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After a cool morning shrouded by low cloud, the sun finally triumphed in midmorning. This brought out a chaos of carpenter bees and pushed temperatures well beyond 80 degrees. Trees are leafing out into a thick canopy, azaleas are still providing a colorful floral treat, and the grassy fields are lush. WSLP members and guests painted sun-drenched vistas as well more intimate portraits of bonsai trees, bee hives and garden scenes. A critique and lunch were held in a shady nook in front of the Visitors Center.

Group shot after critique

Vicki Blum

JoEllen Murphy

Carol Cowie

Pattee Hipschen

Pattee Hipschen

Mary Kokoski

Jean Brinton-Jaecks

Harry Jaecks

Katie Flack

Kim Hall

Wednesday, April 24, 2024, started out as a cloudy day, but that didn't deter nine dedicated artists from gathering to paint at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna VA.  We were soon rewarded with a gorgeous, sunny day and a bright blue sky dotted with white clouds. The cherry blossoms and tulip blooms in the park had faded, but there were still gems of color to be found, but for this group, it was the lush spring greens that dominated most of the paintings.  All of those greens can be problematic for painters, but everyone rose to the challenge and mixed a wide variety of beautiful greens, accented with other colors from the spring gardens.  When we met at 1:00 for critique everyone was impressed by the work that had been done that morning. It's rare to see gallery-ready art at a morning paint out of just a couple of hours duration. Theresa Miller managed two paintings in that time and the rest of us one. 

Meadowlark is becoming a very popular location for our paint outs and they are always well attended. There is so much variety and a number of us paint there often. We all had a wonderful time and agreed that it felt good to be out painting together and enjoy one another's work on such a beautiful day!   - Jean Schwartz, Organizer

Attending were members:   Marietje Chamberlain, Hiu Lai Chong, Trisha Adams, Amy Waldrop, Jean Schwartz; candidates Theresa Miller (Jean Schwartz sponsor) Freeman Dodsworth (Nancy Tankersley sponsor); and guests Betty Huang and Josie Vasoba.  Kudos to Betty for traveling over from Easton and Freeman for coming up from Southern MD!

Trisha Adams

Marietje Chamberlain

Hiu Lai Chong

Freeman Dodsworth (Sponsored by Nancy Tankersley)

Betty Huang, Guest

Theresa Miller (Sponsored by Jean Schwartz)

Jean Schwartz

Josie Vasoba, Guest

Amy Waldrop

The day started out cloudy and cool with the promise of sunny skies and warm temperatures in the afternoon. The Agricultural History Farm Park had plenty to offer for subject matter and it was evident by the wide variety of paintings produced by the group. We were entertained throughout the day by a lively group of goats and a sheep. I also heard the gobble of wild turkeys in the distance as I was painting. By the time we gathered for lunch and critique it was beginning to turn into a perfect spring day. As we lined up our paintings for critique along a fence at the goat pen, the goats came out to greet us, posed for pictures, and nibbled at our paintings! It was evident Raj had the tastiest one.