Pieces from the Essex Watercolor Club:

Wedding Flowers	San Miguel Pottery
Sweet Tooth	Cakes Galore

 (Morristown, NJ)  - The Essex Water Color Club is New Jersey’s oldest watercolor organization. It was founded by twenty-seven Essex County artists in 1932 to stimulate interest in and advance the art of water media painting. Since then this non-profit organization has continuously provided a forum for artists to meet, share ideas, discuss techniques and exhibit their work.

Today the club maintains a membership averaging one hundred and seventy five members; three-quarters of this number are exhibiting members; one quarter are associate members. This two tiered membership represents water media artists of all abilities from across the State of New Jersey. Meetings are held six times a year (second Sunday of the month) at the Livingston Community Center. A feature of our meetings is a guest artist specifically selected for their style and technique.

The club's continuing purpose is to stimulate creativity by providing first-rate programs and social and professional contact with fellow artists. Member benefits include workshops, art excursions, a free video library, and the opportunity to participate in at least one juried show each year. More information is available at www.ewcclub.com.

Currently on Exhibit in The Starlight Gallery:

Craig Biddle: "Abstract Landscapes"
The Starlight Gallery
May 1st - July 3rd

Artist Statement:
The subject of my paintings has moved from flowers to trees to landscapes, enroute becoming more abstract but still retaining some visual similarity to sea, mountain and landscapes. Some of my work is quite big - up to 54" X 40" - much larger than normal watercolors. People who own my art often leave it unframed, hanging free on a large wall. The texture of the free-floating paper itself tends to influence how the painting is seen and experienced. In moving from small to larger paintings I have added acrylics for the more intense colors and the sense of form that the heavier paint can lend to the work. These are not "drip" paintings a la Jackson Pollock, they are suggested landscapes augmented by splashes of colors, applied with classical music as a background, adding a dimension of music and mystery and movement.

My plunge in to the art world began when I about 55, still actively employed as a clergyman. I discovered in a round-about was that I could sculpt a human figure that was close to scale perfect and muscle accurate. Since I had never studied anatomy or art, I was astonished - to say nothing of the incredulity of those who knew me well. Helped by the watchful eye of Bert Schmutzhart at the Corcoran School of Art, I created figurative sculpture in wood, stone and bronze for fifteen years, including four one man shows in Washington, DC galleries. Upon moving to Annapolis I was fortunate to find a place in Erika Walsh's classes and began working in water based paints. A couple of years ago I transitioned to abstract landscapes, primarily motivated by a severe heart attack in early 2011. Close to death, I saw the world differently, some might say through a glass, darkly. My paintings now reflect a view from another dimension of life, not quite clearly, and yet discernible as this world, not the other.