Watercolor paintings by UUC member Ann Smith will grace the walls of our chapel beginning June 30, 2024. All are invited to visit with the artist and learn more about her work at the reception, from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Smith paints lush, expressive, large-scale watercolor paintings. She explains, “Watercolor offers endless possibilities for uniquely personal expression, but is famously unpredictable. Embracing this quality, rather than dreading unexpected pigment interactions or uneven humidity influences, allows me to see such occurrences as gifts to help guide the way.” Sometimes fresh ideas lead her into fascinating new directions and creative means of problem-solving as her slow meditative process of “discovered imagery” unfolds.

Smith spends a lot of time dreaming about each piece, and images are revealed to her very gradually after many “return visits” from brush to paper. She says that sometimes “the paintings seem to be leading me, when design choices happen subconsciously.” When she studies her paintings many years later, she has a deeper understanding of exactly what was going on in her life and why certain images emerged at that time.

Ann Smith and her husband Graham Smith are relative newcomers to UUC. They moved here after a number of years in Durango, Colorado. This exhibit features a variety of her paintings including florals, figures, birds and treehouses, and abstracts. Some have won awards in national competitions and some have been featured in books and magazines, while others have never been shown outside of her studio. The exhibit will hang until August 3, 2024.