Watercolors of landscapes, flowers, abstracts and portraits will showcase the diverse range of media at this week’s exhibition at City Arts in downtown Orlando.
Urban Gallery Space will be introducing the Central Florida Watercolor Society showcase exhibition, which will open during the Art Walk on Thursday, the third Thursday. The show highlights 86 paintings from 44 artists, including three local masters.
“A very special wall of legend” shines a spotlight on the work of Chauncey Nelson, Glen Ward and Ken Austin, who founded the association 26 years ago.
“We have everyone, from very beginners to very skilled and highly qualified recipients,” said Julie Nieves, president of the Central Florida Watercolor Association. “It’s very exciting for us to have the opportunity to exhibit at City Arts.
“It’s in the middle of everything going on downtown and in the middle of the arts district.”
With around 130 members, society brings together artists of all levels for demonstrations and group shows. The annual member judges show is currently on display at Winter Park Health and Wellness Centre until March 28th. Additionally, the association will be presenting “The Secret Life of Plants” at the Orlando Science Center this summer.
Looking ahead, City Arts will host “Agents of Impact: Art of Advocacy” in April and “Untypical Florida” in May (side gallery). The April exhibition was presented in a collaboration with Brantley Preparatory School, focusing on the causes that artists believe in.
“The idea behind this is that we all have something we care about. Historically, one of the features of art is advocacy,” Biggs said. “This is not for those who scream at each other. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have much anymore in our society, but we should.”
Topics mentioned in the work include disinformation, mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, cancer research and book bans.
“All artwork has something next to it that explains what it’s causing,” Biggs said. “No one will have to guess what they’re seeing.”
In May, Untypical Florida draws inspiration from a “ambiguous, mundane, esoteric” location in central Florida, bringing together the works of painters Patricia Byron and Natasha Shayde.
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If you’re going
The watercolor showcase exhibition will begin during the reception on Thursday from 4:30 to 9:00 pm and will host the awards ceremony at 39 S. Magnolia Avenue in Orlando at 5:30 pm. The show will be on display until April 12th. More information: downtownartsdistrict.com
Original issue: March 19, 2025, 12:02 PM EDT
