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Annette Garner

Annette Garner became a Diamond Signature member this year when Silent Stalker was accepted into the 53rd Annual Juried Exhibition. She has been a member for fifteen years and has served Mid-Southern Watercolorists in many capacities. Not only has she served as the president but she has also been the vice president and co-chaired the Member Open Exhibition for several years. She has always been willing to pitch in and has been integral to MSW's successes.

Annette did not have access to art classes in school, but she often found herself sketching faces and objects on her ruled notebook paper. MSW became an art school for her. She soaked in the paintings in the Member Open Exhibition and the Annual Juried Exhibition enhancing her knowledge of art and techniques. She continued to explore watercolor by attending many workshops and paint-ins. Dana Rowell’s mother, Jo Rowell, taught her the basics of color theory and oil painting.

Her self-directed education veered toward watercolors after a workshop with Shela Parsons, a longstanding member. Annette found Shela to be knowledgeable

and enthusiastic. Shela’s encouragement and vigor led Annette to paint in watercolors exclusively. Another key part of her artistic journey was learning the elements of art and the principles of design in a Tony Couch workshop.

Annette gained a great deal of inspiration from MSWs members and guests, but she also studied watercolor independently finding Nicholas Simmons, Michael Atkinson, and Janine Gallizia to be particularly compelling.

She often starts a painting in an attempt to paint loose but tends to want to paint more realistically. Annette enjoys painting seascapes and landscapes but especially portraiture. When the light touches an interesting face, she finds it a captivating inspiration. She will remind her subjects that she is not staring at them, but rather simply watching how the light hits their bone structure. She chooses to paint with transparent watercolors to allow the light to shine through and create luminosity.

Annette has also been a member of the Arts Association of Central Arkansas. She has generously dedicated her time and energy to the arts in Arkansas and we have all benefited from it.

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Featured Artist

Cheryl Kellar

Cheryl Kellar first had a painting accepted into Mid-Southern Watercolorists Annual Juried Exhibition in 2011 and has since went on to be accepted seven times making her a Diamond Signature member. She has also won two awards in the exhibitions. She has been an active volunteer in the organization serving as hospitality chair, special exhibitions chair and workshop chair. Cheryl continues to be involved by leading one-day paint-ins and participating in the semi-annual workshops. In addition to her dedication to MSW, she leads fashion illustration workshops.

Cheryl paints watercolors in the nontradional dark to light allowing her to create bold and dramatic works. She also utilizes color pencils, collage assemblages, and fluid acrylics. She incorporates her love of fashion and women into her works. Cheryl has stated that “Through, the lens of style in art, I salute the creativity, individuality and strength of women.” She has been drawing women in elaborate clothes since elementary school.

Cheryl’s art can be found on the gallery walls of the Artist of Northwest Arkansas in Rogers, The Art Ventures Gallery in Fayetteville, and the M2 Gallery in Little Rock. She is a Signature member of the Missouri Watercolor Society and a member of the International Society of Experimental Artists.

Visit Cheryl's website
cherylkellar.com

Dixie Shelton

Dixie joined Mid-Southern Watercolorists in 1971, just a year after its founding. She has dedicated much of her time volunteering. She served as president from 1975 to 1977, devoting countless hours to the exhibition committee, and to the newsletter. It is important to note that Dixie was happy to, and often did, lend her resources to all aspects of the organization. She is deserving of this recognition due to her dedication to watercolor and the arts.

She has elevated the stature of watercolor via education and her many works. Dixie has traveled and painted with Milford Zornes in Mexico and across Europe, and in turn, taught workshops across many other watercolor societies, painted with fellow MSW members, and even filled in for Polly Laibner’s AETN show. She enjoys painting “anything that is fun” landscapes, cityscapes, and abstracts. Dixie has been accepted into the Mid-Southern Watercolorists Annual Juried Exhibition

eighteen times and won several awards, making her a Diamond Signature Member.

She is also a member of the Southern Watercolor Society. Dixie has mastered the art of polymer clay and enjoys making clay sculptures and characters, painting in acrylics, and making collages and cards.

Selma F. Blackburn

We would like to celebrate Selma F. Blackburn as Mid-Southern Watercolorists 2nd Featured Artist. Selma joined MSW in 1977 and has been an active member ever since. Mid-Southern Watercolorists and Selma Blackburn are synonymous.

She has volunteered countless hours in many roles and has been the driving force for many members to join and to assume leadership positions. Selma has served on the board as Secretary, President-Elect, President, Annual Juried Exhibition Chair, and currently serves as a Member-At-Large providing a guiding hand with priceless insights. Selma and her husband Jerry have often volunteered on the Annual Exhibition Committee by receiving entry forms, keeping files, returning painting correspondence, and record-keeping! She has been involved in the enrichment of watercolor by attending numerous MSW Major Workshops throughout the years and leading multiple MSW Mini-Workshops. In fact, she will be leading a one day workshop on using FC Squares in March of 2020

Selma’s paintings have been selected for inclusion in 34 Annual Juried Exhibitions and nearly as many Member Open Exhibitions making her an esteemed “Diamond Signature Member” of MSW. She has garnered dozens of awards for said entries. Selma has earned the honor of being a Signature Member of both the National Watercolor Society and the American Watercolor Society.

Selma primarily uses watercolor and gouache in her paintings and collages, although she paints with acrylics on canvas occasionally. She is drawn to themes of people, landscapes, whimsy, and various forms of abstraction. She has been known to incorporate line drawings, rice paper, crayon, wax, acrylic resist, and marker into her works. Her style can be described as running the gamut from non-objective to abstract to interpretative representation.

With an emphasis on design, composition, and critique, Selma has taught watercolor for 28 years via classes at the Arkansas Arts Center, Hendrix College, private instruction, and as assistant to Doug Walton at Louisiana Tech. Whether assisting with trips abroad or serving on her Unitarian Universalist Church’s aesthetics team, Selma F. Blackburn has contributed a great deal of knowledge to Arkansas watercolor culture. Mid-Southern Watercolorists are honored that Selma has chosen to be a pillar of our community.

Marlene Gremillion

Marlene joined Mid-Southern Watercolorists in 1991 and has been a valuable contributing artist and volunteer throughout her tenure. Marlene is this June's Featured Artist for her outstanding dedication to the watercraft community. She has elevated the stature of watercolor via education and her many works of art. She has held many workshops teaching abstraction, portraiture, and design. She has been integral in dispensing information. She designed and maintained the MSW website from its inception. She also implemented the google groups email chain. Marlene has been accepted into the Mid-Southern Watercolorists Annual Juried Exhibition eighteen times and won several awards. She is also a member of the Louisiana Watercolor Society.

As a Hot Springs Village Arkansas artist, Marlene enjoys creating and designing in many mediums and has done so for over 35 years. Texture, color and light play an important role in what she designs be it in Oil, pastel, watercolor, collage, glass, polymer clay or jewelry. She enjoys working, manipulating and creating with her hands and experiments to see if she can come out with a pleasing artistic piece. “It sort of reminds me of being a child at play. I just enjoy having fun along with it being therapeutic for me”.

Visit Marlene's Website

Marlene is active in the arts and enjoys teaching. “I enjoy watching others learn and get excited about creating their own works. As adults, we forget to have fun. I encourage students to do just that; you must enjoy what you are doing in order to be creative and then it shows in your works.” Marlene teaches at the National Park Community College in Continuing Education and at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock. She also enjoys traveling and teaching workshops. She is a registered teacher through the Arts on Tour with the Arkansas Arts Council Little Rock, AR. Marlene is in the Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts'  2017-2018 Artists Registry.