entry Form.

Submission of this (these) image(s) of the painting(s), if accepted by the Juror of Selection, shall constitute an Agreement on the part of the artist to comply with the conditions set forth in this Prospectus, including the following:
  1. I hereby release and discharge the officers of the Watercolor Society of Alabama (WSA) its representatives, and the Exhibition Venue from all claims occasioned by damage or loss of said image or painting while in the possession of WSA/Exhibition Venue.
  2. No work accepted may be withdrawn prior to the close of the exhibition.
  3. Permission to reproduce the painting for educational or publicity purposes is granted.
  4. I realize if my work is selected and I withdraw, or it does not meet eligibility requirements set forth in the prospectus including that it has not been exhibited in another WSA show, I will be disqualified immediately. Awards or certificates and the 2024 signature status points will be rescinded, and I will not be allowed to enter WSA exhibitions for up to two years.

Questions

If you have questions about the prospectus or WSA, please contact Nancy Paden @ [email protected] or Walt Costilow @ [email protected]. For technical support, please see the Support section below.

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on August 5, 2024.

You may view the notification in your ShowSubmit account by logging in and tapping the Notifications at the top right of the screen, or in your Entry History (Accepted works will be notated by a green check.)

If you do not receive your email, login and view the notification in your account. We cannot respond to inquiries regarding the status of notifications.

Note: Entries made prior to 2023 may not display the View Notification link.

Image and Filename Specifications

  • Submit your original JPEG image files.
  • Crop out all parts of the photo that are not the actual work; do not show mat, frame, etc, only the work itself.
  • Image must be displayed right side up.
  • You do not need to resize your image files.
  • You do not need to rename your image files.

Additional Entry Information

  • You will pay for your entry by credit or debit card using our secure checkout system.
  • After your entry is submitted and paid for, you may log back in to review your entry, edit artist and image information, and add or substitute images up until the entry deadline (July 19, 2024.)
  • Entry fees are not refundable and must be submitted and paid by the entry deadline.
  • Entries cannot be accepted or changed after the deadline. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.

Support

For questions about the entry process or this website please contact ShowSubmit Support at [email protected]. We will get back to you between 9am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday to Friday. You can also view the Support Center, Entry Guide, or our FAQ.