Introducing Our Amazing
7th Annual Women in Watercolor Online Juried Competition
2026 Awards Judges
Lynn D. Pratt
Lynn D. Pratt is a professional artist and signature member in the National Watercolor Society, American Watercolor Society, Women in Watercolor and multiple others.
Lynn paints in a photorealistic style which she adopted from her background in architecture and her love for detail and perfectionist nature shows in her paintings.
She is an award-winning artist, demonstrator, juror and watercolor instructor and showcases her work in solo shows and international exhibitions. She has been featured on television and print including Splash, Watercolor Artist, Artscope and The Artists Magazine.
Lynn loves teaching watercolor and finds inspiration from sharing her love of the medium with others with in-person classes and her Let’s Paint Patreon Online School.
Lynn started Women in Watercolor in 2020 and is the President of the International Women’s Organization.
Veneta Docheva
Veneta Docheva is a Bulgarian watercolor artist, international demonstrator and educator known for her expressive contemporary watercolor work. She is the official watercolor delegate for Bulgaria at the Mondial Art Academia in France and serves as an International Pigment Testing Expert for Eureka & Rockwell (Canada), who also released a signature watercolor set in her name. Her art has been featured in television films in Bulgaria and Russia, and she has exhibited widely in solo and international exhibitions in cities including Paris, Bratislava, Warsaw and Sofia. An award-winning artist, Veneta regularly teaches masterclasses, demonstrations and workshops around the world, sharing her passion for watercolor with an international audience.
Michelle Nixon
Michelle Nixon holds a BFA in Visual Art and a master’s in the Sociology of Aesthetics from BYU, and is a signature member of AWS, NWS, WFWS, and UWS. Her work has received numerous awards in national and international juried exhibitions and has been exhibited in museums and public spaces from coast to coast. Featured in multiple magazines, she has received significant recognition in the plein air community and was selected for an artist residency at the Center for LDS Arts in NYC. Her work explores the intersection of the social and aesthetic, examining how shared human experience shapes composition, spatial relationships, and design.
Dr. Deepti Singh
Deepti Singh is a self taught watercolor artist from India. She is known for her realistic and
detail-oriented painting style.
While she explores diverse subjects for painting, her greatest inspiration comes from nature. As an
ardent wildlife enthusiast she is especially drawn to flowers, birds and animals and capturing their textures and grace with artistic sensitivity.
Her artistic excellence has earned her many International and national awards, accolades and
recognitions. Her artworks have been displayed on many renowned national and international platforms and published in print media many times.
She is also a physician by profession and presently works as the head of a hospital in the Power generation sector under Energy department in North India.
Mary Jansen
Mary Jansen, AWS, NWS, TWSA MS, WHS paints compositions that entwine two great loves of her life- birds and watercolors. She feels that both worlds embody a sense of mystery and intrigue. When those worlds are combined, she feels they create a synergistic energy deserving of celebration. She strives to project the inherent personality of her subject matter while simultaneously allowing for the creative properties of the watercolor medium to further enhance the avian subject matter.  Mary has won several prestigious awards including Best in Show in NWS, TWSA and WIW. She enjoys teaching and reviewing art but her favorite time of day is spent in the quiet early morning hours alone with her paints and brushes.Â
Lorraine Simonds
Lorraine Simonds, SFCA, BFA, CSPWC, is a British-Canadian watercolour artist renowned for her loose, emotive portraiture and luminous, atmospheric style. Rather than manufacturing light, her paintings seek to reveal the light already present within moments of darkness, inviting viewers to discover hope and beauty even in life’s shadows. Lorraine’s work has earned Finalist honours in Splash 26 & 27: The Best of Watercolour and multiple First Place National Awards. She is an International Brand Ambassador for Rockwell Art Canada and a sought-after instructor, offering inspiring courses, workshops, and mentorships. Her art is held in private and public collections worldwide and has been featured in Watercolor Artist, Art Avenue, and The Artists Magazine.
Francesca Pracilio
Francesca’s multidisciplinary path converges on the element of Water, extending from her Adriatic origins and hydraulic engineering research to her contemporary watercolor practice. Her artistic investigation finds its best expression in the representation of the feminine world in all its infinite facets, rendered through a sophisticated mastery of fluid dynamics, including on synthetic supports. Following the prestigious acquisition of her paintings by the Museum of Watercolorists of Catalonia, she has earned significant international recognition, including the First Overall Prize for Europe in the Winsor & Newton contest, which has consolidated her rigorous and influential presence in the European artistic landscape.
Rachel Parker Varner
Rachel Parker Varner is a professional artist and signature member in Women in Watercolor and South Carolina Watermedia Society. Rachel paints in an impressionistic yet realistic style which she developed over 25 years painting as a self-taught artist inspired by her love of animals and capturing beautiful light. She is an award-winning, internationally collected artist and sought after watercolor instructor. She showcases her work in national and international exhibitions. Her work is collected internationally and has been featured in both local and national print including the cover of the Journal of American Veterinary Medicine several times. Rachel loves sharing her love of watercolor with her students through her online Patreon Rachel’s Studio school and she has served on the board of the South Carolina Watermedia Society. Her current passion project is organizing a watercolor teaching cruise to Alaska.
Kathleen S. Giles
Kathleen is a professional watercolorist and a signature member of numerous societies including the American Watercolor Society and a Master Signature of the National Watercolor Society. The artist’s realistic paintings of a variety of subject matter have won many awards, including first place in Artist’s Magazine in 2025 and two first place purchase awards from the National Watercolor Society. She is a popular juror and teacher. Her teaching of workshops both in-person and online enable her to connect with artists globally. She is a regular contributor to Watercolor Artist Magazine. Kathleen has been featured on podcasts with Eric Rhoads and Sunil Kalbandi as well as being an instructor on Watercolor Live twice.