The Gallery at Lakeland is hosting Watercolor Ohio 2021: 44th Annual Juried Exhibition, July 17 – Sept. 10. For this exhibition, 270 paintings entered by 171 artists, were created with various water media techniques.

Juror Keiko Tanabe accepted 80 paintings for display in The Gallery at Lakeland. Tanabe has served as a juror in a number of art exhibitions around the world, including the Transparent Watercolor Society of America and the Watercolor West. For more information, visit her website at ktanabefineart.com.

"We are excited to host this exhibition. Watercolor is a very precise form of painting that is highly controlled by the artist," said Gallery Coordinator Mary Urbas. "Because the paint is thinned with water, too much liquid can easily ruin the piece. When you realize that, you can see and appreciate what makes these pieces extraordinary."

The artist reception and awards ceremony was held Saturday, July 17, 2021. Fourteen awards totaling $6,800 were presented, including 10 Ohio Watercolor Society (OWS) awards, three Memorial awards and one Honorary award.

In addition, 32 paintings were awarded selection for a traveling show to be displayed in venues throughout the state through May 2022. Locations include:
• September/October 2021: ADC Fine Art Gallery, Cincinnati
• November/December 2021: Amos Memorial Library, Sidney
• January/February 2022: TBD
• March 2022: Lakewood Public Library
• May 2022:Piqua Public Library

Gallery Coordinator Mary Urbas will host a virtual tour and gallery talk of this exhibit. Community members will have an opportunity to view it at a later date by visiting lakelandcc.edu/gallery.

About the Ohio Watercolor Society
Founded and incorporated in July 1978, OWS was formed by a group of Ohio artists who were members of the American Watercolor Society or whose works had been accepted into one of the juried exhibitions of American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, or Watercolor USA during the period 1971-1978. The Purpose of OWS is to advance the stature of watercolor as a major painting medium, to assist in the education of Ohio residents in the area of aqueous painting, and to foster a greater appreciation and interest of both the individual artist and the general public.

To accomplish these goals, the society sponsors an annual juried exhibition, watercolor workshops, critiques, demonstrations and lectures, and publishes a newsletter which contacts, informs and shares interests and efforts in the field of aqueous painting.

About the Gallery at Lakeland
The Gallery at Lakeland presents several art exhibitions each year, in addition to an annual Holiday Artists' Market, which benefits the Lakeland Visual Arts Student Exhibition. These exhibitions support and advance recognition of Lakeland's fine arts academic programs; diversity efforts at the college; community arts groups; and local, regional and national artists.

The Gallery at Lakeland Hours are: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The gallery is closed Sundays.

Note: The gallery is also closed Saturday, July 24, for a full campus event and Monday, Sept. 6, for the Labor Day holiday.

All Gallery exhibitions are free and open to the public. Children 14 years of age and younger should be under adult supervision.

For more information about the show or the gallery, contact Mary Urbas, gallery coordinator at murbas@lakelandcc.edu or call 440.525.7029.

By: Jessica Novak