Our History                        watercolor by John Pike

The North East Watercolor Society was formed as the Orange County Watercolor Society by Babette Roy of Warwick, NY and Don Selchow, of Monroe, NY under the inspiration of internationally famous Illustrator, teacher and fine artist, John Pike, N. A., A. W. S. The first meeting at Roy’s home included the fifteen charter members who expressed the aim of the organization, “the promotion and preservation of Watercolor painting.”  

                  watercolor by Don Selchow

 The “Orange County Watercolor Society first exhibited at the Trotting Horse Museum in Goshen, NY with an invitational show which was attended by both Bogimir Bogdonivic, AWS, and John Pike, himself, who made a rare trip from his home in Woodstock, NY.

 Membership expanded and in 1976 the Orange County Watercolor Society sponsored it’s first Juried Exhibition at the Trotting Horse Museum. The By laws were revised and in response to the wider membership, the name of the organization was changed to North East Watercolor Society. The Annual Juried Show expanded the reputation of the organization and the Jurors and demonstrators at those shows reads like a “Who’s Who” of American watercolor painters. 

Recently the Annual Exhibition has become international in scope attracting entrants from as far as Singapore, Greece, and Malaysia, and the Society inducted its first International Member, Lorraine Dietrich from Trois Rivieres, Canada. The October juried exhibition is held now at the Gallery of the Kent Art Association, Kent, CT, and boasts over $ 8,000.00 in awards and some of today’s finest and most renowned watercolorists. The Association sponsors two workshops with nationally known artists and two demonstrations as well as at least one member show per year. Membership is open to anyone interested in watercolor or in supporting the art of watercolor painting.

Charter Members

Carrie Lou Fisher, Ethel Goldblatt, Matilda Grech, Ingrid Large, Gus Lieberman, Gertrude Ochs, Richard Ochs, Estelle Reger, Gordon Richardson, Babette Roy, Don Selchow, Janic Slocum, Edith Vail, and Malcolm Yohannan.

Former Presidents

Don Selchow  1973-76         Babette Roy  1977-83         Ingrid Large 1984-86         Joan M. Ross  1987-90

Friede Strobl   1991-92       Malcolm Yohannan 1993-96    Richard Ochs 1997-01     Winnie O'Dougherty 2002-04

Send mail to webmaster@northeastws.com (Richard Price) with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2005 North East Watercolor Society
Last modified: January 24, 2008