FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 8/5/2011
Morgan Arts Council -- Berkeley Springs, WV
www.macicehouse.org

Press Contact only: Linda Elmer arlespai@aol.com
304-366-9793 (home) 304-216-8498 (cell)

WV WATERCOLOR SHOW MAKES BERKELEY SPRINGS DEBUT

BERKELEY SPRINGS, WV ---- The Signature Members Exhibit of work from the West Virginia Watercolor Society makes a colorful debut at the Ice House Gallery in Berkeley Springs on Friday, August 12 at 7:30pm. First stop on the Friday night Artwalk is Mountain Laurel Gallery at 5pm. The art exhibit hangs at the Ice House through September 18 with gallery hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm.

For curator Linda Elmer and other members of the society watercolors are difficult to master yet nearly endless in possibility. "People wrongly think that watercolors are simply a first step before a final oil or acrylic painting," she said. The art on display showcases the diversity. "The application of paint can range from transparent to opaque," explains Elmer. "Artists may have a non-objective vision like Rita Montrosse or be realistic in their approach like Patricia Anderson." Elmer's painting, "Moving Manhattan" which is featured on the announcement postcard, captures an almost shockingly vivid and active atmosphere. "The combination of geometric forms with the play of light upon them is most challenging in my cityscapes," she said.

Signature artist is the highest earned status in watercolor societies. The fifteen who contribute work to the show hail from every corner of West Virginia including F. Dennis Clarke of Martinsburg. Judy Reed of Salem selected watercolor from a lifetime of art experiences for its fresh and spontaneous feel. "It's so responsive to the moods I try to project through my art," she explained. For Grey Darden, the rocks, water, trees mountains, skies and flowers all around are his inspiration. "I am emotionally attached to the land of West Virginia," he said. Lou Riffe Gates of Daniels is a lover of antiquities and dotes on subjects from old houses to handcrafted items.

The curated gallery exhibit produced by the Morgan Arts Council is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the West Virginia Commission on the Arts and hotel/motel tax revenues. The Ice House is located on the corner of Independence and Mercer. Gallery hours are Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. For more information call 258-2300 or check online atwww.macicehouse.org.