2026 Brush Strokes Prospectus

Annual Members’ Juried Water Media Exhibition

Friday, October 2, 2026 through Monday, November 30, 2026, Tallahassee, Florida.

Artist Eligibility:

All current members of the Tallahassee Watercolor Society (TaWS) with dues paid for 2026 are encouraged to enter. We encourage all eligible members to enter the show. 

 Paintings must be hand-delivered to City Hall on October 1 between 9:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M.  Curb side drop off and pick up, in front of City Hall, will be provided similarly to last year, where members text or call to let us know when they are about to arrive. Members are encouraged to coordinate with others to transport their artwork if issues arise.

Work Eligibility:

  • Artists may enter one or two original water based media paintings executed in an aqueous manner on surfaces made for watercolor including paper, paper mounted board (such as Raymar, for watercolor), clay board, aquaboard or Yupo. Stretched canvas and canvas boards are not allowed. Watercolor paint is encouraged. Gouache and acrylic are allowed if the paint is applied in a watery manner or as an accent. Oil based media, pastels, air brush renderings and/or foils are not allowed. Pencil lines from the drawing are allowed.

  • Collage is acceptable only if all elements were made using water media painted by the artist. 

  • Paintings must be original, which means the painting is the artist’s own composition in concept and design and is not copied in whole or part from another artist’s work. Images and compositions created with Artificial Intelligence are not allowed. If an artist uses images by someone other than the artist, written permission is required and must be submitted with the artwork.

  • Work painted in a class or workshop with the help or direction of an instructor is not eligible.

  • Painting on top of a printed photograph or digital image is not allowed.

  • Diptychs and triptychs are not allowed.

  • The size of the viewable part of each painting must be at least 10 inches on all sides. The viewable area is the visible portion of the painting alone, inside the mat or frame.

  • The outside dimensions of the framed piece must be no larger than 40 inches on any side. The framed size is the outside dimensions of the framed piece.

  • Paintings must be executed after January 1, 2024.

  • Works previously shown in any prior Tallahassee Watercolor Society Brush Strokes or Tri-State exhibition or at the Tallahassee City Hall Gallery are not eligible.

    Note: City of Tallahassee policy prohibits exhibiting artwork with nudity or religious imagery.

    Artwork submitted must be original as stated above. If a painting is discovered not to be an original, the TaWS Board will immediately withdraw the painting and/or award. Please use honorable ethics concerning originality. TaWS reserves the right to refuse, upon arrival, any painting of unacceptable quality or damage in transport. A painting that does not match its submitted digital image will be returned. If the juror or the TaWS board have any questions regarding the authenticity of the work or its being within the stated guidelines, the framed piece may be dismantled for closer inspection.

Award Selection

The juror will select works for the show at City Hall from submitted digital images. Awards will be chosen by the juror from actual paintings. No more than one prize will be awarded per individual artist. Awards of approximately $1,500 including merchandise are anticipated.   

EXHIBIT LOCATION

The location of the exhibition is the Tallahassee City Hall Gallery at 300 South Adams Street in Tallahassee, Florida.

 DATES TO REMEMBER  

  • July 17 Application deadline

  • August 28 Acceptance notifications e-mailed

  • October 1 between 9 AM and 11AM Hand delivery of paintings

  • October 2 to November 30 Exhibition

  • October 8 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM Awards Presentation

  • December 1 between 9 AM and 11AM Pick up of paintings

 Applications: All applications will be completed online.

You will find a link to the application at the end of the prospectus. Click on that link. This takes you to the Submittable site. Log in using your existing account, or create a new one if you don’t already have one. Fill out the information and upload your digital images. Then click on “Submit Form” to complete your application. You should then see a “success page” where you can pay your application fee and, if needed, your membership dues.

You can also find the application and payment links at www.tallahasseewatercolorsociety.org

DIGITAL FILES

  • Entries must be in JPEG or JPG format.

  • Digital image files must be between 1MB and 3MB. 

  • Image is to be correctly oriented (vertical or horizontal) and cropped to include only the painting, not mats or frames.

