The Laing Art Gallery are celebrating the rich quality and sheer diversity of watercolour.

Watercolour paintings are often associated with twee landscapes, the kind of which are churned out by weekend dabblers, but, as this exhibition ably demonstrates, the medium is actually incredibly versatile. The show includes important pictures from the ‘golden age’ (from about 1780-1880) when British watercolours became established as an influential art movement, and among the many highlights – which are drawn from the gallery’s own collections as well as some significant loans – is work from Elizabeth Adela Stanhope Forbes (that’s her ‘Children in the Garden’ – pictured), JMW Turner, Edward Burne-Jones and Arthur Melville. You can also see work from contemporary artists such as Tracey Emin, David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Edward Burra and Jennifer Durrant – who all manage to push the discipline into many a new and exciting direction. JL

Liquid Light: Painting in Watercolours, until 13 August, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle. laingartgallery.org.uk