Artist Don Farrell Honored with Dynasty Brush Premier Award at 2025 NWS International Open Exhibition

From October 1 to November 5, 2025, the National Watercolor Society (NWS) held its 105th International Open Exhibition. Artists from around the world exhibited their work in watercolor and watercolor media, with a variety of awards given for excellence.

For this year’s exhibition, FM Brush Co., Dynasty Brush's parent company, contributed three Dynasty Brush Premier Watercolor Brush Collection Merchandise Awards. Each award featured a premier collection of Dynasty’s finest artists' brushes, including selections from the EvoART, Water Lily, Black Gold, Faux Squirrel, and Faux Kolinsky series.

For his work, Marley, Artist Don Farrell was awarded the Dynasty Brush Premier Watercolor Brush Collection Merchandise Award and became a Signature Member of the NWS. To dive deeper into the story behind Marley and the creative mind who brought it to life, we interviewed artist Don Farrell!

Congratulations on Marley being awarded at the 2025 National Watercolor Society (NWS) International Juried Show and becoming a Signature Member of the NWS! Please share what it means to you and your work to win this award and receive this distinction.

It was a surprise not only to get into the show but especially rewarding to win an award from such a prestigious organization. Becoming a Signature Member is really above and beyond my expectations.

The awards confirm that the hard work and striving to get better as a painter are paying off. It certainly is a confidence boost to know that your peers compare your work with some of the best watercolorists.

What was your inspiration for Marley?

Marley is someone I know and who I thought would be an interesting subject to paint. She is a free-spirited young lady and was hoping to capture her personality in the two paintings I did of her.

Your NWS award includes the Dynasty Brush Premier Watercolor Brush Collection Merchandise Award donated by FM Brush Co., which features an exciting array of our finest watercolor brushes, including Black Gold, Faux Kolinsky, Faux Squirrel, Water Lily, and EvoART. Since Dynasty Brush is new to you and your work, how do you hope these brushes will enhance your art?

I tend to use a limited number of brushes in my watercolor paintings. Having a full array of Dynasty Brushes allows me to expand the type of brushes I can use. This will provide me with more options as I develop various textures and objects and, hopefully, expand the techniques used to create them.

Along with working with watercolors, are there other mediums we will find in your portfolio?

I paint mostly with transparent watercolors, but have used gouache in several of my paintings.

You have an illustrious career as an artist. Briefly tell us how long you have been painting and how you got started.

I attended college as an art major, focusing on oil painting. After a career in graphic design, I began illustrating several books that my wife had written. This got me working with watercolors. From there, I began my fine art career. I’ve been focusing on that for the past six years.

Can you share with us what you’re working on next?

I focus on several subjects in my work- people, seascapes, flowers- but have started a new series of paintings I refer to as my Back Door Series. I search out the back of businesses and create works that depict these behind-the-scenes subjects. It offers me a chance to work with textures, lighting, and people in an offbeat, relaxed environment.