Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Post 608: Prince William Art Society Meet the New Board

Prince William Art Society Meet the New Board 2026-2027

The Prince William Art Society is excited to introduce the newly elected PWAS Executive Board to you. Board members are elected by the membership in our art group and volunteer in their positions for a 2 year term. The mission of the art group is "To promote the creation, understanding and exhibition of the visual fine arts in Prince William County, VA."

PWAS Website https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com to learn more.

Contact PWAS at https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/board at the appropriate email for inquiries.

To Join PWAS! https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

PWAS Member Ana Quispe

PWAS President

Hello, my name is  Ana Quispe, I work to provide services for a diverse community through work, volunteering, and activism. My artwork has had many influences over the years, from color, my varied background, and some of my favorite artists. A part of my background is that I have roots in Central and South America. The media I use are acrylic, watercolor, weaving, and mixed media. I usually do portraits, landscapes, waterscapes, florals, and animals. I'm looking forward to being president of PWAS with talented people. Let's get creative. 

PWAS Member Tinnetta Putney

PWAS Vice President

I’m Tinnetta Putney, a contemporary realism artist dedicated to exploring the intersection of technical precision and the inherent beauty of the human subject. My work is intentionally restorative; I choose to move away from politics and controversy to focus on aesthetically pleasing imagery that celebrates the human condition for its own sake. I bring a sophisticated understanding of light and shadow to my drawings. By stripping away the distractions of a traditional palette, I’m able to reveal a different kind of brilliance, creating art that feels colorful and vibrant without the use of actual color."


As Vice President, I am dedicated to bringing the positive energy and fresh perspective necessary to drive the ongoing success of PWAS. My focus is centered on achieving strategic growth by both increasing our membership numbers and continuing to explore the rich diversity of art within our community. By collaborating closely with leadership to refine our bylaws and improve organizational efficiency, I am committed to fostering a vibrant, encouraging environment through active member engagement and morale building, ensuring a highly productive tenure that serves the best interests of our entire society.

PWAS Member Eric Ndofor

PWAS Treasurer

Rooted in a career in public health, I’ve always turned to art for grounding, joy, and connection. I love acrylic for the bold colors and clean layers, and watercolor for its spontaneity. My style blends realism and impressionism, inspired by the calm energy of natural landscapes and seascapes. Many of my pieces reflect experiences and stories from the places I’ve lived, worked, and traveled to.

 As treasurer, I aim to strengthen PWAS’ financial systems, resource mobilization, and creative programming, supporting sustainable growth and a welcoming space for artists of all backgrounds. I enjoy uplifting creative communities across Prince William County (PWC) with PWAS- the oldest and most welcoming art community in PWC, offering artists diverse opportunities to learn, exhibit, and connect. Outside of work, I love exploring local art, learning languages, traveling, and spending time outdoors with my family and friends.

PWAS Member Staci Blanchard

PWAS Secretary

Staci started her art journey later in life, through a local military in the arts program that worked with veterans to promote mental health wellness through art therapy.  Art became a place Staci could go and put the outside world and all responsibilities on hold. What started as therapy quickly moved through the hobby phase and into a passionate outlet for creativity and personal growth.   

Staci previously served as Vice President and Representative to the PWC Arts Council.  

PWAS Member Ginnefine Jalloh

PWAS Member-at-Large

Bio:

Ginnefine Jalloh is a multi-award-winning visual artist and graphic designer based in Northern Virginia. She holds a BA in Graphic Design from Marymount University and a Master of Professional Studies in Publishing (Technology & Design) from The George Washington University. Her work is a bold fusion of pop art, contemporary style, and multicultural storytelling, using acrylic, oil, charcoal, digital, and mixed media to bring each concept to life. Ginnefine brings the same intentionality she applies to fine art into her design work, where bold lines, color, and concept are always front and center. When she's not painting, she enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, gardening, gaming, listening to music, and watching movies.

