Shelly Johnson fine art

“Trailing Water"

Watercolor on Paper

24" x 10"

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“Trailing Water” (the American Coot) was accepted into the 2026 National Watercolor Exhibition at Mark Arts in Wichita, Kansas. The exhibition opens Friday, October 2 and closes Saturday, December 12. Mark Arts is located at 1307 N. Rock Road, Wichita, Kansas.

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This painting was inspired by photographs I took of an American Coot several years ago at Centennial Marsh near Fairfield, Idaho. I visit Centennial Marsh every May to photograph the camas bloom and the abundance of migrating birds. For this painting, I chose an exaggerated composition that balances the coot with the marsh vegetation, unifying the two through the flowing lines of trailing water. The reflection of clouds on the water allowed me to preserve the white of the paper across much of the lower half of the painting, an approach that is especially well suited to the transparent qualities of watercolor.