Permanent link for Celebrate World Watercolor Month on August 27, 2024

Did you know that July was founded as World Watercolor Month in 2016?

The celebration was founded by artist, author, social activist, and creator of Doodlewash Charlie O’Shields as a month to inspire people to paint with watercolor while raising awareness around the importance of art and creativity in the world. Anyone can join in the celebration, whether you are a master watercolorist or trying the medium out for the first time. For those seeking the ultimate challenge, World Watercolor Month encourages 31 watercolors in 31 days!

Check out other events and ways to participate in World Watercolor Month 2024.

Looking for inspiration or ideas for your own adventures with watercolor? Check out some of the watercolor artists featured below from the GVSU Art Gallery Collection!

Rein Vanderhill
In Rein Vanderhill’s large floral and fruit paintings, he uses watercolor to create high contrast and intense colors as well as subtle gradations and shadows. Vanderhill is noted for focusing on the unusual shapes of the shadows on the leaves and petals and often making the deep and dark negative shapes between the leaves and petals the most interesting part of the paintings. The paintings look almost photographic from a distance, but when viewed up close, the smooth paint strokes can be seen.

Explore more works by Rein Vanderhill.

Rana Chalabi
Rana Chalabi is a Syrian/Lebanese artist who works in Cairo, Egypt. She works within a variety of mediums, like charcoal, inks, mixed media, oils, sculptures, and printed graphics but is best known for her serene watercolor landscapes. She often does her watercolors on site, or in “plein air," but also works from photographs in her studio on the banks of the Nile. Through her use of watercolors, Chalabi can play with layers of color and light, representing both nature and architecture.

Explore more works by Rana Chalabi.

Mike McDonnell
Mike McDonnell was a Muskegon, Michigan-based artist who studied art in both Chicago and New York. Initially receiving training in classical portraiture and working primarily with oil paints, it wasn’t long before McDonnell found his own style in watercolors. He became well known for still life paintings with the most absurd arrangement of items, often precariously stacked, in dynamic colors. McDonnell would apply multiple, thin, layers of watercolor paint to achieve the rich, vibrant, and realistic images he painted. The results of his painting technique are not the typical look of watercolor. The realism of his paintings shows mastery of the use of the medium.

Explore more works by Mike McDonnell.

BeiBei and Leilei Chen
Twin sister artists, Beibei and Leilei Chen explore the relationship between culture and the natural environment. Their watercolors tell stories of life and death, science and art, and religion and politics. In their images, Leilei and Beibei use multiple methods and mediums to represent pollution in landscape as a global issue, on both macro and micro levels. By exploring how the medium of watercolor lends itself to blending colors, their images appear like an image looking into a microscope.

Explore more works by BeiBei and LeiLei Chen.

Bruce McCombs
Bruce McCombs is a local artist specializing in painting, especially watercolor, and etching. Through his images, McCombs turns ordinary objects and scenes into spectacular displays and colorful reflections. His subjects include urban settings such as New York City or his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, architecture, neon signs, planes, trains, and vintage automobiles. The transparency of watercolor allows McCombs to paint everyday scenes, spaces full of light and shadows, as well as a variety of architectural elements, from shiny chrome to translucent glass.

Explore more works by Bruce McCombs.

Explore other examples of watercolor paintings in the GVSU Collection.

Untitled (Tulips), Rein Vanderhill, Watercolor, n.d., 2014.113.27.

Harbor #2, Rana Chalabi, Watercolor, 2011, 2012.39.9.

Untitled (Bottle Family Tree), Mike McDonnell, Watercolor on board, n.d., 2017.97.363.

Malignant Landscape, BeiBei and Leilei Chen, Watercolor, 2016, 2018.7.1.

Paris, Louvre, Bruce McCombs, Watercolor, 1999, 2002.00110.1

Categories: Collection Highlights
Posted on Permanent link for Celebrate World Watercolor Month on August 27, 2024.

