The Northern Arizona Watercolor Society had its inception in 1980 when Anna Mary Seyfert, a member of the Arizona Watercolor Association (AWA), moved to Sedona from Phoenix. An avid watercolorist, Anna Mary scoured the area for artists with a similar passion and soon had a group meeting at her home on a regular basis. As the numbers grew, driving to Phoenix for programs became difficult, so the AWA took us under its wing as the Northern Chapter. We established our own organization under their auspices, growing in both numbers and vitality. In 1995 we declared our independence forming the Northern Arizona Watercolor Society (NAWS) with 178 charter members.

Past Presidents of the AWA - Northern Chapter include:
Anna Mary Seyfert
Gretchen Swartwout
Elizabeth Welsh
Jackie Iossi
Carolyn Avera
Harry Fockler
Karyl Bennett.
NAWS Past Presidents are:
Harmon Avera
Jane Darrow
Norma Gibson
Vada Lovato
Marilyn Bos
Marsha Owen
Sue Davis
Eva Vaitkus
​Jeanne Jones