About the Newton Watercolor Society

Our History

2008

By early 2008, Mike Milburn had been painting watercolors and attending watercolor workshops in the U.S. and Europe led by many master artists. After one such workshop in Connecticut, it occurred to him that instead of traveling to study, why not bring artists to Newton to teach? He contacted artist Charles Reid and arranged for him to come teach a workshop in Newton for the summer of 2010. Then, he just needed an organization to sponsor it.

Meanwhile, Linda Rinearson joined the Newton Art Association board in 2008 with the hope of also attracting some watercolor artists for workshops. But workshops were not a focus for the NAA. Mike and Linda knew each other and wanted to see the Charles Reid Workshop happen. Together, they created their own nonprofit, the Newton Watercolor Society, which is registered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Charles Reid conducted the first NWS workshop in 2010, and since then, many of the world’s finest watercolor artists have come to teach in Newton.

2011 – 2020

In 2011, Brigitte “Gitty” Schacher joined the NWS. She took on many roles for the NWS, including treasury, membership, website, and newsletter, until she became President in the spring of 2017.  Over the next five years, she expanded the society’s membership, developed the NWS Board of Directors, launched a new website in 2020, organized multiple workshops, several watercolor exhibitions, events, and competitions, including the NWS Calendar Competition.

During the pandemic, we started sharing weekly watercolor videos on Wednesdays over Zoom and then art dates, demos, talks, critiques, and figure painting sessions on Saturdays, also on Zoom. Each event was preceded by informal conversations to encourage members to keep in touch, form new friendships, and continue painting during the isolating years of the pandemic.

NWS encourages members to submit their prize-winning works to national competitions, and they are happy to announce that several NWS members have now been featured in the 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.

2022

In 2022, Ritu Singh became President of the NWS and has been an active and compassionate leader for the society. We are lucky to have so many dedicated members who continue to participate in our activities, whether it’s our Annual Meeting, online Videos, life painting, art shows, or one of the many other opportunities. Thank you for your support!