In March, my watercolor painting: “Sunlight late Winter Afternoon” was selected for the Florida Watercolor Society 2026 Associate Member Online Show. Juror Michael Holter chose 89 works for the exhibit. I am honored to be included.

You can view the show at floridawatercolorsociety.org/Featured-Exhibitions.

Stay connected: www.EvyOkerstrom.com / eokerstrom22@gmail.com

In March, one painting is being juried for an online exhibit, and another is in a local Members Show. I also entered a colorful painting from last year that will be on display through April in Daytona Beach.

“Sunlight late Winter Afternoon”, is a watercolor inspired by the view behind my home. I was drawn to the warm orange light reflecting on the water. It was submitted to the Florida Watercolor Artists 2026 Associate Member Online Exhibition.

Stay connected: www.EvyOkerstrom.com / eokerstrom22@gmail.com

Valentine’s Day card with envelope.
“Paperweights by Design”, watercolor by Evy Okerstrom,
$5 each available at the Hub and online.

 
Thank you for your continued support.
Happy Valentine’s Day!

Group photo of the Urban Sketchers including myself

Stay connected: www.EvyOkerstrom.com / eokerstrom22@gmail.com

The New Year brings fresh ideas and renewed energy to my Monday art class at Trinity Lutheran Church. 

January finds the class focused on turning practice into presentation.  Students are working on drawing and watercolor, refining line, value and color as their pieces move from the presketch to a gallery style display in the Fellowship Hall.  Seeing their work move from easel to wall has been especially rewarding.  The room begins to feel like a small gallery, and students gain confidence not only in their artwork, but in sharing with others.  Several finished pieces will be available for purchase, making this a meaningful step for many who are showing their work publicly for the first time.

“The Cardinal Collection” 

“Positivity Don’t Worry, Be Happy, Create!” is the theme of the Florida Women’s Arts Association’s January Exhibit.  The Casements, 25 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach will hold the show January 3 – 29, 2026.  All forms of expressions will be shown from abstract to representational. I will have my painting “New Mexico” in the exhibit. I hope you will able to stop by to see the exhibit.

 Happy New Year 2026! Thank you for your support.

Stay connected: www.EvyOkerstrom.com / eokerstrom22@gmail.com

The Reception November 15^th at the Hub on Canal was a great success. It opened the exhibit  “NSB, A Little Slice of Paradise”. The event was created by Jacob Coronado, the new Community and Curatorial Director.  His goal was to help the community learn more about local artists.  He chose six Hub Artists and placed their work on the large lobby wall for two months. I was honored to be one of the first artists selected.

Invitations went out to friends and family.  A large crowd came and the event was live-streamed on Instagram. Jacob asked each artist questions about our work and about New Smyrna Beach.  This allowed us to share our ideas with the audience.  The crowd enjoyed the conversations, and the evening felt warm and lively.  After the talk, we spent time visiting with the guests. I left feeling very grateful.

On Sunday, December 14, I will have a Holiday Card Workshop at the Hub. The class is $50 and runs from 1 to 4 pm. Please use this link to sign up.  Paint Your Holiday Cards with Watercolor Artist Evy Okerstrom – The Hub on Canal

Christmas Magic Card

My new 2026 watercolor calendar is now ready.  It is available at the Hub and on my website for $15 plus postage.

Warm up sketch I did in class of a black glass bird.

“Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to Everyone!”! Thank you for reading, and for your continued support. 

Stay connected: www.EvyOkerstrom.com / eokerstrom22@gmail.com

The holidays are only a few weeks away! I’ve been busy painting for two exhibits, creating holiday cards, and planning a new workshop.  My Monday classes at Trinity are going strong, too.

Atrium Wall Picture “My Backyard” by Evy Okerstrom,
watercolor, pen and ink.
$400. at the Hub

Also at the Hub:  The 2^nd Annual Joy to the Arts, November 28, 29 and 30^th for Holiday gifts and Santa!

My new Hub wall display, Urban Sketching with Watercolor, Pen and Ink, includes pieces like “Winter Night” – a moonlit farmhouse in blue, white and orange.

Street Scene in Spain Card

“The Blue Fish” by Evy Okerstrom,
an oil painting that will be the cover of my 2026 calendar.
My 2026 calendar should be ready by mid-November.

Winter Scene with Couple and Dog

Classes at Trinity Lutheran Church continue on Mondays, 12:30-3:30 p.m.  In October we finished canvases for the Hub’s Impact of Little Things 8×8 fundraiser and practiced painting reflections on water.