Goals for PWAS:

Joining the Prince William Art Society as a Member at Large is an honor and a chance to give back to the community that has always been home. My goal is to help build a space where artists and members at every level feel seen. Art has the power to connect people across experiences and backgrounds, and I want PWAS to embody that connection.

PWAS Member Evelyn Chatters

PWAS Community Liaison

Evelyn Chatters is a native New Yorker (Harlem) who moved south after marriage. She has lived in Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Georgia before moving to Woodbridge, Virginia. The Virginia move occurred after retirement in 2021. That is when she began painting. Ms. Chatters joined the Prince William Art Society and chose abstract acrylic pours as a means of expressing herself. She has displayed juried art in the Open Space Arts Gallery in Stonebridge, Three Fox Winery,  Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, and the Virginia Art Factory in Manassas. She has also shown art at Occoquan River Fest, Taste of Woodbridge,  the Chili Fest and Fall Festival in Stonebridge, and Tall Oaks Spring and Fall shows.  In October, Ms. Chatters donated two pieces of artwork to a non-profit in Georgia to be part of a silent auction. This retired educator is a life-long learner. She has taken classes in watercolor, oil, and drawing to expand her repertoire of media. 

She has served as secretary for Prince William Art Society in the past,  and has now taken on the position of "Community Liaison". The job description has yet to be defined, but I would like to see PWAS go into service mode and engage with students in our local schools and senior citizens in the county. I would like to assist with classes and workshops to spread art culture and promote art appreciation. I would seek networking opportunities with other art groups and begin mutually beneficial collaboration between groups. 

PWAS Monthly Meetings

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS, 2026) is now a fifty-five year old art group in Prince William County. The group meets monthly on the fourth Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm. The meetings are open to the public and our next meeting is Monday, March 23rd. To learn more about PWAS please see our website https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/ and on this blog are plenty of posts and pics of what we do and have done.

Whether you are a part-time or a full-time fine artist creator, whatever your skill level, we have a variety of members that all love and respect each other's creations and input to the group. We have a fantastic group of people that enjoy learning, sharing, and promoting art in and around our community.

Join, follow, share and be a part of PWAS! Comment and Say hello, below!


Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art. 

Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.

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Sunday, March 1, 2026

Post 607: Upcoming PWAS Member Art Shows Mar 2026

Upcoming PWAS Member Art Shows Mar 2026

The PWAS Artistry Spin Blog is happy to post the PWAS Members art shows and events, individual or group shows every month. Each PWAS Member is welcome to send me info of any art event they are showing in, if you let me know some details... hey, it is FREE promo for your show! Let's see who has a show coming soon for you to check out!

Go see the shows!! Tis the season for some art shows, so the PWAS members should be filling up their dance cards!

PWAS Member Donna Liguria

I've applied to several art shows but its a question for a couple of shows on IF any of the artwork is selected by the jurors. I've applied to these so far: 

1. 75th Annual Fredericksburg Fine Art Show at the Dorothy 408 Canal Street, Fredericksburg, VA Friday, March 20-22, 2026

click on a photo to enlarge 
 

2. Spring Art at the Mill at 15 Tannery Lane, Millwood, VA Art selections and delivery takes place in March but the show itself is April 18-May 3, 2026 https://www.clarkehistory.org/art-mill.html

3. Annaburg Manor 9201 Maple Street, Manassas, VA has a deadline of March but the show itself is April 24-26. 

4. I'm also giving the Teravarna Online Fine Art Gallery a try this go around, at https://www.teravarna.com/ for the Animal Show deadline Feb 28, 2026. We'll see how that goes.

Samples of what I submitted around town: 

Lightning Strikes 12x24 

African Violets in a Terracotta Pot 10x10 

Koi Pond 1 11x14 

Mahogany Humidor 8x10 

Bluebells by the Banks 12x16 

 As always, the artist pays the fee then sits and waits to hear their fate.

