Women of Watercolor
A TRIBUTE TO EILEEN O'SULLIVAN, A FOUNDER OF WOMEN OF WATERCOLOR
EILEEN O'SULLIVAN
March 9, 1933-September 2, 2014
Eileen O'Sullivan was part of a small group of women who got together to paint en plein air in Summit County, Colorado. The initial group of 3 gradually began to grow and soon there were so many painters that some sort of organization was needed. Eileen suggested the name "Women of Watercolor" and she volunteered as its first president.
Eileen was raised in Queens, New York and her straight-forward view of life as a New Yorker never left her. She began her art career later in life after she retired. She said, "I'm giving myself ten years to get good at this!" So she threw herself into learning watercolor painting, taking workshops with esteemed teachers such as Stephen Quiller.
Eileen and her husband of 62 years, Connie, spent twenty summers in Breckenridge, Colorado where she was an avid member of the water aerobics group and a leader in WOW. She organized the first group exhibit which was held at the Speakeasy Theatre. Her philosophy for that show was that each artist should self-select her best work to put in the exhibit. That way, each woman would have the opportunity to present her art. WOW continues to this day with that concept and does not "jury" exhibits.
She also served on the Board of Directors of WASH, the Watercolor Arts Society of Houston. Eileen is survived by her husband, Cornelius J. O’Sullivan; children, Pamela O’Sullivan (58) and Carol Northcutt (57), Christopher (54) and Neil (46) as well as six grandchildren and a great grandson.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, September 6, 2014 at 10:30 AM at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail Drive, Houston, Texas 77079. A reception will follow mass on the church grounds.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, 14 Penn Plaza (Suite #1710) New York, New York 10122 or online at: www.ocrf.org. Visit www.DettlingFuneral.com to leave online tributes.
Below are some memories of Eileen from members of WOW:
I will always remember her spunk and smile and talent and love of Women of Watercolor. I will keep Connie and her family in my prayers. -Kevin Reynolds
I met Eileen the first day W.O.W! painted as a group by the river behind Connie's and her condo.(It was not yet W.O.W! but a group of about 9 women, most who had taken watercolor at CMC who wanted to keep painting together.) Together (with Judy Skovlin, our first president, Kathy Wahler, Cheryl Beck, Gere Baskin, Phyllis Montmeat, Betty Flint and Kathy Peyton) we named our group, developed our logo and had our first show...at the Log Cabin Restaurant in Frisco (August 19 to September 5, 1999.) The owners of the restaurant handed us the keys and, after closing, we took down the Log Cabin's art and under Eileen's expert supervision, hung our own! Our first opening party was "after the bar-b-q" 4:00-7:00 August 19. We reversed the hanging process at the end of the month. (Such trust they had in us!)
Eileen was our second president. Under her leadership we started to formalize our structure. I think this may be when we established dues and Kathy Wahler became our treasurer. Eileen was a stickler for the purity of watercolor media (like NO acrylic, even!) and uniformity of presentation (white and cream mats only...and NO barn wood!) She headed up our exhibition team for many years ...with Connie always helping and Kathy and Ron Wahler and even Bill and me often helping hang a show... Eileen got us the "Speakeasy" venue which was the site of our summer show for many years. And she got Doc P.J. to play bass for our openings!
Eileen may have led the first of our member run mini-workshops, doing a drip painting workshop on one of our first field trips to Redstone! It was a great idea that formally took off later. We had a W.O.W! farewell party at Carlos Miguel's when Eileen and Connie decided to leave the county a couple of years ago. We couldn't believe they were leaving. We were saddened. We are now even more saddened to mark Eileen's final passing...to that "great watercolor canvas in the sky."
