National Watercolor Society (U.S.)

Art society; Los Angeles, Calif.

The California Watercolor Society was founded in Los Angeles in 1920. The organization continued for fifty-five years as the CWS. In 1975 the name was changed to the National Watercolor Society (NWS). In the early years the organization was dominated by members of the California School, the group of West Coast painters whose most prominent representative was Millard Sheets. These artists developed a regionalist style that focused on California landscape and, less frequently, the urban scene. The approach and aesthetic represented by Millard Sheets and others greatly influenced the members of the Society for years, and as a result the organization became increasingly viewed as conservative and even decorative.