The provincial branch of the nation's official - and oldest - watercolour society will open its latest exhibit in Port Coquitlam on Thursday.
And the month-long display by the B.C. region's Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC) will be its first in nearly four years.
Regional director Heidi Lambert said 60 paintings were submitted for the Western Streams show, of which a jury accepted 35 from 23 artists.
Once the display is on the walls, there will also be another round of critiquing - the second time by artist Kip Holland who will pick his favourites and hand out awards to entrants, based on technique, colour, subject and style.
Lambert said the paintings for the exhibit have come in from around B.C. and will include two from Port Coquitlam resident Gerry Thompson. Her works are titled Plumeria and Milestone.
Luckily, hers - along with the other original pieces - will be on sale.
A watercolour painter for 25 years, Lambert said she hopes the show will draw attention to the 88-year-old society. The Governor-General of Canada is its patron and its past members include some of the artists with the Group of Seven.
Lambert, who is also a signature member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, also hopes the public will take an appreciation for watercolour, which is considered one of the most difficult visual art forms to master. "I love the flow," said Lambert, who has her Rocky Beach in the PoCo show. "You have to know your materials and your paper. It's very challenging but I love the challenge."
The opening reception for Western Streams is Saturday, Oct. 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Leigh Square Community Arts Village (behind PoCo city hall).
