46th Annual Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Submission Deadline: extended to Friday, May 24th (www.callforentry.org only)
Exhibition Dates: September 13 – October 26, 2019

The Rocky Mountain National Watermedia (RMNW) exhibition, in its 46th 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.

CAE’s mission is to promote and cultivate artistic excellence and to enrich the art experience in our mountain community. A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, CAE is committed to delivering engaging exhibitions and diverse educational programs for adults and children. In 2017 we moved to a new facility, which includes a modern gallery space housed in a historic old school house that became a church and is now the new home of CAE.

2019 JUROR

CAE is pleased to announce that internationally acclaimed painter, Sterling Edwards, will serve as the juror for the 46th annual Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition. Edwards is a contemporary watermedia master who is originally from Kansas City, Missouri. He has been a resident of North Carolina since 1973. 

In 2007 Sterling was honored to be awarded signature member status in the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (CSPWC) and in 2010 he was awarded signature membership status in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America (TWSA). 

Sterling was a featured artist in the fall 2001 issue of “Watercolor Magic Magazine’s Ones to Watch” and has been featured in numerous other magazine and newspaper articles. In 2009 he was a featured artist in the book, “Best of America Watermedia Artists”. He is the author of the best selling North Light book “Creating Luminous Watercolor Landscapes, a Four Step Process” and is a featured artist in numerous  other books by various national and international publishers including, “Masters of Watercolor”, published in 2015 by Russian artist and author, Konstantin Sterkhov. Sterling is also the designer of a signature line of multi-media paint brushes and a watercolor palette that are marketed internationally.

In 2013 Sterling was proudly accepted by invitation into the International Watercolor Society (IWS) and in 2015 was awarded a lifetime signature membership into the internationally renowned Whiskey Painters of America (WPA), the most unique and exclusive miniature painting society in the world.  In 2017 he was awarded signature membership status in the National Watercolor Society (NWS).

Highly respected among his peers, Sterling is often commissioned to jury national and international art competitions. His award-winning paintings are in private and corporate collections worldwide. Sterling works from his home studio in Lewisville, North Carolina. 

Sterling Edwards will offer a Master Workshop, Watercolors From A to Z, at CAE July 29 – August 1, 2018 (Monday-Thursday). Registration for the workshop is now open on our website at www.evergreenarts.org/classes. For questions on the workshop, you may contact our Director of Education, Stephanie O’Malley, at education@evergreenarts.org.

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 only 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 on boards, panels, or watercolor canvas that are not framed must have finished (non-raw) edges and be gallery-quality exhibition ready.
•  Paintings must be an aqueous medium on watercolor papers, watercolor canvas, watermedia boards such as Aquabord, Claybord, Gessobord, Yupo, illustration boards, and panels. Computer‐generated works or Giclee prints are also not permitted. All collage materials must be painted by the artist.
• Other media, if used, must be in conjunction with the watermedia, which must be dominant.
• All entries must be one‐of‐a‐kind.
• Artworks must have been painted in the last two years, and may not have been shown previously in any exhibition at CAE or a previous RMNW exhibition.
• 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.

FRAMING

• Minimum image size is 8” x 10”.
• Maximum frame size is 40” x 60”.
• No glass is permitted. Plexiglass only.
• Frame must be sturdy enough to support the artwork without buckling the plexiglass.
• 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.
• CAE reserves the right to reject inadequate framing or arrange with the artist to take it for repair/reinforcement at the artist’s cost

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 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 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 catalog. Additional copies of the catalog may be purchased.

AWARDS

In 2018, 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. File resolution: 72 ppi/dpi (standard web resolution)
5. Orientation: ensure your image is properly oriented (vertical or horizontal)
6. Show only the image, no frame or mat
7. No digital enhancement to the image is allowed
8. No slides or photographs will be accepted
9. It is in your best interest to submit a high resolution, high quality image

CAE encourages all entrants to review the instructions and tutorials for formatting images and entering before beginning the actual entry process. The following are tools available to help format digital entries:

·         Pixl Express: https://pixlr.com/express/ (free, online)

·         Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements (purchase software)

·         How-To Tutorial by Linda Doll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wChDaNa5Z-o

ENTERING THROUGH CAFE:

1.    Prepare your digital image before you apply through www.callforentry.org

2.    Go to https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=6175

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

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 Inga Kamis via email at curator@evergreenarts.org.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria