I think it’s important as an artist to keep painting new things and trying new ideas. Not every painting is great and some are just learning experiences! The latest painting I’ve been working on is based on a photo I took many years ago of sea foam at the beach. I loved the colorful bubbles and my own warped shadows on the bubbles. I forced myself to finish this painting, but it was a struggle. Here is the finished painting, along with some work in progress photos.
I’m pleased to announce that my two watercolor paintings, Rack ‘Em Up and Camouflage, were accepted into the 2026 Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition. The show will be on display from June 11th – July 19th at the Red Barn Galleries in beautiful Waitsfield, VT.
I’m pleased to announce that my watercolor, Fading History, was accepted into the 2026 Expressions show. Many thanks to juror Bryn Critz Schockmel, of the Hyde Museum, for accepting my work. I did this painting specifically for this show, as it represents Glens Falls in this competition of regional artists. The show opens on May 9th and will run through June 20th at the NCA Gallery at The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, NY. Gallery hours are Thursday to Saturday, 12-5 pm.
My transparent watercolor painting, Vintage Color II, was just accepted into the 93rd Annual National Juried Exhibition of the Hudson Valley Art Association! This show highlights work that is representational and traditional realism, and includes works done in oil, watercolor, graphics, pastel and sculpture. Many thanks to Marc Josloff and Bradley Hendershot, jurors of watercolor selection for the show. The exhibition will be held at The Lyme Art Association Galleries in Old Lyme, CT from June 5th through July 17th. Gallery hours are Wednesday – Sunday, 10 am – 5 pm.
Here is my latest transparent watercolor painting, entitled Camouflage. On one of my many winter hikes this year I came across this sleepy guy, blending in perfectly with his home! I believe it is a Barred Owl. The painting is 11″ x 14″, much smaller than my usual paintings, and came together very quickly. As I am a transparent watercolor artist, all the white in the painting is paper, not paint. I used a combination of resist and negative painting to preserve the white of the paper.
My painting, Willie’s Chicken Shack, will be heading down to New Orleans for the Louisiana Watercolor Society’s 56th Annual International Exhibition! Thanks to the LWS and juror Matthew Bird for accepting my piece into the exhibition. The show will be exhibited in Place St. Charles, New Orleans and run from May 4th through May 22nd.
Many thanks to juror Shari Blaukopf for accepting my painting, Color Burst, into the Vermont Watercolor Society Springtide show. The show will take place at the T.W. Wood Museum in Montpelier, VT, April 3rd through May 23rd.
I received some fantastic news over the weekend! My painting Vivid Tangle was accepted into the 2026 Transparent Watercolor Society of America 50th Annual Exhibition. The exhibition is being held at the Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 First Avenue in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and will be hung from May 2nd to August 2nd. Many thanks to the jurors, Carrie Waller and Stewart White, who accepted my painting into this exhibition. It’s such an honor to be accepted into this prestigious transparent watercolor show.
Here is my latest transparent watercolor painting entitled Fading History. The image is depicting the wall sign for the long-gone Kiley’s Pharmacy in Glens Falls, NY. I photographed the sign several months ago when they began the South Street revitalization project. I love how the paint is flaking away to reveal other layers of paint. Some parts of the sign are mostly illegible, but I managed to figure out what it used to say. All around the old building there are reconstruction projects and new buildings, but as of today, the Kiley’s Pharmacy wall sign is still there.
This was perhaps the most difficult drawing I’ve done to date. Working from a photograph, it took me over 14 hours just to sketch out the image. As you will notice from my work-in-progress photos, I skipped the corner bricks by the fire escape, as it was just too confusing to draw in all the details at this point. I painted the fire escape first, then proceeded to draw in the bricks and shadows. The perspective was a real challenge, as the bricks slanted away from the viewer and got smaller as they moved to the right side of the paper. The same is true for all the lettering.
The bricks were the fun part. I mixed Burnt Umber, Alizarin Crimson, Siena, and Rose Madder to create four unique brick colors. Each brick was painted wet on wet blending the mixed colors. The fire escape shadows are my favorite part of this painting.
Then I began painting the actual sign. The green paint has worn off the wall quite a bit, so some bricks were painted with a blend of green and brick color. The lower text was challenging as well. The paint is rubbed off in places and there are hidden words beneath the top layer of painting on the wall.
I spent over a week tweaking and finalizing the painting. In total, this painting took me over 100 hours to create. My work-in-progress photos of the painting are below.
Women in Watercolor presents its online member’s show to support and encourage female artists around the world! Rack ‘Em Up is part of this online showcase. You can vote online for your favorite paintings (choose up to 10 different paintings). Here is the link to vote. https://womeninwatercolor.com/2026-members-only-exhibition-viewers-choice-awards/
To view Rack ‘Em Up in person, visit LARAC in Glens Falls, NY, which is displaying local artists’ work until February 18th.
Cindi Handy 