33rd Annual International Exhibition
Download a printable prospectus
The San Diego Watercolor Society was established in 1964 and is one of the largest and most active in the United States. Its International Exhibition is widely recognized for its high standard of excellence in watermedia art.
Eligibility and Requirements
Entries must be original work in water-soluble media on paper, paper based board, or synthetic paper and painted within the last two years. All work must be at least 80% water-based media. Collage is acceptable only if treated with watermedia. No digital art, work produced under instruction, work derived from another’s intellectual property or from copyrighted references will be accepted. No giclees or other reproductions will be accepted. Entries must not have won awards in other national or international shows. No painting exhibited in a previous SDWS International Exhibition is eligible. Only one painting per artist will be accepted. The juror’s decision is final. Paintings must be for sale and available for the duration of the exhibit. No price changes are allowed. A 30% commission to SDWS will be taken on any sale. Failure to provide an accepted painting will result in the artist being ineligible to enter the SDWS International Exhibition for two years.
Minimum Image: 140 square inches, with no side less than 10 inches. Maximum Frame, outside dimensions: 46” in either direction Maximum Weight: 40 lbs.
One to three paintings per artist may be entered. One entry: Members-$30, Non-Members-$40. Add $5 for each additional entry up to a maximum of 3 entries. Entry fees are non-refundable. All entrants receive a full color catalog with reproductions of the accepted paintings.
Digital Image Entries
To enter, go to www.sdws.org, click on “Log In” and, if you have not already done so, register a user name (your email address) and password. You will then be allowed to log in, go to the International Exhibition page and receive instructions for entering your images. Only digital images will be accepted. One to three images may be entered. Your digital image should be of your work without a mat or frame. Digital files should be submitted as RGB, jpeg format, and 1200 pixels in the longest dimension. Image file name should include the painting title. When you complete the information on the International Exhibition Entries page, you will be given further instruction for sending your images.
Juror Jean Grastorf
Jean Grastorf, AWS, NWS, TWSA is a graduate of The Rochester Institute of Technology with further studies at the School of Ceramics at Alfred, NY. She is an elected member of numerous watercolor societies. She has served on the Board of Directors of the American Watercolor Society as well as the Jury of Submissions and Jury of Awards. Her work appears in watercolor books and magazines and she is the author of "Pouring Light, Layering Transparent Watercolor" which was released in November 2005 by North Light. Among her awards are the Don Dennis Memorial, the Walser Greathouse Medal and the Elsie and David Wu Ject-Key Award from the AWS. Also the Gold Award from the Florida Watercolor Society, the First Award from the Southern Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society. She is represented in the permanent collections of Florida International University, the National Watercolor Society, Tropicana Corporation, Raymond James Financial Corporation and the Neville Public Museum of Brown County. Often retained as a juror and lecturer, Jean has taught for watercolor societies throughout the country including Alaska and Hawaii and overseas in Greece and the Carribean for the University at Sea. In her workshop, Jean demonstrates the use of poured watercolor washes to create the illusion of light falling on, through and around objects, while at the same time retaining the beauty of the white paper. She creates new and exciting ways to approach the art of watercolor, demonstrating new ways of balancing "chaos" and "control."