52nd Annual Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition 

CALL FOR ENTRIES
Submission Deadline: June 4, 2025
Exhibition Dates: September 11 – October 18, 2025

The Rocky Mountain National Watermedia (RMNW) exhibition, in its 52nd year, is presented by Center for the Arts Evergreen (CAE) in Evergreen, Colorado. RMNW attracts entrants and jurors from throughout the United States and is regarded as one of the top watermedia exhibitions in the country. This show traditionally offers more than $10,000 in cash awards.

CAE is pleased to announce that internationally-acclaimed painter, Steve Tracy, will serve as the juror for the 52nd Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition. 

CAE’s mission is to promote and cultivate artistic excellence and to enrich the art experience in our mountain community. A nonprofit organization, CAE is committed to delivering engaging exhibitions and diverse educational programs for adults and children.

2025 JUROR—Steve Tracy

Steve Tracy is an internationally-acclaimed, Emmy-award winning artist collected all over the globe. He paints a variety of genres but has become particularly well recognized for his Canadian landscapes and for his sports collections including his Extreme Skiers. Steve’s versatile body of work is recognizable by its vibrant palette and specialized technique. This sense of color came from Steve’s experiences living in California and Hawaii. Canadian artist Steve Tracy was born in California in 1953. After discovering his natural affinity for art with a hand-me-down set of oil paints, Steve began his art at the School of Visual Arts in New York, where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Andy Warhol in Soho. He went on to graduate from the Colorado Institute of Fine Art furthering his studies in sculpting, design, drawing, illustration and commercial art. Steve was a member of the Denver Art Student League for many years, as both a student and an instructor, and he also studied printmaking at California’s Kala Art Institute. When asked who influenced him, Steve happily recalls training in New York City with Deborah Remington and Lowell Nesbitt. His famous Canadian landscapes are largely inspired by the Canadian Masters such as Jack Chambers and the “Group of Seven.”

2025 JUROR WORKSHOP

Register here: https://evergreenarts.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/evergreenarts/event.jsp?event=6766&

 Artist Steve Tracy will offer a two-day master workshop to produce calculable aesthetic art! 

The accomplished results will provide each artist with dynamic art with “Wall Power!” and inspire each artist with a practical perspective that helps the artist go from ordinary to extraordinary.

Each artist participating will leave with at least two unique pieces.

1. Plein Air: Producing a plein air watercolor field study on day one. The first day starts with plein air field studies in watercolor on location in the Evergreen area.

2. à la Prima: On day two, a masterpiece painted à la Prima from the watercolor field study at the CAE studios. Participants can paint à la Prima in any media at the CAE Studios. We will use the previous day’s field studies to complete a larger painting on the second day. 

Day 1: Plein Air - 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

We will depart from CAE studios on Tuesday, September 9, in the morning after a brief synopsis of the criteria Steve will be looking for from each participant. Watercolor field studies have been the favorite mediums of travelling artists on tour for later finished works in their studios. The emphasis will be to capture dynamic composition and contrasting values, temperature, and color tone, in plein air watercolor. Bring a brown bag lunch and enjoy a meal with your fellow students and Steve in the field. Remember to bring proper attire and water for the Colorado outdoors. 

Day 2: à la Prima - 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

The following day, Wednesday, September 10, we will be at the CAE Studios, painting your masterpiece from the watercolor field study you created the previous day, in any medium you wish. Your field study will be your reference for articulated composition, temperatures, and color tone. We will be painting à la Prima application in the studio and producing a finished piece by the end of the session that day. Midday group critiques will be conducted to empower each artist to develop greater visual impact.

