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WELCOME TO

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ABOUT MICHAEL

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Michael Solovyev

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  • Signature Member -
    CSPWC (Canadian Society of Painters in Water Color)
SCA (Society of Canadian Artists, Canada)
NWS (National Watercolor Society, USA) 
NEWS (North East Watercolor Society, USA)
IWS (International Watercolor Society)
PWCS (Philadelphia Water Color Society)
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  • Daniel Smith Brand Ambassador
  • Escoda International Brand Ambassador 
  • Baohong Master Brand Ambassador
  • Fabriano in Acquarello Canada Country Leader

Michael is often called a “sunny watercolorist” – his airy, transparent artworks look as though they emit the sunlight. His traditional academic art education, extensive experience as a head theater stage designer, and oil painter career now inform his priority as a watercolor artist – light. His main belief is that sometimes even a pile of rubbish with beautiful lighting can become an artwork. Michael is a watercolor artist of great renown, with exhibitions and workshops all over the world, from Bolivia to France to Australia.

 

Michael sees his work as an artist as exploration and observation of the world and its presentation in such way the others can see the things he saw. He considers being an artist as one of the most interesting jobs in the world. Since theater is his background, it is all done through the prism of theatrical art.

 

First and foremost, Michael is a head theater stage designer, where he started his career and made more than 50 plays before his move to Canada. The idea of theater art is still with him – that is where his understanding of visual arts originates from. In theater, everything is different – the main part is the light and how subjects present in it, and not the subjects in themselves. He was responsible for light, sets, furniture, costumes, props, and makeup – all the visual aspects, from A to Z, that the audience can see when they go to the theater.

 

The main subject Michael depicts is the light. Turn off the lights, and you won’t see anything. People can see only because lighting exists. Any subject can become a piece of art or a piece of trash, depending on whether you present it right, like any culinary dish.

 

Watercolor is the most interesting medium to Michael because it is the only material on the whole planet where he is not solely responsible for the creative process. The water does most of the work. Rather than working alone, he forms a partnership with it. Watercolor is exactly like theater – a collective co-creation of actors, directors, composers, lighting techs, artists working in unison. With oil, one is solely responsible for everything – what one did will stay this way.

 

Watercolor, on the other hand, flows, it exists in time, it is an alive being. It does not always produce results Michael necessarily wants, but since it is his partner, he must accept it, use it, and work together. It makes the process of co-creation truly interesting. In all other branches of visual arts, this element is missing. Watercolor is the only medium that exists in time, where materials permeate one another, and it makes the process feel alive.

 

That is what attracts Michael in watercolor. That is why, after receiving a traditional academic art education with oil painting in its core he ended up switching to watercolor, since it is the only medium allowing co-creation and bringing an element of adrenaline and life to the process of the artwork creation.

 

Michael considers adrenaline, novelty, and experimentation the necessities of the creative process. He is always challenging himself with new techniques, ideas, stories, and materials. With watercolor, quality and versatility of art materials is paramount. Willingness to experiment and create led Michael to design his own line of watercolor materials and release a series of watercolor video lessons, available on his website, WatercolorOnline.com

Michael’s prolific watercolor artistry translates into 16 personal and over 70 group exhibitions around the world, where he won multiple awards and recognitions. In recent years, he represented Canada at many renowned watercolor festivals in Hong Kong, Slovenia, India, Italy, France, Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico, Bolivia, Hungary, and Portugal among other countries. He is a signature member of four prestigious art societies – National Watercolor Society, USA (NWS), Society of Canadian Artists, Canada (SCA), North East Watercolor Society, USA (NEWS), and International Watercolor Society (IWS). He is also the Brand Ambassador of Daniel Smith, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of art and watercolor materials.

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Exhibitions and Events
(last five years)

2024​​

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  • Festival Internacional de la Acuarela de Santo Domingo 2024

  • International Watercolor Exhibition VietnamInAcquarello 2024 - Colours of Cultures.

  • Festival Internacional de Acuarela. Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina. 2024

  • 6th International Biennial BREIZH AQUARELLE, France

  • International Watercolours Masters- Lillshall Hall, England. 2024

  • 3rd INTERNATIONAL WATERCOLOUR EXHIBITION 2024 (IWEx 2024) Australia

  • San Diego Watercolor Society International Exhibition  - 2024, October

  • NWWS WATERWORKS MEMBER EXHIBITION 2024 

  • American Watercolor Society The 2024 Associate Members Online Exhibition. June 6 – August 20, 2024.

  • Hong Kong "Taste of Life" Joy in Art Watercolor 2024

  • Pennsyvania Watercolor Society. ONLINE MEMBERS SHOW 2024

  • Personal Exhibition in Monastero di Marango, San Gaetano, Italy

  • 44th International Exhibition The San Diego Watercolor Society 2024

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2023

  • Australian Watercolour Muster. 5-th International Festival of watercolour. Australia

  • NEWS 47-th International Exhibition. USA. NEWS Excellence Award.

