Application Closed
Entry Fee (Entry fee for first piece 45th International Watermedia Exhibition): $40.00
Media Fee(Additional fee per entry): $15.00
Images | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 3
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 1, Maximum:Max. 3
Eligibility: International
State: Texas
Event Dates: 3/7/22 - 4/1/22
The 45th Annual International Watermedia Exhibition (IWE) is Houston's premier watermedia event. A once a year phenomenon, the IWE showcases the finest watermedia artists from around the world to address new and edgy techniques and create a global conversation. During the month of March, participating artists receive maximum exposure at our juried, month-long exhibit and have an opportunity to win generous awards from our sponsors. Located in the heart of the Museum District, WAS-H is accessible and a must-see while touring Houston's fine art establishments.
Entry submission opens: October 8, 2021 via CallforEntry.org (CaFE) Deadline is 11:59 pm MST January 7, 2022 More than $10,000 USD in prizes Exhibition Opens: March 6, 2022, at 3:00 pm CST
Questions? Contact IWE Chairperson Laura Mossman, admin@watercolorhouston.org (1-713-942-9966)
Juror: We are pleased to have an internationally recognized artist, Mark E Mehaffey, as the juror for the 45th Annual International Watermedia Exhibit. Mark is a signature member of AWS (Dolphin Fellow), NWS, Watercolor USA Honor Society, TWSA (Signature Life Member - Master Status and Distinguished Master), Watercolor West, the Rocky Mountain Watermedia Society, the Louisiana Watercolor Society (Signature Life Member), ISEA (Signature Life Member) and the International Society of Acrylic Painters. His most recent book is En Plein Air Acrylic. This book was released in 2018 and published by Walter Foster Publishing. He also wrote, Creative Watercolor Workshop, published in 2005 and re-released as Creative Watercolor and Acrylic Workshop in 2013, published by Northlight Publishing. Mark has created twelve instructional videos and appeared in many publications.
Prizes: More than $10,000 in cash awards! Top awards are: 1st Place - $2,500; 2nd Place - $1,500; and 3rd Place - $1,250. In addition, we have several legacy awards: Odette Rubin Memorial - $1,000; Jack Bowen Award - $500; Margaret Bock Award - $500; and the Board of Directors Award - $ 500. We will have additional sponsored awards and up to 10 Merit Awards - $150 each.
Signature and Elite Signature Membership: Signature and Elite Signature* Status are earned by artists who have been selected (invited) for participation in the IWE for multiple exhibition years. To earn this status, signature members have exhibited their work in three WAS-H IWE’s and Elite Signature Members have exhibited their work in five or more WAS-H IWE’s.
Artists receive a certificate and pin, presented at the awards ceremony in March. Once designated, artists may add the credential, WAS-H, after their signature to indicate their status. WAS-H By-Laws govern signature rules. To be eligible, artist must be a current WAS-H member at time time their work was accepted into the show.
To enter: WAS-H uses CallforEntry.org (CaFE) to manage this exhibition. Artists will need a CaFÉ profile to enter. It’s easy to create a profile on CaFÉ, so if you’re new to this process, don’t be intimidated. Once your profile is set-up, you can upload your artwork as digital files and enter the 2022 IWE call.
When submitting images to the call, be sure to use the correct dimensions (not including the frame and mat) when entering your information. This is critical to determine whether your artwork meets the size requirements of the exhibition.
Publicity: WAS-H reserves the right to photograph and duplicate works for the catalog and publicity purposes. Every effort will be made for attribution of the work provided to the 45th International Watermedia Exhibition. An online catalogue will be available before the last day of the exhibition.
Disclaimer: Submitting a work of art to this exhibition shall constitute an agreement on the part of the artist to comply fully with the conditions and terms set forth in this prospectus.
Gallery Sales:
If WAS-H sells your painting while it’s in the show, here is what you need to know:
· The sales price of the painting will remain the same as what was submitted during the call for entry.
