Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, SUNY Orange has shuttered its galleries since mid-March 2020. Consequently, in-person shows have been out-of-the-question.

Not to be dismayed, the North East Watercolor Society, which normally has a 100 to 120 show of members’ artworks displayed in Orange Hall Gallery and Loft from late January through mid-March, decided to switch to online. NEWS’ president Richard Price of Cadosia provided all the images of and information about the paintings. Then, Cultural Affairs’ graphic/video designer Regiane Padilha-Kelley fashioned a sharp, high resolution video-exhibit complete with music selected and played by Geoff Hamburg, the Albany pianist who has played at the annual NEWS art reception for at least a decade. David O’Keefe was the project’s audio engineer. Both Padilha-Kelley and O’Keefe are SUNY Orange graduates.

It is customary for the exhibit judge to present an art demonstration during the reception. Inasmuch as this wonderful educational opportunity is not possible in-person this year, judge-watercolorist Tony Armendariz of Illinois, recorded his demonstration class “Planning and Painting a Subject from Beginning to End” which is available through a link on the judge’s page in the exhibit.

The online option offered a new avenue of participation. The increase is remarkable with 98 members including artists from El Salvador, Canada, Greece, and France exhibiting in this year’s show. We have all experienced the closed-in feeling caused by the pandemic. However, member-artists of the North East Watercolor Society took this time to break out of isolation and express themselves through their diverse talents and creativity.

Eckhart took the top award, Best in Show, for “Working Early.” Regional artists who received recognition include Ellen Joyce Trayer of New Windsor who won the Elaine M. Garvin Memorial Award for “Cloudscape,” Lana Privitera of Pine Bush for “Individuality” and Patricia Quirk of Hewitt, NJ, for “Mystique” received NEWS Excellence Awards, and Kevin Storms of Tyler Hill, PA, formerly of Searsville, was given an Honorable Mention Award for “The Take.”

Questions may be directed to cultural@sunyorange.edu.