Richmond Hill resident Karen Schaaf received the GWS Peach Award at the Georgia Watercolor Society’s recent 2018 National Exhibition. Her painting, Metamorphosis, was chosen for the highest honor given to a Georgia watercolor artist selected for the show, and for seventh place position nationally.

In addition, Schaaf received signature status from the society. The status denotes the highest level of artistic proficiency within a society and allows the artist to include the society’s initials after their signature.

The GWS National Exhibition was display at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art in Atlanta in April. This year’s exhibit was judged by watercolor artist Kathleen Conover. Of the 345 submissions, 80 paintings were selected from artists throughout the country.

Schaaf is a figurative watercolor artist residing in Richmond Hill. She received her BA in fine arts from the University of Maryland, and her M.Ed. in instructional design from Virginia Tech.

She is a member of the Savannah Arts Association, the Georgia Watercolor Society, the Southern Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society.

Another of her latest works, Do Me A Flavor, was recently selected for inclusion in the Southern Watercolor Society’s 41st annual juried exhibition, on display in Bradenton, Florida, beginning May 15.