The seventh annual juried show at Gallery A3, located in downtown Amherst, Massachusetts, includes one of my recent “stones and water” watercolors. The show opens with a reception on Thursday, August 4, 5–8 pm, and continues through August 27.
Stones and Water 6, watercolor on paper, 2022, by Bonnie Sennott
This piece is one of 25 that I painted during a 100-Day creative project launched by the Isolation Journals and author Suleika Jaouad. From April 1 through July 9, 2022, I worked each day on a small abstract watercolor inspired by my walks on trails around Amethyst Brook and the Mill River in Amherst. I posted many in-progress photos on my art Instagram (see the stones&water Stories highlight).
Rather than re-create the appearance of stones and water, I used the experience of observing water flowing over and around stones as a jumping-off point for creative play. The soothing sound of water, the infinite variety of the shapes and sizes of stones, and the ever-changing play of light—I kept all of these in mind as I began painting. As each piece developed in its own particular way, the journey of painting became less about literal stones and water and more about a search for balance and harmony.
I love that watercolors can be built in layers, by painting a bit each day and contemplating where you’ve gone before going further. In this way, they’re a lot like my embroidery work. They demand patience and a light touch, because moving ahead too quickly, making rushed decisions and overworking the image, can ruin a piece. I found it best to work slowly and allow the watercolors to “do their thing”—to let them surprise and delight me.
The Seventh Annual Juried Show at Gallery A3 includes work in a variety of media by 41 area artists. The gallery is located at 28 Amity Street in Amherst (between Amherst Coffee and Amherst Cinema). Summer hours are 3–8 pm Thursday–Sunday. See the Gallery A3 website for more about the show and the juror, Daniel Kojo Schrade.