We will miss you, Eileen, but are so glad to have known your vivacity, and to have worked with and learned alongside you. Peace be with you. - Sandi Bruns
I am so saddened by the passing of my friend and mentor Eileen. Eileen told me that she accumulated merit awards when she reached St Peters gate to get accepted into heaven. She told me on one occasion she brought a homeless women home, gave her a shower, fed her and handed her 20 bucks and sent on her way down the streets of Breckenridge. She told me this was a double award and she was so happy about doing these kind of of merit awards. I will never forget my dear and talented friend. -Kathy Wahler
I am so grateful to Eileen for being one of the original founders of Women Of Watercolor. She was such a driving force and a wonderful teacher to all of us who struggled to make a watercolor painting presentable at the end of a plein air session. Her critiques were always fair and encouraging with a sprinkling of humor thrown in. Above all she was a kind and thoughtful woman who was also a very talented artist. Thankfully, there are many of her works that can be seen and appreciated for many years to come. My thoughts and condolences go out to Connie and family at this very sad time. - Jan Lace
I have such fond memories of painting with Eileen in our WOW paintouts and other places as well. She used to invite me to paint at the stream behind her condo with her and was always eager to share her ideas and emphasize how she was not afraid of COLOR. She was so inspirational with her vibrant use of color. Once we sat along the road on Boreas Pass and painted the glorious autumn leaves. She was always happy and fun. I remember meeting her the first time I came to a WOW meeting at Phyllis's home. She was so friendly and welcoming. She taught us to pour paint on our trip to Redstone, and we had such fun traveling to Grand Lake together in my big green conversion van. She and Connie were quite special and both looked on the bright side of life. They were such a great team together. Eileen invited me to come by her condo and showed me all the paintings she did in a Quiller workshop, explaining each one and sharing what she had been taught. I am so glad I had one last opportunity to sit with her again as we painted in 2013 at the Giberson Ranch. What a beautiful day that was and such fun to be with Eileen again. She will be missed and we are all indebted to her for her leadership in starting.WOW, the group that makes our time in Colorado so very special. What wonderful women we have come to know and bond with over the years. Thank you Eileen. And Connie, I hear you play pickelball. Maybe we will partner in a game one day when you are back in Colorado; I could use a few pointers as I am a beginner!! - Ellyn Austin.
I met Eileen the first year I was in WOW, and I remember a nice sense of humor. Nice artist also. -Joey McKenna
EILEEN O'SULLIVAN
March 9, 1933-September 2, 2014
Eileen O'Sullivan was part of a small group of women who got together to paint en plein air in Summit County, Colorado. The initial group of 3 gradually began to grow and soon there were so many painters that some sort of organization was needed. Eileen suggested the name "Women of Watercolor" and she volunteered as its first president.
Eileen was raised in Queens, New York and her straight-forward view of life as a New Yorker never left her. She began her art career later in life after she retired. She said, "I'm giving myself ten years to get good at this!" So she threw herself into learning watercolor painting, taking workshops with esteemed teachers such as Stephen Quiller.
Eileen and her husband of 62 years, Connie, spent twenty summers in Breckenridge, Colorado where she was an avid member of the water aerobics group and a leader in WOW. She organized the first group exhibit which was held at the Speakeasy Theatre. Her philosophy for that show was that each artist should self-select her best work to put in the exhibit. That way, each woman would have the opportunity to present her art. WOW continues to this day with that concept and does not "jury" exhibits.
She also served on the Board of Directors of WASH, the Watercolor Arts Society of Houston. Eileen is survived by her husband, Cornelius J. O’Sullivan; children, Pamela O’Sullivan (58) and Carol Northcutt (57), Christopher (54) and Neil (46) as well as six grandchildren and a great grandson.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, September 6, 2014 at 10:30 AM at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail Drive, Houston, Texas 77079. A reception will follow mass on the church grounds.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, 14 Penn Plaza (Suite #1710) New York, New York 10122 or online at: www.ocrf.org. Visit www.DettlingFuneral.com to leave online tributes.
