| ||
 |
 |
 |
|
||
H I S T O R Y & S T A T E M E N T O F P U R P O S E In 1976, Nora Stevens and Sybil Olson attended an Ed Whitney workshop, discovered a passion for transparent watercolor and decided to begin a society for their region, the Midwest Watercolor Society. The first annual meeting was held on August 6, 1977 at the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth, Minnesota where Nora Stevens presided as President. The first dues paying member and logo designer was Zoltan Szabo who also held a position on the governing board along with Nora Stevens, Frank Webb, Cheng-Khee Chee, Irving Shapiro and Phil Austin. In 1977 the first annual exhibition of transparent watercolors was held and through the years has been juried by some of the most respected watercolor painters of all time. In 2003 the President, Tom Francesconi, recognized that the society had grown from regional to national status and the Midwest Watercolor Society became the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. From a membership of 185 artists the first year, TWSA moved into the new millennium with well over 1,000 members. From its inception, the purpose of TWSA has been to advance the stature and foster appreciation of transparent watercolor as a major medium. The membership includes artists from the United States and Canada who are dedicated to transparent watercolor and seek an avenue for its expression. Modern technology has produced many new “water-based media” products, referring to any medium that is resoluble in water. There are numerous watercolor societies that now provide opportunities to exhibit these new products while TWSA remains dedicated to its original purpose. TWSA recognizes an important distinction between “transparent watercolor” and “water-based mediums.” With only a few other existing societies, TWSA moves forward with its mission, to preserve and promote the unique character of transparent watercolor as a major medium.
Main | Membership | Merchandise | Newsletters | Contact TWSA 738 East Dundee Road, Box 111
Forms including the prospectus, membership and merchandise forms may be duplicated. All images and code are the copyright of TWSA and the artists. Last updated on 5-12-08. |
