Who knew a wash could be so bold? The Georgia Watercolor Society certainly does. This year, the society’s annual members’ exhibition displays the rich colors, and rich talent, of our state and beyond.

The exhibition opens today at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center with a reception at 5:30 p.m. in the main gallery.
Ann Brody Hill, a member of GWS and coordinator of the show, said nearly 70 pieces were selected by artist Linda Baker for the exhibition.

Baker will return to award the most outstanding works.

The selections embody a vast array of techniques and personal style, from subdued abstract to vivid realism. The artists were allowed to use any medium that could be diluted with water as long as they maintained watercolor substrates, or specific papers made especially for watercolor, said Hill.

While some pieces exude an ethereal feel, others grab the viewer with exquisite detail worthy of a photograph, but bringing textures only found in paintings.

Regardless of style, all of the works share one major similarity — bold colors.

The eye-grabbing colors continue in the side galleries with three individual shows by photographers Bob Safford, Pamela Keene, Richard Ediger and Jill Ediger.

Keene’s body of work is an homage to the colors found not only in her travels, but right here in Gainesville.
The 30 or so photographs pop off the wall with scenes of people and nature in rich hues. And Keene said, there is very little photoshopping.

In the adjacent gallery, the photography of Richard Ediger and Jill Ediger, a couple from North Georgia, line the walls in a compare and contrast-like show, Amalgam.

Jill Ediger’s work brings about a feeling of time and place, from the old jail in Dahlonega to the Eiffel Tower, while Richard’s work of nature studies against textured, bold backgrounds strikes an emotional chord. Richard also uses black and white photography in a study of form. Of course, both photographers tend to influence the other, said Jill.

The works of Safford are poignant juxtapositions of foreign faces and places with bright, crisp colors.
All of the exhibits come together for a saturation and celebration of color within two very different mediums.