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, 2023

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