CALENDAR OF IMPORTANT DATES 

ELIGIBILITY

• Open to all artists residing in the United States.
• Each artist may enter up to 3 paintings for consideration. Accepted artists will have only 1 original painting hanging in the exhibition. Please only submit images of finished original paintings that you would like to be considered for hanging display in the exhibition.
• Paintings must consist of water media on watercolor paper, watercolor canvas, watermedia boards such as Aquabord, Claybord, Gessobord, Yupo, illustration boards, or panels. Computer-generated works or Giclee prints are NOT permitted.
• Water media includes watercolor, acrylic, water-based mediums (such as texture mediums), water-based ink, gouache, casein, egg tempera, watercolor pencil and watercolor crayon.
• All works must be at least 90% water media
• Alcohol inks, water soluble (miscible) oils, oil, pastel, and other non-aqueous media are not allowed.
• Any additional media, if used, must be identified (collage, glitter, newspaper, etc.). All collage materials must be painted by the artist.
• Paintings on boards, panels, or watercolor canvas that are not framed must have finished (non-raw) edges and be gallery-quality exhibition ready. Deckle-edged paper mounted on board, panel or canvas will NOT be accepted as it may be damaged in packing or hanging.
• All entries must be one-of-a-kind. No copies of another artist’s work or recognizable use of another’s copyrighted intellectual property will be accepted.
• No copies of any photos other than those taken by you.
• No work done in a workshop or under paid or unpaid supervision.
• Artwork must have been painted in the last two years and may not have been shown previously in any exhibition at Center for the Arts Evergreen.
• Your source material must be your own design or made from your own photograph.
• If accepted, the painting shipped must be the same as the image submitted.
• Paintings must be for sale throughout the exhibition. See “Sales” note below for details.

FRAMING

• Minimum image size is 8” x 10”.
• Maximum frame size is 40” x 60”.
• Minimum depth for unframed canvases is 2”. Anything under 2” MUST be framed.
• If framed with Plexiglas, frame must be sturdy enough to support the artwork without buckling the Plexiglas.
• Frame must be wired for hanging. No other types of hangers are allowed.
• Mats, if used, must be white or off white unless it is an integral part of the artwork.
• All terms and conditions for entry in this exhibition are required. CAE reserves the right to refuse any work for unacceptable quality, improper framing, damage caused by shipment, fingerprints, pet hair or smudges on matting. The RMNW Committee may arrange with the artist to take it for repair/reinforcement at the artist’s cost. Any work, once selected by the juror, later found to be not in compliance with any term of condition, will be disqualified from exhibition. CAE’s RMNW Committee’s determinations and decisions are final.

DELIVERY AND RETURN OF ACCEPTED WORK

• All shipped artwork will be charged a $25 handling fee.
• Detailed instructions will be sent with notification of acceptance.
• All artists shipping work must provide a pre‐paid return-shipping label, a check for the $25 handling fee, and a sturdy box. Unsold work or sold artwork empty boxes will not be returned without a prepaid return-shipping label. CAE will not create labels or call FedEx/UPS to process call tags with a shipping account number.
• CAE is not responsible for damage or loss during transport.
• CAE provides insurance for artworks while on premises.

CATALOG

CAE produces a beautiful full color catalog featuring the artwork in the exhibition and indicating the award winners. All artists who are accepted into the exhibition will receive one complimentary print catalog. An online catalog will also be available for download and to allow for off-site purchases of the work.

AWARDS

In 2024, awards totaled over $10,000 in cash and merchandise to exhibition artists.

SALES

All paintings must be available for sale during the exhibition. Please note that CAE retains a 40% commission on all art sales. Prices may not be changed after submission. Payment for sold artwork will be issued 30 days after the close of the exhibition. 

AGREEMENT

Submission to this juried exhibition constitutes an agreement on the part of the entrant to the conditions set forth in this prospectus. CAE reserves the right to final curatorial, educational, installation, and marketing decisions.

HOW TO ENTER

PREPARE YOUR IMAGES:

1. File format: JPEG only
2. File dimensions: no smaller than 1920 pixels on the longest side
3. File size: 5 MB maximum
4. Orientation: ensure your image is properly oriented (vertical or horizontal)
5. Show only the image, no frame or mat
6. No digital enhancement to the image is allowed
7. No slides or print photographs will be accepted
8. It is in your best interest to submit a high-resolution, high-quality image
9. Your $40 entry fee allows you to upload 2 images. Even if you only wish to submit one image for consideration, the Cafe system requires that you submit two images. If it is the case that you only wish to submit one image, you may upload a blank image for your second or simply duplicate the same image in your portfolio and apply both to your application. You may submit a third image for an additional $10 charge. ($50 total to submit 3 images.)

