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Founded 15 years ago, Fabriano In Acquarello was started by a group of watercolorists in the small industrial town of Fabriano, Italy, where paper making was introduced to Europe in approximately 1264. This year the event’s being held outside Italy for the first time, as it comes to Fort Worth, Texas, from October 14-19. I had the great pleasure to be on hand for the first three days of the event to see some of the more than 25 painting demonstrations conducted by top watercolor artists from the United States and around the world, including John Salminen, Carrie Waller, Thomas Schaller, J.Hunsung, Michael Solovyev, Jansen Chow, and Iain Stewart.
A highlight of the event was getting to view more than 1,000 curated watercolor paintings from artists from 80-plus countries in what amounted to the world’s largest watercolor exhibition. The variety of techniques, themes, styles, and subject matter on display showcased the breadth and quality of watercolor work being created around the globe today.
Here are a few highlights from my trip:
A roundtable discussion with Watercolor Artist magazine editor Anne Hevener, and Streamline Publishing founder Eric Rhoads, where we discussed the state of watercolor around the world and looked ahead to the future of the medium.A visit to Amon Carter Museum of American Art, whose holdings include over 8,000 works on paper spanning the 18th to the 21st centuries.Workshops from artists around the globe, where new techniques and ways of working with watercolor were shared, including an exciting demo by UAE country leader Atul M. Panase.A collection of some of the demo paintings created during the event.An exhibition of more than 1,000 paintings from watercolor artists around the world. (Belgian artist Agnes Geets can be seen here taking in the work.)A visit with Laurin McCracken, Chairman of Fabriano ln Watercolor USA 2024, who is responsible for bringing the watercolor world together in Texas!Chance meetings with top watercolor artists from around the globe, including my run in with Malaysian artist Jansen Chow in the hotel lobby.… And this one with Massimiliano Iocco from Italy after a morning presentation.A discussion with the team, led by Anna Massinissa, who launched and continue to foster the Fabriano Acquarello event. In exciting news, they shared that they are working on a permanent location for their extensive collection of watercolor paintings.
The exhibition is open through Friday at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center in the Cultural District, Fort Worth, Texas.
