Michael Reardon has been painting in watercolor for over thirty years. An avid traveler, he uses watercolor to record his observations, convey a sense of place and light, and communicate his impressions of the built, natural, and imagined worlds. He works from his studio in Oakland, California.
In 2005 he was the recipient of the prestigious Gabriel Prize from the Western European Architecture Foundation, which enabled him to spend three months painting in Paris. Originally trained as an architect with a degree in architecture from UC Berkeley, he was an architectural illustrator for over thirty years. In 2004 he was awarded the Hugh Ferriss Memorial Prize, the premier award in the field of architectural illustration.
His watercolors have been exhibited nationally and internationally, including the annual shows of the National Watercolor Society, the American Watercolor Society, and the California Art Club. In 2011 he presented a solo show at the Thomas Reynolds Gallery in San Francisco.
He is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, Watercolor West, and the California Watercolor Association. He is also the author of Watercolor Techniques: Painting Light and Color in Landscapes and Cityscapes from North Light Books.
SELECTED AWARDS
Signature Member, American Watercolor Society
Signature Member, National Watercolor Society
Signature Member, Watercolor West
Signature Member, California Watercolor Association
Artist Member, California Art Club
Gabriel Prize, Western European Architecture Foundation, 2005
Hugh Ferriss Memorial Prize, American Society of Architectural Illustrators, 2004
Best of Show, Triton Museum of Art, Statewide Exhibition of Watercolor Artists, 2010
SDWS Board of Directors Award, Watercolor West Reciprocal Award, San
Diego Watercolor Society 35th International Exhibition, 2015
Jade Fon Memorial Award, California Watercolor Association National Exhibition, 2016
Ogden and Mary Pleissner Memorial Award, American Watercolor Society
150th International Exhibition, 2017
Marjorie Fischer Memorial Award, California Watercolor Association
National Exhibition, 2019
PUBLICATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
Watercolor Techniques: Painting Light & Color in Landscapes & Cityscapes
Splash 10 and Splash 12, North Light Books, June, 2008, May, 2011
American Artist Watercolor, Fall, 2007, Spring, 2011
Watercolor Artist, February 2012
Southwest Art, Artist to Watch, June 2012
Plein Air Magazine, November 2012
Fine Art Connoisseur, September, 2015
L'Art de l'Aquarelle, December 2013, June 2016, March 2022
Fontaines, The Public Fountains of Paris, 2011
EDUCATION
1976-77, Unité Pédagogique d’Architecture, Grenoble, France
1978, B.A., Architecture, University of California, Berkeley
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
ARTchitecture, Thomas Reynolds Gallery, Santa Barbara, 2022
Small Group Exhibit, Studio Gallery, 2021
Reflections in Water, St. Mary's College Museum of Art, 2016
7th Annual Signature Watermedia Exhibition, Fallbrook, CA, 2016
Work, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, 2016
Terrain, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022
Cityscapes, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, 2016
National Watercolor Society Plein Air Invitational, Muckenthaler Center, 2016
Traversing the Globe, Old Mill, California Art Club, 2016
San Diego Watercolor Society 34th Annual Exhibition, 2014, 2015
Body of Work, California Art Club, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, 2013
The World of Watercolor, Fallbrook Art Center, February, 2012
Northwest Watercolor Society National Exhibition, 2012
American Watercolor Society Annual Exhibit, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017
National Watercolor Society International Exhibition, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2020, 2021
The Fountains of Paris, solo show, Thomas Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, 2011
California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibition, 2011-2022
Sonoma Plein Air, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Northern California Light, California Art Club, Thomas Reynolds Gallery, 2011
Then and Now, California Art Club, Thomas Reynolds Gallery, 2009
California Watercolor Association Signature Member Exhibition, 2008
California Watercolor Association, 2004, 2006-7, 2009-10 2012, 2015-16. 2019, 2021-22
Watercolor West National Exhibition, 2007-2010