Watercolor artist Mechele Johnson will be showing her work in the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center book store during the month of August. There will be a reception for the artist from 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 3 for her show.
Johnson has been working with watercolor since 1990. She started working with oils, but, due to allergies to oils, she had to give them up. Her daughter suggested she take a watercolor class at the neighborhood park. It was love at first painting. She had a colorist as a teacher, and this fed her love of color for her own work.
She moved to Gardnerville in 1995, and the colors around the area thrilled her.
"Everyone thinks of Nevada as dull and colorless. This is not so. All seasons bring a pallet with new and different color, and it's thrilling to see them," she said.
She loves to paint old buildings and flowers. She has won numerous ribbons in local shows, but her most prized award was the peoples choice award she won in 2004.
"Winning that award validated my work and what I'm trying to show when I paint," she said.
Her first award was at age 12. A national painting contest through Disney Studios promoted a new Disney film. She took the grand prize and received a letter from Walt Disney himself, complimenting her use of color. This started her on a love of art as a painter.
Nevada has been her love since she moved here and she loves to paint the old barns, ghost towns and old mines. Plus the love of flowers has caused her to paint them up close and personal. When she finishes a painting, she is asked if it is really watercolor, because of the vibrant color she uses, which comes from layering the color until it is just right.
Johnson is a member of the Carson Valley Art Association, Nevada Artists Association and the East Fork Art Gallery in Gardnerville.
The Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center is located at 1477 Highway 395, Gardnerville. For more information call 782-8035 or 782-2555.
