PAST PROGRAMS

Shown in chronological order, by earliest date

April 12, 2023
Zoom meeting: Annual General Meeting
7 – 9 pm
Members can log on at 6:30 pm to have a chance to socialize.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Zoom meeting: Demo by David Becker
7 – 9 pm

David Becker studied at the American Academy of art in Chicago. Illustrated for major advertising agency Walter Thompson and Foot Cone and Bleding. Taught right after art school as well. Authored books – Watercolor Composition Made Easy, How to Sketch with Watercolor. Has Articles published in International Artist Magazine and Watercolor Magic. Works in watercolor, oil, & acrylic but is recognized mostly for his watercolor scenes of Chicago. Paintings hanging in homes and businesses throughout Chicago.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Zoom meeting: Sarah Yeoman
7 – 9 pm

Sarah Yeoman is a signature member of the American Watercolour Society and was a faculty member for the 2018 Plein air Convention in Santa Fe. From her Crows and Ravens series to her Brandywine Valley landscapes to her 40 years of painting, paddling and exploring the Adirondacks of upstate NY from her families, she is most at home in the woods and on the water.

Sarah is much sought after as a workshop instructor having taught plein air classes in Tuscany for the last 5 years, many other workshops throughout the US and Canada and 10 years of classes in her Delaware studio.

March 8, 2023
Zoom meeting: D.D. Gadjanski, AOCAD, TWS
7 – 9 pm
D.D. will be doing simplified or abstracted paintings with floral and/or landscape feel on yupo paper.
She also will be showing techniques to achieve interesting textures, with paint only quickly and without textural materials. Her hope is to put you on a creative track, that will show you how to achieve simplified or abstract images from a photo reference of your choice. You will learn that by cropping, simplifying and exaggerating the values and choosing the palette of colours that are not in the reference in front you, but rather chosen by you in order, you will achieve continuity in your work. There will also be a composition and design comment when approaching the work.

February 8, 2023
Zoom meeting: Gord Jones
7 – 9 pm
Members can log on at 6:30 to have a chance to socialize.

Back by popular demand, Gord will work his magic painting in a winter landscape. Not to be missed! The surrounding landscape in the Haliburton Highlands, Ontario has been a great source of inspiration for most of Gord`s paintings. He loves how watercolour allows him to transfer the light and shadow from his photographs to his paintings. His approach is to interpret the essence of his chosen subject rather than producing detailed likenesses of actual places. Visit his website: www.watercoloursbygordonjones.com

January 11, 2023
Zoom meeting: Marc Grandbois
7 – 9 pm
“Nature has been my favorite subject for 25 years and I will never get tired of it. It’s an inexhaustible source of inspiration that spans the ages and transcends all schools of painting. All these years of observing the landscape and painting it have made me realize so much about its dizzying complexity and developed in me the desire to express more than just its inherent beauty.” Marc will be our guest demonstrator in January via Zoom, painting a mixed media landscape. To view Marc’s work, please visit his website at: www.marcgrandbois.com

December 14, 2022
In-person meeting: Celebrate the Season with Fellow TWS Members
7:30 – 9 pm

In the Burgundy Room with partition open for more mingling space. Concourse level of Memorial Hall. Enter the miniature contest! 5 by 7 (or less) matted, unframed images. Vote for your favourites. Prizes for the top three! Enjoy painting demonstrations, delicious refreshments (all provided by TWS) and catching up with friends at our December Holiday Party. Door Prizes include a one-year FREE membership and many art-related items!

November 9, 2022
In-person meeting with Jacintha Krish
7:30 – 9:30 pm

My paintings capture the world around me in vivid splashes of colour. I let my spirit soar with my paints as I paint what I see, whatever stirs my soul. After a career in business spanning many decades (yes, both sides of the coin!) living and working in Ottawa, Calgary, China and Europe. I am currently back home in Toronto immersed in teaching and painting full time. My travels and experiences in different countries greatly influence my artwork.
See Jacintha’s work on her website: www.jacinthakrish.com

