Evergreen, CO
Center for the Arts Evergreen, September 13-October 26
Kathleen Lazoni, Her Belongings, watercolor, 12 x 18.
This story was featured in the September 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
A VIBRANT collection of watermedia works goes on view this month at the Center for the Arts Evergreen in the Colorado Rockies. It’s the 46th annual Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition, a juried show that brings together a medley of paintings in watercolor, acrylic, egg tempera, casein, and mixed media. The exhibition opens on Friday, September 13, with a reception at 4 p.m. that many of the 70 exhibiting artists attend.
Widely recognized as one of the top watermedia exhibitions in the country, the show attracts entrants not only from around Colorado but also from farther afield, says Inga Kamis, CAE’s director of exhibitions and marketing. Internationally acclaimed watercolorist and juror of the show Sterling Edwards “selected a nice variety of realistic and abstract pieces,” adds Kamis, noting that Edwards had the task of narrowing down more than 450 entries based on technical skill, originality, and artistic merit.
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- Steve Griggs, Pearl Street Mall, watercolor, 14 x 10.
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- Chris Krupinski, Not So Black and White, watercolor, 30 x 22.
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- Cindy Welch, Fatboy, watercolor, 20 x 16.
Among the accepted works is HER BELONGINGS by watercolorist Kathleen Lanzoni, who is entering her sixth year of participating in the show. The Colorado artist’s painting, inspired by her travels, portrays a Peruvian woman resting beside a hefty sack she’d been toting. “I was amazed by her strength, carrying an enormous bag on her back, which made me very curious as to what belongings she had in the bag,” says Lanzoni, who used colors in the grass and shadow areas that emphasize the woman’s voluminous skirt and bag. “I really enjoy using negative painting in my compositions,” she adds, explaining that, in the scene’s lightest areas, she preserved the white of her paper.
Also entering his sixth year in the show is Denver-area watercolorist Steve Griggs, who showcases PEARL STREET MALL, a loose, animated depiction of a pedestrian mall in Boulder, CO. The work exemplifies his “quick execution” approach to painting, says Griggs, who created the piece during a Quick Draw at the Boulder Plein Air Festival in May. “It’s a very good representation of my overall style, with energetic brush strokes and hot spots of color against neutral grays,” says the alla prima painter. It’s a “dream come true,” he adds, to be among the show’s exhibiting artists. “I used to go to the show and just revel in the quality of the artwork, the ideas, and the presentation. So it’s a real honor and pleasure to be a part of this show year after year.” —Kim Agricola
contact information
www.evergreenarts.org/rmnw
This story was featured in the September 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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