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For almost 50 years, I have been dabbling in, slinging and flinging paint.
Over the years, I moved from charcoal to pastel, to watercolor, to acrylic, to collage, to acrylic with collage, to adding attachments. I moved from small to large sheets of watercolor paper, to canvas and cradled board.
Without a formal “art education”, over those years, I have studied with, and gleaned techniques, and a willingness to experiment and fail, from many workshop leaders. I STOLE a bit of something from each of them, and then painted MY way.
In the beginning, I tried my best to paint Cajun cabins and flowers that looked like real flowers. I failed miserably.
I love drawing and composition, and I have rolls and rolls of 22x30” drawings stacked on my studio shelves.
I found my joy in painting once I let go of the drawings and the rules and took the leap into the unknown chasm of conflicting color, shapes, marks, and of not knowing what the end result would be.
The last few years, the titles of my paintings have been the clue to where my creative wanderings were leading me.....
“Searching for Harmony”
“Exploring Red”
“Exploring Yellow”
“Exploring White”
“Finding a Path Through”
“Transcending the Golden Glow”
“Looking for Answers, Within”
“Searching for the Center”
“Pondering the Pond”
“Embrace the Inner Tangle”
“Letting Go of the Sweet Spot”..........
Searching, exploring, finding, transcending, looking, pondering, embracing, letting go....... as I moved from a set goal, before picking up the brush, to a mindset of allowing each layer of paint to lead me to the next layer, I found that I could, physically, breath deeper, slower, and more fully plunge into the painting....making it MINE, making it an extension of ME!
I try my best to listen to that niggling voice. I am determined to know the rules and be willing to break them, to embrace colors that are in conflict, to dive into a beautiful painting with marks and obliterate the beauty to allow “whatever” to emerge, to play, to explore.
A recent move to Houston, Texas, has opened new creative doors. While embracing big city life, I am enjoying the many museums at my doorstep and have joined other artists in creative endeavors. The international based group of artists, Houston Art Tribe, the Watercolor Art Society-Houston (WAS-H) and the amazing women of WIVLA have been my introduction to a new world of creatives!
Facebook and Instagram
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Who will WiVLA highlight next?
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Each month, a WiVLA member is highlighted in the Newsletter. This is a fun way for us to get to know each other.
Contact the Literary Art Chair or the Visual Art Chair, if you would like your time in the spotlight.
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Susan Salter, Shirley Beyer, & Brenda Bowman
Journeys of Three
Pop-up Exhibition March 4 - May 17 at the Fort Bend Art Museum
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Denise Bossarte
Had Literary and Visual successes!
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Had her poem "Scarab Envy" accepted for the "Identity" issue of Synkroniciti Magazine available March 5th.
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Had her short story Dancing With the Stars published in the February issue of the MENSA BULLETIN magazine.
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Cassandra Bohne-Linnard
The Wings of Beauty exhibit at Silver Street Studios West Gallery
Sat, Mar 1, 2025 - Sat, Mar 29, 2025 12pm - 5pm
Artist Reception Sat March 8 from 5:30 - 7:30pm
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The butterfly is symbolic of hope, transformation, rebirth, and personal growth. These small wonders of nature are the inspiration for Cassandra’s art. Whether she is capturing the timeless beauty of real preserved butterflies in her unique one-of-a-kind timepieces or in her surreal paintings, each piece in this exhibition is in some way infused with the magic and spirituality of these exquisite but delicate creatures.
“I strive to preserve the beauty of this delicate species and, in a sense, resurrect it through my art. My goal is to invoke a sense of life, resurrection and timelessness to all those who experience my art."
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Gwendolyn Womack
Gwen's book The Premonitions Club releasing April 22, 2025.
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Celeste Budwit-Hunterpoem, "So Many Celeste's poem "Jewels," has been accepted in the June issue
of Synkroniciti for the theme of "Recovery."
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And her lumen print Midnight Oaks was juried into the Abstraction Exhibition at ARDEST GALLERY. Exhibit runs from March 5th - March 29th, with the opening reception Saturday, March 8th from 5-8 pm.
