Save The Dates
November
10, 11, 12, 13, 2022
Hundreds of Dollars of Art Materials in Prizes
The Galeria San Francisco and the International Watercolor Society San Miguel de Allende are excited to present IWS SMA Plein Air Festival November 10-13 2022.
Thirty participating artists will be painting in and exploring the beautiful city of San Miguel. When provided, your photo and a link to your website will be posted on the IWS SMA website prior to the event. Artists are invited to bring 2 paintings ready to hang to Casa Europa on San Francisco where works will be exhibited and for sale for the duration of the festival.
Upon arriving Thursday November 10th, after checking in to the hotel of your choice, bring your watercolor paintings done previously to Casa Europa (https://www.casaeuropamexico.com) to hang with price and artist’s information. Later Thursday evening you are invited to a reception at the home of Trish Brock in Vista Antiqua for drinks and tapas.
Friday morning, we will all meet at Charco del Ingenio from 9:30-12:30 to paint in the beautiful gardens. Demonstrations are scheduled for Friday and Saturday afternoons.
Friday evening is a reception with drinks and tapas at the Casa de la Cuesta (http://www.casadelacuesta.com) hosted by Heidi LeVasseur. You are also invited to a tour of the wonderful Mask Museum. (maskmuseumsma.com)
Saturday morning you may paint in any location in and around the central part or Jardin of San Miguel. Saturday evening, your hosts will be Bill Harris and Howard Haynes at Casa Piedras. (https://www.piedrassanmiguel.com) you are invited for a tour of their delightful gardens and newly built hacienda and tapas and drinks.
Sunday morning you may bring two of your plein air paintings to Casa Europa to be hung and judged with a reception that evening scheduled from 4-7. After the reception, we ask that you take your unsold paintings with you.
We are honored to have Juan Zaragoza join us as a judge and doing a demonstration, as well. He is pictured here in his studio with lovely partner, Daniella Hernandez.
Live Demos
Tere Lojero, Juan Zaragoza,
Joye Moon, Hope Palmer
Judges
Tere Lojero
Tere Lojero was born in Mexico City and studied architecture in her native country. From 1998 onwards she follows the steps of Watercolor and completely devotes herself to this specialty. She has taken part in diverse collective national and international editions of watercolor exhibitions and has presented more than 30 Solo Exhibits in several Galleries in Mexico.
She has been awarded in different contests in her native country and abroad. Her main subject is Landscape, and Cityscapes are her favorites.
She is the IWS Mexico Leader since July 2017 and since December 2019 she is Vice-President of IWS Globe. She has been juror in different painting contests and as watercolor promoter and organizer she has arranged national and international contests and exhibitions involving other IWS countries in jointed projects.
Hope Palmer
Hope Palmer is a nationally known lecturer on contemporary art. She taught for many years as an associate professor in painting and drawing and art history, leading a number of her students to attain national recognition. She received her MFA from the University of Michigan. Professionally, Hope has combined lecturing and teaching about art and architecture, with leading art-focused trips to Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Currently she resides in San Miguel de Allende.
"Being an artist is a holistic experience. For me, it combines the world of nature and the actual painting experience. When this all comes together, the magic of creativity begins.
I feel it’s important for me to continually challenge myself by attempting to paint new subjects, create new techniques and experience different materials. Since I’m always pushing myself to learn more about the painting process, I am inspired to interpret the world in my own personal way. It also reinforces the fact that the world of art is endless and I must continue on my journey wherever it takes me”.
Joye Moon is a Fine Arts Graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She has earned her signature membership into the National Watercolor Society, Rhode Island, Western Colorado, Kentucky, Wisconsin and the Mississippi Watercolor Societies. A life long artist, Joye maintains her studio in Wisconsin and has taught over 200 watercolor workshops in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Maine, Florida, Georgia, Colorado, N. Carolina, Texas, Arizona, Connecticut and New York. As another aspect of her business, Joye has conducted 36 international art tours to Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Bahamas.
She has been invited to feature her work through one woman exhibits and group shows at art galleries, museums throughout the country and has been accepted into over 150 National and International Juried Exhibits.
Joye’s book, “Exploring Textures in Watercolor” was published by North Light Books in 2008 and has been a best seller around the world. Her work has been featured in “Splash 8” by North Light Books and “How did you paint that? 100 Ways to Paint Flowers and Gardens,” by International Artist. She has also been published in many articles in art magazines such as American Artist, Watercolor and the Artist Magazine.
Joye Moon
https://www.joyemoon.com
Juan Zaragoza
https/www.juanzaragoza.com
Impacting embraces
Juan Manuel Zaragoza Zúñiga was born in Michoacán, Mexico, in 1979, a graduate of Fine Arts at the University of Guanajuato in 2002.
Juan Zaragoza is a mature painter, having studied, taught, and exhibited full time for over 25 years. Winner of several awards, including “First Place in the National Painting Contest MIQ” in 2017, honorific mention at the Bienal de Pintura 2018 and his most recent Solo exhibition at the MIQ Museum in Guanajuato Capital for the Festival Internacional Cervantino 2021.
At this stage in his career, Zaragoza focuses primarily on the beauty found in San Miguel, whether it be his majestic mageys, his cocky, colorful roosters, landscapes of the wild open plains of the high Sierra Madres, or the streets and vendors of our sixteenth century town.
As we admire his artwork, we are reminded of something Terry Fenton once said:
"They don't shout, but neither do they whisper; they don't intrude …yet they trans-form their surroundings as only great art can.”
And, what Pablo Picasso said in a phrase that applies to our artist:
“Art cleans out the daily dust from our soul.”
There is nothing pretentious, nor dated, about Juan Zaragoza’s work. It re-flects the timeless magnificence of nature and man’s ability to not only appre-ciate but to co-create with the divine.Zaragoza believes in the power of art to uplift, to inspire, to rejuvenate. He would love to see a world where great art is at the core of everyone’s life and all societies.
L.Shermer
