Newsletters
September, 2026
A message from Michele Tabor Kimbrough, President:
As Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, I’ve been drowning in the soap!
During the past year, I have had to take on additional responsibilities, and the workload has not yet lightened. We have also welcomed former members of the Missouri Watercolor Society (MOWS) into the Southern Watercolor Society family. Welcome to the SW family!
That said, I am pleased to announce that we have a new team member on board: Gregory Effinger. Greg will serve as our website administrator and has lead the creation of our new website. The new site will make it easier for members to manage their memberships, stay informed, and much more.
2027 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
Our 2027 membership renewal period will run from October 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027. We hope to have the first portion of our new website operation within the next few weeks so members can conveniently pay their dues online. Until the transition is complete, visitors to our current website will be directed to the new site.
Please note that annual membership dues will increase to $40 beginning October 1. Anyone wishing to take advantage of the current $30 membership rate must join or renew through our website before October 1.
Former MOWS members who wish to retain their accumulated exhibition points must join the Southern Watercolor Society no later than March 31, 2027.
49TH ANNUAL EXHIBITION
We are in the process of proofing the catalog for the 49th Annual Exhibition at the Gadsden Art Center & Museum and expect it to be completed and mailed by the end of September. Thank you for your patience.
COME JOIN OUR BOARD
We have much to accomplish, and we would love to have more members involved. If you would like to help us achieve these goals, please consider joining the board.
I would be especially happy to hand over a few of my dishes—including managing CaFÉ, preparing the prospectus, producing the exhibition catalog, membership, events coordinator, or even serving as president! By the way, if you serve on the board for 5 years you can earn Life Membership!
Come help—and make a very happy dishwasher!
- Michele
First-Time Login to Our New Website
Your Southern Watercolor Society membership account has already been transferred to our new website!
- Visit www.southernwatercolorsociety.org and open the member sign-in page.
- Enter the email address associated with your SW membership.
- Use the password-request option on the sign-in form to have a password emailed to you.
- Check your inbox—and your spam or junk folder—for the password email.
- Return to the sign-in page and log in. Once inside, please review and update your contact information and be sure to add photos and artwork to your member profile.
Already a member?
Please do not create a new account or join again.
If your email address isn’t recognized or you need help, contact webmaster@southernwatercolorsociety.org. We’ll help you access your existing account.
Visit our new website:
Click the Sign in Link at the Top Right.
Use the password-request option on the sign-in form to have a password emailed to you.
LOOKING AHEAD TO OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY!
We are especially excited about the Southern Watercolor Society’s 50th Annual Exhibition in 2027. This milestone exhibition will be held at the Panama City Center for the Arts from June 5 through July 31, 2027. Our juror and workshop instructor will be the internationally recognized watercolor artist Eudes Correia.
We are also planning on having our opening reception as a sit-down luncheon on Saturday, June 5 with Eudes Correia giving a watercolor painting demonstration. As soon as we have all the details pulled together, we will let you know when you can start purchasing your tickets to join us in celebrating our 50th Anniversary Exhibition!
50th WATERMEDIA EXHIBITION 2027
Location: Panama City Center for the Arts, Panama City, FL
Exhibition Dates: June 5 – July 31, 2027
Entries Open: January 4, 2027 - CAFÉ’, https://opportunities.wearecreativewest.org/
Entries Closed: March 31, 2027
Workshop with Eudes Correia – June, 2, 3, 4, 2027
Lunch Reception: June 5
INTRODUCING GREGORY EFFINGER
Website Administrator/Membership Coordinator
Gregory Effinger is a Colorado plein-air painter whose work explores the landscapes, historic communities, and working character of the American West. Born and raised in Steamboat Springs, he brings a lifelong familiarity with mountain light, Western architecture, ranchlands, and the visual history embedded in small towns. Painting primarily in watercolor, Greg works throughout Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, capturing subjects ranging from rivers and high-country terrain to weathered storefronts, machinery, railroads, and working ranches.
Trained in communication arts and illustration, Greg brings a designer’s understanding of composition, shape, and visual storytelling to the spontaneity of painting on location. His watercolors balance careful observation with expressive color, confident brushwork, and the unexpected passages that give the medium its vitality.
As a private pilot, Greg also experiences the West from the air, gaining a broader sense of its scale, patterns, and changing terrain. He spends several weeks each year painting in Mexico, where vivid color, strong light, and architectural rhythm continue to influence his work.
Greg’s paintings have earned recognition in plein-air competitions and have been selected for regional and national exhibitions. Whether painting a mountain river, a historic locomotive, or a sunlit doorway, he seeks to preserve not only the appearance of a place, but also the character and stories held within it.
Visit Greg's own
website.
