Crawfordsville’s well-known artist, Jerry Smith, was recently awarded top honors by the prestigious American Watercolor Society. Smith received the highest award, the Gold Medal of Honor, for his acrylic painting Rocky Reunion. The award is courtesy of Clara and Ida Wells Stroud.
A jury of five signature members chose 161 paintings for this year’s show. The works were presented at the historic Salmagundi Club on Fifth Avenue, Greenwich Village, New York. A jury of three signature members determined the awards. The show was on exhibit at the club from April 3-28. Forty-one of the paintings will travel across the country as part of the 156th international exhibition.
Other awards included the AWS Silver Medal of Honor to Karen Knutson for Family Farm, and the Bronze Medal of Honor went to Ruth Armitage for By Moonlight. Monetary awards this year totaled approximately $40,000. Works are available to view on the AWS website: www.americanwatercolorsociety.org.
The annual juried exhibition of AWS is open to all artists worldwide. The organization has approximately 400 signature members and 1,000 associate members from around the world. To qualify as a signature member, you must be in three juried exhibitions. Smith of Crawfordsvill ereceived his signature status in 2012.
The AWS was founded by 11 painters who met in the New York University Building in 1866 — originally called The American Society of Painters in Water Color. They held their first exhibition in the fall of 1867. The organization changed its name in 1878 to the American Watercolor Society.
Smith is a long-standing signature member of the AWS and a Dolphin Fellow. He holds many other professional memberships in several art societies and associations. Smith is a charter member and Cardinal Fellow of the Watercolor Society of Indiana. In addition, he is an author and has been featured in several art publications. He has won numerous awards for his works and is a prominent artist in exhibits worldwide.
A current exhibition schedule can be found at www.jsmithstudio.com. Visitors are always welcome to meet the artist and view his pieces at the Green Street Gallery in Crawfordsville.