October 12, 2022
In-person meeting with Doug Mays
7:30 – 9:30 pm

After studying art through High School, Doug went on to college where he applied his passion for art & architecture culminating in graduation in 1971 in Architectural Technology. For the next 30 years he enjoyed a successful business career in the Hamilton, Ontario area until early retirement in 2002. Throughout his business career he had the good fortune to study with several well-known Canadian and American watercolourists, which laid the groundwork for his second and current career as a watercolour artist and instructor. See: www.arrowsinthequiver.com

September 14, 2022
Zoom meeting with Michael Solovyev
7:30 – 9:30 pm

Born in Russia in 1972, Michael has chosen Montréal as his home since 2011. From there, his works continue to add to the beauty and value of both public and private collections around the world. He participated in 16 personal and more than 70 group exhibitions in different countries. Michael won numerous awards, including the 1st Award of Excellence on Elected Members Exhibition Society of Canadian Artists in 2019. He teaches five self-written art courses in the Syn Studio, a prestigious art school in Montreal, as well as private lessons in his own studio and many masterclasses around the world. See: www.watercoloronline.com/about-michael

August 10, 2022
In-person meeting with Melinda Calway
7:30 – 9:30 pm

Melinda is a Toronto artist who has taught visual art to teachers and students in elementary school, and photography to adults. Currently, she focuses on instructing watercolour and drawing classes for adults. “I feel so fortunate to live in this world of beauty and I want to share my vision through watercolour. I love watercolour because of its transparency and ability to show an infinite variety of vibrant colours. I strive to lend an element of timelessness, a feeling of spirituality and a sense of beauty to my artwork. Most significantly I strive to show nature’s innate connection and importance in our lives”. View her art at melindacalway.ca

July 13, 2022
Toronto Botanical Gardens TWS Annual Jolly July Presidents’ Plein Air Paint-Out
10 am to 2 pm

At Toronto Botanical Gardens
777 Lawrence Ave E, North York, ON M3C 1P2 MAP
Edward Gardens Park-Free Admission to Park

June 8, 2022
Zoom meeting with Shelly Prior
7 – 9 pm

Shelley is an award-winning professional watercolour artist in Burlington, Ontario. Her subject matter is quite varied but still life and portraiture are prominent. Her work is almost always highly realistic with rich colour, beautiful light and attention to detail. Original works can be found in collections throughout the world. See: shelleypriorart.com

May 11, 2022
Zoom meeting with Brian Turner
7 – 9 pm

Brian’s artwork strives to express his deeply rooted love of the Canadian landscape which is a result of having lived in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario along with his recurrent career related travels across Canada. See: www.brianturnerart.com

April 13, 2022
Annual General Meeting via Zoom

April is time for reviewing the year with the presentation of the financial statement and annual reports. The new executive roster will be presented with an appeal for volunteers to help fill vacant seats.
Following the AGM, artist Art Cunanan will do a painting demonstration of a European street scene.
Art Cunanan is a popular watercolour artist and teacher both in Ontario and internationally. He is an elected member of CSPWC (Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour) and the IWS (International Watercolour Society). He has been a long-time instructor for many years at the Haliburton School of the Arts and Blue Mountain Landscape Painting School each summer. He has taught numerous workshops at most art clubs in Ontario as well as many in the USA, Europe and the Philippines. Art is known for his loose approach in his paintings, his strong values, sparkling light and his inspirational spirit. See his website at www.artbcunanan.com

March 9, 2022
Zoom meeting with Rae Andrews

Rae was born in Australia and lives now in Florida. She is known for her semi-abstract, colourful and loose painting techniques. Rae uses limited colours in her paintings, usually transparent and primary pigments. She decides ahead of time which colours will flow well together, so she won’t get a muddy result, very often analogous colours are best for her first application. Later she might use one complementary colour to create some contrast. She uses mainly Winsor & Newton, Daniel Smith and Lukas Watercolours. Rae often does not have a subject in mind at all, but merely waits till the paint is dry and she will see what she can find to fit into the painted marks. She uses negative painting in her work, rarely actually painting the object, which she pushes forward with background information instead. Rae has been teaching for many years. There are several YouTube Videos with her teaching tutorials on her website.

