International Juried Exhibition

Letter from PWS President

As green leaves begin to fall and the gentle warmth of summer gives way to autumn’s changing colors, I find myself preparing to say farewell as your president of the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society. Reflecting on my time in this role, I am filled with gratitude and appreciation for every member who has contributed their time and passion—your dedication is truly what keeps our society thriving.

During my tenure, we faced unexpected challenges, from navigating the restrictions of the Covid quarantine to transitioning our gatherings to virtual Zoom meetings. Yet, together, we've overcome these obstacles and continued to showcase outstanding artwork from the United States and around the world. Thanks to your support, your society remains financially strong and deeply committed to its mission.

As we look to inspire the next generation, I hope schools will embrace watercolor instruction, fostering creativity much like the renewed interest in teaching cursive writing. By welcoming young artists as student members, we can offer mentorship and help them develop their unique voices in watercolor.

Thank you to everyone for their artistic contributions and for your unwavering support. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve as your president. Congratulations to all.

Best regards,

Linda R. Young, President
Pennsylvania Watercolor Society

Letter from Juried Show Chairperson

Dear Participating Artists, Patrons, and Supporters,

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, welcome to the 46th Annual International Juried Exhibition! This year's exhibition has surpassed all expectations. It is an honor to present such a beautiful collection of work.

Sincere thanks to everyone who helped make this show a success. The talent and dedication of the 217 artists who submitted their work for consideration are the foundation of this event. Congratulations to the 100 artists whose work was selected! For those whose work was not included in this year's exhibition, your contributions are highly valued. We encourage you to continue creating and to submit your work again for future exhibitions.

Special thanks to Juror of Selection Shelley Prior and Award Juror Michal Jasiewicz. Their careful review of each submission, along with their thoughtful eye in curating this compelling collection are appreciated. Out of 366 high-quality submissions, Shelley had the exceptionally difficult task of choosing only 100 pieces. Michal had the equally difficult task of selecting 25 pieces for awards.

This exhibition would not be possible without the hard work of dedicated volunteers like President Linda Young, PWS Awards Chair Lela King, Webmaster Nick Mohler, Membership Chair Anni Matsick and Treasurer MaryRose Noto-Hardy. Thank you for your time and talent!

We are grateful for the generous support of sponsors and patrons, who’s support allows artistic excellence to be celebrated with meaningful awards. Thank you for believing in the importance of art in our lives and its power to inspire and connect.

Please view the exhibition at our online gallery at pawcs.com. A downloadable version of the show catalog is available on our website.

Cheers to another successful International Juried Exhibition! We look forward to seeing your entries next year!

With sincere appreciation,

Jeannine Swartz
Juried Show Chairperson

Awards

• #1 Zhou Tianya, Childhood memories - First Place Award

• #2 Liu Yang, Namcha Barwa No.5, Tibet - Second Place

• #3 Francis Lee, Golden Horizon - Third Place

• #4 Chris Krupinski, Such Cuties - Fourth Place

• #5 Rick Mock, Drove my Chevy to the Levee - President’s Award

• #6 Pam Wenger, Concerto in Piazza - PWS Board Award

• #7 John Salminen, Late Night Delivery - Jean Spicer Memorial Award

• #8 Albina Herron, North American Toad - Anaxyrus americanus - Baltimore Watercolor Society Award of Excellence sponsored by Baltimore Watercolor Society, Silver Brush Limited and Blick Art Supply

• #9 Frank Spino, Hard Rock, Soft Citrus - Philadelphia Watercolor Society Award of Excellence sponsored by Philadelphia Watercolor Society, Silver Brush Limited and Matboard and More

• #10 Charles Rouse, Bean Central - Pittsburgh Watercolor Society Award of Excellence sponsored by Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, Silver Brush Limited and Jerry’s Artarama

• #11 Karen Mai, Rose Garden - Theresa Kubert Award of Excellence sponsored by Theresa Kubert and Daniel Smith

• #12 Patricia Guzman, Wisdom - Susanna Anastacia Award of Excellence sponsored by Susanna Anastacia, Silver Brush Limited,  and Jackson’s Art Supply

• #13 Lily Nan, Pilgrim in Snow - Award of Merit sponsored by M. Graham

• #14 Stacy Lund Levy, Kaleidoscope - An American Family - Award of Merit sponsored by Dixon Ticonderoga and Jerry’s Artarama

• #15 Frank Wengen, Reflecting On Reflections - Award of Merit sponsored by Silver Brush Limited,  Art Spectrum distributed by Armadillo Art and Jerry’s Artarama

