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PLAINVIEW – The Abraham Art Gallery at 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÊÓƵ Baptist University is hosting the 154^th International Awards Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society Aug. 20 – Oct. 27. The exhibit features paintings by award-winning artists from around the world.

This international exhibition features 38 works from a total of 130 entries in the 2021 catalog. Catalogs of the artwork are available for $10 with the proceeds benefitting the art scholarship fund. Located in the atrium level of the 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÊÓƵ library, the Abraham Art Gallery is open Monday – Thursday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday 2-5 p.m. For more information or to schedule a group tour, contact the gallery at 806-291-3710.

The American Watercolor Society was established in 1866 and holds an annual juried exhibition open to all watercolor artists. The styles on display range from abstract and nonrepresentational to traditional realism using combinations of water-based paints, including watercolor, acrylic and gouache. Watercolor went through a bit of a revolution in the 1800s as artists fought to prove its validity to the art world. Since that time, the medium has greatly benefitted from organizations like the American Watercolor Society that promotes the art form and showcases artists who use techniques that demonstrate its adaptability and creative possibilities.

For artist Stephen Quiller, who is inspired by the landscape of Colorado where he lives, the American Watercolor Society 154th Awards Exhibition is not his first. Painting since 1970, he has had feature publications, one-man shows, selected exhibitions and several prestigious awards from the Society and others. He is renowned for his use of color composition in water media, and expertise as an instructor in national and international painting workshops.

Born in Mississippi but now living in Missouri, Paul Jackson paints large-scale watercolor pieces that capture the movement and vivacity of the moment whether he is depicting a cityscape, abstract, still-life or, as featured in the Awards Exhibit, a funeral procession that is also a social commentary and winner of this year’s Samuel Leitman Memorial Award. Regardless of the subject, his passion is using dramatic light and shadow-play to engage the viewer and emphasize the emotion expressed. Not limited to painting on a canvas, Paul Jackson has been commissioned to paint public murals and stage backdrops, has worked with glass mosaics, traveled worldwide participating as a speaker and is an active leader for charitable events. In the past, he has even judged for national and international Watercolor Award Exhibitions.

Elaine Daily-Birnbaum is primarily a self-taught artist, though she has had the privilege of studying under experienced and nationally commended painters. She has received more than 100 awards, participated in more than 150 water media exhibitions, nationally and internationally, and has been invited to show in several exhibits around the world. Her subjects tend to be abstract in nature, deriving inspiration from personal experience and connections with the people, landscapes and associations of daily life in which the viewer, regardless of a knowledge of art, can find a relatable meaning.