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Margo Stutts Toombs
Two of Margo's video poems will screen at the
REELpoetry Houston TX Festival March 31-April 12.
She sends a special thank- you to Donna E Perkins, Mary Wemple, & Lewis Cooper for their photos and artwork and Andrea Schulman Cope & Harwood Taylor for video footage. And thanks Cait Weiss Orcutt for her feedback.
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Bridgette Mongeon
Bridgette's memoir, One Foot in Front of the Other: Art, Hiking, and Healing, is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.
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And Texas Country Reporter featured her work and Houston Women's Hiking in a recent segment "A Walk on The Wild Side".
It is a raw piece, as is my memoir. I guess you could say the memoir is "the rest of the story" of that feature, diving deeper into the themes of resilience and personal growth.
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Houston's Edible Book Festival
Feel part of a world-wide literary celebration!
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Have you ever read War and Peeps? What about The Catsup in the Rye? Maybe Ann of Green Apples? Perhaps you’ve seen a cake that depicted the story of Peter Pan? Or Shel Silverstein-like illustrations from Where the Sidewalk Ends on a three-layer cake?
Welcome to the world of Edible Books! This year, The Houston Book Arts Guild will be presenting a local celebration of all things both literary and culinary as we join book lovers around the world who are exercising their creative cooking muscles.
When: Saturday, March 29, 2-4 pm
Where: Metropolitan Multi-Service Center – 1475 W. Gray St., Houston 77019
Who: Anyone who wants to be literarily food-focused and create an edible homage to a book.
How:
1. Decide on a book title, characters, images. This can be a depiction of an image of the story or characters, or a play on words.
2. Email Lee Steiner (domesticpapers@gmail.com) with your name, title of entry, book title and author, and your email. Your entry can be an individual, family, or group project. Kids are welcome to enter their own creations as well.
3. Venmo Lee @domesticpapers the registration fee - $6.00 – this helps defray our printing, advertising and event costs.
Then What? March 29, arrive at The Metropolitan Multi-Service Center before 1:30 to set up your entry. Each person will have about 4 feet of table space to show their creation and a copy of the book. We will make a title and name card for each entry. This party is a blast! Invite your friends to come too!
Prizes: Prizes!! Everyone who attends is able to vote for their favorites. Kids get to vote too! Prizes will be awarded in 5 different categories, so you have many chances to win – although participating is the real prize because it’s all so much fun!
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Synkroniciti is Open
for Written and Visual Art Submissions
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Synkroniciti is a quarterly online arts journal. They accept work in a variety of media across the visual, literary and performing arts spectrum. Issue twenty-three, "Identity," will be out March 5th and "Recovery" will debut this fall.
Submissions for their March 15th issue are now open. Contests will be held in poetry ($75), flash fiction ($75) and for the cover ($100).
Theme: "Recovery"
Deadline: 4/15/2025
Fee: $3 per submission
Submissions should be emailed to magazine@synkroniciti.com
Want to know now what they look for in a submission? Check out this interview with editor Katherine McDaniel by Jim Harrington over at Six Questions For Katherine McDaniel, Founder/Editor, Synkroniciti Magazine
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The Center for History and Culture of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast invites applications for research and creative fellowships for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The Center supports the production, curation, and transmission of knowledge about Southeast Texas and the greater Gulf Coast with a commitment to multicultural, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and community-focused projects. To achieve these goals, the Center supports the work of scholars, authors, artists, community leaders, and others who represent varied specializations and backgrounds.
Our fellowship program supports projects that contribute to the broader understanding of our region. The Center encourages applications from any scholarly discipline or creative field. We are especially interested in work that consider our core geographic region or situates it within broader national, hemispheric, or global contexts. The Center funds projects in art, environment, history, journalism, literature, performance, social sciences, and other forms of scholarly inquiry or creative endeavor. If circumstances permit, the Center may request Fellows to present their results with the Lamar University and Southeast Texas communities.
We request that Fellows acknowledge the support that they receive in future outcomes such as publications, film and audio productions, performance and exhibition literature, and other formats, citing “The Center for History and Culture of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast at Lamar University.”
