The Painting Center is pleased to announce Breaking Glass, a group exhibition opening on September 7, 2021 and running through October 2, 2021. The exhibition showcases watercolor artists on the forefront of developing modern techniques to present their watercolor artwork in a permanent fashion, without the typical glazing so common in watercolor. For centuries, watercolor artists have struggled for recognition of their medium as equivalent to other mediums in importance, stature, and value.

The exhibition, which is sponsored by Golden Artist Colors, Inc., and curated by Laurin McCracken with support from The Painting Center, features ten watercolor artists who are recognized through their memberships in national watercolor societies and multiple awards for their work, as well as being represented in significant public and private collections.

“We strongly support this work and this exhibition as an important step to begin to break down the hurdles for artists working in watercolor, said Golden Artist Colors CEO, Mark Golden. “Aptly titled Breaking Glass, the show is about removing glass as a barrier to the viewer as well as breaking the glass ceiling of arbitrary values placed on a medium and not on the work itself. We continue to devalue the work of many incredibly talented artists because they have chosen the medium of watercolor. We have created a devalued market for their work, not based on aesthetics or merit, but on the fact that the work is created in paper and exhibited behind glass. We hope this show will shed light on a topic needing many further discussions and changes in the future.” A full color catalogue of the paintings in Breaking Glass is available.

Artists featured in the exhibition are Laurin McCracken, TX; Rance Jones, TX; Michael Holter, VA; Matthew Bird, MD; Lynn D. Pratt, VT; Thomas Bucci, Wash., D.C.; James Maria, PA; Iain Stewart, AL; Frank Spino, FL; and David Stickel, NC.

Image:
James Maria
That Old Familiar Smell
11 x 15 inches