  • Name the digital files with your last name, then your first name followed by the title of the artwork with an underscore between each word. For example, if your last name is smith, your first name is mary and the title of the artwork is "Summer Sunset", name the digital file Smith_Mary_Summer_Sunset.jpg

  • No digital enhancement is allowed.

If you need help, email Sam@tallahasseearts.org.

Entry Fee

An entry fee of $30 is required of 2026 TaWS members. Non-members can enter by becoming members and paying the entry fee of $30 combined with yearly dues of $35, for a total of $65.   All fees are paid electronically through PayPal at the time of submitting the application. Those without a PayPal account can still go through PayPal using a credit card.

PERMISSION TO USE

Accepted digital images are retained for the TaWS archives. Permission to reproduce accepted images for TaWS and COCA publicity purposes and presentations is granted with the submission of the entry. The submission of the digital entry is an agreement to these conditions.

Presentation

All paintings must have museum quality framing: simple, lightweight, and ready for hanging with wire in place. Artwork may be either matted and framed behind plexiglass or varnished (ex. sprayed with a varnish/fixative).  No glass is allowed.  Mats must be either white or off-white. A color liner is permissible. Varnished work does not require a matt or plexiglass but must be framed.

 TaWS will not re-frame, re-mat or repair artwork.  All work arriving damaged, in poor condition, or poorly or improperly presented will not be accepted.

 All paintings must be labeled on the back with:   

  • Painting’s title, medium and price.

  • Artist’s name, address, e-mail and telephone.

DELIVERY AND RETURN OF PAINTINGS

 Hand deliver and pick up accepted paintings at the Tallahassee City Hall Gallery at 300 South Adams Street in Tallahassee. The contact person is Sam Joslin Mueller at 850-224-2500 or Sam@tallahasseearts.org.

 All paintings for the Brush Strokes show must be hand delivered and picked up. Curb side drop off and pick up, in front of city hall, will be available similarly to last year, where members text or call to let us know when they are about to arrive.  Members are encouraged to coordinate with others to transport their artwork if issues arise.

 SALES

All paintings must be for sale or marked NFS (Not for Sale). The price of a painting cannot be changed once the application is submitted. Submission of the application is an agreement to these conditions. Sales inquiries are referred directly to the artist. No commission is taken.  Please specify in the application how you wish your contact information to be listed for interested buyers: phone number, e-mail or website.

 LIABILITY AGREEMENT

Paintings are insured while hanging at the Tallahassee City Hall Gallery. Every care is exercised in the handling of paintings, but neither the Tallahassee Watercolor Society nor COCA is responsible for loss or damage in transit or in packing, unpacking, whatever the cause. Concerned artists should carry their own insurance.

 SIGNATURE MEMBERSHIP

Acceptance of one or more paintings in the Brush Strokes Exhibition awards the artist one half point towards attainment of Signature Membership in the Tallahassee Watercolor Society. Signature membership requires a member to accumulate a total of three points awarded by the following system: one point per show for acceptance into a Tri-State Exhibition and a half point per show for acceptance in a Member’s Exhibition (aka Brush Strokes). At least two points must come from Tri-State acceptances.

 EXHIBITION POLICY

The Board of the Tallahassee Watercolor Society has adopted the following policy relating to acceptance/display in any juried exhibition:

 “Any TaWS member who attempts to influence, intimidate and/or harass a judge, exhibitor, board member, or exhibition committee member can be banned from the current show and from future entry into TaWS exhibitions by a vote of the Board. The juror’s decision will be final for the accepted paintings as will be the judge’s decision for awards.”

 INQUIRIES

 If you have questions about the application process or show, please contact the Brush Strokes Chairperson, Jennifer Lange at 850-345-8076 or jenlange@comcast.net. When inquiring by e-mail please put “Brush Strokes Inquiry” in the subject line.

 APPLICATION LINK   

 Council on Culture & Arts (COCA) Submission Manager - 2026 Brush Strokes

 Note: You will need to establish or log into an existing Submittable account. 

 
 
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