Fellowships are open to scholars, creatives, advanced graduate students, and community leaders whose work contributes to the Center’s mission. Fellows may receive awards up to $5,000. Lamar University faculty may also be eligible for a one-semester 25% teaching load reduction. If warranted, Fellows may apply for an additional year. The Center encourages applications for lesser amounts and may offer partial funding upon the recommendation of the Fellowship Jury.
Previous fellows have used our support for projects resulting in scholarly publications, short documentary films, oral histories, archival preservation, poetry anthologies, and music and theater performances.
Send applications in PDF format as email attachment/s to the Center director Jimmy L. Bryan Jr (jlbryan@lamar.edu)
Theme: see website
Entry Deadline: 3/15/2025
Entry Fee: none
Requirements: see website
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For eighteen years, the Artist Studio Program (ASP) has provided artists with a monthly stipend and 24-hour access to a private studio. As a multidisciplinary platform, Lawndale supports creative individuals who engage with the space as their hub. Lawndale is not only a place for experimenting, making, and showing work but also a site for critical engagement and questions.
Program Description
Lawndale’s ASP awards individuals with dynamic support to evolve their creative practice. The nine-month program runs from September 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026. During this time, participants receive a monthly honorarium of $750, up to $2,000 direct support for project development and materials, and 24-hour access to a private studio. In addition to this material support, Lawndale will provide a public platform for their practice, varying from an exhibition to a program series, performance, or publication. Documentation for these program(s) will be shared digitally and through a publication with commissioned scholarly writing. Other benefits include studio visits and exchanges with peer institutions. Major support for The Artist Studio Program is provided by Kathrine G. McGovern/The John P. McGovern Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Theme: X
Deadline: 3/7/2025
Fee: none
Location: Lawndale Art Center 4912 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002
Program Dates: September 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026
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Com-Part-Mental-Ize.
The verb suggests many possible visual and conceptual interpretations. The cognitive processes of sorting, separating, categorizing, shifting between diverse roles or tasks with efficiency and problem-solving to adjust to the situation are not exclusive to women. However, the often contradictory expectations faced by women serve as training for managing multiple human functions simultaneously, i.e., career, family, social, and personal needs.
WCACO invites women-identifying artists to submit to this exhibit. Artists do not need to be a member of WCACO.
Compartmentalization is a skill to create mental and emotional boundaries between actions and feelings, thoughts and decisions, personal views, and societal pressures.
Mental and physical boundaries may be seen as sharing (compartir, Spanish), while separating, two opposing perspectives.
This show explores how we arrange time, space, energy, pleasure, and pain. How do you express this tension/balance in a work of art?
Open to all women-identifying artists. Max. 3 entries in 2D, 3D or digital visual media.
Theme: Com-Part-Mental-Ize
Deadline: 3/2/2025
Fee: $40 for up to 3 entries
Location: The Lakewood Cultural Center in Lakewood, Colorado
Show Dates: May 30-August 16, 2025
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ClayHouston Award for Texas BIPOC Ceramic Artists
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This award is dedicated to providing funding for ceramic artists in Texas who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color. ClayHouston has created this award as part of our ongoing efforts to cultivate greater diversity and access in the field of ceramics, with a focus on Texas artists.
ClayHouston will award two individual winners with $1,200 each. One winner will be chosen from each of the following two categories:
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Emerging: Self-identifying as a student and/or early career. Must be 18 years or older. Formal training or academic background is not required.
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Mid-Career and Beyond: Non-Emerging. Self-identifying as mid-career or established. Must be 18 years or older. Formal training or academic background is not required.
We’re honored to have Tammie Rubin serve as juror this year Tammie Rubin is a ceramic sculptor and installation artist whose practice considers the intrinsic power of objects by weaving together familial, historical, and literary narratives of Black American citizenry, migration, autonomy, and faith. Rubin has received residencies at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Penland School of Craft, and Pottery Northwest. She is the 2022 Tito’s Prize winner and a 2024 USA Fellow in Craft.
