Journeys in Color
Announcing the MNWS Fall Exhibition at Studio Pintura in the Northrup King Building Studios
1500 Jackson St NE Suite #294, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Saturday, November 1 through Sunday, November 22, 2025
Opening Reception: November 6, 6:00-8:30 PM
How do you define journey? Whether you’ve traveled near or far, to Tuscany or the outer reaches of your back yard, please share your experience with us in magnificent watercolor.
The MNWS Fall Exhibition is our annual non-juried show, meaning that artwork is not selected through a competitive process and is open to all active members who have paid dues through May 31, 2026. The first 65 entries will be accepted. Each member is allowed one entry. We are proud to announce that our judge for this year will be Nanci Yermakoff.
Nanci Yermakoff Bio: Nanci Yermakoff studied art in New Jersey and New York City before completing her BA at the University of Minnesota with a major in studio arts. After receiving an MA in Therapeutic Recreation, also from the U of M, she worked in social services for a number of years before resuming her study of art and painting – working primarily in watercolor. She has received awards for her work from local and national watercolor societies and is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society. Her work is in numerous private and corporate collections. Yermakoff has been a featured artist in American Artist Watercolor magazine as well as Watercolor Artist magazine. She taught watercolor at the Botanical and Zoological Art and Illustration Program at the Como Conservatory in St Paul, MN and through the St Paul Public Library. Nanci Yermakoff currently lives and works in St Paul, MN. She also works in her studio in north-central Minnesota where the lakes of the north woods inspire her work. She shows her work at her studio in the Northrup King Building in NE Minneapolis and has work in local galleries and art centers.
Artist Statement: Growing up on the East Coast near the ocean and subsequently moving to the land of lakes and prairies in the Midwest, I find I am drawn to the openness, space, and light these areas have in common. A body of water, a strip of land, and lots of sky never cease to fascinate me and my eye is always drawn to the edges where the land meets the sky or is reflected in the water. I love the variety of these connections: hard-edged, diffuse, or multi-layered, depending on the light and atmosphere. The fluidity and transparency of watercolor makes it a perfect medium to explore these qualities of light, atmosphere, and connections. My Horizon watercolors walk the line between representation and abstraction and my intention is to convey the sense of these spaces rather than a literal interpretation of the landscape. I love working with color, from very subtle variations of grey to brilliant combinations of hues. I begin by layering multiple washes, typically twelve to twenty or more on each piece, to progressively build depth, intensity, and gradual transitions of color. By layering transparent pigments, I create subtle changes and gradations from wash to wash; keeping the paper wet avoids a hard edge where one color transitions to another. The ‘horizon’, in contrast, is more spontaneous and here I intend to leave evidence of the action of the blending, backruns, and flow distinctive to watercolor. Once the paper is wet, decisions must be made quickly and finding the balance between control and the magic of freely flowing pigment is the challenge for me. Website: nanciyermakoff.com
Please contact the show chairs, Mary Parker or Tammy Digirolamo at fallshow@minnesotawatercolors.com with any questions
Journeys in Color Exhibition Schedule
- Online Registration Opens: Monday, September 1, 2025
- Online Registration Closes: Sunday, September 14, 2025
No late entries will be accepted
- Drop off paintings at Studio Pintura: Saturday, October 18, 2024 11am-2pm
Entrants are responsible to ensure that work is dropped off within this time frame
- Opening Reception: Thursday, November 6, 6:00-8:30 with awards ceremony at 7:00 PM
- Show closes: Friday, November 22, 2024
- Pick up paintings: Saturday, November 23, 2024 10am-1pm
No Late Pick Ups.
Past Exhibitions
| Year | Exhibition | Chair | Location | Award Images |
| 2024 | Light in Droplets | Tammy Digirolamo | White Bear Center for the Arts | 2024 Awards |
| 2023 | Shades of Autumn | Karen Stuhlfeier, Lori Murphy-Grafing | Ames Center | 2023 Awards |
| 2022 | Fall into Color | Karen Stuhlfeier, Lori Murphy-Grafing | White Bear Center for the Arts | 2022 Awards |
| 2021 | Lost In Paint | Janet Bates, Karen Stuhlfeier | Ames Center | 2021 Awards |
| 2020 | SPLASH! | Janet Bates | White Bear Center for the Arts | 2020 Show |
| 2019 | Minnesota Dreamin’ | Therésa Weseman | Ames Center | 2019 Awards |
| 2018 | Awash in Autumn | Therésa Weseman | Ames Center | 2018 Awards |
| 2017 | Luminous Light | Therésa Weseman | Hopkins Center for the Arts | 2017 Awards |
| 2016 | Flying Colors | Suzi McArdle | Lakeville Area Arts Center | 2016 Awards |
| 2015 | Brilliant Passages | Suzi McArdle | Ames Center | 2015 Awards |
| 2014 | Inspired Images | Vic Perlbachs | Ames Center | 2014 Awards |
| 2013 | Waterworks | Vic Perlbachs | Colonial Church | 2013 Awards |
| 2012 | Finding Minnesota | Vic Perlbachs | Christ Church Lutheran | 2012 Awards |
| 2011 | Mosaic | Vic Perlbachs | Colonial Church | 2011 Awards |
| 2010 | Illuminated | Sonja Hutchinson | Burnsville Performing Art Center | 2010 Awards |
| 2009 | Ripples and Reflections | Sonja Hutchinson | Bloomington Art Center | 2009 Awards |
| 2008 | Seasons in the City | Catherine Hearding | Plymouth Congregational Church | 2008 Awards |
| 2007 | Awash with Color | Catherine Hearding | Bloomington Art Center | 2007 Awards |
| 2006 | Brush to Paper | CeCeile Hartleib | Blaine City Hall | 2006 Awards |
| 2005 | Different Strokes |
CeCeile Hartleib
Terry Kayser
|
Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts | 2005 Awards |
| 2004 | September Splendor | Holly Landauer | Bloomington Art Center | 2004 Awards |