The Newton Watercolor Society

The Newton Watercolor Society (NWS) was founded in 2008 to provide opportunities for artistic development for professional and amateur watercolor artists. Our members enjoy:

• Monthly meetings include plein air painting, artist demonstrations, and watching watercolor videos
• We sponsor at least one 3-5-day workshop a year with internationally known Master watercolor artists
• Our VHS/DVD lending library is available for use by all members
• The Newton Watercolor Society organizes at least one annual NWS Watercolor Art Show

To contact the NWS, please email: info@newtonwatercolorsociety.org

Watch our Introduction Video!

Officers

The History of the Newton Watercolor Society

It was early 2008 and Mike Milburn had been painting watercolors seriously for about 10 years, attending watercolor workshops around the U.S. and Europe led by master artists such as Charles Reid and Mel Stabin. After one such workshop in Connecticut, it occurred to him that instead of traveling to study under these great artists, why not bring artists to Newton to teach? He contacted Charles Reid and arranged for him to come teach a workshop in Newton the summer of 2010. Then, he just needed an organization to sponsor it.

Meanwhile, Linda Rinearson joined the Newton Art Association (NAA) board in 2008 with the hope of attracting some watercolor artists for workshops. In fact she chose the job of running workshops when she joined the NAA board. So Mike and Linda presented a proposal to the NAA board to sponsor the Charles Reid workshop. Unfortunately it was rejected because it was seen as too financially risky. Mike checked with other art associations and art centers around the area, but no one wanted to sponsor it either.

Still Mike and Linda were not willing to give up this opportunity. Together as co-presidents they decided to create their own non-profit, the Newton Watercolor Society, registered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Charles Reid conducted the first profitable NWS workshop in 2010, and since then, many of the very best watercolor artists in the world have come to teach in Newton and Boston, sponsored by the Newton Watercolor Society.

In 2011, Brigitte “Gitty” Schacher joined the NWS. She soon took on the role of NWS Treasurer, organizing the NWS’ finances in addition to managing the society’s memberships, website, and newsletter. Gitty was honored to succeed Mike and Linda as the Newton Watercolor Society president in 2016, and over the next five years she expanded the society’s membership, developed the NWS Board of Directors, organized multiple workshops with nationally and internationally renowned watercolor artists, and organized several watercolor exhibitions, events, and competitions. Among these, Gitty initiated the annual Newton Watercolor Society Calendar Competition, whose 12 winning members are featured in watercolor calendars sold in stores every year. NWS encourages their members to submit their prize-winning work to national competitions, and they are happy to announce that several NWS members have now been featured in the nationally-recognized Watercolor Artist magazine. As the Newton Watercolor Society’s name recognition has expanded, so has its membership, and the NWS now welcomes international members from three different continents.

Under Gitty’s leadership, the NWS also launched a new website in 2020, and successfully transitioned the society’s monthly meetings and events to an interactive, online format throughout the pandemic. These weekly “Art Dates” comprised of online watercolor skills and technique classes, art demos and critiques, figure painting sessions, videos and other instructional and inspirational content over Zoom every Wednesday and Saturday. Each event was preceded by informal online conversations between attendees, and encouraged the society’s members to keep in touch, form new friendships, and continue painting during the isolating years of the pandemic.

Following ten years of treasury and leadership, Gitty is now pleased to welcome long-time member and Advisory Committee member Ritu Singh as the new Newton Watercolor Society president.

Past and Future Workshops

2010 – Charles Reid
2011 – Mel Stabin
2012 – Nicholas Simmons
2012 – Alvaro Castagnet
2012 – Paul George
2013 – Joyce Hicks
2013 – Joseph Zbukvic
2014 – Nan Rumpf
2014 – Alvaro Castagnet
2015 – Eric Wiegardt
2015 – Z.L. Feng
2016 – Shari Blaukopf
2016 – Andy Evansen
2017 – Wendy Artin
2017 – Lian Quan Zhen
2018 – Ginny Zanger
2018 – Thomas Schaller
2018 – Catherine Gill

2019 – Iain Stewart
2019 – Eudes Correia

2021 – Chetana Keltcher
2021 – Pamela Harnois
2021 – Wendy Artin
2021 – Brienne M. Brown

2022 – Chetana Keltcher
2022 – Pam Wenger
2022 – Tony Couch
2022 – Roberto Zangarelli