Please visit our website for more information about this award, including the submission form. Please direct questions to info@clayhouston.org.
Eligibility: Applicants must be currently living in Texas and be 18 years or older. This award is open to functional and sculptural ceramic artists who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color.
Deadline: 3/10/2025
Fee: none
Announcement of Awards: Late March 2025
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It's LSAG Art League Spring show time!
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Theme: Open
Reading Period: March 1, 2025 - April 30, 2025.
Entry Fee: $18/submission
Length: 5-10 poems, previously unpublished. Submit all the poems in a single document.
Published : Our Poet of the Year will receive $3000 and a lifetime ONLY POEMS Membership. 4 Finalists will receive $500 each and a year-long ONLY POEMS Membership.
As we do with our Poet of the Week series, we will publish 3-10 poems by all five selected poets alongside extensive interviews. Publication will be between July-November of the same year.
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The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the stage and radio series Selected Shorts. This long-running series at Symphony Space in New York City celebrates the art of the short story by having stars of stage and screen read aloud the works of established and emerging writers. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast.
The winning work will be performed by an actor in spring 2025, and published on Electric Literature. The winning writer will receive $1000 and a free 10-week course with Gotham Writers.
Theme: Open
Entry Deadline: March 7, 2025
Entry Fee: $25/submission
Length: 700 words max. We do not accept work that has been previously published in print, online, or any other medium.
Published : see above.
The winner will be announced in spring 2025.
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According to their website, "Duotrope is an established, award-winning resource for writers and artists. We help you save time finding publishers or literary agents, so you can focus on creating. Our publication and agent listings are up to date and full of information you won't find elsewhere. We also offer submission trackers, custom searches, deadline calendars, statistical reports, and extensive interviews."
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According to their website, "For writers, getting your work published and recognized is a step toward realizing your goals as an author. However, finding the right contests or publications can be a challenging and time consuming. Authors now have the opportunity to find and submit their writing to magazines, publishers, and contests through a website called Submittable."
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According to their website, "CaFÉ strives to make art opportunities available to all by offering arts organizations an affordable submission platform and artists an easy way to apply. CaFÉ has an open call for everyone, from competitions to public art calls, to art contests and more. Artists can create an artist portfolio for free and apply to various call listings. CaFÉ also hosts its own call for entry."
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According to their website, "For the Artist, Maker and (Forever) Inspired. Artists Network is with you every step of your art journey. Artists Network produces anywhere from three to five major events for visual art enthusiasts each year. We plan and produce different art-making getaways and retreats, art competitions, pop-up learn-ins, Paint Alongs, art talks and tours, and more in locations worldwide."
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HCP offers a variety of multi-session courses, weekend courses, and short workshops (3-6 hours long).
Explore your creativity, learn practical skills and techniques, and enrich your photographic practice with the guidance of our leading instructors.
- The Photographer as a Storyteller (Mar 1-15)
- Out & About: The Rodeo (Mar 1-15)
- Understanding Light Metering and Exposure (Mar 9)
- Photography Basics - Teens (Mar 10-14)
- Portrait Mode: Fashion & Style - Teens (Mar 10-14)
- Digital Lab Crash Course (Mar 12)
- and much more!
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WHEN: Classes start throughout March
WHERE: Houston Center for Photography 1441 West Alabama, Houston, Texas 77006.
COST: Varies per class
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Bruce is a landscape painter working in oil, but the concepts in this workshop work for any subject matter and any medium if your goal is to truthfully represent the subject.
The workshop starts with a lecture about how and what Bruce thinks about while he is painting. To emphasize these essentials, various charts with examples are shown about values, color, composition, contrast and edges. This leads to students asking questions that lead to other topics.
In the morning, color mixing is discussed and demonstrated. Bruce will show how to mix any color using only three primary colors. This covers the whole morning. In the afternoon students paint color and value mixing exercises immediately following my demonstration.
The next two days we look at subject matter and start painting. Bruce encourages everyone to bring several photos to paint. He will also have several photos for students to use.