February 9, 2022
Zoom meeting with Nora MacPhail

Nora is a Toronto Artist, who says her Watercolour paintings are all about Line and Colour. She draws strong gestural lines, then adds a lot of bright colours. She has drawn and painted for 25 years. She also works in Oils, carving out strong shapes with big flat brushes. For the past seven years, Nora has favoured portraiture as her primary subject. She has found delight in teaching Zoom classes for various organizations. Nora has also been commissioned to paint people’s beloved pets. All her Watercolour paintings are full of colour, executed in a free and loose approach. View her art at: noramacphail.blogspot.com

January 12, 2022
Christopher Gorey

Christopher was born and educated in the United States and graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art. After numerous painting excursions to Atlantic Canada, he moved to the small coastal town of Ingonish on Cape Breton Island to take up painting full time. His career flourished quickly with Solo and Group exhibitions. In 1981 and again in 1987, Chris’s One Dollar commemorative coin designs were chosen by the Mint to be produced in Silver. His paintings have won awards at La Societe Canadienne de Peintres en Aquarelle, Qc, the Watercolor Art Society – Houston, Tx, the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors, NY, among many others. View his website at: www.goreygallery.ca

December 8, 2021 – Holiday Party on Zoom

I hope you are all keeping warm and safe this season and looking forward to our second online zoom holiday party. It is going to entertain you with another live painting demonstration by three talented members while two knowledgeable commentators provide insight into the painting process. Similar to last year, we will have each artist painting for about 45 minutes and our host will switch views every few minutes so that we progressively see each of the paintings develop. Following that, we will hold a draw for the door prizes, so be sure to hang around for that. You can log on early at 6:30 to chat or just watch and listen to other members.

November 10, 2021
Susan Woolgar

Alberta artist Susan Woolgar is a graduate of the Alberta College of Art. After graduation she embarked on a career in visual communications. Since childhood she enjoyed painting and drawing and she gets her inspiration from nature. Susan masterfully abstracts her landscapes in Watercolour, Acrylics and Pastels. She teaches workshops and has branched out to do Zoom demonstrations for many Art groups.
Her paintings can be seen at susanwoolgar.com

October 12, 2021
Joel Popadics

Joel is Treasurer and Vice-President of the American Watercolor Society (AWS) and a Past-President of the New Jersey Watercolor Society. He’s been featured many times in American Artist, The Artist’s Magazine, Watercolor Artist, and Watercolor Magic Magazines.

Visit his website at www.watercolorpop.com or www.patreon.com/joelpopadics

This meeting is on a Tuesday.

September 22, 2021
Jean Pederson

Jean is the author of “Expressive Portraits: Creative Methods for Painting People”. She has been painting for over twenty years, balancing her strong teaching abilities, and writing with her continuing aspiration to convey her ideas in visual form.

Her work can be viewed at www.jeanpederson.com

August 11, 2021
Farid Ahmadi

Farid is a trained architect and landscape architect with more than 10 years of experience. His love for water colour was influenced by one of his professors and he is now creating loose and colourful urban land and cityscapes. Farid is a member of the Toronto Watercolour Society and he will demonstrate one of his urban landscapes.

His paintings can be seen online here, on Fine Art America.

July 11, 2021
President’s Paint Out
First informal Plein Air Paint Out at the Colonel Samuel Smith Park.
Sunday, July 11th. 9:30 am until 12:30 pm.

The first of two President’s Paint Outs will take place at the Colonel Samuel Smith Park that is located down along the shore in Etobicoke. Google Map. There are several parking lots, but I suspect these will fill up fast, so I have set an earlier time of 9:30 am and the session will last until 12:30 pm. At that time we will meet to share the views of our paintings… read more

June 9, 2021
Frank Eber AWS, NWS, TWSA, WW

Originally from Germany, trained in Europe, Frank, now resides in Central California. He is well known for his atmospheric watercolour landscapes. He works in a direct, loose style and his love of travel has allowed him to paint on location in many countries around the world.

Frank is an award- winning watercolour artist and national juror. His work has been published in many national and international publications such as International Artist Magazine, Watercolor Artist, Fine Art Connoisseur, North Light Splash 14, Japan Watercolor Society and many others. He conducts workshops and demonstrations locally and at the national and international level. Please visit Frank’s website at www.frankeber.com

May 12, 2021
Bill (William) Rogers CSPWC, AWS, TWSA, SCA, ASMA

Bill works out of his studio in Antigonish, NS. He is a multi-media artist, and his subject matter consists of plein air landscapes, figures from life, horses, which are very dear to his heart, and anything that catches his eye.

