September 10, 2010 — The McIntire Department of Art, part of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, will present a group exhibition, "Painting Paper," in Ruffin Hall Gallery from Sept. 24 to Oct. 22.

An opening reception will be held during "Final Friday," Sept. 24, at 5:30 p.m. A gallery talk with several of the participating artists precedes the reception at 4:30 p.m.

"Painting Paper" is an exhibition that explores current trends in water-based media on paper. The seven contemporary American artists included in this group exhibition are Amy Chan, Judith Linhares, Linda Marston-Reid, Kathy Muehlemann, Elena Sisto, Josette Urso and Stephen Westfall. Curated by painting professor Megan Marlatt, the exhibit introduces her students and the public to a variety of gouache and watercolor works being created by contemporary artists.
 
Linhares writes about painting with gouache, a water-based medium thicker and denser than watercolor, on paper; "The quality I most appreciate in gouache is the pigment-soaked color and its velvety surface. The ability of the paint to throw off illuminating color that represents light makes gouache an essential material for my narrative paintings. The surface is not merely flat and matte, but has a quality of softness, like a piece of velvet fabric. The paintings I have chosen to put in the 'Painting Paper' show have light and heat as their subject."

There will be an accompanying catalog for the show.

"Painting Paper" is sponsored by the U.Va. Arts Council. Contributors also include the McIntire Department of Art and Arts$.