53rd Annual Rocky Mountain Watermedia Show

The Rocky Mountain National Watermedia (RMNW) exhibition, in its 53rd year, is presented by Center for the Arts Evergreen (CAE) in Evergreen, Colorado. RMNW attracts entrants and jurors from throughout the United States and is regarded as one of the top watermedia exhibitions in the country. This show traditionally offers more than $10,000 in cash awards.

CAE is pleased to announce that internationally-acclaimed artist, Keiko Tanabe, will serve as the juror for the 53rd Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition. 

CAE’s mission is to promote and cultivate artistic excellence and to enrich the art experience in our mountain community. A nonprofit organization, CAE is committed to delivering engaging exhibitions and diverse educational programs for adults and children.

The Rocky Mountain National Watermedia (RMNW) exhibition, in its 53rd year, is presented by Center for the Arts Evergreen (CAE) in Evergreen, Colorado. RMNW attracts entrants and jurors from throughout the United States and is regarded as one of the top watermedia exhibitions in the country. This show traditionally offers more than $10,000 in cash awards.

CAE is pleased to announce that internationally-acclaimed artist, Keiko Tanabe, will serve as the juror for the 53rd Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition. 

CAE’s mission is to promote and cultivate artistic excellence and to enrich the art experience in our mountain community. A nonprofit organization, CAE is committed to delivering engaging exhibitions and diverse educational programs for adults and children.

2026 JUROR—Keiko Tanabe

Keiko was born in Kyoto, Japan. As a child growing up in an art-loving family, she always enjoyed drawing and painting and won many awards in children's art contests. She earned a B.A. in intercultural communication (International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan) and an M.A. in international education (UCLA, California). Mostly self-taught, Keiko embarked on a professional art career in 2005 and started exhibiting publicly. Her paintings have been juried into many exhibitions across America and in Asia and Europe. Her work has been purchased by private and corporate collectors from all around the world. Her paintings have also been published in leading art magazines in the U.S., Europe and Japan. Additionally, her art has been enjoyed by many in nine self-published books as well as on four DVDs, and she's a sought-after workshop instructor.

In 2018, she was appointed to the advisory board of the American Watercolor Weekly. In 2018 and 2019, she was invited to be a faculty member for the Plein Air Convention & Expo, the world's largest plein-air painting event. Since 2021, she has been an Official Savoir-Faire, Sennelier, Cretacolor, Fabriano & Raphael Advocate. In 2022 Keiko was appointed an Escoda International Brand Ambassador. Keiko currently lives in San Diego, California.

2026 JUROR WORKSHOP

Register Here: Atmospheric Landscapes in Watercolor - From Structure to Expression • Center for the Arts Evergreen

 Artist Keiko Tanabe will offer a two-day master workshop to produce calculable aesthetic art! 

Discover the beauty of painting landscapes that breathe with light, mood, and emotion. In this watercolor workshop, Keiko Tanabe guides artists on a journey from the foundation of structure to the expressive freedom of impression. Through clear instruction and intuitive insight, Keiko will demonstrate how to simplify complex scenes, design with purpose, and infuse your paintings with atmosphere and feeling. During her live demonstrations, she provides a running commentary, offering an inside look at her thought process - how she interprets the subject, makes compositional decisions, and chooses colors and brushstrokes to express mood and intention. Students will learn to balance control and spontaneity, creating paintings that are fresh, luminous, and deeply personal. With each session, you’ll gain the confidence to paint more freely and the understanding to turn everyday scenes into evocative works of art.

Learning Goals:

- Simplify landscapes into strong, readable shapes and values.

- Capture atmosphere and mood through color, light, and edges.

- Balance expressive brushwork with solid structure and design.

- Convey emotion and a sense of story through composition.

- Paint with confidence, freedom, and individuality.

Materials: See the recommended supply list.

Recommended Skill Level: Ideal for intermediate to advanced watercolor artists who wish to deepen their impressionistic style and elevate both their technique and artistic voice.

