Phillips Gallery exhibit celebrates watercolor works

Phillips Gallery is hosting an opening reception on First Friday, June 7 for “An Artist’s Journey” exhibit featuring the work of award-winning artist Cynthia Dearing.  

This exhibit celebrates the diversity and opulence of transparent watercolor in a variety of subject matters. The exhibit features a captivating and fun body of work to immerse and entertain the viewer. Dearing’s outstanding skills of interpreting the world around her by working in layers to create depth and embracing the process that involves meticulous planning, while enjoying the serendipity of the nature of watercolor is apparent in this exhibit. 

Dearing said her subjects come from real people, places and things that are meaningful to her.  

“They are familiar local spots or scenes from my travels, people that show a resilience of spirit, and particularly things in nature that I love. Choosing these for the painting process forces me to be more intimate with the subject and look at it with a deeper awareness, to capture the detail and sense of emotion in the world around me. In a sense, the process forges a new emotional relationship with the subject even more intense than the original,” says Dearing. “My aim in painting is to offer viewers a moment to slow down — to absorb colors, light, and particularly elements of peace and joy.” 

Dearing’s art career started later in life after taking a watercolor class at Flathead Valley Community College. She studied portraiture at the Scottsdale Artist's School in Arizona.  She grew up in Conroe, Texas and now lives and works from her studio in Columbia Falls with her husband Hunter and her cat Kato.  When she's not painting, she loves hiking, backpacking, biking, cross country skiing and traveling.   

An Artist’s Journey exhibit will be on view from June 5-29. The opening reception will be on First Friday, June 7 from 5-7 p.m. Dearing will talk about her artistic journey and works in the exhibit at 5:30 p.m. The gallery is inside the Kalispell Center Mall.