Organized in 1986 by watercolor artist Annabelle Vandemark and four of her students, LAWS has been instrumental in elevating the awareness, in the Lima area, of the beauty of watercolor and the subtleties of expression possible when depicting even the most ordinary subjects.

Paramount in the minds of the organizers was the need for a venue to encourage beginning and less accomplished painters to participate with more experienced painters; in the belief that such interaction would enhance the skills and confidence of all participants.  This belief has been validated many times as evidenced in substantial improvement in the quality of all members' works and the number of paintings submitted for hanging in shows. 

Members and visitors enjoy and learn from painting demonstrations at the monthly meetings.  These demonstrations, presented by professional artists, are in a variety of genre, including Still Life, Landscape, Portraiture, and Innovative Techniques.  Two or three times each year, painting instructors conduct workshops, ranging from one day to five days.  LAWS hosted a five-day workshop in October 2001, conducted by Tony Couch.  A two-day workshop was led by Mark Polomchak, May 10 & 11, 2002.  Don Andrews was here for a five-day workshop October 29 thru November 2, 2002. Recently, Tom Lynch gave a 4 day workshop from June 13 - 16, 2007.  Meetings and workshops are open to non-members, but members have first opportunity to enroll in workshops at discounted rates.  Annual Membership (Artist) is $30.00.  The fees for workshops vary and information is available either on the page announcing the workshop or via e-mail.   Students are encouraged to attend the meetings and view the demonstrations at no charge.

St. Rita's Hospital* has graciously provided space on the Mezzanine Level for LAWS members to display their paintings.  The Mezzanine walls are visible from the large First Floor lobby and give the exhibit a true "Gallery" setting.  Up to 16 paintings have been hung at one time.  The show is rotated every 3 months, giving all members an opportunity to hang during the year.  Many paintings have been sold from this show.  Other shows are hung from time-to-time in a variety of venues, affording the opportunity for "low-key" competition.  Consistent with the tenet that all members, regardless of skill level, should have the opportunity to display their work, LAWS shows are not juried.  Independent professionals, however, judge most shows.  Along with ribbon awards for the top ranked pictures, the judges provide a critique of every entry, commenting on strengths and weaknesses and offering suggestions when appropriate.  Members have found these critiques tremendously beneficial.

We have organized and sponsored workshops with Tony Couch, Tom Lynch, Don Andrews, Nita Leland, Homer Hacker, Mark Polomchak, Stephen Blackburn, Don Getz, and Tom Lynch, and future workshops are being scheduled continuously.

You are invited to participate in LAWS activities and become a member.

*St Rita's Medical Center, 730 W. Market, Lima, OH  45801