Post 568: What's On Your Easel?

What's On Your Easel?

The Prince William Art Society art group members, AKA PWAS, with their "What's on your easel" blog post for what they are currently working on...in their studio, on their easels. Let's have a look at the very cool things in development in our artist friend's art studios! Prince William County artists got talent! 

Perhaps we'll get to see the finished works at an upcoming art show soon. Be sure to drop something in the comments and leave your name!

PWAS Member Jen Batty

I have been feeling The spooky vibes a little early this year. Currently on the easel, I have a painting of a little witch walking through the woods at night.it is not completed. I have only been working on it for a few hours, but the way it has come across, I am very pleased with the progress.

PWAS Member Zee Berrios

Attached is a photo for what is in the works. It is the last painting for the series "Original Natives" that will be on exhibit during the month of November (Nov 7 - 30) at the Member Gallery at the Fredericksburg Center For Creative Arts (FCCA).

The painting is 48" X 36", acrylic on canvas.

PWAS Member Robert Mira

This is some work I'm doing with Watercolor. This is a bullfighter and here are the 3 phases I've gone through with it. I think I might do it in Acrylics later on.

PWAS Member Bettie Sperty

This is the second of two solid plaster sculptures that I have painting for a friend. They were given to me as plain, white sculptures with the request to paint them to resemble the “real” creatures. 

This crab is large - 26” across - and is extremely heavy. The dog is life size and just about as heavy as the crab.

 

To paint them I put each sculpture on a turntable/lazy-susan type thing so I could get to all sides easily. After painting them, I coated each with several layers of UV resistant outdoor acrylic sealer. Now they are ready to go back to their Southern Maryland home!

PWAS Member Donna Liguria

I'm hoping to get a few darker themed artworks into "The Walls Remember" art show at the ARTfactory, so I have a couple of ideas I'm exploring for that show besides some flowers growing in my backyard. We'll see how that goes. All of these are in progress...

 

"Top of the Morning to You" Acrylic 12x24x1.5 

 

"Blood Orange" Acrylic 10x10x1.5

"Lightening Strikes" Acrylic 10x10x1.5 

 We just love seeing what our fellow members have in the works! Don't you agree?

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Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

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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

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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Post 566: What's on Your Easel PWAS Members?

What's on Your Easel PWAS Members?

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) asks the members various questions each month to see what they are up to and want to share with you. This month's question asked about their in progress artwork with "What's on Your Easel?" Let's go see the show...

PWAS Member Zee Berrios

The working title is "Commended Spirit". It's part of the "Sacro" series. It is acrylic on canvas, 12" X 20" (smallest acrylic I've ever done). 

PWAS Member Tom Payne

Tom Payne is our Prince William Art Society Member-at-Large and he's also taken on the management of the workshops and classes for our art group too. He created this video of the Art in the Garden at the Benedictine Monastery this past May 3, 2025:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wpjtd2k7opgfu48cip0lb/Art-in-the-Garden-May-2025.mp4?rlkey=gysjlh1emzrnqdihymm19b1aj&e=1&st=jb4mlf7u&dl=0

PWAS Member Donna Merchant

I just wanted to share a drawing that I’ve been working on. This photo was taken at my son Ben’s graduation from VCU last year. He’s the class of 2024, I’m the class of 1992! This hug represents how proud I was, AM and ALWAYS will be of my one and only “Son-shine”. I’m finishing this drawing this weekend as a Mother’s Day gift for myself..but he will get this drawing eventually. 

 

PWAS Member Otis Stanley

"Daddy Sent For Us" Acrylic 16"x 20"

PWAS Member Kathleen Gates

I've been working on this 20 x 20 canvas. I'm not sure if it is complete. 

PWAS Member Patty Gulledge

Although I still have a lot of work to do on this painting, it's coming along.  We're renovating two bathrooms, and this piece is meant for the entrance to the one that has a coastal feel (think colors of sea glass and bleached wood).  This is the first time I've painted something for a specific room in my house, so I'm hoping it says "this way to the beach!"  

PWAS Member Donna Liguria

The working title is "Art Delivery to the Mill" and its a 14x14 canvas in acrylics. The story behind the painting is on my blog Donna's Cave Paintings. The painting in its finished state will be there too.  Art Reception at Art at the Mill

I'm a big fan of the biannual Art at the Mill art show held in the Spring and Fall in Milwood, VA. Do a search on this blog Artistry Spin too for more stories and pics about Art at the Mill. I highly recommend that artists at least go see this show if they haven't answered a Call for Art to it yet.

I agree with Kat Gates, I always question if a painting is done yet....don't you? I may spend a couple of days tweaking, tweaking...turn it upside down and look at it that way for awhile and tweak some more.

 

And I love Patty's idea to paint an artwork for a specific room. Why in the world would we ever use generic artwork to decorate our own homes!!!??? 

