The husband and wife duo of Steve and Debbie Garst are duking it out again. This time in the 83rd Annual National Exhibition of the Watercolor Society of Alabama as the national show comes to Wetumpka’s Kelly Fitzpatrick Center for the Arts.
The Garsts call neighboring Blue Ridge home and were excited to see the juried show in their backyard.
“We were like, ‘we have to get into this show,’” Steve said. “It would be terrible if we didn’t because it is our hometown. We are thrilled we both made it.”
They join Anne Barero as the only artists from Elmore County to be selected for the show. All told 81 artists had pieces selected for the show. Some artists are from as far away as New Mexico, Minnesota, Ohio and New York.
“It is a big deal,” Steve said. “The quality of art in this show will be phenomenal and stunning. We recognized a lot of the names because they are great artists and we have seen their stuff around the country. Now we get to compete against them.”
There is one small problem for the Garsts but it's nothing they haven’t encountered before.
“The only problem I have is competing against her,” Steve said. “She beat me last year in a show.”
Debbie was quick to respond, “He beat me the year before.”
Steve created a painting called St. Andrews Blue. Debbie’s is Summer Powered Down based on a blue heron she saw on the Gulf Coast last year. Debbie is known for her abstracts but always using a feather in her work. She used the feather this time but in a different way.
“I researched the blue heron and dissected it in a way,” Debbie said. “I used the breast feathers of the bird. It is a different feather design than I have ever done.”
Steve has learned watercolor from Debbie. She has taken a few watercolor classes.
They will have to wait to see who Iain Stewart determines is the better painter.
In the meantime Debbie has saved up for a special birthday gift for Steve. Stewart is hosting a watercolor workshop and Debbie is sending Steve.
“It’s his first watercolor workshop,” Debbie said. “He is always teaching them in other mediums.”
Stewart will settle the friendly husband-wife competition and Debbie is fine with whoever comes out first.
“Getting into the show itself is an award because not everybody gets in,” Debbie said. “You get juried twice most often before you get in the show. We both got in.”
The Garsts’ role is more than just artists. They are the most local artists in the society to the Kelly.
Most of the board of the Watercolor Society of Alabama lives in north Alabama and the Garsts have been designated to help unpack the paintings as the show is prepared to open with a reception on June 2.
“I walk around trying to think how in the world they did it,” Steve said.
The show will hang in The Kelly until June 28.
