What is the Critical Watercolor Group and who is it run by?
Critical Watercolor Group is a network of contemporary visual artists who use fluid media. This includes watercolor, alcohol inks, gouache, fluid acrylic paint, ink, etc. The group is part of the Shim Art Network, a collective of artist-facilitated groups who present their work at Artsy.net, as well as in a variety of exhibitions, and circumstances. Co-facilitators of the group are Karen Fitzgerald and Peter Hopkins. Jill Krutick is a crucial supporting member.
Karen, Peter and Jill, please each describe your background and interest in this group?
Karen Fitzgerald: As a young artist, watercolor was the medium in which I learned the deepest things about painting. While the way I work with watercolor changed over the years, the practice of working with fluid media has underscored my work all my life. I created and facilitated the Spliced Connector group at Shim Art Network in 2020 – that experience has reinforced my enthusiasm for networked groups of professional artists working together to promote their work.
Peter Hopkins: As an artist of 40 years I have come to regard the practice of watercolor with increasing respect. It can be a humbling medium. The water “tells us” where the pigment will go as much as the artist directs it themselves. It is not as malleable as paint, nor as dense. It is the very evanescence that appeals to me now. The art world needs more lightness, more air. We need things that can suggest fluidity, and openness; because the world and the art world itself are moving in this way...lighter, faster, more suggestive than insistent. I’m very eager to see the ways that the Critical Watercolor can expand as a node of creative artists from around the world engaging with each other and sharing our own ideas of this medium with each other, and our audience.
Jill Krutick: Watercolor is an exploratory medium which I use to develop my signature style. I am thrilled to join this talented group of artists and raise the visibility of my work through exhibitions and networking opportunities. I look forward to hosting the Critical Watercolor group at my studio/gallery, Jill Krutick Fine Art, this fall of 2021. I have been passionate about painting all my life and have dedicated the past dozen years to it full time.
What sparked the idea to create this group, and what led to its formation?
Many contemporary artists use fluid media. This contemporary work differs from a more traditional approach to watercolor, and is more broadly inclusive. The group spotlights new approaches to media.
Does the group have any specific messages or goals?
Spotlighting fluid media is the main goal. Working together in a network to promote the work, and bring greater visibility to these mediums is the wider goal.
What is “Fluid Media” and what is unique about this medium?
Fluidity is a potent contemporary theme in the way it implies change. As a physical medium, fluid paint can produce some of the most gorgeous effects. Watery tone plumes; it can produce areas with the softest of textures. The edges present in fluid media have an enormous, compelling range. In other words, fluid media produces some painterly vocabulary that cannot be gotten with any other media.
What does it mean for the Critical Watercolor group to be part of the SHIM Art Network?
SHIM Art Network is contemporary to its core. The range of visual artwork being produced today is astounding. SHIM shines a spotlight on this richness within the industry, and facilitates making the variety of contemporary art production visible to a wider community.
What benefits do artists derive from being part of this network?
Most artists are used to promoting their work by themselves. Artists represented by galleries also promote their work in a singular manner, just as the gallerists do. When artists join a network, the benefits of promoting work and collaborating to produce showcases of work has exponential results. Connection and collaboration are the way of the future in our industry. SHIM Art Network has articulated these dynamics in a brilliant, functional and accessible way. Wider visibility and a stronger presence yield more sales. Having both an online presence through Artsy, a team-oriented approach to Instagram and shows at select studio/galleries will amplify the group’s visibility. Our inaugural show will be at Jill Krutick Fine Art, a studio/gallery in Westchester, NY from September - October 2021.
What is special about the promotion of this group?
Shining a spotlight on this approach to art making is educational. Artists are keen learners when it comes to materials. People who are not practitioners of the visual language may underestimate how powerful the handling of fluidity is. The artwork of this accomplished group of artists presents an opportunity to see inside the dynamic vocabulary of the visual language. Like our verbal language, it's always changing.
What is your hope for this group, and the artists involved, as it becomes more established?
The Critical Watercolor group will bring a wider audience to the artists in the group. We will present the work outside of the tri-state region, with intentions to do exhibitions on a global scale. New buyers, emergent collectors, and increased opportunities for these artists are the end result of our efforts.