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WHEN: March 27th to March 29th, 2025
WHERE: Woodlands Art League Studio. 701 Sawdust Rd., Spring, TX 77380.
COST: $500 for WAL Members, $550 for non-members.
Intermediate to Advanced
Please register here.
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This class is intended for adults and older teens.
Painting experience is preferred.
We'll start with discussing these uniquely formulated oil paints, then we'll all do some painting.
Materials list:
- Bring an assortment of brushes, paper towels, a container for water - old coffee cups are great.
- Two small to medium size canvases, such as 11x14, 12x16, 16x20.
- Water soluble/mixable oil paint can be purchased locally at Michael's Stores or ordered from your favorite online art supply.
- Suggested colors: Payne's Gray, Yellow Ochre, Alizarin Crimson, a medium blue (Kings Blue or Cerulean Blue) plus Titanium white.
This is the first workshop and will be continued as interest is determined.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Danna by email at dannatartaglia@mac.com or call/text (805) 844-0908.
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WHEN: March 12th, 2025 1pm-4pm
WHERE: Woodlands Art League Studio. 701 Sawdust Rd., Spring, TX 77380.
COST: $125 for WAL Members, $155 for non-members.
Please register here.
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Learn the secrets of turning colored pencil into a fine art medium.
You can use your pencils to create works as rich and nuanced as any oil painting.
Award-winning, world-renowned artist, Jesse Lane, guides you step by step, sharing his signature style for creating nuanced skin tones, dynamic lighting, and compelling composition.
Everyone works on the same portrait as Jesse gives detailed demos and works with students one-on-one.
The workshop includes:
- Large-Screen Demos: A video camera on Jesse’s drawing board is projected to a screen so students can easily follow along.
- One-on-One Instruction: Jesse visits each participant, offering encouragement, answering questions, and explaining technique.
- High-quality instructional materials, including a reference photo, a glossy tutorial booklet, and the image outlined on drawing paper.
Since colored pencil is a very slow medium, students will not complete the portrait in this workshop. Students learn the skills to complete the portrait on their own with the detailed, step-by-step workbook. Take your art to the next level in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere!
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WHEN: March 15th to March 16th, 2025
WHERE: Conroe Art League Studio. 127 Simonton St., Conroe, TX 77301.
COST: $345 for CAL Members, $385 for non-members.
All skill levels welcome!
Please register here.
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Workshop-Oil Painting
with Fran Ellisor
Fran will be demonstrating at the March 17, 10AM meeting.
Her painting workshop is March 24, 10AM.
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WHEN: March 24, 2025 10AM.
WHERE: Memorial Church of Christ, Family Center, Room 302, 900 Echo Lane, Houston, TX 77024
COST: $40 Members, $60 Non-members
Please register here.
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WRITESPACE is Houston's writing center. Founded in April of 2014, we are a grassroots literary arts organization founded by writers, for writers. At WRITESPACE, we support writers of all genres, including writers of literary fiction, poetry, science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, young adult, and other genres.
We offer weekly writing workshops, manuscript consultations, write-ins, open mics, socials, and more. In the spring of each year, we host a national literary festival, Writefest.
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- Read Like a Writer: Donald Barthelme & Gabriel García Márquez
- Writing from the Power of the Senses - 6 Class Bundle
- Love is in the Air: 4 Workshop Bundle
- Writing from the Power of the Senses: Chocolate
- Mystery-building in a Novel
- The Happy Hour: Making Yourself and Your Creative Practice a Priority
- The Amherst Way with Jessica Cole
- and many more!
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The Houston Writers Guild is a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization working to create a community of writers of all skill levels. Together we strive to improve our writing craft and help each other build successful careers through education, collaborative marketing efforts, and camaraderie.
The Guild offers a myriad of programs for both published and unpublished writers. It creates opportunities to build careers through networking, as well as, opportunities for author book sales throughout the Greater Houston area and neighboring communities. The Guild is also a place for hobbyist authors to enjoy writing in a relaxed and fun environment.