PWAS Member Katie Keller Dugan

I just heard this week that three of my pieces were selected to be in a Crossroads Arts Alliance Show at Sunshine Ridge.  The show is called Art: Uncorked.  Mandy Powell also has a piece in the show.

The show runs from March 7- May 17
Opening reception March 7      2-4PM
Closing reception May 17         4-6PM

PWAS Member Mark Murphy

Potomac Valley Watercolorists (PVW) will be hosting their "2026 Online Members Exhibition" from March 1 - April 30, 2026.  In this exhibit you can view a wide variety of high-quality art created with watercolors and other water-based media.  Please visit the PVW website at:  https://www.potomacvalleywatercolorists.org

PWAS Member Bettie Sperty

Yep- 'tis art show season! As for me -

Some of the pieces that will be showing up in some places:

Pink Gladiolus  8”x10”  oil 

Row Your Boat  20”x20”   Acrylic

Sunset on the Bay 10”x10”  Acrylic on wood panel
Hugh Manatee  10”x10” Oil on wood panel

1. I will be the featured artist at Montclair Library from March 20- April 27th... 

 
The Montclair Library Show- I have been invited to show my artwork at the Montclair Library on the Montclair Art Wall from March 20th-April 27th. This exhibit entitled “Welcome to my World” will feature a variety of my pieces done in oils or acrylics and most will have my usual bits of shine and shimmer. Stop by the library to take a peek!

*All local artists can apply for a solo show at the Prince William Libraries. I arranged my exhibit by contacting Delwyn Elizabeth directly at the Montclair location. 

2. I have a piece in the “Joy”, Falls Church Arts show running from February 28-April 12th.

The Falls Church Arts “Joy” show will be on display from February 28 - April 12th. This is a juried show and I was very happy to have one of my pieces accepted into this show. The Falls Church Arts shows always feature a great variety of artists and artworks and are well worth visiting and entering. I know of two other PWAS members with artwork in this show - Sandra Lewin and Donna Liguria. 

3. I will also hope to have *a piece or two* at the Creative Brush “Wonders of Nature” show from March 21st - April 30th. Reception Open House is March 21st 11:am-5:pm.  **That show is not juried until March 14th so I don’t know which pieces or how many I’ll have in.

Creative Brush “Wonders of Nature” show - this show at the Creative Brush Studio location in Manassas runs from March 21st- April 30th. This show is a juried show featuring artwork by artists who have either taken classes or are studio artists at Creative Brush. This is a wonderful show to see because it is right in our own back yards here in Prince William County and also introduces you to so many of the local artists. The reception on March 21 is a casual, all day, drop-in event with snacks and a chance to chat with some of the artists. I’m waiting to see if my pieces are selected for the show, but I’ll definitely be going to the reception myself!

4. I’ve submitted artwork to a couple of others but have to wait to hear if accepted. You know how that goes! 

PWAS Member Lizzy Javier

Here is the information for one of my spring shows. 

Lizzy B Javier is proud to display her "Ocean" series in a solo exhibition at the Ashburn Gallery.

Where: Ashburn Library
             43316nHay Rd.
             Ashburn, VA 20147

When: March 1 -  April 30/2026


 

PWAS Members - You need to send me YOUR art show list toward the end of each month to be posted FOR the next month. Dec for Jan 2026, Jan for Feb...etc. I can't promote you if I don't know what you are up to! Be sure to include all the necessary info!


Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art. 

Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Post 606: A New Beginning Feb 2026 PWAS Art Group Meeting

A New Beginning Feb 2026 PWAS Art Group Meeting

The Prince William Art Society (1971), AKA PWAS, is an art group in Prince William County, Virginia with monthly member meetings. Because PWAS is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, we have a volunteer Executive Board and various volunteer committee "staff" if you will, that are periodically voted for or assigned. The meetings also may feature various guest speakers, art talks, art projects or scholarship awards, or a simple "show and tell" section.

