The Rio Bravo Watercolorists have been around for at least thirty-eight years formally and about five years before officially organizing. Their goal has been to continue the tradition of watermedia work, celebrate the accomplishments of their members and share art with the wider El Paso community.

Their founding is attributed to local artist Bill Rakocy but he was later joined by individuals like Bill Bissell, Holly Cox and Sanford Cox. Sanford Cox, a lawyer, helped them register as a non profit and establish a structure to guide them forward.

Monthly meetings were held at the International Museum of Art, at restaurants and on East Fort Bliss at the Centennial. During these meetings, members would share their work, offer critique and participate in a live demonstration by members or other local artists. The goal was to establish a consistent community dedicated to furthering the tradition of water color. These monthly meetings culminated in an annual showcase of their member’s work, typically hosted at the International Museum of Art.

The Rio Bravo Watercolorists had the opportunity to host additional shows such as, Ysleta Mission Galleries, a group show at the El Paso Art Association with the RBW, Plein Air, Pastel Society, and Elevate Your Art, which was also an auction.

Elevate Your Art was spearheaded by Judy Hampton to help fund the repairs to the International Museum’s elevator. It had about fourteen different groups, such as The Plein Air Society, The Westside Art Guild, and The Pastel Society, participate. The Six Guns and the Shady Ladies joined them for entertainment. They had a robust turn out with Mario Parra, Candy Mayer and Barry Martin doing live demos throughout the day.heir monthly meetings and annual showcase, the RBW gave out scholarships to three students each year. They hosted workshops to grow their memberships and to highlight the talent of their members. Notably, Nancy Begin Frost, Marie Siegrist and Julie Caffee Cruz all taught workshops.

The members of RBW were very close, hosting Christmas parties with gift exchanges of original artwork and a celebration at the end of each annual showcase. Long time member Krystynna Robbins hosted the group at her home several times.

When COVID, hit the group could not meet, so they got creative by planning watercolor paper experiments and mailing various papers to members to create art with. Photographs of these experiments were sent out in monthly newsletters to encourage members to keep striving for excellence. They reorganized the meeting reminder calls to become check-ins, allowing the group to stay connected. Members still had a place to share the ups and downs of their lives. Post COVID, RBW tried to find new ways to connect their members, organizing critique groups by location. Three of these groups still meet today.

There were a great many talented El Paso artists who would become members of the RBW. Their participation helped the group keep growing their artistic talents. The RBW would like to recognize Jean Holzenthaler, an incredible member who served several terms as president as well as their other lifelong members.

It is with a heavy heart that the RBW voted to disband, but they are grateful for all they learned, the friends they gained, how they grew as artists and contributed to their community. We are grateful for all that RBW has done.