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Artscope Magazine | May/June 2021

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Watercolor

Inspiring The Next Generation: Watercolor Society’s Annual Boston Show Precedes Move

// Current Issue, Issue Articles, January/February 2020

by Ron Fortier

New England Watercolor Society Marks 135-Years with the 2020 Signature Members Show. The New England Watercolor Society is one of the oldest watercolor societies in the nation. Its 2020 Signature Members Show, which takes place in February at the Guild of Boston Artists, is a continuation of its solid 135-year history. The Society’s first exhibition was held in 1885. It began as the Boston Watercolor Society. The inaugural show featured nearly 50 works from over a dozen artists. Among them were F. Childe Hassam, Thomas Allen, Charles Henry Sandham, John A. Fraser, George R. Barse Jr., Phillip Little and Ross Turner. Its earliest members included Frank W. Benson, John Singer Sargent and Andrew Wyeth. Then, as now, the New England Watercolor Society’s raison d’être was to establish and “promote excellence and diversity in watercolor and to bring exceptional paintings, both … [Read more...] about Inspiring The Next Generation: Watercolor Society’s Annual Boston Show Precedes Move

NATURAL SURROUNDINGS AT THREE STONES GALLERY

// Artscope Online, Current Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Olivia MacDonald

Like a brook trout swimming towards a feathery fly lure in a Berkshire stream, visitors of Three Stones Gallery in Concord, Massachusetts will find themselves reeled into the colorful watercolor paintings of such delicate flies by Gail Burr. Each painting is unique, featuring a hyper-realistic rendition of fishing flies with their reflective metal hooks, poly-yarn and feather quills. Some look spiky and menacing, like “Sparkle Soft Hackle” with long dark strands protruding from its body of green fibers, while others like “Backcountry Kinky Muddler” appear softer with a light gray fur deep green eye at the front. Three Stones gallery manager Lyca Blume described how watercolor paintings generally cover a larger area or landscape with noticeable brush strokes, but Burr’s collection uses watercolor in each careful detail. The artist herself “appreciate[s] that each fly is a tiny unique … [Read more...] about NATURAL SURROUNDINGS AT THREE STONES GALLERY

WHERE ART IS MADE: WALTHAM OPEN STUDIOS NOVEMBER 2 AND 3

// Artscope Online, Current Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Olivia MacDonald

This brisk, fall weekend, November 2 and 3, from noon-6 p.m. is a perfect time to step into a piece of history and art at the Waltham Mills. Located at 144 and 289 Moody Street in Waltham, Massachusetts, the brick buildings used to house textile mills in the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, but today houses the studios of over 85 artists in a community environment with a variety of art on each floor. Visitors can make their way across the wooden floorboards, observing the colorful paintings, drawings and sculptural pieces on the walls with sunlight flooding into the studios through the wall-sized windows. Speak to artists first-hand about their processes, inspirations and lives as creators. Take the old-style open elevator up to the third floor of 144 Moody Street, building 4, to enter Roberta Nigro Hall’s space in studio 3, where the white walls are filled with large … [Read more...] about WHERE ART IS MADE: WALTHAM OPEN STUDIOS NOVEMBER 2 AND 3

ART IS HER WORLD AND THE WORLD IS HER ART: NATASHA STOPPEL

// Artscope Online, Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Olivia MacDonald

Natasha Stoppel’s thirst for travel and adventure seeps into her illustrative and whimsical ink drawings, watercolor pieces and wood-burned jewelry. Also known as Artist Explores the World on her blog and social media platforms, she tells small stories through her artworks of landscapes contained within animals, a collage of ink-drawn cats and cascading waterfalls painted on bamboo earrings. The places she has visited whether backpacking solo through Asia or exploring the canyons and mountains of the United States, are a part of her when she speaks. Her intense passion feeds her artwork, giving her compositions movement and life. As a New Hampshire native, Stoppel’s studio is located in Exeter’s Art Up Front Street, an inviting space for artists to practice their craft. Yet, Stoppel’s artistic roots spread further as she graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, … [Read more...] about ART IS HER WORLD AND THE WORLD IS HER ART: NATASHA STOPPEL

TOP ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Laurie Bonner, "Midnight Mermaid," 2017, digital image capture, 12" x 12"; Deborah Baye, "Night & Day," 2018, mixed media with high resin finish, 24" x 24" x 1.5"; Bror Hultgren, "Runes of Time's Passage 2," 2016, cast paper pulp on handmade paper, 39" x 30" x 2.5"; Diana Barker Price, "Conscious," 2016, digital image capture, 12" x 12". BOTTOM ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Susan Denniston, "Shroud," 2017, monotypes on both sides of translucent Japanese papers, sewn with black thread, hung with magnets, 50" x 60" x 1"; Stephen Sheffield, "Going Away For A While," 2018, archival print from original collage, 14" x 11" x 1"; Erin Juliana, "Idiopathic," 2018, paper cut or cut paper interwoven, 17" x 21" x 2"; Deb Hall, "Crack in The Ground," 2018, digital and hand printmaking, 15" x 15" x 2".

Works on Paper at the South Shore Art Center

// Artscope Online, Current Exhibits, Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Bryanna F. Drew

The Bancroft Gallery at South Shore Art Center’s current show is “Works on Paper,” juried by Andrew Witkin of Krakow Witkin Gallery. “Works on Paper” has a diverse set of pieces, the only common denominator of them being that they are paper. From hyper realistic watercolor to abstract cut-paper works, the show was dominated by a mix of media. Out of hundreds of artists’ submissions, only 50 works were picked by Witkin for the show, and seven of them given awards. “I was amazed at the breadth of exploration and the depth of involvement,” Witkin’s juror statement expressed. “My decisions are balanced between personal preferences and respect for the specifics of the wonderful diversity of art presented. The works show incredible creativity, dedication and skill.” Witkin asked that the award winners be honored equally; “In this era of intense judgement and separation, I hope this group … [Read more...] about Works on Paper at the South Shore Art Center

Ann Hart, Night at the Opera.

A Modern Spectrum: Fresh Watercolors at the Art Complex

// Issue Articles, November/December 2018

by Beth Neville

Existential tensions of contemporary life are addressed head-on by many of the watercolor painters in the New England Watercolor Society’s Biennial exhibition. Following in the watercolor traditions of the great masters, Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent, many of the paintings deal with the stresses of life. No one has painted a despairing fisherman’s wife looking out to sea for her lost husband or Italian marble quarry workers cutting stone. But the artists do address addiction, loneliness, homelessness and anxiety. In an exhibition dominated by conventional watercolor motifs of fruits and flowers, seaside shacks, birds, boats and beaches, several artists grapple with the problems of modern life. Courageously, they turn their eyes away from the romantic symbols of beaches and boats, often with exceptional technical skill. Carolyn Latanision’s “Ladles and Cranes Ready; … [Read more...] about A Modern Spectrum: Fresh Watercolors at the Art Complex