Plein air painting and photo shooting are the activity, fun and comradery are the objective. Most of the time we come home with some nice work! There is nothing like creating outdoors in the environment. The light is different. You are part of the painting. It's a challenge worth experiencing. We create for a couple of hours then break for lunch about noon, eat, critique our work, then make our way back. Join Us!

Meeting Place and Time
We meet at the Starbucks in the shopping center at the corner of Braddock and Stone Roads in Centreville at 8:00 am on the Third Saturday of the month and get on our way by 8:30 am to our destination. We usually venture out no more than about an hours drive from Centreville. The only thing that keeps us from going out is steady rain and temperatures under 32 and over 90 degrees!

This is a sample of places we have been in the past. We tend to decide at the monthly meeting where we will go.

January
Museum Outing
We made our way downtown DC to see the Winslow Homer exhibit at the National Gallery of Art.

February
Dangerfield Marina, Alexandria, Virginia.
Lovely marina on the Potomac right on GW Parkway just north of Old Town Alexandria.

March
Sky Meadows Park, Paris, Virginia.
Beautiful rolling hills and valley vistas. Historic farm home. West on Route 50 about 20 minutes from Middleburg.
OR
Aldie, Virginia.
Quaint old town with historic mill, antique shops and inns. Wonderful subjects for their show in June.

April
Oatlands Plantation, Leesburg, Virginia.
Gorgeous historic plantation home, grounds and gardens. Great painting for their show in August.
OR
Blue Bells, Manassas Battlefield Park, Manassas, Virginia.
Largest grove of blue bells east of the Mississippi. Boardwalks for hiking by the old Stone Bridge.

May
Old Towne Manassas
Charming Historic Downtown Manassas is full of little shops and restaurants and a train shop.
OR
Margaret Thomas' Iris Garden, Reston, Virginia
Hopefully the garden will be open this year. It is three acres full of blooming irises and peonies. West Ox Road between Fox Mill Road and where West Ox bends.

June
Colvin Run Mill, Great Falls, Virginia
Located on Route 7, West of Tysons by Great Falls, Colvin Run Mill is a historic working mill with all kinds of activities. There is also a store and a blacksmith shop.

July
Frying Pan Park, Herndon, Virginia
Working farm in the middle of suburbia. Beautiful red barns, farm animals, tractors, farm house, old school house and fields. The park also has an equestrian events building which may have an event when we are there. Lots of horses to see!

August
Brookside Gardens, Wheaton Regional Park
We will be going to the Brookside Gardens in Wheaton Regional Park in Wheaton, Maryland. It is beautifully landscaped with many specialty gardens, such as a Japanese garden, aquatic gardens, butterfly garden and a much more. Pack a lunch, bring your equipment and enjoy the morning creating.

September
Deale, Maryland
A charter fishing village about 20 minutes south of Annapolis. It takes a little over an hour to get there. We've found a restaurant parking lot to paint the bay view. We also go to lunch there. (Oh, and we found a local coffee shop with goooood coffee!)

October
Meadlowlark Gardens, Vienna, Virginia
This place is spectacular when the trees are in full color. There are a couple of ponds, gazebo, hills, specialty gardens, etc. Located off Beulah Road between Rts. 7 and 123.

November
Belle Haven Marina, Belle Haven, Virginia
Practice painting and photographing water. Located on the Potomac just south of Alexandria towards Mt. Vernon. Lots of boats and river views.

December
Reston Town Center, Reston, Virginia
There is a beautiful fountain, shops and restaurants and the ice rink. Painting and photographing the ice skaters is fun!