Just to brighten your day, we thought to open with this charming painting by artist Xing Han Go. With crisp shadows, expressive feather detailing, and beautifully controlled washes, the artist transforms an everyday moment into a vivid storytelling composition. The contrast between the bold red doorway and the cool-toned birds creates depth, atmosphere, and a cinematic sense of place.
Although the year is already well underway, we would like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome everyone to 2026 and to wish all our members a creative, inspiring, and successful year ahead.
At Watercolor Art Southern Africa (WASA), our commitment remains unchanged — to support, promote, and celebrate water media artists across our region, both locally and internationally. The growth and visibility of watercolor art in Southern Africa continues because of the passion, dedication, and participation of our members. A reminder that WASA represents all regions of Southern Africa, not only South Africa. We warmly encourage increased participation and engagement from artists in Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and Namibia. We would love to hear more from you, share your achievements, and strengthen connections across our artistic community.
Please like and follow our social media pages;- Facebook www.facebook.com/watercolorSA, and Instagram www.instagram.com/watercoloursa [ note the ‘u’ in watercolour]. Please also tag us in all your social media posts so that we can share your work too.
If you have events, news, workshops, classes etc that you would like to advertise and share please email admin@watercolorartsa.com with the details.
If you would like to be added to the teachers’ directory, please email details and 6 photos of your work to barbi@watercolorartsa.com.
If you would like to be a featured artist on our social media pages, please email details as well as 6 photos of your work to barbi@watercolorartsa.com.
FABRIANOINAQUARELLO 2026
Once again we are proud to be representing some amazing watercolor artists from Southern Africa , participating in the esteemed annual FabrianoIn Aquarello 2026 event in Italy due to commence in April. This is the biggest annual international celebration of all things watercolor ,attracting thousands of visitors, artists, collectors and brands from all over the world. The festival also includes a painting holiday as well as demos and workshops by top watercolor masters and teachers. Congratulations to the participating artists.
COPYRIGHT AND ARTISTIC INTEGRITY
Although this subject has been broached before, we would like to gently remind members about the importance of copyright awareness and artistic integrity. Increasingly, we are seeing artworks that closely replicate existing paintings, as well as multiple works derived from the same photographs sourced online. While references are a valuable tool, copying or closely imitating another artist’s work — intentionally or unintentionally — can raise copyright concerns and limit artistic growth. We encourage artists to use references responsibly, seek permission where required, and aim to interpret subjects in ways that reflect their own creative vision and originality.
With the vast amount of imagery available online — and the rapid growth of AI-generated content — it has become increasingly easy to unknowingly misuse reference material. Unfortunately, this has also led to a rise in copyright concerns within the art community.
We encourage all members to keep the following principles in mind:
– Whenever possible, use your own reference material. Original photographs and sketches strengthen both artistic authenticity and legal safety.
– Even when images appear on “free reference” websites, it is always safest to seek permission from the original creator where possible.
– Avoid copying another artist’s painting under any circumstances. This is considered a direct breach of artistic ethics and copyright.
– When working from references, artists should transform and interpret the material creatively. A work should not be identifiable as a reproduction of a single source image.
– Combining multiple references and introducing substantial personal interpretation helps ensure originality and artistic ownership.
NEWS FROM ART CANVAS FACTORY
Monique Lindsay has been working closely with ACFCANVASSES for many years now, this is what she had to say about the ACF Watercolour Canvas
“I have been using ACFCANVASSES – Watercolour canvas for a while now, the surface combines the smoothness of hot press with the absorbency properties of cold press paper.
This allows for wonderfully smooth flat washes, high detail, easier lifting and ultra-pigmented colour.
The paintings can be framed without glass as an added bonus, and sealed with cold wax, or a UV sealant, and a spray varnish for a satin finish.
I highly recommend all WASA Members who have not yet experienced them to give them a try. You will be truly impressed with them, and the quality is superior to other makes of canvas on the market.” ~ Monique Lindsay
Please visit the website to view all the canvas ranges. https://www.acfcanvasses.com
Monique has kindly shared some of her work, which can be viewed below. See more on her Instagram profile www.instagram.com/mlindsay.gallery
ACF will be offering all members a 10% discount off their next purchase of ACF Watercolour Canvas
Use this Code at checkout: MLWSSANL10
T&Cs:
● Valid for 1 purchase per member
● 31 March 2026
● Watercolour Canvas only
● Have a friend who would like to try? Share the code with them
● Tag us on Instagram www.instagram.com/acfcanvasses
NEWS FROM ART SAVINGS CLUB
Art Savings Club are spreading their wings and opening up in Cape Town.We would like to thank Brush and Canvas for all their support and sponsorship in the past, and are so happy that Janet and her team will still be at the helm.
COMPETITIONS 2026
During the coming year, WASA plans to again host competitions for our members. Traditionally, we aim to run two competitions annually, one an international and the second exclusively for members and normally this holds a specific theme.
We hope to make an announcement around May–June, likely beginning with an international competition. Further details will be shared soon, and we encourage everyone to participate. Our annual art competitions are a key part of WASA’s activities and involve significant effort from our dedicated volunteer admin team. The aim is to encourage members to challenge themselves creatively and to showcase their work on a focused platform with both local and international exposure. With generous prizes and respected international judges, the competitions reflect the high standards we strive to uphold. We warmly encourage members to create new work specifically for these events, embracing the opportunity to grow, experiment, and push their artistic boundaries each time.
– We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to our administrative team. Every member of the WASA admin group serves on a voluntary basis, generously contributing their time and energy to ensure the smooth running of our organization. Their ongoing efforts help keep water media vibrant and relevant throughout Southern Africa, and we thank them wholeheartedly for their dedication.
And last but not least, Thank you for being part of the WASA community. Your creativity, support, and collaboration continue to shape and strengthen watercolor art throughout Southern Africa.
We look forward to another inspiring year together.
Barbi Cunningham, VP WASA, Admin and Competition Manager.