Artists ready for influx of colleagues

The 28th annual Western Federation of Watercolor Society exhibition will take place in Las Vegas this year.

Shirley Jeane, a member of the Nevada Watercolor Society and her husband, Harvey, are scheduled to host 60 artists and delegates in their home for a social event on May 6. How will they do it without hiring a caterer? The combination of Harvey's cooking fancy and Shirley's managerial skills will be necessary tools for this event to be a success.

"We have a big kitchen," Harvey said. "But nowhere big enough to do that. We decided to make this dinner on the sixth of May based around tapas (Spanish-style appetizers)."

Harvey's interest in the kitchen began when he and his wife retired here about seven years ago. Although he teaches private cooking classes to friends because his creations are well-received, he considers cooking just one of many hobbies. In preparation for the event, he'll be receiving help from those same students.

"I'm trying to bring in about 10 people on Saturdays," he said. "At each meeting, we prepare three or four tapas, of which they'll select two to make in their own home. They'll prepare them that day (May 6) and bring them to our home. I'll be making sure various serving stations are stocked."

Harvey also said a local casino donated a party to the visiting artists, which also will take place that day, so he's not going to have to provide a large number of beverages.

"The owner of the Gold Coast is donating a cocktail party to this event, so we're keeping the drinks simple. The whole idea is going with the tapas format. People can walk around, plate in hand, and they don't have to worry about a sit-down dinner."

Shirley has been involved with the Nevada Watercolor Society since she and Harvey moved here from Colorado.

"The watercolor society itself has shows every year," she said. "When I moved to Nevada several years ago from Colorado, I started looking for an organization that would allow me to get to know other artists. I decided to go to meetings, and was drafted to be president of the organization."

Shirley has shown her work at various locations around Las Vegas, including several Jitters, and will be the featured artist at the Valley of Fire visitors center in June. She also teaches art in Sun City Summerlin. But her watercolor hobby is not her only creative outlet. She is offering guests at the event a computer demonstration.

"It's traditional that along with exhibition, it's a business meeting with two delegates from each region," Shirley said. "One of the traditions is to have them into the homes of local artists. In that tradition, we have two dinners and one breakfast, that's how it happened. Last year's meeting, they asked for information about using technology in art, and I was asked to give a presentation at the next meeting we were hosting. It's going to be a dinner and technical demonstration for delegates and artists."

The Nevada Watercolor Society has a permanent collection on display at Lied Library at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas,.

"We have very good support from the community for our shows," Shirley said. "It's quite a large event, we're quite proud. It should be really, really nice."


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