• #16 Mick McAndrews, Pemaquid Point -Award of Merit sponsored by Silver Brush Limited, Jackson’s Art and Jerry’s Artarama

• #17 Christopher Wynn, Swan’s Calling - Award of Merit sponsored by Golden Artist, Guerilla Painter and American Frame

• #18 Jiangang Sun, Past Events VI - Award of Merit sponsored by Rosemary and Company Brushes and Blick Art Supply

• #19 William Vrscak, October Rain - Award of Merit sponsored by Holbein, Blick Art Supply and Jerry’s Artarama

• #20 Ron Thurston, Black Dog - Award of Merit sponsored by Masterpak, Blick Art Supply and Jerry’s Artarama

• #21 Christine Misencik-Bunn, Favorite Place - Award of Merit sponsored by West Charlton Frame, Blick Art Supply and Jerry’s Artarama

• #22 Ted Nuttall, She Only Remembered the Last Time - Award of Merit sponsored by Legion Papers, Paint Tube and Jerry’s Artarama

• #23 Lisa Arnold Franklin, Angle Moves - Award of Merit sponsored by Air Float Systems and Paint Tube
• #24 Jan Min, Silentness - Award of Merit sponsored by Winsor and Newton and Paint Tube
• #25 Linda R Young - Hydrangea - Award of Merit sponsored by Jack Richeson & Company, Paint Tube and Jerry’s Artarama

THANK YOU TO OUR JURORS

JUROR OF SELECTION STATEMENT
SHELLEY PRIOR

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to review and select so many of your wonderful watercolors. I found the choices very diverse in subject and creativity. I enjoyed seeing every artist’s visual language through their use of color, technique, line and composition. I initially selected more than the required number of images and then had the unpleasant task of further eliminating images, some of which were truly amazing paintings. The strongest works convey unique artistic vision and watercolor proficiency. I feel as though I've had a small glimpse into every participant's artistic personality, and it was a joy to meet every one of you. Congratulations to the selected artists.”

Shelley Prior is a full-time Burlington artist and art instructor. Her watercolor painting style has evolved into a highly realistic style covering a variety of subjects which may include birds & wildlife, nature, portraits, floral, still life & landscape. Subjects with reflective qualities like glass and metal are especially intriguing to her. Shelley has been a very active instructor teaching regular classes as well as travelling to teach workshops for about the past 30 years. Although she paints in acrylic and oil as well, her primary medium is watercolor. During the pandemic she started a YouTube channel offering free weekly demonstrations on various subjects and techniques. This channel and social media platforms have more than 65,000 followers worldwide.

• www.shelleyprior.com
• www.instagram.com/shelleypriorfineart
• www.facebook.com/shelleypriorfineart
• Shelley Prior Fine Art - YouTube

JUROR OF AWARDS STATEMENT
MICHAL JASIEWICZ

“A year ago, I had the great pleasure and privilege to be the guest of PWS. During a couple of days of painting together I learnt that the overall artistic level of my fellow painters is very high. This is why when I was offered the honorable function of the judge of the 2025 contest apart from pride, I felt a sense of anxiety for the task entrusted to me - if I will have enough confidence to make a choice. It was only when I saw the shortlist of 100 names that qualified for the final stage of the competition that I understood how difficult the task would be. The list contains names which mean a lot in the world of watercolour - names of masters in a given style. And names of my friends among them. Selecting 25 works as finalists took me five days, during which I changed my mind several times, with full conviction that the final choice will never be obvious and undisputed. It was extremely hard for me to make decisions and establish the hierarchy between the paintings that operate so many different artistic means of expression, each of them in a masterful way. In principle, I believe that at least 10 equal first places should be awarded. My choice is very subjective, as I assumed that I was entrusted with making this decision based on my own understanding of the language of art. I fully understand that as such, it may be questioned. Thank you all, and my bows to the winners.”

Born in Nowy SACZ, Poland, Michal Jasiewicz is a professionally active architect by profession. Watercolor is a passion and part of his lifestyle. Elements of architecture frequently appear in his works, though they are never represented directly; they are usually part of a broader cultural landscape. The coexistence of the natural landscape and human artifacts makes a remarkable material which enables the artist to create a half-realistic, half-poetic vision of the world, a vision as elusive as the changing light or seasons of the year. The resulting works are quite often inspired by a flash of light on a facade, shimmering surface of the water, billowing sky rather than by a particular object. Michal is often invited to run painting workshops and live watercolor painting sessions both in Poland and abroad. Visit https://www.michaljasiewicz.com/ to view Michal’s paintings.