Teachers Painting at 2011 Teachers' Day

Charlotte Huntley doing a demo

Myrna Wacknov doing a demo

An Outreach Demo by Wayne White

At Oktoberfest in Concord

Fred Kling's Demo at the Presidio

Chinese brush demo by Helene Yu-June Rice

Irina Sztukowski presents the Outreach project to 10 Brownies of Clayton, CA

First you draw a big circle like the sun for your sunflower painting

The girls work diligently. The sunflower petals, like rays of the sun, are painted in yellow

Everyone is delighted with their paintings finished as mounted cards.

Community Outreach Program

California Watercolor Association (CWA) has an active community outreach program, fulfilling part of our mission to create, foster, and sustain artistic growth and interest in water media. Programs include student art show awards, art programs at local Veterans Affairs’ facilities, and water media presentations in local schools. In 2017, 45 educational community outreach events were held by CWA volunteers. If you are connected to an institution that would enjoy and host an Outreach event, please contact us on the Contact Page.

ON-GOING PROGRAMS

One of CWA’s current programs serves veterans in the Oakland and Martinez VA facilities by providing monthly and bi-monthly water media painting sessions. The Martinez group is both inpatient and outpatient. Many of these veterans suffer both mental and physical disabilities. CWA volunteers teach, and often assist one-on-one, this community in the enjoyment of water media.

The Oakland group is all outpatient, and the veterans come from as near as across the street to as far as Northern California. They are mostly veterans of the Vietnam war and have been in occupational therapy programs together for many years. This group explores water media with a CWA volunteer teacher and an assistant.

ADDITIONAL OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES

In 2017, CWA participated in the “Pollination Celebration” at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Volunteers assisted families in painting butterflies and CWA members demonstrated water media by making art around the facility and inside the rainforest.

CWA sponsors awards for high school students at the Alameda County Fair.

A joint project between our veterans’ programs and Contra Costa County resulted in the About Face portrait exhibition. For information about this event, click this link to the newspaper article in the Martinez Gazette. Veterans About Face Exhibit

SUPPORT OUTREACH

Our volunteers are artists, art lovers, and regular people who enjoy working with others in a water media format. We are looking for teachers, assistants, writers and anyone willing to fill water containers, squeeze paint or clean brushes. The two veteran programs include an introduction and training. Please help expand our community outreach.

ARTICLES