Oceanside artist Kathleen Scoggin’s mixed-media painting “Midnight Magic,” which earned third place in the San Diego Watercolor Society’s January 2026 members exhibition, can be seen at the society’s gallery through the end of the month. (Courtesy photo)
An Oceanside artist earned third place in a San Diego Watercolor Society exhibition this month, standing out among more than 130 entries in the group’s January 2026 members show at Liberty Station.
Kathleen Scoggin received the award for her mixed-media painting titled “Midnight Magic,” which was selected by juror Keiko Tanabe, a well-known local watercolor artist. The exhibition, themed “Classical Inspiration,” is being shown in the San Diego Watercolor Society gallery in San Diego’s Liberty Station area.
Tanabe said the piece held her attention because it shifted the longer she studied it.
“When I first looked at this, I thought it was an abstract painting,” she said in a Watercolor Society news release. “But I came back for a second and third look, it became more of a representational painting.”
Tanabe added that the work reflects how artists interpret the world.
“The artist was just honest and showed the subject the way it is,” she noted. “So that impressed me most, it being a very honest painting.”
Scoggin works in watercolor, acrylic and mixed media and also teaches art workshops. Her background includes coursework in design, fine arts and art history at Oregon State University, Portland State University and Chemeketa Community College. Her work often draws from natural forms and textures, blending abstract and recognizable elements, the Watercolor Society noted in its news release.
The January exhibition features work by San Diego Watercolor Society members and remains on display through Jan. 31. The gallery is open to the public several days a week, and the exhibition is free to attend.
Founded in 1965, the San Diego Watercolor Society is a nonprofit organization focused on education and exhibition in water-based media. The group hosts rotating exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations throughout the year at its Liberty Station gallery.
“Midnight Magic” measures 14 by 20 inches and was created using mixed media.
The San Diego Watercolor Society gallery is located at 2528 Dewey Road in Liberty Station and is free to the public 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Paintings can be viewed and purchased directly from the gallery, and are also available to view and purchase on the society’s website.
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