BIOGRAPHY
Peggi is an award-winning artist and instructor who works primarily in watercolor and mixed media on paper. Her work has been exhibited and collected internationally and has been included in a variety of publications, including "Best of America: Watercolor Artists", and the following magazines: Pratique Des Arts; Watercolor Artist; Watercolor Magic; Palette; and the Portrait Society of America's The Art of The Portrait. Most recently, she authored "Watercolor Made Easy: Portraits" and was featured in "The Art of Drawing and Painting Portraits", both books published by Walter Foster Publishing. Peggi's painting was one of 125 selected from over 8,000 watercolors worldwide to be exhibited in the Shanghai Biennial Watercolour Exhibition in Shanghai, China. A watercolor instructor, Peggi has taught students from around the country and internationally.

ARTIST STATEMENT
Painting people is the antidote to my voyeuristic tendencies. I love observing an individual or group and secretly creating a story based on a glance, gesture, interaction, or something else.

Although my paintings are realistic in nature, my intent is not to create a painting that looks like a photograph. Instead, my primary goal is to tell a story, reveal an emotion, or set a mood. I utilize anything I can to reach this goal, including design, color, brushstroke, cropping, and composition. My greatest reward is to create a painting that connects with the viewer emotionally, rationally or inexplicably.

GALLERY REPRESENTATION
Galerie Werner 5105 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Portrait Society of America, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh Watercolor Society

PUBLICATIONS & PRESS 

  

• French watercolor magazine "Pratique Des Arts", November 2012
• Featured artist for Empty Easel online magazine, August 2011
• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Fanfare", June 2012
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Shop Holiday--Gifts for The Person Who Has Everything", December 2011
• Design Home Lifestyles, Summer 2011, featured artist
• Watercolor Artist magazine, awarded second place in the Watermedia Showcase Competition, February, 2011 issue
• The Almanac, "Meet Artist Peggi Habets", October 2010
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, artwork featured in article "Exhibit Features Artwork Inspired by Fallingwater", July 2010
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, featured artist in "My Generation" section titled "Let's Talk About Art", June 2010
• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Juried Art Makes an Arts Festival Comeback in a Strong Way", paintings "Red" and "The Tam Maker" included in review of Three Rivers Arts Festival Juried exhibition, June 2010
• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Waterworks 2010: High Mark of Artistry On Display at Gallery Sim", painting of "Thelma" included in review of Pittsburgh Watercolor Society's Waterworks exhibition, May 2010
• Best of America--Watermedia, Vol II, artwork selected for cover and featured in book, 2010
• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Artists Take Measures to Ride Out Economic Downturn", interviewed by art critic Kurt Shaw, Jan 2009
• Portrait Society of America's The Art of the Portrait magazine, "Member Gallery", Oct 2008
• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Watermedia Works Run the Gamut", article includes a review of painting "Mikal" in Aqueous International Exhibition, Oct 2008
• Palette magazine, artwork included in article, "Printmaking with Watercolor", Oct/Nov 2007
• Portrait Society of America's The Art of the Portrait magazine, "Member Gallery", May 2007
• Best of America, Watercolor Artists and Artisans book, artwork featured on cover and inside page, Spring 2007
• Watercolor Magic magazine, "Creative Challenge" winner, Oct 2006
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, painting included in art review of Pittsburgh Society of Artists exhibition, February 2006
• Bethel Park Magazine, "Who in Bethel Park" article, Oct 2005

 

AWARDS

• Publisher's Choice Award: Art & Beyond Nov/Dec issue, 2012
• Peoples Choice Award: WATERWORKS EXHIBITION, Fein Art Gallery, June 2012
• Second Place Award: WATERMEDIA SHOWCASE COMPETITION, "Recollection" featured in the February, 2011 issue of Watercolor Artist magazine
• Best of Show Award: FALLINGWATER/ASSOCIATED ARTISTS OF PITTSBURGH EXHIBITION, a juried show of art featuring Frank Lloyd Wright's Falllingwater as the subject, June 2010
• Selected for Fine Art Views' BOLD BRUSH COMPETITION Top 15% (December 2009, January 2010 and June 2010).
• Selected as one of six participants in the Portrait Society of America's Mentoring Program, 2009/2010
• Nominated for PITTSBURGH CENTER FOR THE ARTS Emerging Artist of the Year 2008
• Best of Show Award: ART IN THE PARK, a juried outdoor fine arts festival, Oct 2007
• ONLINE GALLERY ART-ICULATE: Top 10 Pittsburgh Artists, May 2007
• Awarded scholarship to PORTRAIT SOCIETY OF AMERICA'S Art of the Portrait conference, May 2007
• PITTSBURGH CREATIVE NETWORK'S Top 50 Pittsburgh Artists, April 2007
• 3rd Place Award: PITTSBURGH WATERCOLOR SOCIETY Aqueous International, Sweetwater Gallery, Sewickley, Pa, Oct 2006
• 1st and 2nd Place Awards: SOUTH ARTS Juried Exhibition, Pittsburgh, Pa, Sept 2006
• Juror's Award: PITTSBURGH SOCIETY OF ARTISTS Syncopation Juried Exhibition, Pgh. Center for the Arts, August 2006
• Honorable Mention: SETON HILL UNIVERSITY Women in Art Juried Exhibition-Greensburg, Pa, Sept 2005
• 1st Place Award:  SOUTH ARTS Juried Exhibition, Pittsburgh Technical Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa, July 2005

 

EXHIBITIONS 
I have been exhibiting regularly at galleries since 2002. Below is a partial listing of select exhibitions from the past two years:

• 2013 California Watercolor Society's 43rd National Exhibition,
• Pleasanton, Ca
• 2012 Shanghai Biennial Watercolour Exhibition, Shanghai, China
• 2012 Moods of Pittsburgh, Galerie Werner, Pittsburgh, Pa
• 2012 Aqueous International Juried Exhibition, Third Street Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pa
• 2012 GROUP SHOW Beauty and the Beast: Faces & Figures of Pittsburgh's Industrial Landscape, Galerie Werner, Mansions on Fifth Hotel, Pittsburgh, Pa
• 2012 Waterworks Exhibition, Fein Art Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pa
• 2012 Celebrate First Night, Downtown Pittsburgh, Pa
• 2011 Aqueous International Juried Exhibition, Gallery Sim, Southside, Pittsburgh, Pa
• 2011 GROUP SHOW Beauty, Strength, Reflection: Paintings of Women, Shaw Galleries, Pittsburgh, Pa
• 2010 Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Fallingwater Exhibition,
  Mill Run, Pa
• 2010 Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's Annual Juried Exhibition, Warren, Pa
• 2010 Aqueous International Juried Exhibition, Fein Art Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pa
• 2010 SOLO SHOW, Faces & Figures, Westminster Gallery, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pa
• 2010 Waterworks Exhibition, Gallery Sim, Pittsburgh, Pa
  

CONTACT
I can be reached at peggihabets@gmail.com or 412-951-9144. I look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Painted watercolor portraits and figures of people by Pittsburgh, Pa artist Peggi Habets