"Watercolor Ohio 2009" on display at Southern State February 1, 2009

The Ohio Watercolor Society’s annual touring exhibition will be on display through Feb. 18 at the Appalachian Gateway Center on Southern State Community College’s south campus in Fincastle.

“Watercolor Ohio 2009” features 38 paintings chosen by juror Alvaro Castagnet, a Uruguay native who has earned an international reputation painting, teaching and judging watercolor exhibitions. The paintings selected for this year’s exhibition were chosen from a field of 198 Ohio artists and represent a broad range of style and subject matter.

Castagnet says, when judging a show, it is his “primordial intention to select those paintings that develop an instant reaction” which explains why he “often succumbs to a vigorous vision or a novel view of the world around us.”

As part of the exhibition, the Ohio Watercolor Society open house will be held from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Appalachian Gateway Center. In addition, the James D. Werline exhibition, “Painting Historic America,” is available for viewing in Southern State’s south campus Learning Resource Center.

“Watercolor Ohio 2009” viewing times are Mondays and Tuesdays from 12 noon to 9 p.m., and Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Viewing schedules are subject to change due to special events held in the Appalachian Gateway Center. For more information or special viewing hours, please contact Amanda Lewis at 1-800-628-7722, ext. 3520, or James Werline at 1-800-628-7722, ext. 3669.

The Ohio Watercolor Society was organized to advance the stature of watercolor and other water-soluble media used by contemporary artists. The OWS promotes awareness to the public by fostering an appreciation of the medium and the artists.

The Appalachian Gateway Center, located at 12681 U.S. Route 62, Fincastle, also houses a gift shop which features area artisan work, fine art pieces, and student work from Southern State’s art studio. All items are juried. Gift shop hours are 12 noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To learn more about Southern State Community College, please visit www.sscc.edu. For more information about the Appalachian Gateway Center, please visit www.appalachiangateway.org.