Critique Group
Writer's Room - several offerings
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Inprint envisions Houston, Texas as a city where the literary arts are a defining resource. Thousands of Houstonians, recognizing the value and impact of the written word, join in Inprint programs to write, read, and support the literary arts. The community is enriched by some of the nation’s top emerging writers, who study at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program and teach at Inprint and various local community centers, schools, and universities.
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- Celebrating the Stories of our Elders: A Reading
- Inprint Jennifer Chang & Naomi Shihab Nye Reading
- Inprint & BCM HEAL Book Club discusses Solito
- INPRINT BOOK CLUB DISCUSSES THE MESSAGE
- Inprint Emma Donoghue Reading
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The WRITER'S LEAGUE of TEXAS (WLT) is the largest literary arts organization in Texas, a statewide nonprofit offering programs and services to writers at all stages of their writing careers, from just getting started to publication and beyond.
Founded in 1981, the organization’s mission is to provide a forum for information, support, and sharing among writers; to help writers improve their craft and understand the business of publishing; to promote the interests of writers from diverse cultural, economic, sexual identity and orientation, ethnic, and religious backgrounds; and to elevate the art and enterprise of writing, including supporting and growing the Texas literary community at large.
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- Crafting a Vivid Scene from Beginning to End
- Finding Your Voice and Style
- Becoming a Full-Time Author: The Personal, Emotional, and Financial Logistics of a Writing Career
- Spark into Flame: Working with Early Drafts of a Novel
- March Third Thursday: “Writing the Natural World
- Memory or Myth: Making Your Memoir Memorable
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The International Women’s Writing Guild (IWWG) is dedicated to building a worldwide community where storytelling connects, inspires, and uplifts voices across cultures. We celebrate the richness of diverse traditions, histories, and perspectives, recognizing that every writer contributes to the shared human experience.
All IWWG workshops are listed in ET (Eastern Time).
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TWO SYLVIAS PRESS is an independent press located in the Seattle area. We publish poetry, memoir, essays, books on the craft of writing, and creativity tools, such as The Poet Tarot, The Daily Poet, Everything is Writable, PR for Poets, Demystifying the Manuscript, and the bestselling resource for poets, The Weekly Muse.
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* Collaboration Catalogs Available! *
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We have another excellent collaboration on the books!
Each member who participated in the ENTANGLED Collaboration received a copy of the catalog containing all the artwork and literary pieces. Melody still has a limited supply of copies in her studio that you can purchase for $15.
In addition, you can also purchase additional copies of the REFLECTION catalog from the 2022 Collaboration for $5.
Stop by Studio 320 at Silver Street Studios to purchase additional copies of either catalog. Silver Street Studios is located in the Main Yard of Sawyer Yards. Call ahead at 713-851-0134 to ensure that she’ll be in the studio when you arrive.
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Remember to check the WiVLA Calendar for exciting events, such as field trips, studio visits, workshops, and other fun activities.
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Save the Date(s)
April 5th: Reception for Melody Locke's exhibit, DREAMSCAPE: The Garden of Your Mind at the Jung Center from April 5 - May 15.
April 12th: Poetry by the Bay, LaPorte Branch Library
April 15th: Member Meeting on ECO fund. Check the WiVLA Calendar for details and updates.
April 26th: "Afternoon Art Salon" at the Jung Center for a small reception and a chance to meet the artist, our Melody Locke!
July 17th: WiLVA "Rise" Reception, Sabine Street Studios in the North Yard of Sawyer Yards.
WILVA "Rise" Exhibit: July 18th - August 31st, 2025, at Sabine.
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WiVLA Needs Your Expertise
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Do you have special skills, talents or knowledge to share with other WiVLA members? Now is a good time to volunteer ~
- Serve on a committee
- Speak at a monthly meeting
- Lead a workshop.
- Be creative
Don't be shy. We have a lot to learn from each other.
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We'd love to celebrate your good news. If you are interested in sharing, please send your items to newsletter@wivla.org. The deadline for inclusion in the next month's newsletter is the 20th. Thank you.
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a curated bookstore in Houston specializing in Latiné & Latin American books, authors, & culture.
