Get out your paintbrush

I greatly enjoyed the coverage given the watercolor exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in the article "Boston's Timeless Love Affair With Watercolor," July 30. But I would like to correct the impression that is often given of the fragility of watercolor. Early watercolors do need to be preserved carefully, but today, with acid-free watercolor paper and board, and light-fast pigments, they are as durable and exhibitable as any other medium.

Today there is a flourishing subculture of serious watercolorists. Many cities and states have watercolor societies that hold juried exhibitions of high-quality work. The competition is fierce, and the paintings are greatly enjoyed by those who have discovered this little-publicized area of the art world.

The strong and vigorous styles of watercolor, hardly fragile, range from super-realism to abstraction. Charles McVicker, Rocky Hill, N.J.

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