Watercolor exhibit features W.Va. artists
Brett DunlapArticle Photos
PARKERSBURG - A group of West Virginia artists are showing the public watercolors aren't just for kids with a new exhibit at the Parkersburg Art Center.
The West Virginia Watercolor Society opened its "25 Years of Excellence" exhibit Sunday at the art center at the corner of Eight and Market streets in downtown Parkersburg. The exhibit, which is on display until Nov. 3, will be traveling around the state until the first part of 2010.
"We are one of four museums in the state to be privileged to exhibit the West Virginia Watercolor Society's biennial touring exhibit," said Abby Hayhurst, executive director of the art center. "This is a juried exhibit. Only members of the West Virginia Watercolor Society can enter it and then they are judged and a certain number of them can enter. This is the creme de la creme of watercolorists in the state of West Virginia.
"Every piece in this show is top drawer. You can't pick a favorite piece, because if you do then tomorrow you will have a different piece. They are all so darn good."
There are 48 pieces in the show, ranging from abstract representations to impressionist works to highly representational and realistic works.
"There is something here for everybody," Hayhurst said. "Everybody presenting here is at the top of their game."
The WVWS, founded in 1984 in Clarksburg, works to promote the complex art of watercolor painting, set standards for the medium and assist aspiring watercolor artists in West Virginia.
"This is our 25th anniversary," said WVWS President Jeannine Romano. "We are hoping to continue on our mission for more than another 25 years."
The group had the idea to do a traveling show to highlight artists from around the state as well as generate interest in the medium among artists of all ages.
For many people, watercolors are something kids use to create cute pictures in school. Romano wants people to think beyond that and wants them to see what can really be done.
"It has to do with composition, content and layers and layers of paint," she said. "It is creating an idea through a color strategy and design.
"It is passing the basic idea you have in your mind onto the paper."
An artist has to be able to plan ahead in how to use the colors to create what is wanted and paint it on a thick cotton fiber paper which the artist is basically dying over the time of the work.
"It takes layers and layers to build up on that to create the illusion of depth," Romano said.
It goes beyond what a lot of people have traditionally thought of watercolors.
"It isn't just kids' stuff," said artist Linda J.C. Turner.
The show was judged by experts and winners were announced before the show hit the road. At each showing, visitors are able to vote for a People's Choice Award which will be awarded early next year after the show is completed. The exhibit was shown in Clarksburg from June to August. After Parkersburg, the show will travel to Wheeling and Charleston.
The time has come for shows like this, said artist Katy Crim, who has the Best in Show Winner "Maddie, Down For the Count."
"I love it," she said. "It is a showcase that has needed to happen before now.
"It is a good sampling. A lot of them are abstract. Some are real colorful. Some are really pretty. There is a great diversity with this show."
Alatata Alsup, librarian for the art center, said she was impressed with what the artists could do in each piece and how the show really represents the medium well.
"The art is outstanding," she said. "Watercolors are a difficult medium.
"These are the best in West Virginia. It is just real quality."
The art center is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free on Wednesdays. All other times admission is free to art center members and $2 for non-members. Children under 12 are admitted for free.
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08-31-09 8:04 AM
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The WVWS Anniversary show stays in Parkersburg until Oct.3rd, instead of November 3rd as stated in the article. The WVWS would like to thank Abby Hayhurst and her staff who treated the exhibiting artists like celebrities! Parkersburg Art Center is truely a mecca where fine art lovers and working artists can come together. What a wonderful facility!
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