PWAS Meeting Monday, February 23, 2026

The Prince William Art Society meets on the fourth Monday of the month at 7:30pm at 12298 Cotton Mill Road, Woodbridge, VA - that's at the Tall Oaks Community Center on the corner of Cotton Mill and Hedges Run. The public is welcome to attend. Many artists do that first before they officially join. The meeting began with the current board describing their board positions and what they do. A ballot was given out and each current PWAS member voted for the positions.

PWAS Munchies Meets and Greets

Part of every PWAS meeting is simple socializing with our wonderful artist friends. And we do that with beverages and snacks while getting caught up with each other. Many of us haven't seen each other for at least a month, and/or we meet and greet the new members and guests. We use Signup Genius to manage our "who is bringing what" volunteers each month. Does anyone ever say "No" to a good cookie?

PWAS Member Show and Tell

One of the favorite monthly programs for the PWAS meetings is "Show and Tell" artist adult style. Each artist brings a piece of art they are working on and shows it to the group and tells about it. Pictures from Show and Tell are below.

Volunteer Art Group Members

Every art group Executive Board out there has plans and goals for their membership and plan out their year accordingly. It takes work to achieve those projects. Volunteering to take a position, a task or project, to manage an art show or any of the numerous things that an art group either MUST DO or SHOULD BE doing is an honorable thing for any person to do. And as we have various members that are a part of other art groups all around Northern Virginia - we KNOW that getting volunteers is so very unfortunately a daunting task for ALL the groups.

Its great to have lots of members, but any and all art groups also need the people to volunteer to get things done. The beauty is though, that no one has to do anything alone, they can and should recruit other members to help them or to delegate, take care of the tasks in that project. We thank all of the PWAS Members that volunteer, past and present, to continue the work and the dreams of Prince William Art Society.

We voted, thus we have the results. 

2026 - 2027 PWAS New Executive Board

President: Ana Quispe

Vice President: Tinnetta Putney

Secretary: Staci Blanchard (interim)

Treasurer: Eric Ndofor

Member-at-Large: Ginnefine Jalloh

Community Liaison: Evelyn Chatters

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL! 

We know that the new Board will meet with the outgoing Board members in about mid March to hand over the reins to our art group Board. And each one would be more than happy to help and answer questions to help the new Board get comfortable. A HUGE, HUGE thanks to our outgoing Board: Sandra McClelland Lewin (VP and interim President), Bettie Sperty (Secretary), Tom Payne (Member-at-Large), and to Staci Blanchard (as the PWCAC Rep) and Eric Ndofor (Treasurer) for continuing.

Let's Show and Tell

Ok, now for some pictures...Each person that brought in their art told a little bit about their pieces and some questions were asked.

Mark Murphy 
James Roberts 


Patty Gulledge 

Evelyn Chatters 

Gabriella Munoz

Robert Dew 
Kat Gates
David Dillon 
Sandra McClelland Lewin 
Donna Liguria 

Not all of the members brought in Show and Tell art (awwwww).

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire community, a whole county, and truckloads of creative people to run an art group! We look forward to the Prince William Art Society continuing to make its mark in and around the Woodbridge, Prince William County areas and beyond for 2026-27. Good luck NEW PWAS BOARD, Let's get busy!

Throw some congrats and thank yous in the comment area below! 


Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art. 

Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.

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Friday, February 20, 2026

Post 605: PWAS Members - What's on Your Easel?

What's on Your Easel?

Most months, I like to ask the Prince William Art Society artist members what they are working on, sometimes in various ways. What's on your easel isn't always the right thing for every artist as they work in various mediums like digital art or sketching. Nonetheless, let's see what the artists are doing at the moment and what might be on their radars.

PWAS Member Zee Berrios

This is what I am currently working on/ what I have  on the easel. It is acrylic on canvas, 24" X 24", It doesn't have a title yet...

