A Selection of Watercolor Paintings
Juried by Betty Carr
Sponsored by Jennifer Foster and Patricia Dowell
March 3 - April 7
This March marks thirty-three years of the “Rockies West National” exhibition and includes some of the best artists working in watercolor across the country. In addition to its competitive awards, the Rockies West first-class three-day workshop is an event you do not want to miss. The exhibition features 70 paintings by 47 artists. The exhibition provides the viewing public an opportunity to see the range of creativity being expressed across our country.
The dry climate of western Colorado makes watercolor particularly difficult for artists working in the region. Even so, our beautiful terrain attracts artists working in the medium who meet the constraints of the climate and produce stunning works that can be created only within the area. The Juror for this exhibition is Betty Carr. Carr’s painting style, which includes impressionism, enthusiastic brushwork, and the use of light and dark, shows the enthusiasm and spontaneity of getting the scene in her hands. Following years of instructing art in Colorado and California and developing her distinctive painting style, Carr and her husband, also an artist, decided to follow the sun to the Southwest where color and light are ever-present.
Betty Carr is emerging as one of the foremost painters of the Southwest. Her use of color, light, and shade accentuate her subject matter while showing her love of nature and its many forms. Since earning her MA from San Jose State University, California, Carr has taught painting, drawing, and sculpture at primary, secondary, and college levels and has developed a following through both private and workshop instruction. Her work is collected both privately and corporately, and has been accepted in numerous juried exhibitions. Carr has recently been selected as a master painter in the American Impressionist Society (AISM) and is a signature member of APAP (Arizona Plein Air Painters Association). Carr will be conducting a three-day workshop in conjunction with the exhibition. The workshop is open to all artists; the cost is $235 for WCWS members and $275 for non-members.
For more details about the upcoming workshop with Betty Carr, visit the Western Colorado Watercolor Society’s website (wcwsociety.net).
What catches my eye is the effect light has on form in unique situations whether fleeting, spilling over, striking, etc. I challenge myself in capturing its dramatic and/or subtle effects. I strive for confident enthusiastic brushwork, the maximizing of color’s value and intensity range and a fresh painterly approach, the result appearing effortless. - Betty Carr
Photo: Betty Carr, Sedona's Cool Waters