The finished painting of a white rose is part of a new exhibition at the Southside Art League. “White Rose” is made up of 23 pieces by students in Beverly Mathis’ watercolor class who each interpreted painting the titular flower in a different way.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Each student was given the same guidance.
Artist Bev Mathis approached her watercolor painting classes with a challenge. The students were to paint a white rose. The seemingly simple prompt came with a catch — in watercolor, white paint is not used as in traditional media. They had to figure out the best way to approach the subject matter.
Though everyone was painting the same thing, all 23 works were vastly distinct.
Mathis and the Southside Art League are showing off the varied and unique results of those students in “White Rose,” an exhibition unlike any other the arts organization has ever done. Pieces from two of Mathis’ watercolor classes will display their work, taken from a singular inspiration but with their own personal spin on it.
With so many approaches to painting a white rose, Mathis hopes viewers find the works as enticing as the people who created them do.
“It’s the same subject painted by every single person, but every one is different,” Mathis said. “They all turned out very, very good.”
The idea for the unique exhibition stemmed from a few comments made by Mathis’ students after two of her watercolor classes, held in August. Mathis was trying to teach them the ways to implement the color white into their paintings.
She had had her students tackle snow scenes and other white-dominant subjects, but this was the first time using a white rose to teach.
“This was a difficult project. Painting a white rose — what do you paint?” she said. “We don’t use white paint in watercolor, because we let the white of the paper do that.”
Where artists can express their creativity in the white rose assignment is in the colors that can come out of those shadows, Mathis said.
“There’s not just gray — there are other colors that you can see in there that reflect off other objects,” she said. “That’s how you paint white objects: you look for the shadows and colors that might be there.”
Once all of the different white rose watercolors were done, they were laid out next to one another in the Southside Art League’s instruction room.
People were taking in all of the finished pieces, and conversation turned to the varied nature of each artist’s interpretation.
“We were looking at all of these interesting paintings, and how pretty they were. Someone suggested it would be nice to have a show and see them all together,” Mathis said.
Mathis has been a part of the Southside Art League for years as a member and instructor, including helping organize the monthly exhibitions in the group’s Off Broadway Gallery.
She thought it would be engaging to showcase different impressions of a single subject, and agreed to put together a show.
“A lot of times, they finish a painting and it goes in the closet somewhere — it never gets framed. This was such a good project, and people has so much fun with them, they had even framed them before we announced a show,” Mathis said. “I think it’s going to be a really interesting show.”
A big part of the exhibition’s draw is the experience brought to the project by students of different backgrounds and skill levels. Three of the students taking part were at their first watercolor class; they were more likely to approach it more conservatively.
Others who had done multiple watercolors took more risks, using their artistic license to put their own spin on the white rose.
Mathis is incredibly proud of each interpretation of the subject.
“When I announce a painting like this, it seems impossible to them. The look on their faces is ‘Yeah right, I’m not going to be able to do that.’ But as it progresses, they start to see how it falls into place, and the light bulb goes off,” she said.
“White Rose” opened on Jan. 31 and will be on display through Feb. 29. Many of the students have never displayed their artwork in a gallery before, which makes this exhibition one that’s generating much excitement among the Southside Art League.
“We’ve never done a show like this before,” Mathis said.
AT A GLANCE
“White Rose”
What: An exhibition stemming from the a watercolor class at the Southside Art League. Students were asked to paint a white rose, and thought they were all painting the same subject, the results are varied and unique.
When: Through Feb. 29
Where: Southside Art League Off Broadway Gallery, 299 E. Broadway St., Greenwood
Gallery hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday
Reception: The artists will host an open house reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 4. Light refreshments will be served.
