A sure sign that this interminable winter will end is the emergence of spring arts shows, and I’m happy to share that this bright watercolor + ink piece has been accepted to the New England Watercolor Society‘s Spring into Art exhibit.
The Plymouth Center for the Arts is a beautiful gallery space located in the heart of historic Plymouth, MA, just steps from Plymouth Rock and other early American history sites. Even on these raw spring days it’s a great day trip. The Center is home to the New England Watercolor Society, and always has a number of great exhibits on view.
The Center is open Wednesdays- Saturdays 10am – 4pm, and Sundays 1-4pm.
Plymouth Center for the Arts, November 2025Plymouth Center for the Arts, Main Gallery
Coast Chaos, Watercolor + ink on paper, 2026Then There’s the Wildness, Watercolor on paper, 2026
The Rhode Island Watercolor Society warms up the winter months by hosting online juried shows and I’m so glad to be included in this exhibit, Making Your Mark. Mark making is the use of lines, dots or other patterns as part of creating an image. It can be cross hatching or strokes of paint or ink – for me, sometimes it’s a struggle to assure that the marks don’t overwhelm the composition. The process itself is so satisfying to me that sometimes I have to leave a piece for days or weeks and come back to it to see if it’s successful or work on it some more (or pitch it).
You can view the full exhibit at the link above or see it on Facebook.
My original post about this exhibit had the wrong date and time for the opening reception. It’s this Saturday, December 6, from 2-4pm.
I’m especially proud to be included in this New England Watercolor Society exhibition in this beautiful gallery space. Once again, I expected one of my more traditional paintings to make the cut on this show, and they surprised me by choosing this contemporary work. My hope is that the fuller context of this painting comes through – while much of my work has a whimsical quality to it, there are deeper messages in to be found for those who care to look. But the colors and shapes hold their own, I think.
I’m especially proud to be included in this New England Watercolor Society exhibition in this beautiful gallery space. Once again, I expected one of my more traditional paintings to make the cut on this show, and they surprised me by choosing this contemporary work. My hope is that the fuller context of this painting comes through – while much of my work has a whimsical quality to it, there are deeper messages in to be found for those who care to look. But the colors and shapes hold their own, I think.
I’m certainly glad the wonderful people at the Rhode Island Watercolor Society seem to understand my art, as evidenced by their acceptance of this whimsical piece. Sometimes I feel like my work is a bit of comic relief in an angsty and serious time and that’s perfectly fine with me – but the tiny figure in the window in this piece represents something important to me. I can’t presume to know what it might evoke in the viewer, but comments are encouraged.
Watercolor + ink, 2025
Simply watercolor opens on November 15, with the opening reception on Saturday, November 22 at 1pm.
Jack Thor Ahlin was a much beloved and accomplished artist on Cape Cod, and I am honored to receive the prize that bears his name. This national juried show is my first with the Cape Cod Art Center.
The Cape Cod Art Center’s Autumn National Exhibit is on view October 20 – November 15, 2025 – this is a perfect time to visit this beautiful gallery in Yarmouth, MA.
This is a real milestone for me. The New England Watercolor Society is, not surprisingly, an organization from which every watercolorist seeks affirmation. Once again, I expected one of my more traditional paintings to make the cut on this exhibition, and they surprised me by choosing this contemporary work. My hope is that the fuller context of this painting comes through – while much of my work has a whimsical quality to it, there are deeper messages in to be found for those who care to look. But the colors and shapes hold their own, I think.
This special series of events, “The Unfinished Woman – Who Am I Beyond the Roles that I play?” is inspired by Joan Anderson’s Book series, A Year by the Sea. This art show “honors a profound and often overlooked chapter in a woman’s life—the quiet moment after the roles of partner, best friend, volunteer, or caretaker begin to fade.”
Although I’ve created art of some kind throughout my life, I took up watercolor in 2017 as a way of expanding my skills while also hoping that my adult autistic son, who loves to draw primarily with markers, might also be interested in watercolor (spoiler alert: he’s sticking with markers). But I fell in love with watercolor partly because I was fortunate enough to find a teacher, Kat O’Connor, and a talented group of painters who have guided and inspired me.
I started out hoping to create work I thought others would consider proper watercolor, and while I still create traditional work, I’ve also reconnected with the artistic style that defined my youth, which leads me to explore all the memories that go with that. Now I’m rebuilding my artistic vision and my inner life.
This collage piece depicts my journey through media, styles and subject matter through the years as I work to break free of my own expectations and create work that celebrates who I am now while valuing the people and experiences that got me here.
I’m thankful that the Cultural Center of Cape Cod presented an opportunity for me to review my work and make something out of my paintings that have snippets that I love but were flawed in other ways – saving the good parts and cutting out the rest is a valuable process.
The June Kershaw Open Exhibit includes some extraordinary works in a variety of media, so I’m especially pleased that we earned an honorable mention in the watercolor category. As party of this juried show of 50 works selected from hundreds of entries, judge Hillary Osborn called this Inception “very innovative” – it does stray from traditional watercolor and so I’m particularly glad to be to show it and be recognized.
Thanks to the Sandwich Arts Alliance for the opportunity to submit and share this work. You can visit the show in person until September 2, 2025, at the old Sandwich Town Hall or view it online.
sarah.connell. campbell.art 