Darcy Scott, Birches

The Muskegon Museum of Art (MMA) will host the Michigan Water Color Society (MWCS) 62nd Annual Exhibition this year with an opening reception on March 14, 2009. 76 paintings representing a variety of styles and techniques in water media will be on display at the museum gallery until May 10, 2009. This is the largest show of its kind in Michigan. National artist and juror, Matthew Daub, will give a short lecture at 3:00 PM in the MMA auditorium followed by a reception and awards ceremony in the MMA gallery. For more information, or for a current prospectus, go to www.mwcsart.com.

Would you like to see your watercolor society's news on our blog? E-mail us the details: wcamag@fwmedia.com

Some Things Old, Some Things Borrowed, but Most Things New (February 13 through April 5, 2009) is the final exhibition in a five-part annual Audubon series mounted by the New-York Historical Society, the largest single repository of Audubon objects (Auduboniana) in the world. This final show examines Audubon’s connections to his predecessors, alongside his radical innovations, illuminating his major contributions to the history of ornithological illustration and to the development of watercolor as a sophisticated medium.

Due to their sensitivity to light, each of the original Audubon watercolors in this show can be exhibited for only a brief period every 10 years. After the exhibition closes, these watercolors will return to storage for at least 10 years. Go now, while you still have a chance to see them!

The first major retrospective of the German artist’s career shown in Austria just opened at the Albertina, in Vienna, running through May 3. The exhibition, featuring 153 works, includes 80 watercolors and the first lengthy overview of Rechter’s drawings and watercolors—on view publicly for the first time. You can also peruse a gallery of images featured in the show on the Albertina’s website.

In what may prove to be a trend and a sign of the times, The Cincinnati Art Museum has announced that it will no longer charge for admission to its special exhibitions: "We believe it's important to make the Art Museum accessible to everyone, especially when so many people are facing economic challenges," said Cincinnati Art Museum director Aaron Betsky. "We're committed to bringing great art free to our visitors, from world-class special exhibitions to outstanding works by artists from the Cincinnati region."

This is good news, especially considering the next big show slated to appear at the museum: Surrealism and Beyond, In the Israel Museum, Jerusalem (February 15 through May 17, 2009).

Surrealism and Beyond is an in-depth survey of the Dada and Surrealism movements, selected from the Vera and Arturo Schwarz Collection of Dada and Surrealist Art from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Surrealism and Beyond will bring the major highlights of this renowned collection to the Cincinnati Art Museum for its exclusive showing in the United States. Over 200 works in a variety of media are featured, including works by Salvador Dalí, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, and Man Ray.

Image note: Le Chateau de Pyrenees (The Castle of the Pyrenees) by René Magritte

I came across a lovely thought that I had to share:

“When I look at a drawing of a person, I look at that person as living. I don't know how to explain it, but a photograph to me is always a reminder of how the person was on a certain day in that certain light fixed. When I look at a watercolor' of that same person, it seems to me alive, more open than a photograph.”  —Francesco Clemente

What an inspiring note for the portrait and figure painters among us. Think about the artists’ quotations that inspire your own work. What are some of your favorites? Feel free to share them by posting a comment.