Turtle Prints and Watercolors

Brian Gordy, watercolor artist and local businessman, has been accepted into the147th Annual International Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society. His entry, “Spotted Turtle Composition,” will hang at the Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Avenue, New York City, from April 1-20, 2014.

The American Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition is “considered by many to be the most prestigious and competitive Watercolor Exhibition in the country,” according to the acceptance notice. Notable members of AWS include Gordy’s personal hero, Winslow Homer, along with Louis Comfort Tiffany, Edward Hopper, William Merrit Chase, Thomas Eakins, Childe Hassam, and others. Founded in 1866 by eleven painters, the organization stresses consistent style and expert skill in the demanding medium. Watercolor painting is to oil painting as hiking is to free climbing; there is very little room for error. Transparency is mandatory, where the paper must show through the thin washes of paint.

This is the first time for Gordy to be invited to show in this competition. “It is a great honor to be included in such a prestigious and historically important exhibition. All of my watercolor heroes came through there,” Gordy offers.

A graduate of the Ball State University Department of Art, Gordy and his wife, Genny – also a BSU Art graduate – maintain an art gallery and frame shop in downtown Muncie, Indiana, representing two dozen area artists, including Gordy. More about Brian Gordy and the other represented artists can be found at www.gordyframing.com.