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April 3, Great Falls Park, VA

It was a cold day to start, but the sun came out quickly and warmed everything rapidly up to about 70 and sunny. April is a favorite time of year for artists to paint in our area, as bugs and humidity are non-existent in early spring but so prevalent later. Trees were not quite budded out yet and so the structure of the rocks and falls at the park was at maximum visibility. A bonus was that the water was a gorgeous aqua color, like an alpine stream or tropical ocean. Several could not make the planned event at the last minute, but the artists in attendance (Christine Lashley, Jean Schwartz, Lida Stifel) all raved about the beauty and color of the water, and featured this prominently in the art created. 

The only downside was the sporadic fierce wind gusts. All suffered: Christine's easel umbrella tether broke off, and the umbrella sailed into the Potomac. At the critique/lunch, Jean and Lida both had placed their art securely face-up on a picnic table when a gust of wind took both panels, lifted them several feet in the air, and tossed the wet art 10 yards away - face down. Christine's art was still in her box luckily. 

Even with the miss-adventures all agreed it was a day well spent with fine temperatures studying water, rocks and with consistent light. The marvelous day included several appreciative onlookers, with the bonus of business cards passed out, for possible future sales. 

Artists: Christine Lashley, Jean Schwartz, Lida Stifel

The river

Lida painting by the falls

Lida Stifel's painting

Painting by Jean Schwartz

Painting by Christine Lashley