CALENDAR OF IMPORTANT DATES 

ELIGIBILITY

• Open to all artists residing in the United States.
• Each artist may enter up to 3 paintings for consideration. Accepted artists will have only 1 original painting hanging in the exhibition. Please only submit images of finished original paintings that you would like to be considered for hanging display in the exhibition.
• Paintings must consist of water media on watercolor paper, watercolor canvas, watermedia boards such as Aquabord, Claybord, Gessobord, Yupo, illustration boards, or panels. Computer-generated works or Giclee prints are NOT permitted.
• Water media includes watercolor, acrylic, water-based mediums (such as texture mediums), water-based ink, gouache, casein, egg tempera, watercolor pencil and watercolor crayon.
• All works must be at least 90% water media
• Alcohol inks, water soluble (miscible) oils, oil, pastel, and other non-aqueous media are not allowed.
• Any additional media, if used, must be identified (collage, glitter, newspaper, etc.). All collage materials must be painted by the artist.
• Paintings on boards, panels, or watercolor canvas that are not framed must have finished (non-raw) edges and be gallery-quality exhibition ready. Deckle-edged paper mounted on board, panel or canvas will NOT be accepted as it may be damaged in packing or hanging.
• All entries must be one-of-a-kind. No copies of another artist’s work or recognizable use of another’s copyrighted intellectual property will be accepted.
• No copies of any photos other than those taken by you.
• No work done in a workshop or under paid or unpaid supervision.
• Artwork must have been painted in the last two years and may not have been shown previously in any exhibition at Center for the Arts Evergreen.
• Your source material must be your own design or made from your own photograph.
• If accepted, the painting shipped must be the same as the image submitted.
• Paintings must be for sale throughout the exhibition. See “Sales” note below for details.

FRAMING

• All two-dimensional artwork on paper must be framed.
• Minimum image size is 8” x 10”. Maximum frame size is 48” Wide (Height limit 72”)
• Minimum depth for unframed canvases is 2”. Anything under 2” MUST be framed.
• If framed with Plexiglas, frame must be sturdy enough to support the artwork without buckling the Plexiglas.
• Frame must be wired or with cleats for hanging. No other types of hangers are allowed. Please contact us if your piece needs different type of installation. All work must include secure, professional hanging hardware (D-rings with wire or cleats). Work must be ready to hang upon delivery. Non-traditional framing or presentation may be considered if it is essential to the work. Please consult with CAE staff before shipping. Sawtooth hangers are prohibited.
• Mats, if used, must be white or off white unless it is an integral part of the artwork.
• Framing must be of high quality and mats must be free of fingerprints, pet hair or smudges. The RMNW Committee may arrange with the artist to take the piece for repair/reinforcement at the artist’s cost.
• Glass or acrylic glazing must be clean and securely fitted.
• Gallery-wrapped canvases may be shown unframed if edges are clean and finished. Canvas edges should be painted or intentionally finished. Stretched canvases must be taut and well-constructed.
• Artwork must be in excellent condition and suitable for public display.
• The artist is responsible for proper presentation and hardware.
• Requests for exceptions must be approved by Center for the Arts Evergreen staff in advance.

All terms and conditions for entry in this exhibition are required. CAE reserves the right to refuse any work for unacceptable quality, improper framing, damage caused by shipment, fingerprints, pet hair or smudges on matting. The RMNW Committee may arrange with the artist to take it for repair/reinforcement at the artist’s cost. Any work, once selected by the juror, later found to be not in compliance with any term of condition, will be disqualified from exhibition. CAE’s RMNW Committee’s determinations and decisions are final.

DELIVERY AND RETURN OF ACCEPTED WORK

• Artwork Packaging and Return: Artists are responsible for providing sturdy, reusable, and clearly labeled packaging suitable for the safe return of their artwork. Packaging should be of professional quality and designed to protect the work during handling, storage, and transport. Inadequate or non-reusable packaging may be replaced at the artist’s expense. The Center for the Arts Evergreen is not responsible for damage resulting from insufficient or improper packaging.
• All shipped artwork will be charged a $25 handling fee.
• Detailed instructions will be sent with notification of acceptance.
• All artists shipping work must provide a pre‐paid return-shipping label, a check for the $25 handling fee, and a sturdy box. Unsold work or sold artwork empty boxes will not be returned without a prepaid return-shipping label. CAE will not create labels or call FedEx/UPS to process call tags with a shipping account number.
• CAE is not responsible for damage or loss during transport.
• CAE provides insurance for artworks while on premises.

