Santa Cruz- With paintings of flowers, vibrant sunsets and melting snow on the walls, the Santa Cruz Art League is officially welcoming spring.
The local art venue kicked off its latest show, ‘The Best of the Central Coast’ Saturday with 75 watercolor paintings from local artists. Hosted by the Santa Cruz Watercolor Society, the show’s reception will take place at the Art League from 2-4p.m. Sunday, April 7.
Founded in the early 1970’s the Santa Cruz Watercolor Society aims to unite local watercolorists. The society hosts an annual business meeting, invitational show and occasional auxiliary shows.
While the paintings in ‘The Best of the Central Coast’ depict everything from nudes to detailed landscapes, assistant to director Keelin Sabel said the pictures have one thing in common: the mastery of watercolor.
“It’s really quite lovely; I love being surrounded by watercolor,” said Sabel, a watercolor artist. “The jewel effect you can get from the colors is just so wonderful. It’s just so sensitive to paint with.”
The paintings particularly reveal the watercolorists’ ability to layer and manipulate washes, Sabel said.
“Watercolor is wonderful because you’re seeing the light carry through the paper whereas oil painting is thich, rich and buttery, Sabel said.
The show, juried by Carolyn Lord, also featured paintings awarded ribbons. The first-place winner was ‘Late Winter Puddle’ by Dale Johnson, a $400 piece that depicts a pool of water reflecting trees. Honorable mentions included ‘Out of Service’ by Mary Hopf and ‘Summer Patterns’ by Lee Taiz, a member of the Santa Cruz Watercolor Society.
“People here really painted everything, from atmospheric to surreal, dreamy to realistic,” Sabel said.