Color in Water 12 | “Autumn: Colours of the Earth”

Welcome to the online edition of the exhibition “Color in Water 12 | Autumn: Earth Tones” — an exhibition running physically at Chili Art Gallery from Thursday, October 16 to Saturday, October 25, 2025. Curated by art curator Paris Kapralos, in collaboration with visual artists working primarily with ink, this marks the 12th installment of the series. The online edition of the exhibition will remain available until November 25, 2025.

In the curatorial text, Mr. Kapralos denotes: “Autumn in watercolor is not merely about color, but a dialogue between nature and light, matter and time. Historical understanding and technical skill in using earthy and seasonal hues allow the artist to capture not only the appearance of autumn but also the deeper psychology of transition. The earth tones of autumn have been a timeless source of inspiration for painters, combining the sense of transformation with the material texture of nature.

Historically, artists like William Turner and John Constable highlighted the autonomy of the medium. Earthy shades — Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Burnt Umber — laid the foundation for conveying seasonal atmosphere. In the autumn palette, warm golden-brown tones and deep reds (Venetian Red, Burnt Sienna) interact with the cool grey-blue skies (Payne’s Grey, Indigo) and soft purple shadows (Cobalt Violet, Ultramarine Violet), creating a chromatic intensity unmatched by any other season.

The autumn palette has traditionally been associated with pastoral themes and romantic depictions of nature. In Chinese and Japanese watercolor, warm earthy tones were balanced with negative space, suggesting not only matter but the passage of time. In the Western tradition, especially after Impressionism, watercolor embraced more vibrant and saturated color choices, without abandoning the classic harmony of earthy hues.

Today, these same tones continue to captivate contemporary watercolor artists across styles and schools. The atmosphere of autumn—with its changing light and rich leaf palette—offers endless opportunities for experimentation, both in realistic and abstract approaches. Many artists incorporate these earthy pigments into mixed media works, while others use them with minimalist restraint, proving that autumn remains a subject of deep emotional and artistic power, even in the age of digital imagery.”

Participating artists: Vibeke Espholm, Nastazia Georgiadou, Foti Kllogjeri, Gianna Derri, Ioannis Stamoulis, Anastasia Riga, Iliana Kolovou, Athina Danavara, Giannis Zagorianakos, Vassia Kalogerakou, Yola Pitta, Maria Kalliadou, Olga Barmazi, Dimitris Stenos, Manolis Kastanos, Kelly Psariotou

ARTWORKS

Color in the Water

The initiative “Color in the Water” — in Greek, “Χρώμα σε Νερό” — is dedicated to organizing events, activities, and exhibitions to promote artworks and artists who primarily express themselves through watercolor. The main name of the initiative is in English because it is an international endeavor with diverse actions in countries where Greek is not necessarily spoken.

It was established in 2019 by Art Curator Paris Kapralos (who has collaborated for many years as an event organizer with the International Watercolor Society – IWS, served on juries for watercolor biennales, among other roles). The initiative includes painters focused on media that constitute contemporary watercolor — such as aquarelle, water-soluble inks, water pencils, powders, natural water-soluble pigments, as well as alternative media like tea and coffee.

Workshops, masterclasses, live demos, and national delegations to international events are also organized regularly. The community is particularly active on its official Facebook page, “Color in the water,” and since March 2025, the initiative has launched this official website with the support of ARTgrID.

About the Art Curator

Paris Kapralos is an Art Curator, Founder & Coordinator of ARC – Art Revisited Collective, and co-publisher of Arts & Antiques CCR. He was born in 1975 and raised in Athens, where he currently lives and works. He studied Economics (Athens) and Graphic Arts (Staffordshire, England).

He worked as a Journalist specializing in Technology topics for financial newspapers, magazines, and online news agencies (1999–2006), as a conference organizing executive in the Information Technology & Telecommunications sector (2004–2011), and later shifted his professional focus to the field of Art in 2011.

Since then, he has curated and organized more than 200 exhibitions, art actions, projects, and participations both within Greece and internationally. More details are available on his website HERE.

About Chili Art Gallery

Chili Art Gallery was founded in 2010 and is located in Thissio, next to the “Melina” Cultural Center of the City of Athens, just a breath away from one of the liveliest areas of the city, Gazi. It serves as a cultural venue where art lovers and the general public can engage with all forms of Contemporary Art.

Painting, sculpture, collage/compositions, installations/constructions, printmaking, and photography are showcased on a monthly basis through solo and group exhibitions and events.

For detailed information, visit the gallery’s website HERE.

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