January 8th - January 30th, 2016

The Strand Center for the Arts was excited to host The Aquarelle Artists in the Community Gallery in January, 2016. The Aquarelle Artists are a group of watercolor artists that work and live in the Plattsburgh area and include Michael Brockhues, Donna Austin, Carol Allen, Anne Bailey, Marilyn Kretser, Donald Lafountain, Jessica Mieszkowski and Paula Calkins Lacombe.

A collective of watercolor artists in the Plattsburgh area The Aquarelle Artists are include Michael Brockhues, Donna Austin, Carol Allen, Anne Bailey, Marilyn Kretser, Donald Lafountain, Jessica Mieszkowski and Paula Calkins Lacombe as their core members. The group met every week at The Strand Center Watercolor Open Studio, where artists were able to drop in on Wednesdays from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm and enjoy a casual environment to work on watercolors in The Strand Center Open Studio Room on 23 Brinkerhoff Street in Plattsburgh.  The group stated that this informal class is a great place to meet like minded people who enjoy experimenting in the same artistic medium and can offer support for each other through giving advice, introducing new ideas and sharing on different watercolor techniques.

 Members of the Watercolor Open Studio eventually found themselves exhibiting together for the 2015 Strand Center Mayors Cup Artists Market and decided to call their group of core members The Aquarelle Artists. Although all of these artists have exhibited independently in the past, this exhibit at The Strand Center was their first official group show.