It was a beautiful late summer morning when 13 WSLP members gathered together to paint at Belle Haven marina in Alexandria, VA. The surprising good weather of blue skies, soft sunlight, low humidity and a comfortable 85 degrees seemed to bring all the painters out of their studios. After an unusual summer of torrential rains in June (canceling our June paintout), severe drought and heat in July, we were ready to set up our easels and be creative!

Belle Haven marina lends itself to many artistic choices; There were boats for the boat painters, water views and marshes for the landscapers, and even a touch of the urban view for those that prefer some "edginess" in their landscapes. The lazy summer Sunday morning was quiet with just a few boat owners and their dogs as our audience. Later in the day families arrived to picnic on the grounds with bushels of crabs, hot-dogs and hamburgers to grill. Babies were laid down to nap in the dappled shade listening to the rhythmic lapping of the Potomac River waters as osprey nested their young nearby. A simply lovely day, and the paintings reflected it.

Even Margaret Kranking, ( with her guest Pat Liebowitz), found it peaceful. They had found a choice spot behind a shed that provided shade and a pretty view . . . that is until midway through the morning when they both discovered this was also the favored spot of a large and nasty wasp nest and home to spiders! Despite the nature challenges, they did two beautiful paintings.

Barbara Nuss, with us again after being in a leg cast all summer, found another shady spot with dappled light and a view of a Osprey nest for inspiration. Mary Kokoski hiked down the path into Dyke Marsh to work in acrylics, capturing a great sky view on a gessoed panel. Jack Pardue, Liz Donovan, Lani Browning, Marietje Chamberlain (with guest Deedee Caughman) and Ken Petrie all were fortunate to find great parking right near the water. This allowed them to set up by their cars and capture the boat views. However as the morning progressed, some of "our boats" decided it was also a pretty day and left for a sail on the Potomac river! Ah, but we are artists and can fake it using our memory!

Some members decided to use this paintout experimenting with new mediums. Jack Pardue, our pastelist, was working in oils, and Ken Petrie who usually works in acrylics was trying pastels. Not all paintings were completed, but there were several good starts, as we all found ourselves just enjoying catching up with each other and visiting.

We met at noon for lunch with a critique at 1 PM led by John Bellinger. There we found Al Marra who had smartly set up his watercolors on the picnic table to paint the river view.

13 Members present: John Bellinger, Lani Browning, Marietje Chamberlain, Liz Donovan, Mike Heylin, Leonard Justinian, Mary Kokoski, Margaret Kranking, Al Marra, Barbara Nuss, Jack Pardue, Ken Petrie, and Tom Wright. Three guests joined us: Keith Haller (guest of John Bellinger), Pat Liebowitz (guest of Marietje Chamberlain) and DeeDee Caughman (guest of Margaret Kranking).