By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

On Aug. 3, the New Woodstock Free Library debuted an exhibition of work by local artists belonging to the Cazenovia Watercolor Society.

The CWS Exhibit will be on display through Sept. 30 at 2106 Main St., New Woodstock.

According to CWS Co-President Judith Haynes Levins, the collection on display includes over 30 unique paintings.

“The exhibit currently hanging in New Woodstock has quite a variety of subject matter from abstract to realism, from portrait to landscape,” Haynes Levins said. “CWS has numerous landscape painters, so seeing the variety that was submitted this year makes for a unique viewing experience.”

Rather than stick to a specific theme, the artists were encouraged to submit any work that they felt passionate about showing so long as it met the professional standards for display, submitting only cleanly matted, properly framed and wire-hung paintings.

CWS is a non-profit organization with a mission to “create, foster and sustain artistic growth and interest in water media.”

The organization’s board includes Haynes Levins; Jana Laxa, co-president; Meg Harris, secretary; and Drayton Jones, treasurer.

The society is open to beginners, professionals and art enthusiasts alike.

Its members are provided with opportunities to exhibit their work and to develop artistically and professionally.

“CWS proudly displays all members’ work that is submitted for shows,” Haynes Levins said. “We have members at all levels of the artistic journey and feel it’s important for everyone to be included if they want to show their work. Sharing one’s work with the world is an important part of every artist’s growth.”

The group shows its work annually at the New Woodstock Free Library.

According to Laxa, the library has supported CWS for many years.

“Nancy Edwards, whom we truly miss, has been an avid painter and always made sure that CWS was represented at the library she was devoted to,” Laxa said. “The gallery space is bright, large, and our watercolor paintings can be easily displayed.”

CWS holds monthly meetings with guest instructors who explore different techniques within the medium.

The organization also holds an annual three-day workshop with an acclaimed visiting painter.

The May 2020 workshop will feature Brienne Brown, an accomplished Pennsylvania-based watercolorist.

The artist’s work can be viewed at briennembrown.com.

According to Haynes Levins, CWS was established in the 1980s by a group of local women who wanted to paint together.

Jane Carroll, a long-time Cazenovia resident and an accomplished artist, was one of the organization’s founding members.

A piece of her artwork — a portrait of her son-in-law — is included in the current CWS Exhibit.

“People have come and gone over the years as CWS has grown into the organization it is today, but we are very proud to still have some original members,” Haynes Levins said.

The CWS Exhibit will be a featured stop on the eighth annual Greater Cazenovia Art Trail, held Sept. 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Initiated by the Cazenovia Area Community Development Association (CACDA), the Art Trail is a self-guided studio tour that provides the public with the opportunity to meet and interact with artists in their working environments.

The Art Trail is free and open to the public.

The New Woodstock Free Library is open Monday 1 to 9 p.m.; Tuesday 1 to 5 p.m.; Wednesday 1 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.; Thursday 1 to 5 p.m.; Friday 1 to 5 p.m.; and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

To learn more about the CWS, visit cazenoviawatercolorsociety.com.

To discover the Cazenovia Art Trail, visit art-trail.org.