Register for the 1st NWS Abstract and Experimental Watercolor Show

Abstract art uses the same basic tools as traditional art – shape, color, and value to paint a composition which is not strictly representational or realistic. The departure from accurate representation can be partial or complete. Artwork which takes liberties by altering color or shape in conspicuous ways can be said to be partially abstract or an abstraction. Total abstraction bears no trace of the recognizable. The artist’s imagination plays a bigger role in these non-representational paintings. Abstract art can be interpreted by different viewers in different ways and thus involves the viewer more directly as a participant.

Deadline: May 1st, 2021
Artists will be notified by May 15, 2021 There will be an online reception via Zoom in June

Judge: James Varnum https://www.jcvarnumart.com  James C Varnum, exhibitions chair of the Newton Art Association, is an experimental painter working in watercolor, alcohol inks, and liquid graphite. He holds a B.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute as well as an M.Ed. from the University of NH and an M.S. in Communication Disorders from Emerson College. He is an active artist in Newton, MA. with memberships in several art associations and galleries. “My paintings are combinations of layered colors, movements, and various textures on traditional watercolor papers and on substrates such as Yupo and Terra-Skin,” he says.

Details for Participation:
Open to all NWS members
Original art work only (no copies)
Up to three paintings per artist may be submitted
Size limitation: minimum: quarter size sheet; maximum: full size sheet
All artwork must be painted mostly with water media
All artwork should be submitted as JPG, TIF or PNG, max 3 MB: info@newtonwatercolorsociety.org
All artwork should be photographed without glass, plexi and without frame
All submitted digital photos should be named following this example: Last_name_first_name_title.jpg
If not compliant, artwork will not be accepted;

Certificate and monetary awards will be given
Limitation of 40 participants (first come, first serve)
Please list price for unframed art. If the art is “not for sale” mark NFS. NWS to receive 10%”
Show fee: $20 for first painting, $10 for 2nd and 3rd painting aka maximal $40 for 3 paintings

Please click Online Application to apply or

Download the form and submit the application by mail.

NWS reserves the right to use submitted digital images of artwork for promotion of NWS