The annual Juried Exhibit of the Iowa Watercolor Society will be decorating the walls of La Poste, 1219 Warford Street, in Perry through the end of September.
From an initial entry pool of 170, 60 paintings — all water media on watercolor paper — were selected for the exhibition. Those 60 will be judged, and monetary prizes awarded, later next month.
Of the displayed artwork, 30 pieces will be chosen to travel Iowa next year as part of a touring exhibit which travels to each corner of the state. La Poste is currently hosting the 2016 winners in The Cellar, located below the main floor.
IWS president Gwen Foster said finding space for the juried exhibits and traveling showcase is never easy and was pleased to learn of the availability of La Poste.
“Perry is starting to gain a reputation as a place for art and we are pleased to be here,” she said. “We have had displays in libraries and public buildings and the like, but the setting here is just wonderful and, I think, brings these pieces the kind of viewing they deserve.”
Misty Palek, Exhibition Chair for the IWS, noted that members are allowed to submit two paintings to be considered for inclusion in the juried show, and that some artists had both presented pieces accepted.
“That is why you see 60 paintings, but they come from 43 artists,” she explained. “We have some from artists who have decades of experience and some from people who have only three or four years doing this.”
The IWS holds workshops around the state and works to promote the discipline, encouraging everyone with an interest to “pick up a brush.”
The paintings, both of the Juried Exhibit on the main floor and of the Traveling Show in The Cellar, are available for public viewing from 4:30-8:30 p.m. each Thursday as part of the weekly Happy Hour. Those wishing to arrange a viewing at a different time are asked to call 515-360-2010.
More information on the IWS is available on their website.
