RIWS Presents: The 2026 National Watermedia Exhibition
Over $2,500 in cash prizes!
Juror: Joel Popadics, AWS, ASMA www.watercolorpop.com
Deadline for Entry: May 1st
Drop Off/Delivery: May 8th - May 29th (CLOSED Memorial Day Weekend, May 23rd)
Accepted Entries Notified: May 8th
Exhibition Dates: May 30th - July 3rd
Show Opening: Saturday June 6th, 1pm ET
Pickup Dates: July 3rd & July 10th, 10am-4pm
Return Shipping: July 3rd - August 3rd
ACCEPTED ENTRIES:
| Name | Title | Medium | Dimensions | Price |
| Diana Aliberti | Annabelle | Watercolor | 35" x 27" | NFS |
| John Alves | A Lonely Sycamore Reflects on Life | Watercolor | 10" x 14" | $400 |
| Margaret Bailey | Daisies | Watercolor | 22" x 16" | $400 |
| Dina Belyayeva | Mother's Day | Watercolor | 20" x 16" | NFS |
| Michele Berardo | Floribunda | Watercolor | 12" x 16" | $600 |
| Evelyn Bernal | Pink Peonies | Watercolor | 22" x 30" | $2000 |
| Melissa Beyer | Serenity | Watercolor | 10" x 14" | $300 |
| Patricia Bisshopp | Seacoast of Bohemia | Watercolor | 10" x 6.75" | NFS |
| Benita Brewer | Peppermint Anyone? | Transparent watercolor | 15" x 30" | $1500 |
| Thomas Bucci | Thurston Lobster Pound | Watercolor | 21" x 29" | $3400 |
| Doreen Carlin-Grande | I Want to Wear My Boots | Watercolor | 27" x 18" | NFS |
| Catherine Champion | Eastern Phoebe with Dogwood Blooms | Watercolor | 14" x 10" | $700 |
| Alonzo Clarke | Three Summers | Watercolor on Yupo | 15" x 22" | $1800 |
| Gina Croce | Timeless Treasures | Watercolor | 15" x 22" | $3200 |
| Teresa Cromwell | Swans | Watercolor | 24" x 24" | NFS |
| Madeline Daversa | The Multitude | Watercolor | 24" x 18" | $2100 |
| Cynthia DiDonato | Rocky Shore | Watercolor | 16" x 20" | $500 |
| Esther Donlon | Silver Teapot with Oranges | Watercolor | 18.5" x 14" | NFS |
| Joanne Donovan | Lily | Transparent watercolor | 26.5" x 32.5" | $1600 |
| Casey Eldert | Tomorrow Rests in a Weathered Gaze | Watercolor | 15" x 11" | NFS |
| Michael Evans | Masquerade | Watercolor | 22" x 27" | $500 |
| Z.L. Feng | Asia | Watercolor | 24" x 18" | $880 |
| Brenda Goldman | Stop River In Autumn | Watercolor | 21" x 27" | $1200 |
| Gary Graham | East Providence Yacht Club | Watercolor | 7" x 20" | $500 |
| Becky Haletky | Rockridge Cafe | watercolor | 28" x 36" | $2400 |
| Gary Heise | Petrichor III | Ink and watercolor on rice paper, mounted on canvas | 27" x 27" | $1050 |
| SUZANNA HENDRIX | Vesper | Watercolor | 19" x 24.75" | NFS |
| Michael Henry | Winter's Jewels | Watercolor | 10.5" x 14.5" | $595 |
| Linda Holz | Isla Ballesta | Watercolor and gesso | 20" x 16" | $700 |
| Edward Huff | The Quiet Work of Boats | Watercolor | 20" x 14" | NFS |
| Melissa Hughes | Exotic Interiors, Morocco | Watercolor | 11" x 7.5" | NFS |
| Melissa Hunter-Ensor | Girl in the Orange Sunbonnet | Watercolor | 22" x 30" | $450 |
| Lori Jeremiah | Wildflowers | Watercolor | 13" x 19" | $950 |
| Tamara Krendel | The Black Teapot, Fishbowl, Marbles and Magic Clams | Watercolor | 9.7" x 9" | NFS |
| Alexis Lavine | A Point Well Taken | Watercolor | 15" x 22" | $1850 |
| Li Lin | A Gaze Composed | Watercolors | 12" x 9" | $320 |
| Betsey MacDonald | A Few of My Favorite Things | Watercolor | 18" x 14" | $900 |
| Tonna McGuinn | Old Timer | Watercolor | 11" x 14" | $175 |
| Harriet Moore | Gingko Tree | Watercolor | 11" x 7.5" | $200 |
| Diane Mulligan | Pocasset | Watercolor | 11" x 14" | $500 |
| Judith Naftygiel | Breaking Through | Watercolor | 18" x 22" | $650 |
| Celeste Novak | Tuscan Fires | Watercolor | 21" x 30" | $1100 |
| Kristina Occhino | Get Your Kitsch on Route 66 | Watercolor | 14.75" x 19.38" | $1200 |
| Kathy Parker | Approaching Turner Reservoir | Watercolor | 10" x 8" | NFS |
| JL Micah Petillo | The Guests Arrive" | Transparent watercolor | 15.5" x 11.5" | NFS |
| Patti Pierce | Canyon Grandeur | Watercolor | 16" x 12" | $485 |
| Steven Plaziak | Morning Shadows, Portland Docks | Watercolor | 14" x 21" | $975 |
| Denise Preston | Clouds Over the Marsh | Watercolor | 14" x 10" | $500 |
| Elayne Prince | Fiesta | Transparent watercolor | 7" x 10" | NFS |
| Bob Risica | A Divided Rock Stands Alone | Watercolor | 30" x 24" | $1800 |
| Rebecca Rothey | Nora | Watercolor | 15.75" x 10" | $350 |
| Allie Sabalis | Tulips in Glass Vase | Watercolor on Arches | 39" x 32" | $2200 |
| Clint Samples | Countryside | Watercolor | 22" x 30" | $3000 |
| Graeme Smith | Ferries | Watercolor | 8" x 8" | $90 |
| Susan Stranz | Days End | Watercolor | 15" x 22" | $1900 |
| Diane Swanson | Sea Spray | Watercolor | 10" x 12" | $620 |
| Mariko Toyama | Enjoy your meal！ | Watercolor | 16" x 20" | NFS |
| Peter Turner | Luminescence | Watercolor | 20.5" x 26.25" | $1200 |
| Jyotsna Umesh | The Pond | Watercolor | 7" x 10" | $880 |
| Madeleine von Hemert | Island Sunset | Watercolor | 9.5" x 13.5" | $700 |
| Mary Waka | Frank Melville Park | Watercolor | 11" x 14" | $600 |
| Anne Wert | City Souvenir | Watercolor | 20" x 16" | $450 |
