Watercolor paintings, bonsai trees breathe life into Parkersburg Art Center
Photo by Wayne Towner Clarice Dunphy, of Parkersburg, attended Sunday’s opening reception for the West Virginia Watercolor Society’s National Juried Exhibition at the Parkersburg Art Center.
Photo by Wayne Towner A Chinese Elm bonsai tree was among those displayed Sunday at the Parkersburg Art Center for one day only. The Ki No Kaze Bonsai Club will also participating in the annual Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival on June 15-17 at City Park.
Photo by Wayne Towner Nearly 40 watercolor-based works are on display at the Parkersburg Art Center through the West Virginia Watercolor Society’s National Juried Exhibition which can be viewed through July 7.
Photo by Wayne Towner Clarice Dunphy, of Parkersburg, attended Sunday’s opening reception for the West Virginia Watercolor Society’s National Juried Exhibition at the Parkersburg Art Center.
Photo by Wayne Towner A Chinese Elm bonsai tree was among those displayed Sunday at the Parkersburg Art Center for one day only. The Ki No Kaze Bonsai Club will also participating in the annual Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival on June 15-17 at City Park.
Photo by Wayne Towner Nearly 40 watercolor-based works are on display at the Parkersburg Art Center through the West Virginia Watercolor Society’s National Juried Exhibition which can be viewed through July 7.
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PARKERSBURG -- The West Virginia Watercolor Society has returned for another visit to the Parkersburg Art Center.
The society opened it National Juried Exhibition on Sunday and nearly 40 artworks will be on display through July 7 at the corner of Eighth and Market streets in downtown Parkersburg.
"We usually come about every other year. They love having us and we love being here," Linda Elmer of Fairmont, the society's treasurer and exhibits coordinator, said of the Parkersburg Art Center.
"This is one of the best venues in the state and we show in just about every corner of the state," Elmer said.
The exhibit features artists from seven states, including West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Maine. One of the artists is from Parkersburg, Christine Rhodes.
Elmer said all of the pieces featured are watercolor or water-based.
"As long as it's presented in an aqueous manner, any water-based paint or inks can be used," she said, adding the exhibit is very diverse in terms of subject, technique and style. "I think there's something for every type of painter. I think people will be surprised by what people are doing with watercolors and that's a good reason to check out the show."
The art center is open Wednesdays through Saturdays and weekday admission is $2 per person, with no charge for members or for children under age 12.
Sunday's reception also featured a one-day exhibit of bonsai trees by members of the Ki No Kaze Bonsai Club of Parkersburg. Ki No Kaze is West Virginia's only society dedicated to the ancient Japanese art form that the members know of, club president Jim Lindley said Sunday.
The club was started about six years ago and currently has 18 members, Lindley said. It meets monthly at the art center and holds shows two or three times each year, generally for a single day.
"As far as we know, it's the only bonsai club in West Virginia," he said.
The Ki No Kaze club will also be participating in the annual Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival at City Park on June 15-17, followed a week later by an exhibit at Scot's Landscaping.
Lindley said such events bring exposure and interest to the art form to the community and can sometimes result in new members signing up to learn more about it.
Parkersburg resident Clarice Dunphy is a member of the art center and likes to attend the opening receptions for the various shows each year. Dunphy said she really liked the combination of the watercolor works and the bonsai exhibits featured Sunday.
"It's all extremely well done," she said.
Several of the paintings received awards as part of the art center show. They included: Best of Show and People's Choice for "Daddy" by Jeannine Swartz; Award of Excellence for "Awestruck" by Connie Clutter; Award of Excellence for "Vintage" by Ginger Danz; Award of Excellence for "Mosaic Blast" by Rita Montrosse; Award of Merit for "Bird Lady of Cologne" by Jane Michael; Award of Merit for "Dreamer" by William Campbell; Award of Merit for "Monhegan Climate Patrol" by Monica Wilkins; Honorable Mention for "At the Louvre" by Pamela Price; and Honorable Mention for "Bourbon Street" by Debbie Lester.