M.F.A. student has distinction with the Virginia Watercolor Society

A 1949 Pontiac hood ornament is the subject of M.F.A. painting student Jarrod Wilson’s watercolor that recently won an Award of Distinction at the 35th Annual Virginia Watercolor Society Exhibition.

“Aged Chief” features the profile view of the amber colored plastic insert of the Indian chief’s face, which lights up and is surrounded by a chrome headdress.

“Sadly, this image is of a vehicle that has been neglected and left out in the elements. The plastic is not broken but rather fragmented from all of the climate changes that this vehicle has experienced over time,” Wilson says about the image.

He captured the faded features along with the pitting of the chrome, “In a way, it is a sad homage to the once popular and mighty marque from General Motors that was abandoned a few years ago to make the company more solvent.”

In terms of his watercolor technique, Wilson utilizes a wet-on dry process, which means his paper remains dry. This provides him with control over the very liquid medium.

 “Without this level of control my paintings of automobiles would not be as realistic and vibrant,” he says.

Wilson is a returning student to RU. In 1999, he earned a B.F.A. in art. Currently he is the senior most art teacher for the Galax City Public Schools, where he teaches high school art and AP Art History.

His present focus in subject matter revolves around the American automobile from the Brass Era through the end of the Muscle Car Era in the early 1970s.

The 2014 Virginia Watercolor Society Exhibition is on display at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lynchburg, Va., and was juried by noted watercolor artist Nicholas Simmons. The exhibit is on display through June 28.

For more information about the exhibit, visit the Virginia Watercolor Society website at www.virginiawatercolorsociety.org/Exhibitions.cfm. More information about the RU M.F.A. in Art program can be found at www.radford.edu/content/cvpa/home/art/programs/mfa.html.