Water brings colors to life
In a small meeting room towards the back of the Logan library, members of the Cache Valley Watercolor Society (WCS) met to study and critique one another’s art pieces and discuss what it was that “makes a painting good.” The society meets once a month to critique each other’s paintings, discuss important news and announcements, plan upcoming events and watch a demonstration or a lesson given by one of the society members.
WCS council member and critique professional Debbie Allen said, “The first thing you want to do when you look at a painting is identify what you see.”
Allen asked the members of the society questions about each painting such as what stood out most to them, and what they thought the artist was trying to express, as well as their own interpretation on it and what they might do differently if it was their painting.
“What we strive for in the WCS is to provide constructive and vital feedback to better the artists and create a learning environment for all those involved, “said Joni Axtell, former president and active member of the society.
Axtell said the members of the watercolor society learn so much from each other because they come from all different walks of life. Axtell said everyone has a different story to tell and different levels of experience. Even though they are a community society, Axtell said this is the reason why they encourage USU student
“So many times we look at a painting and see only what we’re ‘supposed’ to see,” Allen said, “We need to broaden our look beyond what the textbook tells us is the proper way to paint.”
The Cache Valley chapter of the WCS stems from a much larger Watercolor Society located in Salt Lake City. The Cache Valley chapter has a total of four signature members, which means they have had eight of their works accepted into WCS-qualifying jury shows and at least one painting has won an award. According to Axtell, the nice thing about achieving the status of a signature artist is that you can start charging more for your paintings and they become more valuable.
Kathryn Grover, a signature artist from an Arizona chapter, attended a meeting and said she was impressed with how unique everyone’s ideas were.
“The paintings are all so different with so much rhythm and personality,” she said.
Axtell also said one of the best things about being a part of the WCS was the diversity among its members. She said she had met a woman who had fallen into a deep depression and didn’t know what to do or how to get out of it until one day her brother told her she had two choices: crumble or create. The woman, in response to that advice, picked up painting and slowly began to be inspired by the beauty around her. The more she painted, the more she pulled herself out of depression.
“Coming to the WCS gets me to talking to artists with great wisdom,” Axtell said, “so much fun and good advice comes from these really great artists.”
Axtell said she had been recently doing some studying on the effects of anti-depressant drugs and how they affected the body. She said before mankind had drugs, people still got depressed and still had to find a way out of it. The way they chose to do it was through inspiration and art.
Axtell stressed that students were always welcome to join the society and the classes they offer are great, even if you’re not an art major. The society membership fee is $15 which includes free access to all the meetings, workshops, classes and parties. The WCS is currently planning their winter show for Dec. 3. Students who are interested in entering the show must have their paintings in Dec. 1 for judging the next day, followed by the show open to the public on Dec. 3.
“It’s a wonderful experience to be around so many of the people in the WSC,” Axtell said, “They’re all so different, coming from different religions and backgrounds, but we all share one common goal in painting.”
– jessica.black@aggiemail.usu.edu