| Mark Winsor | Gathering Storm | Watercolor | 21" x 25" | $300 |
| Jane Wise | Bath Time | Watercolor | 11" x 14" | NFS |
| Mary Wojciechowski | From the Ground Up | Watercolor on Yupo | 18" x 8" | $650 |
ELIGIBILITY (PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING):
Changes from 2025 in red
Open to all artists in the United Sates
This show will take place physically in our gallery in Pawtucket and online. Only submit work you are willing to drop off or ship to us!
Submit 1-3 images for consideration.
Work must have been completed within the last 10 years.
Work may not be copied from copywritten material.
No work partially or wholly painted by another.
Work may have been done in a class or workshop, but only using reference material belonging to the sole artist.
Work must not exceed 42 inches on its longest side (including frame).
Work must be the same work represented by the submitted digital images. No altered digital images may be submitted.
Work must be the size represented in the submission form.
Work may be listed as NFS (not for sale) by putting the number 0 in the price section of the painting.
Artwork should be well represented by any digital image submitted.
The Rhode Island Watercolor Society is proud to support watercolor and other traditional watermedia materials and methods. With the growth of the arts industry comes the introduction of new equipment and practices. As the options for art making expand, so must the horizons of the Rhode Island Watercolor Society guidelines for our member and open juried shows.
Media and Mediums
Surfaces
Acceptable surfaces: Watercolor paper; toned watercolor paper; Yupo and similar synthetic papers; paper coated with water‐based varnish and gesso; textured paper; illustration board; watercolor board; rice paper
Unacceptable surfaces: Composite paper with embedded materials; wood or composite panels; gallery wrapped or stretched canvas; canvas paper; Duralar; Aquaboard, Clayboard or other coated wood or composite panel; unmounted canvas or other fabrics; Tyvec; metal; glass
Acceptable mediums: Watercolor; gouache; acrylic; acrylic mediums and watercolor mediums; water-based ink; casein; egg tempera. (Please inquire about other acceptable water-based mediums)
Acceptable media up to 20%: line & wash; watercolor pencils; collage (waterbased, on or of paper); charcoal; graphite; wax accents and resists; waterbased monotypes and mono prints; embossing; metallic waterbased paint; waterbased iridescent paints or powders (not glitter)
Unacceptable media: Pastels; colored pencil other than watercolor pencil; impasto (thickly applied) acrylic and watermedia; fabrics; digital media or digitally enhanced images; multiple edition prints; sand; glitter; gold or metal leaf; collage from printed materials, newspaper, magazines, etc.; oil paints; water‐miscible oil paints; photography; reproductions; 3D media.
Exhibition History
Work must not have been exhibited in ANY previous RIWS Show.
Framing and Presentation
Work must be presented in a professional manner.
No broken or damaged frames.
MUST BE FRAMED under glass/Plexiglass
Frames may not be wider than 1.5 inches
Work may be floated within the frame, or presented with a single or double mat.
Only white or off-white matts are acceptable, but liner mats less than 3/8" may be colored.
MUST BE WIRED!!!! with no wire or hanger showing when hung. No tooth hangers.
Shipping
Please send shipments to the following address:
Rhode Island Watercolor Society
Slater Memorial Park
831 Armistice Blvd.
Pawtucket, RI 02861
Please include a pre-paid return label in the box with your painting and send the tracking number to riwsgallery@gmail.com with the subject line "National Show Shipping"
Submission Fee: $25 for non-members, $20 for members. Checks may be made out to "Rhode Island Watercolor Society".
MEMBERS ONLY: Use code riwsmember in the white box below both your first entry and additional entry/entries on the checkout page.
To become a member: please visit our website at riws.org or send us an email, we're happy to answer all inquiries about our membership!
The Rhode Island Watercolor Society reserves the right to exclude from the exhibition any works that do not arrive in sturdy condition, or are deemed too fragile to be successfully exhibited. Work that has not been suitably prepared will be hung at the discretion of the Rhode Island Watercolor Society. Please submit only work that will be available at the time of the exhibition and will remain for its entirety. No accepted entry may be withdrawn prior to the close of the exhibition. Prices for artwork indicated at the time of submission may not be re-negotiated at a later date. Submitted pieces may be used as promotional material by RIWS. Information on work(s) (including title and price) may not be changed after submission. If the work is sold, the Rhode Island Watercolor Society will receive 35% of the sale.