· WAS-H reserves the right to negotiate up to a 10% discount to secure the sale of a painting.
· Your price includes the frame.
· The Gallery receives a donation of 25% for all paintings sold during the exhibit.
· Sales tax is charged for all gallery sales – regardless of country or origin.
· Artist is responsible for any shipping costs or delivery fees.
· Painting sales during the exhibit will be handled on behalf of the artist by WAS-H. Interested buyers may call the gallery at 713-942-9966 or send an email to admin@watercolorhouston.org.
Country Restrictions: Embargoed and sanctioned country restrictions and credit card acceptance limitations may exclude certain countries from eligibility to this exhibition.
Understanding the eight phases of the IWE:
| Date: | Description: | ||
| Phase I: | On-Line | 10/8/21 - 1/7/22 | Artists submit their works for consideration. |
| Submission | |||
| Phase II: | 1/8/22 - 1/22/22 | Juror determines which entries will be Invited to participate. | |
| Selection | |||
| Phase III: | 1/23/2022 | Artists are notified via an email from café. Paintings are either accepted or not accepted into the show. | |
| Notification | |||
| Phase IV: | 2/1/22 (deadline) | If accepted, Artist must accepts/rejects the invition to participate. | |
| Acceptance | Accepting Artist must: | Pack and send their original artwork, ready to hang, to Houston. | |
| Include a Pre-paid return shipping labels with your artwork. | |||
| Agree to participate in the online exhibition as well. | |||
| If artist declines, they forfeit awards/gallery participation. | |||
| Registration information cannot be changed at this time. This includes the price, title, or entry size. | |||
| Phase V: | Houston Gallery | 3/3/22 (deadline) | Work is uncrated and examined to determine rules compliance. |
| In-Take | Disqualifications: | Prospectus rules will be closely adhered to. | |
| There is a list of disqualifications below – please read them carefully. | |||
| Screen committee has the final say regarding disqualifications. | |||
| Disqualified works are shipped back to the artist. | |||
| Phase VI: | 3/5/2022 | Qualified artwork is judged, winners are selected and notified. | |
| Final Judging | |||
| Phase VII: | 3/6/2022 | Reception/Show Opens | |
| Winners Announced | |||
| Phase VIII: | 3/8/22 - 3/31/22 | Gallery show is open to public. | |
| Gallery and | Paintings may not be removed during this time. | ||
| On-line Exhibit | 3/6/22-12/31/22 | Online Gallery is live and will continue through the end of the year. |
Invitation to participate: If your artwork gets selected (invited) to participate in the 45th Annual IWE – you are among the very best! Congratulations! Be sure to accept your invitation and then pack your artwork so you can send it to Houston. Just a few things to keep in mind:
| Dates for In-Take: | Start: 3/3/22 | End: 3/5/22 | |
| Shipping Instructions: | Will be provided to artists whose work is accepted into the show (see Invitation Notification email) | ||
| Days/Times for deliveries: | Deliveries can only be accepted during regular gallery hours: | Tuesday – Saturday Closed Sun & Mon | 10 am – 3 pm |
| Accepted Artwork: | Must be the same as the digital picture submitted when submitting your online entry | No substitutions. | |
| Arrival by Deadline: | Paintings received after the deadline will not be in the show. No exceptions. | ||
| Price of Painting: | Sales price at time of entry may not change. | Not for sale paintings - price should be zero. | |
| Sold paintings: | Can’t be removed from the gallery until the show closes. Paintings will not be released until: | April 1, 2022, 10 am CST | |
| Hanging Location in Gallery: | WAS-H will determine the location of hanging for all artwork. Special requests by the artists are not allowed. | ||
| Handling Fee: | $25 for hand-delivered paintings and $50 for shipped paintings. | ||
Definition of Terms:
Invited: If your digital image has been selected for participation into the 45th Annual IWE, then you will receive an invitation to participate. You will need to accept that invitation in order to be included in the show. This means the same thing as selected.
