Exhibition Overview

Gunnar Tryggmo is a master of his craft. In order to master anything, it is necessary to commit the time and passion to hone the skills. In his native Sweden, Tryggmo is highly revered for his watercolor paintings that follow in the country’s rich tradition of this medium. His imagery reflects his deep love of the natural world; he continually sources the out of doors by painting en plein air with his paint box and spotting scope.

“I first met Gunnar at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum where we were both exhibiting in the International Birds in Art Juried Exhibition. One afternoon, the artists were sharing their field journals, and I was so impressed with Gunnar’s. They had the scholarly approach of a naturalist, but the astute renderings of a very practiced artist,” remarks gallery owner, Kathryn Mapes Turner. “Traditional watercolor is a very challenging medium because of its unpredictable nature and transparency - it is not possible to undo a misstep. This is why Gunnar’s commitment to painting in this medium is so impressive. The results of his commitment are pieces that are both bold and sensitive, painstakingly rendered with a distinctive lightness of touch and spontaneity.”