Permanent link for The Lens of Humanity: Documentary Photography on August 27, 2024

Documentary photography is a style of photography that gives a candid and authentic representation of people, places, objects, and events. Before the popularity of television and the rise of the internet, documentary photography was an important way for people to learn about world events or see what life looked like across the globe. As digital technology advances, the demand for professional photography has diminished. In contrast, many contemporary documentary photographers are putting their works in galleries versus newspapers to shed light on injustice and inequality.

As an art form, documentary photography has the profound ability to transport the viewer into unfamiliar environments, activities, and viewpoints. It captures images of humanity and of individuals whose lives and backgrounds may be drastically different from our own. The photographs show us new perspectives, cultivating empathy and compassion. These images challenge assumptions or stereotypes the viewer has about other cultures and they evoke emotional responses.

The real-life moments presented through documentary photography give the viewer a look into the life of the subject being photographed. From joy and excitement to sadness and anger, these images portray real moments and real emotions.  Authentic and relatable, documentary photographs create deep connections to their viewer and audience, providing a lasting impact.

From scenes of war and protest to celebratory sports events, from images of raw heartbreak to elated joy, the GVSU Art Collection includes several examples of documentary photography. The images in our collection record events and situations that have shaped the world in which we live.

Douglas R. Gilbert
At the age of twenty-one, Douglas R. Gilbert joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine’s history. From a young age, Gilbert was attracted to cameras and photography and could be found taking pictures of his local Michigan neighborhood and friends. After President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Look magazine sent Gilbert to Alabama to photograph Ivanhoe Donaldson, a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, championing voting and registration rights for Black Americans. The GVSU Collection has several photographs from the time Gilbert spent with Donaldson as well as other Look magazine assignments and personal projects.

Explore more photographs by Douglas R. Gilbert.

Peter Turnley
Peter Turnley began photographing in 1972 in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He and his twin brother, David, photographed the life of the inner-city, working-class McClellan Street, working to give a voice to the heart of America. Since this early project, his photographs have drawn attention to the plight of those who have suffered great hardships or injustice, while finding that many aspects of life are also beautiful, poetic, just and inspirational. Turnley’s photographs have been on the cover of Newsweek magazine 43 times.

Explore more photographs by Peter Turnley.

Donna Ferrato
Donna Ferrato is an internationally recognized photojournalist best known for her documentation of the hidden world of domestic violence. Her first book, “Living with the Enemy,” documents her time in New York City in 1970 photographing the heady nightclub culture at legendary establishments such as Studio 54 and Xenon. There she met and began documenting the life of prominent swinger couple known as Garth and Lisa. One night she witnessed Garth beating Lisa, a night that would forever change the path of Ferrato’s life and career. For the next decade, she rode in police cars, slept in shelters, and stayed at the homes of battered women, traveling the country photographing domestic violence.

Explore more photographs by Donna Ferrato.

Walter Iooss
Walter Iooss Jr. is an American photographer best known for his award-winning images of sports’ greatest athletes, like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Scottie Pippen, and Muhammad Ali. His career began with Sports Illustrated, a magazine Iooss has contributed to for over 50 years. Over the years he also worked with Atlantic Records to photograph performers like James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. He also photographed an extended study of the Olympic athletes during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which resulted in the book “Shooting for the Gold.” His photographs have appeared in numerous magazines, advertising campaigns, and even baseball cards.

Explore more photographs by Walter Iooss.

Ivanhoe Donaldson (For Look magazine), Douglas R. Gilbert, Photographic Print, 1965, 2018.48.2000.

Ground Zero, New York City, Sept, 12, 2011, Peter Turnley, Archival Pigment Print, 2001. 2020.46.52.
 

Myth America Protest Against the Exploitive Representation of Women In Beauty Pageants, Los Angeles, California, Donna Ferrato, Archival Pigment Print, 1986, 2020.47.16.
 

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Walter Iooss, Archival Pigment Print, 1966, 2020.47.37.

Categories: Collection Highlights
Posted on Permanent link for The Lens of Humanity: Documentary Photography on August 27, 2024.