CATALOG

CAE produces a beautiful full color catalog featuring the artwork in the exhibition and indicating the award winners. All artists who are accepted into the exhibition will receive one complimentary print catalog. An online catalog will also be available for download and to allow for off-site purchases of the work.

AWARDS

In 2025, awards totaled over $10,000 in cash and merchandise to exhibition artists.

SALES

All paintings must be available for sale during the exhibition. Please note that CAE retains a 40% commission on all art sales. Prices may not be changed after submission. Payment for the artwork sold will be issued 30 days after the close of the exhibition. 

AGREEMENT

Submission to this juried exhibition constitutes an agreement on the part of the entrant to the conditions set forth in this prospectus. CAE reserves the right to final curatorial, educational, installation, and marketing decisions.

HOW TO ENTER

PREPARE YOUR IMAGES:

1. File format: JPEG only
2. File dimensions: no smaller than 1920 pixels on the longest side
3. File size: 5 MB maximum
4. Orientation: ensure your image is properly oriented (vertical or horizontal)
5. Show only the image, no frame or mat
6. No digital enhancement to the image is allowed
7. No slides or print photographs will be accepted
8. It is in your best interest to submit a high-resolution, high-quality image
9. Your $40 entry fee allows you to upload 2 images. Even if you only wish to submit one image for consideration, the Cafe system requires that you submit two images. If it is the case that you only wish to submit one image, you may upload a blank image for your second or simply duplicate the same image in your portfolio and apply both to your application. You may submit a third image for an additional $10 charge. ($50 total to submit 3 images.)

ENTERING THROUGH CAFE:

1. Prepare your digital image before you apply through www.callforentry.org
2. Please ensure that the email address you have associated with your Café account is up to date.
3. If entrants have not registered previously with CaFE, setting up a portfolio is free of charge
4. Pay the non-refundable entry fee of $40.00 for 2 images or $50.00 for 3 images.
5. Images submitted may be used for publicity and/or educational purposes
6. For technical assistance with your entry, please see www.callforentry.org/cafehelp.phtml or contact cafe@wearecreativewest.org directly (CAE cannot provide technical assistance for CaFE)

COMMUNICATIONS & NOTIFICATIONS
Correspondence and notifications with entrants will be done via email. Please make sure that your contact information is correct. If you do not have an email address, it is advised that you create one before you enter. For further inquiries, contact Chris Stevens via email at chris@evergreenarts.org.

Your $40 entry fee allows you to upload 2 images. Even if you only wish to submit one image for consideration, the Cafe system requires that you submit two images. If it is the case that you only wish to submit one image, you may upload a blank image for your second or simply duplicate the same image in your portfolio and apply both to your application. You may submit a third image for an additional $10 charge. ($50 total to submit 3 images.)

• Open to all artists residing in the United States.
• Each artist may enter up to 3 paintings for consideration. Accepted artists will have only 1 original painting hanging in the exhibition. Please only submit images of finished original paintings that you would like to be considered for hanging display in the exhibition.
• Paintings must consist of water media on watercolor paper, watercolor canvas, watermedia boards such as Aquabord, Claybord, Gessobord, Yupo, illustration boards, or panels. Computer-generated works or Giclee prints are NOT permitted.
• Water media includes watercolor, acrylic, water-based mediums (such as texture mediums), water-based ink, gouache, casein, egg tempera, watercolor pencil and watercolor crayon.
• All works must be at least 90% water media
• Alcohol inks, water soluble (miscible) oils, oil, pastel, and other non-aqueous media are not allowed.
• Any additional media, if used, must be identified (collage, glitter, newspaper, etc.). All collage materials must be painted by the artist.
• Paintings on boards, panels, or watercolor canvas that are not framed must have finished (non-raw) edges and be gallery-quality exhibition ready. Deckle-edged paper mounted on board, panel or canvas will NOT be accepted as it may be damaged in packing or hanging.
• All entries must be one-of-a-kind. No copies of another artist’s work or recognizable use of another’s copyrighted intellectual property will be accepted.
• No copies of any photos other than those taken by you.
• No work done in a workshop or under paid or unpaid supervision.
• Artwork must have been painted in the last two years and may not have been shown previously in any exhibition at Center for the Arts Evergreen.
• Your source material must be your own design or made from your own photograph.
• If accepted, the painting shipped must be the same as the image submitted.
• Paintings must be for sale throughout the exhibition.