Encinitas artist Catherine Alvarez-Smith recently won second place in the July 2025 Members Show “Everybody Tells a Story”, on display in the San Diego Watercolor Society (SDWS) Gallery at 2825 Dewey Road in Liberty Station, San Diego, according to a news release.
Alvarez Smith’s painting titled “Quiet Corner” was selected by award-winning local juror Julie Anderson for this honor. Anderson said of the painting in the news release, “This painting caught my eye from across the room. It has bright clear color and a full range of values from black to white. It has a good composition with lights and darks moving the eye through the painting. The technique is good with an interesting treatment of the foliage, color variation on the wall and sky, and fine lines on the ground.”
Alvarez-Smith recently retired after 40 years as a financial executive in the retail industry allowing her to focus more on her passion of watercolor painting. Her subject matter is drawn from her travels (Guatemala, Hawaii, Italy) and some of the places that she has lived (Japan and Florida) in addition to Southern California. She’s studied with many well-known instructors, such as Timothy Clark, Ted Nuttall, Joe Fettingis, Anne Abgott and the late Charles Reid, Mel Stabin and Diane Maxey. Her style is colorful with high contrast to enhance the drama of the paintings, the news release stated.
The gallery exhibit will run through Saturday July 26. The Gallery is currently open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday – Sunday. The works can also be found on the San Diego Watercolor Society’s website at www.sdws.org/galleryart.php?cat=7076 where the paintings can be both viewed and purchased from the online store.
The San Diego Watercolor Society, a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1965, is dedicated to expanding the appreciation of and involvement in water media painting through education, exhibition and promotion. More information can be found at www.sdws.org.