Fallbrook Art Center

The North County Times 

February 19, 2010 - An exhibit of paintings by some of the nation's most accomplished watercolor artists is on display at Fallbrook Art Center.

Each of the exhibit's 29 stylistically diverse paintings were created by some of the best artists in the nation's most established professional watercolor associations, said Mary Perhacs, executive director for the nonprofit art center. She said the exhibit is unique because it is composed entirely of work by the associations' highest-caliber, or "signature," members.

"I thought surely somebody must have done this before," Perhacs said this week. "But when I began researching it, I couldn't find anything like it. It really looks like this is the only show of its kind in the country."

The Signature American Watercolor Exhibition is one part of the center's larger World of Watercolor art show, which includes the National Watercolor Society's 2010 traveling, 27-painting exhibit.

World of Watercolor will be on display until March 28 at the center, 103 S. Main Ave. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and noon to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

There is a $5 entrance fee.

To earn signature membership at professional artists associations such as The American Watercolor Society, an artist's work must have been chosen at least twice for the association's exhibits, Perhacs said. Placement in those shows is notoriously competitive, so signature members tend to represent the profession's vanguard.

Renowned watercolor artist Frank Webb chose paintings for the signature exhibit from a pool of 200 submissions by artists all over the country, Perhacs said. Webb traveled from his home in Pittsburgh, Pa., for the Feb. 6 opening to select prize-winners from the 29 paintings chosen for the exhibit.

Choosing the exhibit's 13 prize-winning paintings was difficult for Webb because all the work was first-rate, Perhacs said.

The exhibit features works from several California artists, but none from Fallbrook, Perhacs said. Webb awarded an abstract acrylic painting by San Diego's Su Y. Kown the center's $1,500 first-place prize.

"People don't think about watercolor as being this versatile," Perhacs said. "The pieces are abstract, impressionist, realist. People think of (watercolor) as being soft, but there's so much more you can do with it."

People are also surprised to find that there are so many different kinds of watercolor paintings, Perhacs said. The "watermedia", or types of paint commonly diluted with water, include watercolors, gouache and acrylic.

Art gallery owner Dorothy Mushet of Julian said she was not surprised to see the variety of paints used, but she was impressed by the quality of work displayed.

She noted that many of the pieces include reflections and lighting techniques rarely seen in less-accomplished watercolor paintings.

"It's just really outstanding," she said of the exhibit.

Contact staff writer Morgan Cook at 760-740-3516.