50th Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Exhibition 2025 
Hosted by West Texas Watercolor Society

The 2025 Western Federation of Watercolor Societies(WFWS) 50th Anniversary Exhibition is open to all members of the following regional societies, Arizona Watercolor Association (AWA), Colorado Watercolor Society (CWS), Idaho Watercolor Society (IWS), New Mexico Watercolor Society (NMWS), San Diego Watercolor Society (SDWS), Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild (SAWG), Southwestern Watercolor Society (SWS), Utah Watercolor Society (UWS), Watercolor Society of Oregon (WSO), and West Texas Watercolor Society (WTWS). Artists interested in entering the WFWS#50 Exhibition must be members in good standing and have paid all dues to their society before entering the 2025 Western Federation of Watercolor Societies 50th Anniversary Exhibition. WFWS encourages and recognizes artistic excellence to increase visibility of watercolor as an artistic medium through our annual juried exhibitions. This exhibition is hosted by the West Texas Watercolor Society and will be on display at the Museum of Texas.

Juror WFWS50 Ken Call AWS, NWS, TWSA, MA

Born and raised in Rochelle, Illinois, Ken went on to graduate from the American Academy of Art in 1980 with an Associate’s Degree in Illustration and Watercolor. He has worked as a freelance artist nationally for many years. Ken spent 1993 and 1994 studying and painting in Paris, France. He is now living in Northbrook, Illinois with his wife and two children. After beginning his career as a studio artist, he soon branched out on his own, beginning a very successful freelance career, which to date has led to the creation of over 500 illustrations for books, magazines, art publishers, advertising agencies and corporations.

Ken, in the last few years, has made the transition to fine art and portraiture. Many of his originals are hanging in galleries and homes across the country. Several awards have led to Signature status in the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Missouri Watercolor Society and Transparent Watercolor Society Master along with being a Master Signature member with the Illinois Watercolor Society.

Artist Statement

Starting in art school and all through my early years as an illustrator I was encouraged to paint in many different mediums and styles. I tried them all but, in the end, I settled on watercolor. The spontaneity and flow just fit my personality and style. What I look for and strive to achieve can only be expressed in this wonderful medium. One of the things asked of the artists is to define what inspires them to do what they do. After giving it some thought, the one thing that comes to mind before anything else is the play of sunlight, indoors or out, which defines and creates a movement.

Prospectus

ONLINE ENTRY

1. Enter online at http://wfws50exhibition.callforentry.org
2. Entry deadline is Oct. 11, 2024, 11:59 pm Mountain Time (MT).
3. You may submit up to three entries, $35 for the 1st entry and $10 per entry thereafter. No refunds. Insurance for the artwork is the responsibility of the artist and their local society. There will be an additional $50 processing fee for artists accepted into the exhibit.
4. All images/entries must be submitted at the same time, and you may not make changes or add to your entries once submitted. Your painting information and your images may not be altered/edited once the entry process has been uploaded. Tip: Don’t wait until the last minute to enter.
5. READ THIS PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY BEFORE ENTERING.
6. Make sure your paintings qualify before entering online.
7. All accepted paintings may be for sale or NFS and must be available for the duration of the Exhibition. There is a 25% commission on all sales. All shipping for sold work is paid for and arranged between the artist and buyer.
8. No substitutions. The information and painting you send to your delegate must match the juried-in, online entry. The Juror’s and the WFWS50th Exhibition Committee’s decisions are final.
9. By entering this Exhibition, you grant WTWS, WFWS, and Museum of Texas Tech University permission to use your artwork image for marketing and publicity. Images will be publicly viewable on the WFWS and the WTWS websites.
10. While utmost care will be taken in handling entries and artwork, neither WTWS WFWS, Museum of Texas Tech University, nor its representatives will be responsible for damage or loss from any cause.
11. By entering this Exhibition, you grant WTWS permission to communicate with you by email via Call for Entry and/or direct email.
12. Painting size requirements:
    1. Minimum image size: 100 square inches (length x width)
    2. Maximum image size: 24”x 34”
13. Mat requirements:
    1. The mat must be a single white mat and a minimum of 3” on each side.  All artworks must be matted, including canvas board, watercolor board, and varnished paintings.  No floated artwork will be accepted.
    2. The outer measurement of the mat must be in whole inches and one of the following sizes: 
       16 x 20, 20 x 24, 22 x 22, 22 x 28, 24 x 30, 24 x 36, 30 x 30, 30 x 40
14. Image instructions: Digital image files must conform to the following requirements:
    1. Digital images should be cropped to show only the painting.
    2. No mats, hands, background, edges, etc. should be visible in the digital entry image.
15. File format:
    1. JPG files only.
    2. File size per image should be less than 5MB and a minimum 1200 pixels on the longest side.

Application Requirements

Images- Minimum: 1, Maximum 3

Total Media - Minimum: 1, Maximum 3

Entry Fee: $35

Media Fee (per sample over minimum): $10

Eligibility Criteria

1. The artist must be a dues-paid, current member of one of the societies of the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (WFWS) and may enter through only ONE society.
   WFWS Members:
   Arizona Watercolor Association (AWA), Colorado Watercolor Society (CWS),
   Idaho Watercolor Society (IWS), New Mexico Watercolor Society (NMWS),
   San Diego Watercolor Society (SDWS), Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild (SAWG),
   Southwestern Watercolor Society (SWS), Utah Watercolor Society (UWS),
   Watercolor Society of Oregon (WSO), and West Texas Watercolor Society (WTWS)
2. Work must be original and completed within the past two years, on or after 10/11/2022.
   1. All work must consist of watermedia on natural or synthetic paper or watercolor board, canvas paper or 1/8” canvas board.
   2. Watermedia includes watercolor, acrylic, water-based mediums (such as texture mediums), ink, gouache, casein, egg tempera, watercolor pencil, and watercolor crayon.
   3. Any collage materials used must be painted by the artist with watermedia.
   4. No alcohol inks or water soluble (miscible) oils.
   5. Digital media or Artificial Intelligence generated art are not permitted.
   6. Photography, prints or reproductions are not permitted.
   7. Diptychs or triptychs are not permitted.
   8. Watercolor Board, 1/8” Canvas Board and Varnished Painting must be matted and prepared for framing under plexiglass as with all other entries.
3. Original art only
   1. “Original” means the painting is the artist’s own idea, composition, and design, painted by hand (not computer generated).
   2. No copies or likeness of another artist’s work.
   3. No copies of any copyrighted, or un-copyrighted material from any source.
   4. Photo reference material must have been taken by you.
   5. No work done in a workshop, or under paid or unpaid supervision.
4. Paintings must NOT have been shown in any previous WFWS exhibition, nor in any previous National or International exhibition by other Societies (including any online National or International exhibitions).
5. Each artist may submit up to three entries, but only one painting per artist may be chosen.
6. All terms and conditions for entry into this exhibition are required. The WFWS Exhibition Committee reserves the right to refuse any work of unacceptable quality, improper matting, damage caused by shipment, or for non-compliance of these terms and conditions. Any work, once selected by the juror, later found to be not in compliance with any term or condition, will be disqualified from exhibiting. Any artist who submits work that is later disqualified or who withdraws work, once selected, may be banned from participation in WFWS exhibitions for a period of up to two exhibition years. The WFWS Exhibition Committee’s determinations and decisions are final.