Some folks think of watercolor as a sketching medium, a pursuit to lay down plans for something bigger and, presumably, better. But nothing competes with its intimacy and, to the artist, its immediacy. Watercolor, in fact, is a medium for masters. It allows no time to hesitate; the artist must anticipate and execute every stroke, layer after layer until the translucency and opacity meet the light just right.
Which is all to say how much we appreciate Mindy McEachran’s quarantine-themed still-life watercolor, which includes bottles of hand sanitizer, bleach, and Maker’s Mark situated with a bag of flour, a roll of toilet paper, three pieces of fruit, and flower. The painting earned the Bermuda Dunes–based artist and art educator a $500 grant from the California Desert Arts Council (CDAC). The nonprofit organization’s Keep Art Alive fund, established with La Quinta Arts Foundation, offers financial relief to Coachella Valley artists and arts organizations.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the items in this still life were at once commonplace to me but now sought-after items,” says McEachran, a middle school art teacher in Cathedral City, where she “shows kids the powers of expression at an age when they need it most.”
“The flower and fruits are objects from my yard.”
