From Paddington to Painting: Nancy R. Pettibone Offers Free Watercolor Demos Sats. Aug 15 & 22   Cooperstown NY– Area residents and visitors are invited to stop by the Art Garage Saturdays August 15 and 22, 11am-2pm. to observe virtuosa watercolorist, Nancy R. Pettibone, demonstrate her individualistic approach with the popular watercolor medium.  Comfortably installed in the wide-open Middle Bay Gallery amidst her abstract paintings, Ms Pettibone will demonstrate what is possible with only a few elements:  “the water, the color, the paper, the brushes and of course you—all on an equal footing.” A practitioner of ‘slow painting,’ she added, “ I would like to teach slowness, and beauty to open your experience with this amazing medium.” Seating will be provided for gallery visitors.   Pettibone‘s complex watercolors are featured in the current exhibition, Powering the Grid, which also displays works by two other artists: Trevor Wilson, graphite in paper and Ada Yonenaka, indigo-died textiles and hand-stamped works on paper. Works by Wilson and Yonenaka are also on display in both galleries. Watercolor has been a major part of Ms Pettibone’s life for 70 years. She has stipulated that all proceeds from any sale of her work shall benefit the Art Garage programs.   NANCY R. PETTIBONE lives and works in Charlotteville NY where for many years she and her late husband, artist Richard Pettibone, made art, decade after decade, in a restored farmhouse. Artistic early on, as a young teen at Cass Technical High School in Detroit MI, her hometown, she was awarded scholarships to the Detroit Society for Arts and Crafts and the Philadelphia Museum School. She was a commercial toy designer for 30 years and is ‘the mother’ of the American versions of Paddington Bear, Peter Rabbit and Babar. She has exhibited locally at the Smithy and Gallery 53, as well as in Boston, New York and the Netherlands, in both group and solo exhibitions. Her broad interests range from replicating iconic Rembrandt tulips from Old Master Dutch paintings, to creating large scale sculptures and paintings that investigate galactic space. “A grid does not have to be flat,“ she noted, of her watercolor drawings, “shapes can flow through or rise above it. Making chaos or creating order.” The artist is happy to share her special approach to watercolor during the exhibition.   The Art Garage has served the area 15 years with a robust range of exhibitions and free public programs including artists’ demonstrations, talks, panel discussions and workshops, at 689 Beaver Meadow Road, Cooperstown. It exhibits works by local, regional and international artists, and hosted a two-week county-wide residency for Kenyan artist Adam Masava in 2022. The Art Garage also represents the estate of self-taught farmer artist, Lavern Kelley (1928-98). Watch Facebook/Instagram for periodic updates: @CooperstownArtGarage.   ###