Now that the weather is cooler, we may move outdoors for sketching– a great exercise in composition.

“Happy Thanksgiving”! Thank you for reading, and for your continued support.

Stay connected: www.EvyOkerstrom.com/eokerstrom22@gmail.com

My Note Cards are now at Elite Feet & Studio in Port Orange and at the Hub on Canal. Elite Feet & Studio offers pedicures, manicures, and hair styling. They use the latest techniques and premium products. Their customer service is excellent. You can find them at

4319 South Ridgewood Ave.,
Port Orange, FL 32127.
Phone: 386-717-3311.
Website: EliteFeet386.com.

Classes at Trinity Lutheran Church continue on Mondays, 12:30–3:30 pm. This month we worked on canvases for the Hub on Canal’s “Impact of Little Things” 8×8 Fundraiser Exhibition. The art can be 2D or 3D, in any medium. Most students used watercolor or gouache. Others tried metallic watercolor with pen and ink, wood, or collage. I finished two pieces, due October 1.

“Table by the Sea”, watercolor and gouache, on an 8″x8″ canvas for Hub’s November Fundraiser Exhibit.

“Harvest Still Life” is from a class sketching exercise. I added some colorful details influenced by Matisee’s  colorful picture of “Harmony in Red”

“Thank you for reading, Happy Halloween!”

Stay connected: www.EvyOkerstrom.com/
eokerstrom22@gmail.com

My paintings are now on display at the New Smyrna Beach Library. They will be there until the end of November. The Library has a Community Gallery and the Artists’ Workshop of NSB hangs their Members artwork there year-round. The Library is located at 1001 S. Dixie Freeway, NSB 32168.

Last month I wrote that I would be teaching classes on Wednesdays beginning September 10, 2025.  I have decided “not” to teach weekly classes. Instead, I would like to have weekend workshops. I will let you know when dates have been set. The theme will continue to be Urban Sketching.

My classes at Trinity Lutheran Church continue on Mondays, 12:30 – 3:30 pm. We continue to work on all aspects of Urban Sketching.  This past month we continued with Watercolor Gouache.   Going forward we will be working again with the techniques of Ian Fennelly, working with watercolor ground, and the November “Fundraiser 8 x 8” exhibit at the Hub on Canal.

All levels are welcome. If interested contact me directly.

Class Exercise: Giraffe on the Moon” by Evy Okerstrom, Watercolor, Watercolor Gouache, Pen and Ink.

Class Exercise: “Flowers in Heart Vase” by Evy Okerstrom,
Watercolor, Pen & Ink.

Thank you for reading—Stay cool!

The Hub on Canal and Janes Art Center will have their Annual Members Show August 2^nd – September 1^st.  The theme is: “Reflections of ThySelf”.   I am submitting my picture: “Good Thoughts”.

“Happy Thoughts”, Mix Media, $500 available at the Hub.

SOLD!

Final Sketch

Several students were interested in learning about Watercolor Gouache. I brought in some Winsor Newton and Arteza Gouache. The Arteza brand was a hit!  We will continue with this for the next few weeks.

 Thank you for your interest—Stay cool!

Urban sketching was the topic I spoke about June 7^th at the Hub on Canal.  I did a demonstration of drawing and painting flowers in an orange vase! The women who attended expressed an interest in the process and asked a lot of good questions. I could tell that they had some experience with watercolor. I told them that I would be having weekly classes on Thursdays at the Hub starting in September.  I will have a starting date next month.

 “Rural Landscape, Cumbria, England”,
Watercolor, & Pen exercise in layering color.

After that, I asked the students for some suggestions on what they would like to work on. Drawing and painting glass was an idea. We spent a class on that. I did a basic overview of the process; with a lamp, showing the effect light has on glass to create the dramatic shadows in paintings. We did an exercise to paint reflected shadows.

The painting of the candlestick with reflection.

The following 2 weeks, we worked on figures.  I did a basic introduction in drawing people, and divided it into 3 parts.  The first week was on faces, and drawing each other.  The last week, returning to urban sketching, we used our figure drawing skills to add people in cityscapes.

A sketch of my students’ faces.

Classes at Trinity continue on Mondays from 12:30 to 3:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall. July classes begin on the 7th.  We’ll focus on urban sketching. All levels are welcome.

Thank you for your interest—and Happy 4th of July!