19 August Watercolor Ohio 2022 Showcases Ohio Artists And The Medium's Expressive Range August 19, 2022 Riffe Gallery 0 As an Ohio native, I was pleased to hear about the Watercolor Ohio 2022 exhibition coming to the Ohio Arts Council’s (OAC) Riffe Gallery. This exhibition delightfully plays with the relationship between the medium’s depth and the diversity of the selected artist's interests, techniques, and styles. All artists selected to participate in the exhibition belong to the Ohio Watercolor Society (OWS), a non-profit educational organization created and run by Ohio artists. The OWS was founded in 1978 by a group of 17 watercolorists and has since made notable strides in the world of aqueous painting through exhibitions, outreach, educational opportunities, and more. The Amish Way, by Artist Frederick Graff, instantly had me adjusting my eyes to investigate the subjects in this seemingly abstract piece. Upon a more thorough glance, the outlines of buildings and people began to form, creating an entirely new interpretation of this painting. The small strokes against the plastic finish of the yupo paper create a style reminiscent of a dream or distant memory (Frederick Graff, 2022, “The Amish Way”) Artist Christine Misencik-Bunn uses watercolor in her piece In the Moment, to capture emotions ranging from sadness and joy to love and hate. Her paintings invoke a sense of atmospheric truthfulness between herself, her surroundings, and the viewer, almost demanding we experience the same fervor encapsulated within the subject. (Christine Misencik-Bunn, 2019, “In the Moment”) When you walk past Log Cabin Picnic by Artist Chris Krupinski, you might reach out to grab a Honeycrisp apple because of how much attention to detail was put into this painting. Although it may appear as a spontaneous, realistic still life, this piece is entirely fictional. Using her graphic design background, Chris utilized color, form, and placement to create this dazzling composition. (Chris Krupinski, 2020, “Log Cabin Picnic”) Many successful paintings incorporate narrative. Artist Ted Lawson achieves this in his piece, Diner, where we are given a scene of humanity yet left with many questions. The replication of neon and the human figure add-on to many of the impressive qualities in this work. (Ted Lawson, 2021, Diner) We invite you to come in and see these beautiful watercolor works in person. This year’s selections do a fantastic job of highlighting the versatility of aqueous mediums and the artists guiding them. If you would like to learn more, there are exhibition resources available online and through the Ohio Watercolor Society website. Watercolor Ohio 2022, the 45th Annual Juried Exhibition of the Ohio Watercolor Society, will be presented at the OAC Riffe Gallery from July 30 through October 7, 2022. For more information about upcoming programming and to view a virtual exhibition experience, visit riffegallery.org. Article by Anya Nelson, 2022-23 OAC Riffe Gallery Marketing and Exhibitions Fellow Comments are closed.