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Lola K. Deaton,
President, NWWSPresidents's Message
A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” Gandhi
The year was 1939, a loaf of bread cost eight cents, a first class letter could be mailed for three pennies and depending on the options…a spanking new, candy-apple-red, Cadillac Series 90 convertible would set you back about fifty-four hundred dollars, white walls included!
The New York World’s Fair opened with President Franklin D Roosevelt delivering the opening day address, marking the first ever televised speech by a US President. Gone with the Wind and the Wizard of Oz were playing on movie screens across America coast to coast; Batman made his first appearance in a comic book…and over the ocean, World War II began with the German invasion of Poland.
Many of the same joys and hardships we experience today are similar to the events shaping the lives of people in 1939. As with today, the challenges did not dampen the hopeful enthusiasm and creative spirit of individual persons. In that spirit, a group of eight artists came together in Seattle to form the Northwest Watercolor Society. With a goal to inspire both a lasting interest in the art of watercolor painting and an appreciation for watercolor as an artful, imaginative medium, the history of NWWS began.
Membership was offered to watercolor artists from the Northwestern States of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia. From these modest beginnings, NWWS has grown into the internationally recognized, historically rich organization of today with a membership nearing nine hundred Signature, Lifetime, and Associate Members. The Society decided in 1992 to extend the offer of membership to all residents of The United States of America and Canada. This expansion afforded the opportunity for artists across the entire North American continent the chance to exhibit their art in what has become an eagerly anticipated event, the NWWS Annual Open Exhibition.
It was also decided at this time - with limitations - to accept other mediums of watermedia into both the Annual Open Exhibition and the members only, Waterworks Exhibition. Doing this not only put NWWS in lockstep with the majority of all the prominent watercolor societies across the country, it has proved to produce exhibitions of excellence and diversity surpassed by none! The successful balance between watercolor and watermedia achieved these past years remains a commitment we are dedicated to maintain with no changes.
Always mindful of the aspirations of our founders, NWWS remains devoted to those same original visions that Florence Harrison Nesbitt, Dorothy Milne Rising, Vera Grube, NWWS’ first president, and five other watercolor artists imagined for the Society some seventy years ago. The Northwest Watercolor Society of today has structured an organization that offers a wealth of opportunities and experiences for the artist, the art patron, and all those fascinated by the magical wonder of watercolor.
After the summer hiatus and as we begin a new season of NWWS, we look backward at 1939, humbled and awed by the audacity of this small group of people that believed they could indeed make history. It is with fresh eyes, gratitude and affection that we continue with our history as we embrace again the mission statement of our founders…”The Northwest Watercolor Society is dedicated to the artistic growth of its members, while continually striving to be a major artistic resource of the Northwest!”
Never doubt that you can change history, you already have.” Marge Piercy
Warm Regards,
Lola
Lola K Deaton, AWS, NWWS
NWWS President
Lola K. Deaton,
President, NWWSPresidents's Message
A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” Gandhi
The year was 1939, a loaf of bread cost eight cents, a first class letter could be mailed for three pennies and depending on the options…a spanking new, candy-apple-red, Cadillac Series 90 convertible would set you back about fifty-four hundred dollars, white walls included!
The New York World’s Fair opened with President Franklin D Roosevelt delivering the opening day address, marking the first ever televised speech by a US President. Gone with the Wind and the Wizard of Oz were playing on movie screens across America coast to coast; Batman made his first appearance in a comic book…and over the ocean, World War II began with the German invasion of Poland.
Many of the same joys and hardships we experience today are similar to the events shaping the lives of people in 1939. As with today, the challenges did not dampen the hopeful enthusiasm and creative spirit of individual persons. In that spirit, a group of eight artists came together in Seattle to form the Northwest Watercolor Society. With a goal to inspire both a lasting interest in the art of watercolor painting and an appreciation for watercolor as an artful, imaginative medium, the history of NWWS began.
Membership was offered to watercolor artists from the Northwestern States of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia. From these modest beginnings, NWWS has grown into the internationally recognized, historically rich organization of today with a membership nearing nine hundred Signature, Lifetime, and Associate Members. The Society decided in 1992 to extend the offer of membership to all residents of The United States of America and Canada. This expansion afforded the opportunity for artists across the entire North American continent the chance to exhibit their art in what has become an eagerly anticipated event, the NWWS Annual Open Exhibition.
It was also decided at this time - with limitations - to accept other mediums of watermedia into both the Annual Open Exhibition and the members only, Waterworks Exhibition. Doing this not only put NWWS in lockstep with the majority of all the prominent watercolor societies across the country, it has proved to produce exhibitions of excellence and diversity surpassed by none! The successful balance between watercolor and watermedia achieved these past years remains a commitment we are dedicated to maintain with no changes.
Always mindful of the aspirations of our founders, NWWS remains devoted to those same original visions that Florence Harrison Nesbitt, Dorothy Milne Rising, Vera Grube, NWWS’ first president, and five other watercolor artists imagined for the Society some seventy years ago. The Northwest Watercolor Society of today has structured an organization that offers a wealth of opportunities and experiences for the artist, the art patron, and all those fascinated by the magical wonder of watercolor.
After the summer hiatus and as we begin a new season of NWWS, we look backward at 1939, humbled and awed by the audacity of this small group of people that believed they could indeed make history. It is with fresh eyes, gratitude and affection that we continue with our history as we embrace again the mission statement of our founders…”The Northwest Watercolor Society is dedicated to the artistic growth of its members, while continually striving to be a major artistic resource of the Northwest!”
Never doubt that you can change history, you already have.” Marge Piercy
Warm Regards,
Lola
Lola K Deaton, AWS, NWWS
NWWS President
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