Athens exhibition, 'The Magic of Watercolor,' brings Chattanooga, Knoxville artists together for first time

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'The Magic of Watercolor'

Receptions are common when art exhibitions open, but "The Magic of Watercolor" will give viewers a different kind of access to the artists.

On Friday, to mark the opening of a combined show by the Tennessee Watercolor Society's Chattanooga and Knoxville artists, four members will take part in a panel discussion about the works on view.

"It's something new," says artist Helen Burton, who will serve as one of the panelists, along with fellow Chattanooga chapter artist Marie Spaeder Haas and the Knoxville chapter's Spencer Hudson and Judy Lavoie, the organization's reigning Best in Show winner.

"People come to a show and look at the paintings and probably have questions - how did the artist do that and why did the artist paint that particular subject? - and there's nobody there to answer them," Burton explains. "The main idea [for the panel discussion] is to educate the public about watercolor."

The Tennessee Watercolor Society is a statewide organization with members centered in five major cities: Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis and the Tri-Cities. The organization has a biennial exhibition in which all areas are represented, but this is the first time the Chattanooga and Knoxville chapters have exhibited together. The show is set up at The Arts Center in Athens, Tennessee, which is midway between the two larger cities.

The exhibition includes active, associate and signature members from both chapters of the society. Sandy Brown, a signature member of the TnWS and a watercolor instructor at The Arts Center, proposed the idea to the Athens Area Council for the Arts on behalf of the society, and "AACA's visual arts committee was eager to collaborate," says AACA Executive Director Lauren Shepherd.

The reception also will honor two Athens residents, Betty Grater and Frances Graves, who are charter members of the TnWS, which was founded in 1971. Both have paintings in the show and are past officeholders and signature members (signature members have had work accepted into at least three of the juried biennial exhibitions).

Twenty-two artists are represented in "The Magic of Watercolor" and almost 100 paintings. "All different sizes and all different prices," says Burton. Prices range from $125 to $2,000.

This is the inaugural visual arts event of the 2019-20 season at The Arts Center. Works will remain on view through Aug. 23.

As show coordinator, Brown will moderate the panel discussion. Haas says she hopes the artists will be able to move around the gallery so they can point out techniques and explain the inspiration behind some of the works.

"I think watercolor has that image of little old ladies sitting in their studios or parlors painting little things that are light and airy, and there's some beauty to that, but people take it deeper and try new techniques and subject matter," Haas says.

"What we want to do is show the variety of things and the uniqueness of each person's handling of the medium and also the different surfaces that are being used. That uniqueness is good to emphasize."

Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.