ENTERING THROUGH CAFE:

1. Prepare your digital image before you apply through www.callforentry.org
2. Please ensure that the email address you have associated with your café account is up to date.
3. If entrants have not registered previously with CaFE, setting up a portfolio is free of charge
4. Pay the non-refundable entry fee of $40.00 for 2 images or $50.00 for 3 images.
5. Images submitted may be used for publicity and/or educational purposes
6. For technical assistance with your entry, please see www.callforentry.org/cafehelp.phtml or contact cafe@westaf.org directly (CAE cannot provide technical assistance for CaFE)

COMMUNICATIONS & NOTIFICATIONS
Correspondence and notifications with entrants will be done via email. Please make sure that your contact information is correct. If you do not have an email address, it is advised that you create one before you enter. For further inquiries, contact Chris Stevens via email at chris@evergreenarts.org.

Application Requirements

Your $40 entry fee allows you to upload 2 images. Even if you only wish to submit one image for consideration, the Cafe system requires that you submit two images. If it is the case that you only wish to submit one image, you may upload a blank image for your second or simply duplicate the same image in your portfolio and apply both to your application. You may submit a third image for an additional $10 charge. ($50 total to submit 3 images.)

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

• Open to all artists residing in the United States.
• Each artist may enter up to 3 paintings for consideration. Accepted artists will have only 1 original painting hanging in the exhibition. Please only submit images of finished original paintings that you would like to be considered for hanging display in the exhibition.
• Paintings must consist of watermedia on watercolor paper, watercolor canvas, watermedia boards such as Aquabord, Claybord, Gessobord, Yupo, illustration boards, or panels. Computer-generated works or Giclee prints are NOT permitted.
• Watermedia includes watercolor, acrylic, water-based mediums (such as texture mediums), water-based ink, gouache, casein, egg tempera, watercolor pencil and watercolor crayon.
• All works must be at least 90% watermedia
• Alcohol inks, water soluble (miscible) oils, oil, pastel, and other non-aqueous media are not allowed.
• Any additional media, if used, must be identified (collage, glitter, newspaper, etc.). All collage materials must be painted by the artist.
• Paintings on boards, panels, or watercolor canvas that are not framed must have finished (non-raw) edges and be gallery-quality exhibition ready. Deckle-edged paper mounted on board, panel or canvas will NOT be accepted as it may be damaged in packing or hanging.
• All entries must be one-of-a-kind. No copies of another artist’s work or recognizable use of another’s copyrighted intellectual property will be accepted.
• No copies of any photos other than those taken by you.
• No work done in a workshop or under paid or unpaid supervision.
• Artwork must have been painted in the last two years and may not have been shown previously in any exhibition at Center for the Arts Evergreen.
• Your source material must be your own design or made from your own photograph.
• If accepted, the painting shipped must be the same as the image submitted.
• Paintings must be for sale throughout the exhibition. See “Sales” note below for details.

FRAMING

• Minimum image size is 8” x 10”.
• Maximum frame size is 40” x 60”.
• Minimum depth for unframed canvases is 2”. Anything under 2” MUST be framed.
• Frame must be sturdy enough to support the artwork without buckling the Plexiglas.
• Frame must be wired for hanging. No other types of hangers are allowed.
• Mats, if used, must be white or off white unless it is an integral part of the artwork.

All terms and conditions for entry in this exhibition are required. CAE reserves the right to refuse any work for unacceptable quality, improper framing, damage caused by shipment, fingerprints, pet hair or smudges on matting. The RMNW Committee may arrange with the artist to take it for repair/reinforcement at the artist’s cost. Any work, once selected by the juror, later found to be not in compliance with any term of condition, will be disqualified from exhibition. CAE’s RMNW Committee’s determinations and decisions are final.