The Chesapeake Bay is an artist’s dream. The wildlife, the old workboats, the sunsets…our waterfront provides endless inspiration for painters, photographers, sculptors, and artists using all kinds of other media.
For 50 years, a group of enthusiastic watercolor artists has been capturing it all. The Annapolis Watercolor Club, 200 active members strong, is a nonprofit organization that teaches (and inspires) new and experienced watercolor painters. Members learn new techniques during monthly demonstrations by nationally-known artists. Then, they put those techniques into practice on their own paintings, gathering with fellow members for collaborative work.
To celebrate the Annapolis Watercolor Club’s 50th anniversary, the group put forth 50 paintings created by its members to be professionally exhibited at the Annapolis Maritime Museum in Eastport. The exhibit, 50 Years on the Chesapeake, aims to “celebrate all things maritime and local ecology”. As you can imagine, the artists had plenty of subject matter to work with. The exhibit opened Feb. 18 and remains on display through March 16.
There was no competitive process to select the 50 works showcased around the walls of the maritime museum’s gallery space. It was simply first come, first served, for submissions from club members. That means that watercolors painted by professional artists hang alongside the art of newbies.
The watercolor techniques used also range widely. Different kinds of paints and different paper textures can create very different looks. A type of synthetic paper called YUPO is much smoother than typical watercolor paper, which gives the paint a swirling effect. The tip of a paintbrush can be used to make more precise, detailed lines.
One artist, Linda Luke, created snowfall by carefully tapping her brush over the page. Club president Juanita Green’s work, Ships at Night, has an opaque black background, a tricky effect to create with watercolor. She says she had to mix all kinds of colors to make the dark black. Other artists apply paint to Plexiglass, then press it onto the paper for a batik printing effect.
Some people like to paint indoors, from photos, while others like to paint from life, “en plein air”. Some hardcore watercolor artists even venture out in the winter, adding vodka to their water to make sure it doesn’t freeze. The club generally takes a more comfortable approach in winter, painting wildlife from taxidermy displays in a local nature center. They call it “indoor plein air”. Plus, the taxidermy animals are very good at holding still.
Members of the club say watercolor has a reputation for being more difficult than oil or acrylic, but they say that’s a myth. It’s true that watercolor is less forgiving when you make a mistake. Since you paint from light to dark, retaining the light, you can’t simply cover a mistake with more layers of paint. But club members insist that once you learn about watercolor, it’s not as hard as people make it out to be.
Whether you’re a novice or a pro, you can join the Annapolis Watercolor Club for $35, taking part in monthly artist demonstrations, painting events, special destinations, and watercolor exhibits.
Watercolor Club members we spoke with say the Chesapeake Bay makes for excellent painting inspiration. Eileen Hempel, who picked up watercolor only a few years ago, calls the Bay a beautiful area to paint. Of Annapolis, she says, “It’s unique. It feels like a small town, but you have big subjects to paint.” Our ecology and wildlife is also unique, she points out: “There is nothing like this on the West Coast.”
Hempel, a U.S. Navy servicemember, has painted while stationed on ships, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. The watercolor club sent her painting supplies while she remained on the ship for a year.
If you go to see the exhibit, you’ll notice all of the artwork is for sale. Pieces range in price from a couple hundred dollars for smaller pieces to more than $2,000 for a large-scale work by professional painter (and club member) Stacy Lund Lay.
Pricing the artwork for sale was the museum’s idea, and the painters have mixed feelings about selling their pieces. Green says, “I want to keep my paintings in the family,” while Joan Machinchick, who has been painting for decades, including illustrations for Chesapeake Bay Magazine, says with a laugh, “I would sell all of mine if I could!”
The very best pieces were selected to receive awards on Friday evening, juried by internationally-renowned watercolor painter Mo Bilbeisi, of Oklahoma State University. Bilbeisi has done live demonstrations for the club in the past. A handful of his striking “pen and ink” watercolors are also in the exhibit.
50 Years on the Chesapeake runs until March 16, with gallery hours Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Learn more about visiting the Annapolis Maritime Museum.