  • Water Claire. 98th Annual Open Water Exhibition.CSPWS. Canada. 1st Place

  • NWS 103rd International Open Exhibition. USA

  • NWWS Annual International Open Exhibition.USA

  • WATERCOLOR INTERNATIONAL 6. Greece.

  • 43 International Exhibition. San Diego Watercolor Society. USA. Jenna Marie Julien Memorial Award

  • l’Acquarello sulle vie del Gand Tour. Exhibition in The Intarnational Academy of Watercolors of Monza

  • IMWA .International Watercolor Exhibition - Colorful Asia. Online

  • IWS Holland, Masters of Watercolor in Leiden, Holland, Netherlands.

  • Personal exhibition and demo. Mondovi, Italy.

  • National Watercolor Society - Member Exhibition, USA.

  • American Watercolor Society - Associate Members Online Exhibition, USA.

  • Philadephia Water Color Society - Members Show, USA. Award Winners, 1st Place.

  • IWS Japan Watercolor Triennale. Japan.

  • Festival Acuarela de Santo Domingo, Chile.

  • Salon Dessin et peinture a l’Eau. Paris, France.

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2022​

  • VI Biennal International Nuevas Tecnicas, Caudete, Spain.

  • NWS National Watercolor Society 102nd International Open Exhibition, USA.

  • NEWS North East Watercolor Society 46th International Annual Exhibition, USA.

  • III Biennal International de la Acuarella “Celebranda la Vida”, Bolivia. Invited artist.

  • Fabriano Watercolour – 7th Biennial International Prize, Italy. Jury’s special mention. Painting became a part of permanent exhibition in Fabriano Paper and Watermark Museum.

  • Monza in Acquarello, 4-e Edition, Italy.

  • Fabriano in Acquarello, Italy. The Leader of Canadian delegation.

  • III International Watercolor & Spirit Triennial, Varna, Bulgaria.

  • Watercolor West’s 54th International Juried Exhibition, USA. Combined Merchandise Award II.

  • Spring Malaysia International Online Juried Art Competition, Malaysia.

  • Art Connexion Mondiale Exposition d’Aquarelle, France-Poland. Special award.

  • Festival de la Acuarela de Santo Domingo, Chile. 2nd Prize.
     

​2021​

  • Monza in Acquarello. 3 edition “La Bellezza dell’Acqua in Mostra”.

  • International Watercolor Exhibition. Niigata, Japan.

  • 8-eme Biennale Internationale d’aquarelle de Rochemaure, France. Demos, Workshops.

  • IWS Russia 1st International Watercolor Festival “Watercolor with Love”.

  • SCA Exhibition - BC Culture Days, Canada. Honourable Mention for "Frigate Hermione".

  • The Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s 42nd Annual International Juried Exhibition, USA.

  • Watercolor International 5, Thessaloniki, Greece. Demo.

  • 1st North American Online Contest “Giving Light to the World”, Canada.

  • Festival International de l’Aquarelle et du Carnet de Voyage “Confluences”, Aiguillon, France.

  • North East Watercolor Society, 45th Annual International Juried Exhibition, USA. Members Award – “Russian Winter”.

  • Autumn Malaysia International Juried Art Competition, Malaysia.

  • World of Modern Watercolor, Moscow, Russia.

  • PWCS, 121st International Exhibition of Works on Paper, USA.

  • XVI Certamen de Acuarela Villa de Caudete, Spain.

  • JIWI Autumn International Watercolor Exhibition, Japan.

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​2020

  • Workshops in Atelier Aquarelle le Partage, Canada.

  • Demostration in Atelier d’aquarelle de Quebec, Canada.

  • Workshops in Atelier d’aquarelle de Quebec, Canada.

  • Monza International Festival, Italy.

  • Zoom Watercolor Demonstration for Lynnfield Art Guild, USA.

  • The 2nd Universal Watercolour Exposition, IMWA.

  • International Exposition Sea Aquarelle in Odessa, Ukraine.

  • Workshop in AASL Association des artistes de Saint-Laurent, Canada.

  • Japanese International Watercolor Institute, JIWI, Japan.

  • Webinar in ONDA Associazione Onda Creativa, Italy.

  • 6 International Biennial of Watercolor Belgrade, Serbia.
     

​2019

  • Santa Cruz Watercolor meeting, Portugal. Invited artist, demo.

  • IWS Watercolor Festival, Finland. Invited artist, demo.

  • "Lachine Plein Air", Personal Exhibition in Montreal, Canada.

  • International Watercolor festival in Catalonia, Spain. Invited artist, demo.

  • IWS Watercolor Festival, Peru. Invited artist, "Master's exhibition", demo.

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