California Watercolor Association

Purpose and Philosophy

The California Watercolor Association (CWA) was founded in 1967 and incorporated in 1975 as a non-profit charitable 501(c)(3) corporation engaged in the promotion of water media painting. The California Watercolor Association is the largest regional water media organization in California.

CWA exists to create, foster, and sustain interest in the art of water media painting; to sponsor educational programs, displays and exhibitions; to increase the skills of its members; and to further the understanding and appreciation of water media art on the part of its members and the general public.

It is the intent of CWA to dedicate its resources to the artistic growth of artists of all ages.   Scholarship funds are provided each year to students to help further their study of art.   In addition, merchandise awards, cash or gift certificates are given to deserving students or to art community projects.  CWA presents annual achievement cash awards for students at the Sacramento State Fair, Alameda County Fair and Contra Costa County Fair.   CWA also sponsors an art exhibition for a high school district that includes cash awards.

You can download our Policies and Procedures and our Bylaws in PDF format (Adobe's Portable Document Format). You will need a copy of Adobe Reader to read these files. You can download a copy of Adobe Reader for free from the Adobe Website.

Outreach

CWA has an active community Outreach  program that includes school visits to help enhance students' educational experiences and development through art.  CWA, through the use of grants, provides hands-on training for teachers and students alike, and includes instruction and art materials for the classrooms.

Volunteers

There are many CWA volunteer artists working actively with their talents to make the organization one of the leading art associations in the country.   They are artists; many are teachers.   Some lead workshops, host overseas travel painting trips, and show their work nationally.   They have won national awards and have been published in noted books and magazines.

Exhibitions

CWA holds numerous member shows annually, as well as the National Annual Exhibition, which is open to all water media artists in the United States and Canada.   All shows are juried by nationally known artists and attract a large viewing public.  

Newsletter

An informative newsletter is published each month to keep members informed about workshops and future shows, tips and new sources for art supplies, information concerning guest speakers and demonstrators, and current activities of members. A PDF file of this newsletter, in color, is emailed to members on request. Recent issues are also available for viewing on our website.

Video Library

There is an extensive video library containing varied techniques by many well known artists that is continually updated and available free to all its members.   A complete member roster and free exhibition catalog are also provided.