Below are some memories of Eileen from members of WOW:
I will always remember her spunk and smile and talent and love of Women of Watercolor. I will keep Connie and her family in my prayers. -Kevin Reynolds
I met Eileen the first day W.O.W! painted as a group by the river behind Connie's and her condo.(It was not yet W.O.W! but a group of about 9 women, most who had taken watercolor at CMC who wanted to keep painting together.) Together (with Judy Skovlin, our first president, Kathy Wahler, Cheryl Beck, Gere Baskin, Phyllis Montmeat, Betty Flint and Kathy Peyton) we named our group, developed our logo and had our first show...at the Log Cabin Restaurant in Frisco (August 19 to September 5, 1999.) The owners of the restaurant handed us the keys and, after closing, we took down the Log Cabin's art and under Eileen's expert supervision, hung our own! Our first opening party was "after the bar-b-q" 4:00-7:00 August 19. We reversed the hanging process at the end of the month. (Such trust they had in us!)
Eileen was our second president. Under her leadership we started to formalize our structure. I think this may be when we established dues and Kathy Wahler became our treasurer. Eileen was a stickler for the purity of watercolor media (like NO acrylic, even!) and uniformity of presentation (white and cream mats only...and NO barn wood!) She headed up our exhibition team for many years ...with Connie always helping and Kathy and Ron Wahler and even Bill and me often helping hang a show... Eileen got us the "Speakeasy" venue which was the site of our summer show for many years. And she got Doc P.J. to play bass for our openings!
Eileen may have led the first of our member run mini-workshops, doing a drip painting workshop on one of our first field trips to Redstone! It was a great idea that formally took off later. We had a W.O.W! farewell party at Carlos Miguel's when Eileen and Connie decided to leave the county a couple of years ago. We couldn't believe they were leaving. We were saddened. We are now even more saddened to mark Eileen's final passing...to that "great watercolor canvas in the sky."
We will miss you, Eileen, but are so glad to have known your vivacity, and to have worked with and learned alongside you. Peace be with you. - Sandi Bruns
I am so saddened by the passing of my friend and mentor Eileen. Eileen told me that she accumulated merit awards when she reached St Peters gate to get accepted into heaven. She told me on one occasion she brought a homeless women home, gave her a shower, fed her and handed her 20 bucks and sent on her way down the streets of Breckenridge. She told me this was a double award and she was so happy about doing these kind of of merit awards. I will never forget my dear and talented friend. -Kathy Wahler
I am so grateful to Eileen for being one of the original founders of Women Of Watercolor. She was such a driving force and a wonderful teacher to all of us who struggled to make a watercolor painting presentable at the end of a plein air session. Her critiques were always fair and encouraging with a sprinkling of humor thrown in. Above all she was a kind and thoughtful woman who was also a very talented artist. Thankfully, there are many of her works that can be seen and appreciated for many years to come. My thoughts and condolences go out to Connie and family at this very sad time. - Jan Lace
I have such fond memories of painting with Eileen in our WOW paintouts and other places as well. She used to invite me to paint at the stream behind her condo with her and was always eager to share her ideas and emphasize how she was not afraid of COLOR. She was so inspirational with her vibrant use of color. Once we sat along the road on Boreas Pass and painted the glorious autumn leaves. She was always happy and fun. I remember meeting her the first time I came to a WOW meeting at Phyllis's home. She was so friendly and welcoming. She taught us to pour paint on our trip to Redstone, and we had such fun traveling to Grand Lake together in my big green conversion van. She and Connie were quite special and both looked on the bright side of life. They were such a great team together. Eileen invited me to come by her condo and showed me all the paintings she did in a Quiller workshop, explaining each one and sharing what she had been taught. I am so glad I had one last opportunity to sit with her again as we painted in 2013 at the Giberson Ranch. What a beautiful day that was and such fun to be with Eileen again. She will be missed and we are all indebted to her for her leadership in starting.WOW, the group that makes our time in Colorado so very special. What wonderful women we have come to know and bond with over the years. Thank you Eileen. And Connie, I hear you play pickelball. Maybe we will partner in a game one day when you are back in Colorado; I could use a few pointers as I am a beginner!! - Ellyn Austin.
I met Eileen the first year I was in WOW, and I remember a nice sense of humor. Nice artist also. -Joey McKenna
