Postcards: Harold Klunder

I confess that until I saw Harold Klunder's 2009 exhibition of vibrant watercolours at Transit Gallery, I wasn't a fan of watercolour paintings. My previous associations with them were bland, fussy, washed-out paintings. When I saw Klunder's work and realized they were watercolours, I did a double-take and found myself returning to the gallery several times to take it in, and then seeing the show again with a friend. I had no idea that watercolour could be so bold, exuberant, and loose. Seeing this show inspired me to pull out my cheap drugstore watercolours, purchased when I was in grade ten, and play. Klunder makes it all look so effortless, but it's not.