PWAS Member Donna Liguria

I'm a big fan of Claude Monet. I've been wanting to do a Monet inspired lily pond for awhile, especially after seeing a few of Monet's artworks at the National Gallery when the Prince William Art Society sponsored a field trip awhile back (2024). We had a wonderful time and admired all the works...but Monet just lights up your eyeballs! Still in progress, here is what I have thus far and it is called "Monet Inspired Water Lilies" (of course). It is in acrylic, 16x20.

 

PWAS Member Mark Murphy

What am I working on? I continue to experiment with different watercolor styles. Here are some examples.

PWAS Member Lizzy Javier

I am always challenging myself by painting something different. It could be a different technique, medium, theme, etc. When I started this piece my intention was to change my style of painting to abstract.  But  sometimes your brain does not want to go there.

Title: All About the Vase
Medium: Acrylic
Dimensions: 14" x 11"
Price: $309.00
 
We LOVE seeing what everyone is working on and we hope you love seeing them as well. Drop a comment below on what you love about these! Until next time... 

Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art. 

Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.

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Monday, February 9, 2026

Post 604: PWAS Members That Take Commissions

PWAS Members That Take Commissions

Occasionally people will ask the Prince William Art Society members to create custom artworks that they would like an artist to paint for them. The question sometimes comes with who specializes in various mediums desired or subjects like pet portraits, children's portraits, or family groups. Wedding portraits or the family home, or even the koi pond in the backyard might be the subject. The PWAS art group has a lot of artists that paint commissioned paintings so let's look at a few of these artists and their art.

About Commissions

In the art world, there are a couple of meanings to the word "commission", the first being the percentage fee charged by an art gallery or show when artworks sells and is deducted from the selling price with the remainder going to the artist. The second is when a potential buyer contacts an artist and an agreement is made to have the artist create a customized original artwork for that buyer.

There are some different schools of thought on commissions. Some artists take commissions while others do not. Some artists charge more for a commissioned work and there are several reasons for these thoughts and points.

Artist Schedule: The artist may have a schedule of paintings or a series of artworks that they want or must accomplish for their specific upcoming shows. A commission, while potentially being very welcome, may alter the artist's schedule so that the additional artwork can be finished on time along with their regular artworks.

Time is Money: A commissioned artwork is a process that takes time. Back and forth communication with the client, commission contract agreements, sample or progress reporting as the art piece takes shape, setting up pickup, delivery, shipping, or installation must be arranged as well...also being a part of the cost toward the artwork. 

Artistic Freedom:  Artists are creative people and their artistic freedom of expression is a cherished part of what they live with and expect when they create their art. A balance may need to be struck between the client's vision (request) and the artist's interpretation of the subject of the artwork. It is so very important for both parties to be absolutely clear of the scope, expectations, the artist's style, when the client selects the artist AND the artist agrees to the request.

Important: Commissions will often require a non-refundable deposit upfront of up to half the price of the work. Artists cannot be left hanging if the client is dissatisfied or cancels the work when it is completed. It is up to the artist's discretion if the deposit may be applied to another work. The commission agreement should address any and all points.

See these Artistry Spin posts for more into: 

Request for Commission of Your Artwork 

Elena Jochum Discusses Art Commissions with PWAS Members 

The Commissions page on this blog for more info on how both the client and the artist work their way through a commission.

Holidays: For those potential clients considering approaching an artist to have them create an artwork for you, holidays (gift-giving-times) are often very busy times of year for artists so contact them early so you can get on their calendars. Some art mediums take a lot of time to "cure" (dry), and time needs to be allotted for their creative process, as well as research itself to configure the art as well. There are artists that know approximately how many pieces they can take on before that holiday's date/deadline.

PWAS Member Mark Murphy

Painting commissions can sometimes seem like a detour from our artistic journey because they focus on a subject that has special meaning to someone else, often a stranger.  That being said, I've had a couple fulfilling experiences lately.

A woman approached me online asking for a rendering of her daughter's soon to occur wedding.  To honor her recently deceased father, she will wed in Hawaii where he was working as a helicopter pilot.  The painting portrays her and her deceased father holding hands on the beach where the wedding will be held (Tunnels Beach, Kauai) and clearly shows her chosen wedding dress.  The really gratifying part was watching her mother break down in tears when she saw the result.

 

A man approached me at an exhibit and asked me to paint his boat.  His wife's reaction was, "Oh no, not the boat".  I was anticipating a modern fishing boat, but it turned out to be a half-submerged wooden rowboat in the marsh surrounded by lush grasses and trees.  It turned out to be a compelling image.  Finding this wreckage and documenting it over years with his son was a special memory for this family and their emotional response to the painting was so gratifying.


I also painted the Blue Ridge Country Store in Hume, VA.  I found a photo of the long-time owner online and added him in with his arms outstretched welcoming people in.  When his wife saw the painting, the tears flowed for quite some time.

 

You never know where your artistic journey will lead but letting others, even strangers, join in on that journey can be very satisfying.

PWAS Member Zee Berrios

Commissions: A Story

Many moons ago, a lady commissioned a watercolor. She wanted a painting of a Baltimore street vendor with his horse before they disappeared. The internet was nonexistent and very few photos were available.  

I accepted the commission. I went to downtown Baltimore to find these vendors. After asking around I encountered one who allowed me to take many photos of him. I made a couple of sketches and showed them to the lady. She decided for one but was not happy about the angle, so I made a couple more sketches with different angles.  She decided on one. We agreed on the size and the price. She also decided on the frame she wanted, which I purchased.

I started to work on it. The size was 18" X 24" on 140Lb. paper. It took about 29 hours to finish. I also sprayed a matte varnish on it.

I showed her the final piece and she said it was too light, she wanted me to make it darker because her decor was darker. I told her I could not make it darker at which point she said she did not want it. I had not collected a down payment of half the agreed price, (BIG MISTAKE).

I told her I would not make a new one.

The story doesn't end there. I decided to find the street vendor. It took a couple of tries until one Saturday morning I found him. I went up to him and showed him the watercolor. He loved it and asked how much would I sell it to him. I told him: "It's yours, have it as a token for letting me photograph you". The smile on his face was worth so much more than all the money that lady could had given me.

If I had not varnished it I might have made it darker.

Unfortunately that is one of the pieces I never photographed.

A preliminary sketch of the commission  

PWAS Member Zee Berrios 

PWAS Member Donna Liguria

Commissions are artworks that I love creating for people when time allows and the subject is something I feel I can do justice to. I say that as I do not paint specific people knowing that it has to look like that person's loved one and not look like an alien. I prefer and welcome commissions on subjects like pet portraits, the places-landscapes, mountains, or gardens, the koi ponds, etc. 

A series of 4 commissions painted by Donna Liguria called the Washington DC Four Seasons Series that were from a client in Washington DC. Above are the prints (sold individually or as a package) available on my Donna Liguria Art Etsy Shop. The seasons are: 
"Cherry Blossoms, an Annual DC Event" (Spring) 
"A Capital Summer" 
"Lincoln Memorial in the Fall"
"White House Having a White Christmas" (Winter)
This was a commission the client wanted from a photograph he took. It was in his travels in the Canadian Rockies, Mount Assiniboine in British Columbia. It is 11,870 ft. mountain that is reflected in the water...called of course, "Mountain Reflection"
This commissioned painting was for the Jeanette Pier at Nags Head, North Carolina called "Sunrise at Nags Head"
And this fellow was for a client to her son this past Christmas of their newest boxer named Budryk 

Commissions are a GREAT way for art buyers to get personalized artwork for their homes or to give as gifts. The art decor in your home should reflect items you love, the places, the people, the scenery, and in the colors that bring you joy and coordinate with your interiors. Contact an artist near you today!

Drop a comment below and let the artists know what you think about their works! 


Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art. 

Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

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