Winter Berries In Downtown Chicago Art Show

So happy announce one of my winter themed watercolors will be featured in an art show in Chicago's beautiful and historic Cultural Center.

Jurors for the Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists (CAVA) chose my painting Winter Berries to display in CAVA's annual winter exhibition, which runs Thursday, November 13, through Friday, January 2, 2026, at the Chicago Cultural Center's Renaissance Court Gallery on the city's famed Michigan Avenue.

Meet Me This Thursday, Nov. 13, At The Opening

I hope you can come out for the opening reception this Thursday, November 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. I will attend the opening, so meet me at Renaissance Court in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.

I look forward to seeing you and showing you my Winter Berries piece.

Admission is free, both for this event and for the Cultural Center, which is a prime attraction both for its exceptional architecture (including the world's largest Tiffany glass dome) and its numerous exhibits and events throughout each year. 

About Winter Berries

I created Winter Berries during a recent winter, and this painting captures the spirit of that season's stillness and subdued energies.

If you go outside on a very cold day, after a snowfall, you can just "hear the stillness" at that special time. 

The trees stand still after the snowstorm, snowflakes dust the tops of branches, and a few tiny fruits left over from summer may hang on to the trees.

That's the experience that led me to create this painting. (I also created a similar painting around the same time called Red Berries Cling In Snow; you can see it in my post Red Berries Watercolor Painting In Chicago Holiday Art Show. If you compare these two pieces, you'll see how my vision of that winter stillness manifested differently in the two different versions.) 

This version emphasizes a single tree branch to highlight the craggy, strong bark and trees' inherent resilience. Only a few tiny berries appear in this version, while the other one highlights the berries by showing them in the center and much larger.

Both versions use a special green paper from Thailand called "mango paper" because it has bits of mango leaves embedded in the fibers. You can see those if you look for the bits that appear golden within the overall green color of the paper.

After creating Winter Berries, I mounted it using the traditional Asian process. The mounting fused the green and gold mango paper to a second piece of paper that is ivory colored and handmade. After mounting, I trimmed the painting to leave a border showing the ivory colored paper so you can see exactly how the painting was made and enjoy how it reflects a connection to ancient art making traditions. 

See More Tree And Flower Branch Paintings

You can see more of my watercolors featuring branches in the Branching Out collection of watercolors. 

This collection highlights colorful flowers on highly textured branches.  Enjoy their leaves and blossoms, which abound with nature's beauty.

About CAVA

The Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists (CAVA) is a volunteer not-for-profit organization founded in 1988 to serve artists age 50+ working in all types of media by exploring, exhibiting, and promoting these artists' work.

It offers members throughout the Chicago area opportunities to exhibit artwork in notable venues such as the Chicago Cultural Center, which will host this year's winter exhibition.

CAVA also organizes various member events such as salons, member luncheons, workshops, an annual symposium, and special events.

Chicago Cultural Center Location And Hours

The Chicago Cultural Center's is located at 78 E. Washington St. in the city's Loop (downtown) area. The building's facade looks out on historic Michigan Avenue. 

The Renaissance Court Gallery, which will host the CAVA Winter Exhibition, is open weekdays only: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. (Note that the rest of the Cultural Center is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. through 5 p.m.)