Lorraine Watry, NWS, AWA

Artist Statement

I always notice how light touches the edge of an object, the unusual shapes in reflections, and the fantastic harmonies or contrasts of color. I feel like the casual observer may miss these subtle nuances of the world around us. My artistic mission is to try and depict the elusive or unrecognized moments of beauty in nature and everyday things.

Watercolor is my preferred medium. The transparent paint allows light to reflect off the surface of the white paper, which makes the colors glow. I enjoy the challenge of creating a realistic subject while dealing with water and color, which often have minds of their own. Though I don’t paint like Claude Monet, his use of color, light and reflections helped inspire my own love of those subjects. I paint a variety of subjects, but a theme of reflective, shiny objects runs throughout a lot of my watercolors. Reflective objects like water, birds’ feathers, glass and metal hold a fascination for me. I am drawn to the unusual, abstract shapes that are often found in realistic subjects. These abstract shapes are a nice counterpoint to a bird, band instrument, or waterlily.

I continue to paint a variety of subjects, but currently birds in water and shiny hummingbird wings are of particular interest. Showing the beauty of nature and other subjects around me will continue to be a never-ending source of challenge and joy!

Artist Bio

Lorraine Watry earned her Bachelor of Fine Art Degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She lives and works in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Lorraine teaches workshops and classes, and gives demonstrations in person and online.

Lorraine is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and the 2024/2025 NWS President. She is also a signature member of American Women Artists, Rocky Mountain National Watercolor Society, Colorado Watercolor Society, MOWS, and Pikes Peak Watercolor Society. Lorraine is a juried member of the International Guild of Realism and the Society of Animal Artists. Lorraine’s paintings have been juried into many national and international exhibitions.

Lorraine is an award-winning artist focusing on waterscapes, wildlife, and reflective objects. She has worked with watercolor for more than 30 years and is in her 16th year of teaching watercolor classes and workshops. Lorraine’s watercolor YouTube channel has 29,000+ subscribers. Her “Watercolor Techniques for Beginners” video has over a million views.

Lorraine’s paintings are a part of many private and corporate collections. In 2022, Lorraine’s painting, “Coral Chorus Line” was juried into the 155th American Watercolor Society Exhibition and her painting, “Feather’s and Brass” was selected for the 2022 Fabriano in Aquarello Exhibition in Fabriano, Italy. Lorraine’s painting, “Spa Day” was awarded Best in Show at the 2021 Pikes Peak International Watermedia Exhibition. Her painting of flamingos, “Coral Chorus Line”, juried into the 2021 Birds in Art Exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. Lorraine’s paintings are published in the Best of Watercolor series - Splash 14, 20, and 23. Lorraine was filmed as a featured artist by “Colour in Your Life”, an Australian art TV show, in 2018. In 2015, Lorraine’s painting, ‘Sonata for Horns’ was juried into the prestigious, international exhibition - the Shenzhen Biennial in China.

Her paintings are winners of prestigious awards from the National Watercolor Society and other juried exhibitions including Rocky Mountain National, Watercolor West, San Diego Watercolor Society and the Transparent Watercolor Society. Lorraine’s painting, “Tadpole Takeout”, won 2nd place in the International Artists Magazine, ‘Wildlife’ competition, and is published in the Oct/Nov 2018 issue. She has also received recognition from art publications including - International Artist Magazine, The Artist Magazine, & Pratique des Arts.

Exhibits I’ve Juried and Past Workshops (link)

Shows & Awards: