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Society of the Arts to feature noted watercolorist

November 09, 2000
Santa Paula News
By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula Times An artist whose watercolors are described as realistic and representative, with an emphasis on capturing light, will be the Demonstration Artist at the Sunday, Nov. 12 meeting of the Santa Paula Society of the Arts.The meeting will start at 2 p.m. at the society’s new meeting place, the Santa Paulan Senior Apartments in the Recreation Room. The meeting usually ends at about 4 p.m. Parking is available near the rear of the building - located at 145 N. 4th St. - near the swimming pool.The general meeting is open to the public, who can take part in the drawing to win the demonstration work by Judy Koenig, said SPSA President Virginia Gunderson.“Judy’s work has a strong sense of color, composition and nostalgia,” said Gunderson.Koenig, a resident of Simi Valley, is a native Californian who did not take up painting until 1988, after raising a family and expressing her artistic talents as a cake decorator for 27 years. When she returned to school to complete her BA she decided to take a watercolor class, which started her on the road to becoming a professional artist.Koenig took the right turn: she entered the Simi Valley Art Competition in 1989 and won the Purchase Award sponsored by the Simi Valley Enterprise newspaper. Within months she won the Phyllis Arnold Scholarship Award from Moorpark College.Koenig was encouraged to keep on painting and improving her work through workshops conducted by such noted artists as Jack Heinz and Jessica Zemsky, Jan Kunz, Catherine Liu, George Labadie, Christopher Schink and Alex Powers.
She received a BA from California State University Northridge in 1994 and her Master of Arts degree two years later.In the last few years, Koenig has entered local juried shows and her talent has been recognized with honors from the California Gold Coast Society (Best of Show), Beverly Hills Affaire in the Garden (1st Place Watercolor), North Light Books-National Cover Contest (3rd Place).Koenig has also been published in various magazines as well as articles written about work in American Artist’s Watercolor and Watercolor Magic.Since 1993, Koenig has been teaching, jurying shows and participating on the board of California Gold Coast Watercolor Society, and is Current Past President and Board Advisor. She is also a member of Women Painters West, Thousand Oaks Art Association and the National Watercolor Society.For more information on the Nov. 12th Demonstration Meeting or the Santa Paula Society of the Arts, call 525-1104.