Armchair travellers can delight in gardens and plants from around the world in the watercolors of Joan Elisabeth Reid. A Memorial Day weekend exhibition in the Vollmer Center at Cylburn came to Reid as the winner of the Chief of Horticulture’s award last November at the Celebration of Art show at Cylburn.
Reid by day is the Chief Registrar at the Walters Art Museum. In off-hours sketching, painting and travelling are her passion.
Her eighteen luminescent watercolors this weekend depict tulip magnolias, cherry trees, canna lilies and flaming forsythia at Cylburn (the secret garden of Baltimore City), cacti of New Mexico, lemon plants in Florence, water lilies in Kyoto and anemones in Provence.
Particularly strong are Reid’s detailed paintings of cherry blossoms, an orange moth on blue hummingbird mint, a pendulous bear’s foot hellebore (h.foetidus) and some energetic cleomes that dance off the paper.
Also compelling are Reid’s minimal weeping cherry branches and abstract blue shadows beneath a series of floriferous containers.
This international representation lacks only one element: MORE! While the eighteen pieces will work well in the lobby of the Vollmer Center, they feel like a preview to me.
A free opening reception will be held in the Vollmer Center at Cylburn, Friday, May 24 from 5 to 7 p.m. with the exhibit open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 24-26. http://www.cylburnassociation.org
Beautiful pieces! I look forward to seeing them in person!!
These paintings are WONDERFUL! What talent!