Watercolor by Nancy Collins
Is this a watercolor? “The answer, surprisingly, is yes,” says master watercolorist Nancy Collins, who will be showing her work in the front windows of the Corner Gallery for the month of July.

Nancy’s use of robust, vibrant colors often leads to this question from viewers. She employs a painting technique called “burnishing,” which most people don’t recognize as watercolor when they see it. Watercolor, by definition, is transparent, staining color, and Nancy uses the medium to its most full, rich and unexpected effect. Under her control the colors take on an alluring luminosity. Her strong value contrast and color saturation are essential to the unusual and unforgettable look of her paintings.

Nancy has spent more than 50 years making art. She has engaged every medium from sculpture to print making, but her “true art soul mate,” in her words, “is watercolor.”  She elaborates, “It’s the little things about color that seize my attention and captivate me. I especially delight in depicting light and shadow pirouetting across fabrics, crystal, laces and flowers.”

The time-consuming technique that Nancy employs allows her to achieve this effect. One of the paintings in her show took Nancy four months of painting on it almost every da

The Corner Gallery is delighted to have this opportunity to exhibit an artist of Nancy’s caliber. Her work has been exhibited around the globe. She has been featured in shows for Art in the Embassy, Mendocino International Music Festival, Mendocino Art Center, Stanford University, Fioli Gardens, Scharffenberger Cellars, Little River Inn and many more.

Her work and writing have been published in American Artist Magazine, Watercolor Magic and Mendocino Arts Magazine, to name a few. She also is a sought-after watercolor instructor, building class projects each year for new techniques that she has developed.

Two other guest artists in the gallery this month are Diana Steele and Cindy Lindgren, who will be sharing the designated pony wall for the Mendocino County Arts Association (MCAA). Diana is an ex-engineer who learned through her profession to obsess about details. She finds the effort to loosen up and create abstract art to be relaxing.

Cindy just experienced a new take on watercolor in a workshop with artist David Lobenberg, who introduced her to his “mess around” California Vibe watercolor technique. Cindy was inspired to loosen up, let go and watch how water mingles with paint colors and stencils to create fun images of just about anything.

The First Friday opening celebration for this show will be on July 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. Live music will be provided throughout the evening by Steve Winkle. The Corner Gallery is located at 201 S State St. in Ukiah.