CCAA Museum artist member Joanna Mersereau is one of the featured artists in this year’s exhibit book, “The Art of Milford Zornes: Friendships & Inspiration”. Noted for her full-sized, colorful paintings, in this year’s Zornes exhibit she will show her miniature paintings. “I look for handsome small frames and then, let them tell me what to paint.”

In the Inland Empire Mersereau is the only artist to have achieved signature status in the American Watercolor Society, winning awards in both it and Watercolor West. She was one of a group of women watercolorists who founded Watercolor West.

Studying with Zornes, like him she also found that travel inspired her paintings, with jaunts to Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and France.

“Narrative structuralism” is the term she coined for her present style. In it arcs enclose various shapes, structures are transparent, perspective is almost nonexistent, and representation is carried almost to semi-abstraction. Color and design rule.

Mersereau now finds painting even more complex, challenging and mind-absorbing than before. “Every decade I am thrust on a new level of understanding art and life. Curiosity and learning seem to be never quenched. Whenever I face a new blank sheet of watercolor paper, I go on a new journey.”

Her artwork is included in the permanent collection at the museum.

To see more work of Joanna Mersereau go to joannamersereau.com