He is an award- winning artist, published in North Light Splash 9, 14 and Strokes of Genius 2.

Bill has extensive teaching experience and teaches art part time at St. FX University as well as many workshops in Canada and abroad. Please visit his website at www.williamrogersart.com

April 14, 2021
Annual General Meeting

Announcements of milestones reached by our members and awards and special citations compiled by Carolyne Pascoe will complete the AGM part of the evening.

The evening program continues with guest presenter Gord Jones, CSPWC, SCA- known for his fresh, direct approach to painting the everyday aesthetic of nature. Please visit his website www.watercoloursbygordjones.com

Joining a Zoom Call for the First Time; Fun and Easy Online Connection: YouTube

March 10, 2021
Our March meeting will feature Doug Mays.

We are fortunate that Doug Mays is available to demonstrate his free, spontaneous and transparent Watercolour technique via Zoom. Doug lives in the Hamilton area but spends under normal circumstances his winters traveling. Doug is an elected member of the prestigious Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC) and he is Past-President of the Central Ontario Art Association (COAA).

His enthusiasm for the watercolour medium along with his pragmatic and light-hearted approach, all lead to a stress-free and enjoyable experience. He is a very much sought after workshop instructor and his work can be seen on his website: www.arrowsinthequiver.com.

February 10, 2021
Our February meeting will feature Patti Mollica, a well known American artist doing a colourful acrylic cityscape. Patti Mollica, a resident of New York, has been a fine artist and professional illustrator for over 30 years. Her artwork is known for its fearless use of colour and uninhibited brushwork. She delights in painting the world around her in a bold, decisive style, with hues that are intense, brilliant and contemporary. Patti will paint a vibrant cityscape in Acrylics for us. Her work is represented in several galleries throughout the US. Patti is the author of three books: “Modern Acrylics, Color Theory and Acrylics getting started”. She authored instructional painting DVD’s and she teaches workshops throughout the US. She is also a certified Teacher for Golden paints.

January 13, 2021
Our first meeting in 2021 will feature Poppy Balser, a renowned East Coast painter. Poppy is a Signature Member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, Signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists, Oil Painters of America, Annapolis Regional Arts Council, Plein Air Painters of the Bay of Fundy and Plein Air Art Annapolis Valley.

Poppy has always lived within walking distance of the ocean, mostly on the shores of the Bay of Fundy. She developed an early connection with the seashore which has deepened, as she studies the sea and its environs through her paintings. She understands that the wild portions of Nova Scotia’s environment are a precious resource and seeks to highlight their beauty in her paintings. She paints often to keep her observations fresh and accurate. Her goal is to transfer the open air feeling of being outside in nature into her studio work.

Poppy began the serious pursuit of painting in watercolours in 2003. She has since followed a path of self-directed study, choosing workshops by master painters from across the country. She has won numerous Best in Show, Best Watercolour, First and second place, Grand Prize and Finalist Awards and is represented by Galleries like Amicus Gallery, Chester, NS; Camden Falls Gallery, Camden, Maine, USA; The Flight of Fancy, Bear River, NS; The Harvest Gallery, Wolfville, NS and the Teichert Gallery, Halifax, NS.

December 9, 2020
The Toronto Watercolour Society held a virtual Holiday Party on December 9, 2020. Includes art demos by Barbara Eguchi, Sim Wong and Bonnie Steinberg. Art commentators: Peter Marsh, Rayne Tunley and TWS President Doug Geldart. View on YouTube.

November 18, 2020
Our November meeting featured a presentation by Canadian artist David McEown. David has used the medium of watercolour for the past 30 years to explore and express many of the earth’s wilderness areas. His paintings from Antarctica to the North Pole are represented in collections worldwide. David is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society; an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, which in 2005 and 2018 awarded him the Society’s prestigious A.J. Casson Medal. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design and is a sought after teacher sharing his reverence for nature and passion for the creative act of painting. He has conducted workshops and multimedia presentations for numerous art societies and museums. Following David’s presentation, there will be an opportunity for members to pose questions and feedback from David.

October 14, 2020
We resumed our program meetings on Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 pm with some general announcements after which Margaret Roseman provided a painting demonstration of a fall scene.

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