Watercolor, a thousand-year-old medium defined by its fluidity, composed of soluble pigments, binders, and additives suspended in water, holds the extraordinary power to conjure visions, evoke dreams, and distill fleeting emotions and impressions onto paper. Long celebrated for its delicacy and luminosity, watercolor continues to surprise and inspire, adapting with each generation of artists who explore its potential in exciting and unexpected ways.
The Florida Watercolor Society’s 54th annual exhibition, aptly titled To Catch A Dream, brings together a remarkable collection of works that showcase the astonishing range and versatility of watercolor today. The subjects explored are as diverse as their creators: ordinary objects, personal memories, natural phenomena, and imagined worlds. From meticulously rendered photorealistic scenes to expressive, abstract compositions, the paintings on display reflect a plurality of voices and artistic approaches. Each piece offers a unique lens through which to view the world, whether it is a sweeping landscape that transports the viewer to a distant place, a quiet moment captured in a domestic setting, or an intimate study of overlooked crumbs on a plate.
What unites these works, more than the medium, is the shared commitment from these artists to observation, experimentation, and expression. These artists extend the boundaries of tradition while honoring watercolor’s rich history, embracing its unpredictability and versatility to reveal something profoundly human and contemporary. In presenting these varied perspectives, the exhibition affirms watercolor’s ongoing relevance in the 21st century, as a dynamic and evolving form of artistic expression that resonates with the complexities and curiosities of our time.
The Florida Watercolor Society held its first exhibition in 1931, and was formally founded in 1972, with 26 artists as charter members. Today, membership has now grown to more than 1,000 individuals. The Society’s main events each year are an Annual Exhibition, Convention, and Trade Show held in various locations throughout Florida, during the Fall. The Annual Exhibition is hosted by the state’s most prestigious galleries or museums and has grown to include 100 paintings, juried from over 500 entries. This year’s distinguished juror is Matthew Bird, a graduate of Pratt Institute of Arts, and award-winning watercolorist, whose work has been featured in publications such as Fine Art Connoisseur and American Art Collector among many others.
