SOUTH DEERFIELD — Harry Ruddock III was cruising along Route 47 when something caught his eye. He had gotten a glimpse of tulips barely out of the reach of a shadow cast by sunlight streaming over the top of a rustic white building, and it spoke to him.
You, too, can take in this tranquil scene on the side of the road just over the town line in Hadley. Or you can go see it in Boston at 162 Newbury St., the home of the Guild of Boston Artists, which is presenting this year’s New England Watercolor Society Signature Members Show to highlight the work of New England watercolor artists through March 1.
Ruddock, a Deerfield Police sergeant and passionate watercolor painter, submitted a painting of the charming image he encountered in Hadley and it was accepted as one of the 89 pieces in the event, which he said is both an exhibit and a for-sale show.
“It’s not easy to get in,” he said, adding that there are typically 500 to 600 entries. “It’s nice to rub elbows with some of the best watercolor artists in New England. It really is.”
The exhibit started on Tuesday. Three Saturday gallery talks and three Sunday painting demonstrations (all starting at 1 p.m.) by member artists are scheduled. The show and events are free and open to the public.
Internationally acclaimed artist Stephen Quiller will be this year’s exhibition judge and will select paintings for the New England Watercolor Society’s prestigious awards. A reception and awards presentation is slated for 2 to 4 p.m. today.
Cape Cod watercolor artist Ann Hunt, the show’s publicity coordinator, said submissions are taken exclusively from the society’s Signature Members, of which there 200. She said for an artist to become a Signature Member they must have been accepted to four other juried shows (one being a national show) in a 10-year period. She mentioned the Signature Members Show takes place every February.
“It’s like watercolor takes Newbury Street,” she said. “It’s just amazing to be there for the month.”
Hunt, who lives in Harwich, will have one of her pieces at the show. She said there are members who live as far away as Tennessee and North Dakota because they had lived in New England earlier in their careers.
Ruddock, 54, said he is always on the lookout for a scene to paint, even if he doesn’t necessarily know it at the time. He explained he uses his iPhone to snap a photo of an image and he later returns to his South Deerfield studio to bring the picture back to life on canvas. He grew up in South Deerfield and Greenfield and has been dabbling in watercolors for at least 25 years, having made the transition from oils. This is Ruddock’s second Signature Members Show, having joined those ranks in September 2018.
The show’s hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. It is closed on Mondays. Visit bit.ly/39nszzH for more information.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.