Members & Fellowships

Why do we have a selection process.

The Watercolour Society of W.A. is one of the few Societies to have entry by selection.

This is not due to a desire to be elitist but rather a response to the intentions of the organisation and to the quirks of the medium.

It’s aims are to promote the medium of Watercolour to the public at its best and this cannot be achieved by anyone still grappling with the basics. Once people recognise that they have reached the stage of being either serious amateurs or professionals they are in a position to be an ambassador for Watercolour.

Being accepted into the Society is merely the beginning of a new phase. The Society is neither a teaching establishment or a selling entity.

Members are expected to improve their skills and grow their careers themselves. However, opportunities are offered through the website to advertise classes and exhibitions (Watercolour only, of course.) and during the Annual Awards Exhibition.

The people who send in their paintings are trusting us to give our full attention to the process and to make an honest and educated decision. There is no case of not being good enough, just perhaps not ready. And remember sometimes mistakes are made. We need to ask ourselves if we know the difference between naive and childish, abstract and scribble, contemporary and trendy, etc. We owe it to them and ourselves to keep up to date and informed. With computers this is easy.

By advancing the reputation of the Watercolour Society we have been showcasing Watercolours as an affordable and fascinating medium to collect and challenging and rewarding to paint. A valuable medium to be taken seriously. Now, more than ever, our world needs art. We owe it the best.

How to become a member

The Watercolour Society of WA is an internationally recognised society that is committed to the world-wide promotion of the watercolour medium. The first object of the Society’s Constitution is:

“To promote public interest in watercolours and to advance the knowledge of members in watercolour painting”

The Society is well aware of its responsibility to promote watercolour therefore its members need to have reached a sufficiently advanced level of expertise and understanding of this challenging and much-loved medium. To achieve this, we have a selection process which is as follows:

We require applicants to bring five watercolour paintings to a general meeting, at least two of which need to be framed to exhibition standard, the remaining three need to have a mount and be covered in cellophane or transparent plastic. The standard is high, so we recommend you select your very best works which illustrate your understanding of the medium, technical ability and artistic merit. Pen and wash and gouache are acceptable but not mixed media – we have a saying “Watercolour should be the hero of your work”. If you would like to discuss your submission with an experienced member, that can always be arranged.

Your paintings are displayed anonymously to the members present who are encouraged to consider your creativity, composition, tonal value, use of colour, drawing skill, perspective and brushwork.

To become a member, a 75% vote for acceptance by the members present is required. Those gaining between 65% and 74% will be awarded associate membership. Associate members enjoy the same privileges as full members but are unable to vote in ballots and are limited to exhibiting one pre-approved painting at our Annual Awards Exhibition. They are encouraged to re-submit paintings for full membership as soon as they feel confident to do so.

We encourage you to visit our Annual Awards Exhibition held in September, our website www.watercolourswa.org.au and our YouTube channel and spend some time looking at the biographies and paintings of our current members which will give you an idea of the standard required.

Contact for further details:

Peter Allen,  New Member Co-ordinator

membership@watercolourswa.org.au

0408 944 383

Updated 30 April 2024