By Martha Nodar
Sandy Springs resident Betsy Cozine and Daryl Nicholson of Brookhaven are among members of the Georgia Watercolor Society (GWS) currently showing award-winning paintings at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art.
Cozine earned first place among 52 other participating members for her “Beauty of Gibbs Gardens,” and Nicholson, the society’s current president, was awarded an honorable mention for her “First Catch.”
“I was shocked; it was amazing!” Cozine said. “These are some of the very best watercolor painters around, so winning this award was quite an honor.”
Both Cozine and Nicholson painted their pieces from photographs. “My painting is based on a vintage black-and-white image I found in my grandmother’s photo album,” Nicholson said.
The “Third Georgia Watercolor Society Signature Member Exhibition,” consists of more than 50 pieces and runs through March 1. Selected “signature members” of the society are eligible to participate the exhibition, which is held every other year.
While the Signature exhibit is in view, the society is gearing up to launch a national exhibition at the Oglethorpe Museum that opens March 14, two weeks after the current exhibition closes. The “Georgia Watercolor Society XXXVI National Exhibition” will run through Apr. 30. Held annually, the society’s national show is a juried exhibition open to any artist from any state. A reception open to the public is scheduled for Mar. 13.
Both shows mark the first time the Georgia Watercolor Society has held any of its exhibits at the Oglethorpe museum. A percentage of the proceeds will benefit the museum, said co-chair of the national exhibition, Sam Alexander, also from Sandy Springs.
For more information: georgiawatercolorsociety.com.
