Water Works : Watercolor aficionados will enjoy perusing the 64 paintings now on view at the Brand Library Art Galleries.

The artists represented in the Brand Library Art Galleries’ watercolor works show must be a cheerful bunch of people. For the most part, they have used their considerable skills with the medium to bring out the beauty in subjects ranging from flowers, fish and young children to rusted freight train cars and traffic jams.

Anyone who appreciates watercolor, or who just needs a respite from the frenzy of the holiday season, will enjoy perusing the 64 works on view in “Brand XXII: National Competition of Watercolor Works.” Some are vibrantly colored images, others understated and wistful. A few of the artists have used the medium to reflect upon weighty subjects such as military conflicts, ecology and the status of the family.

Since 1970, Glendale’s library division and the Associates of Brand Library and Art Center have sponsored a yearly open juried competition in the galleries.

Over the years “we’ve had ceramics, mixed-media, general painting and watercolor shows,” gallery Director Cindy Cleary said. “We call for entries from all over the country.”

She added that each year individuals and groups contribute cash awards to a selection of artists. In this show, 15 artists received awards ranging from $100 to $1,200.

Home Savings of America, Glendale, has been a supporter of these juried exhibits since they began. The two watercolors that receive the Associates of Brand Purchase Awards will become part of the Brand Library’s collection.

“Brand XXII” was juried by Arthur L. Kaye, a life member of the National Watercolor Society. He chose the 64 watercolors from 440 submitted works.

That effort, he says in the show catalogue’s juror’s statement, “was a daunting, and at the same time, rewarding experience. . . . I endeavor to put aside personal biases and to judge a work from the standpoint of its originality of concept, its content, expression and, finally, its technical execution.”

Among the more original concepts is Francis Watson’s “The Rumor.” An accordion-like book, its bright abstract images begin with one person telling something to another, who in turn passes it on to the next gossip monger. Through delightful visual imagery, the story builds like a symphony, getting bigger and bolder as it goes from one person to the next.

Elizabeth Tolley’s “Recital” depicts a young girl playing the piano. Incorporated into the scene, and adding to its tranquillity, are a lovely vase of flowers and a painting of a cabin in the woods.

“The Golden Chair” by Patricia Hansen takes us to grandma’s house. Grandma looks mighty cozy sitting and reading in a comfortable chair upholstered with a flowered print. The chair rests on a rug of a different flowered print. The room is filled with objects--a coat rack, an umbrella holder and several knickknacks.

Barbara Ashton’s dreamy “On Display” presents women’s hats, each adorned with a flower, enticingly hanging on a hat rack. “Fruit and Plant” by Celeste Jaeger resonates with a quiet elegance.

The raucous “The Mad Tea Party” by Nilly Gill occurs in a woman’s apartment. In this wacky picture, her clothes are strewn about and she and a man seem engaged, not so much in seduction, but in the push and pull of ‘90s male-female relationships. Through the artist’s use of mirrors (painted in the picture), a painting within the painting and artistic license, we get a few different perspectives on the whole scene.

Smiley Quick’s “One Way” seems to be a comment on the perils society’s traditional standards have wrought on individuals. In a humorous illustration of what looks like a nuclear family in hell, the woman is wearing only her underwear and painted fingernails, the man wears many faces, and the children just look strange.

WHERE AND WHEN

* What: “Brand XXII: National Competition of Watercolor Works.”

* Location: Brand Library Art Galleries, 1601 Mountain St., Glendale.

* Hours: 12:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 12:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Jan. 5 (closed Christmas and New Year’s Day).

* Call: (818) 548-2050.