Not Invited: If you submitted a digital image through CAFÉ but were not selected to participate in the 45th Annual IWE. That means that you are not invited to send your painting to the Houston Gallery to participate in the IWExhibition.
Selected: If your digital image has been selected for participation into the 45th Annual IWE, then you will receive an invitation to participate. You will need to accept that invitation in order to be included in the show. This means the same thing as invited.
Disqualification Checklist:
| Your art is not eligible for entry if: | |
| Copyright | It is a copy of someone else’s art. |
| Copyright | It is a copy of a previous winning image. |
| Copyright | It is not your original artwork. |
| Copyright | It was created from a photo that was copyright protected. |
| Copyright | It was created from a photo someone else took. Photo references must be taken by the artist. |
| Student Art | It was created as part of an art class, DVD or other instruction. |
| Digital Art | It is a digital image - not an actual watermedia painting. |
| Previously accepted | It was accepted in a previous WAS-H AME or IWE show. |
| Watermedia | It has more than 20% non-watermedia content. |
| Collage | Collage images used must be 100% created by the artist. |
| Enhancement Media | It has more than 20% enhancement media: pastels, wax accents/resists, charcoal, graphite. |
| Frames | See frame section for details. |
| Mats | Mats must be white. |
| Size | It is too big or too small. |
| Surface | It is not on the right surface. |
| Hanging | It doesn’t have a wire in the back to hang properly |
| Frame is not stable | Frame is damaged so painting can’t be hung. |
| Not ready to hang | It arrives in a tube. |
| Late arrival | Painting did not arrive by the deadline. |
| Age of artwork | It was created more than 24 months ago. |
| Offensive | It is obscene, controversial or in bad taste. |
Application Requirements
| Artist Age: | Artist must be 18 years of age or older. |
| # of Entries: | Up to three entries can be submitted, per artist. Only one entry can be selected for the show. |
| On-line Submission: | All entries go through https://www.callforentry.org/ |
| Pay Entry Fee: | 1 entry- $40; 2 entries - $65; 3 entries - $75 (non-refundable) |
| Age of Artwork: | Only work created within 24 months of entry deadline (12/31/2021) |
| Watermedia: | At least 80% water media: watercolor, acrylic, gouache, egg tempera, casein, ink. NO water miscible oil. |
| Surface: | Surface: Paper, Yupo, Claybord, Aquabord, Gessobord, and paper-based board (illustration or art board). (No canvas) |
| Size Minimum: | 123 Square Inches or 793.54 Square Centimeters (height X width) - measured inside the window created by the mat. In addition, the artwork may be no smaller than 9 1/4 inches or 23.5 centimeters on any side as measured inside the window created by the mat. Artwork is measured for compliance when received in the gallery. |
| Size Maximum: | 48 inches or 122 centimeters (including the frame) in any direction. |
| Original Art: | Original Work only: Work must be artists original work, no copies or giclees. No paintings from someone else's photo. |
Eligibility Criteria
Framing and Matting Regulations:
| Regulation | Additional Info | |
| Framing: | Artwork must be framed and matted. | Liners and mats must be white. No toned/colored liners or mats are permitted. |
| Framing exception: | Claybord, Aquabord, or Gessobord Wood Cradle Panels. Must be able to hang by a wire in the back of the cradle. | |
| Frame colors: | Black, brown, white | Wood – simple, not embellished |
| Black, brown, white, Gold or Silver toned | Metal frames – simple | |
| Frame size: | Not wider than 2.0 inches/5.08 centimeters | Measured from front |
| Hanging: | Frames/Panels must be strung from wire in the back | No sawtooth hangers |
| Stability: | Frames must be stable and undamaged. Unsuitable frames will be disqualified. | |
| Protection: | Plexiglass for frames, varnish for cradle panels | No glass allowed |
| Arrive: | Must be ready to hang when received by the gallery. | |