PWAS Member Mark Murphy

This rendering of a fish was created using Yupo (plastic paper), a pour of acrylic paint, and details in watercolor.  This fun, colorful, and more abstract style was a fun departure from my typical art.

PWAS Member Katharine Owens

40x60" No name yet. 

Thank you to all the artists that participated in this "What's on your easel" - I look forward to seeing the finished works.

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Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

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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

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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Post 531: What's on Your Easel?

What's on Your Easel?

The Prince William Art Society art group members, AKA PWAS, with their first "What's on your easel" blog post for what they are currently working on in this Lord's year of 2025. Oooo - have a look at the very cool things in our artist friend's art studios! Prince William County got talent! Be sure to drop something in the comments and leave your name!

PWAS Member - Otis Stanley

On my easel, "Sweepin' Out My Blues", 11x14, acrylic. Getting rid of all of the negative energy and making room for the positive.

PWAS Member - Staci Blanchard

This is my latest project, still working on the shadow. It’s acrylic on a 16x20 stretched canvas.  No title as of yet.

PWAS Member - Zee Berrios

This is the third painting in a new series called "Dancing". It is a small piece 20" X 24". Acrylic on canvas. The series is based on photos during tenure as a Videographer for a Ballet Studio.  LORD willing the series will have 24 paintings.

PWAS Member - Bettie Sperty

So…. What’s on my easel... or… what’s on my desk? I always have a pen or pencil in my hand when at my desk and there’s always a bit of scrap paper laying around. Well, scrap paper+ pen + time on hold (or procrastinating) = doodles! I will doodle on the same piece of paper until it’s filled up. Sometimes that is just a day or two, sometimes it’s a month or more. Sometimes I add one line. Other times I’ll fool with it for several minutes. When the paper is full I toss them in the trash.
Today I was adding to my latest creation when I decided it would be good for “What’s on your easel”. Not a masterpiece but always fun to see how they develop. This is all of 4” square.

PWAS Member - Katharine Owens

This is almost finished but still on the easel.

PWAS Member - Mandy Powell

Here’s what’s on my easel! In lieu of a newborn arrival, I’ve been commissioned a baby animal scene. 

PWAS Member - Mark Clifton

Work still in progress - 18x24 oil on stretched linen. Started over a year ago and recently resumed. Pieced together from a copper kettle I have, photo of the neighbor's mandevilla plant, and random wildflowers from this area.

photo no.1 - first day

photo no.2 - most recent

PWAS Member - Donna Liguria

I've been working on a Sunrise and Sunset series of small paintings 6x6 because of a request for one while I was at Harkers Island, NC this past December 2024. I featured the series in my DonnasCavePainting Blog. I still need to varnish and wire them. Which one is your favorite? 

I've also have an 8x10 canvas started for a baby giraffe in progress. LONG way to go as yet. The painting in progress is here https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/2025/01/post-365-baby-giraffe-in-progress.html

Thank you to all the artists that shared their "in the works" art and we look forward to seeing the end results! For all the artists that participated on this post, we should do a "And the results are..." for the finished artwork! I'm game if you are!

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Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

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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

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)! pinterest-site-verification=3ad32cc9cfeae507ba5a382d62fcee17

Post 494: Artists Gotta Art

Artists Gotta Art

Most months, I like to ask the Prince William Art Society artists 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. Nonetheless, let's see what the artists are doing at the moment and what might be on their radars.

PWAS Member Mark Murphy

Below are two quick paintings from my sketchbook.  One is of the Kinderdijk windmills outside of Rotterdam (definitely worth the visit) and the other shows a man that I met on the Rotterdam water taxi with his bike and dog.  I'm trying to get in the habit of quickly documenting recent events with a loose ink sketch and watercolor washes.  Many artists recommend adopting the practice of quick, daily sketches so I'm giving it a try.  It certainly takes the pressure off of trying to always produce the next "masterpiece" and they help me see what I need to do differently if I choose to develop these into larger paintings.

Also below, is a black and white image of my reference photo modified with Notanizer.  Side by side, you can see that my quick, freehand rendering strays from the original image and I might do another version that is truer to the values of the photo.  There are many ways to produce a simplified "value study" like this but the Notanizer app (only $1.99) lets you choose how many levels you want between black and white and providers sliders to adjust the threshold or sensitivity of each level.  It is a convenient way to quickly visualize the range of values.  I learned about this in the watercolor class taught by Gwen Bragg at the Workhouse.  She is an excellent instructor.

PWAS Artist Zee Berrios

What is on the easel...an acrylic on canvas 36" X 48". In the Original Natives" series to be exposed next year.

What's on the radar: a solo show at the FCCA (Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts) next year.  (presently showing 8 paintings at the Open Arts space (in Stone Bridge)

PWAS Member Donna Liguria

Although I recently had this painting in the artist reveal video at our last PWAS meeting, it wasn't quite complete. I believe it is now as of TODAY, less the varnishing. So sitting upon my easel is "Lincoln Memorial in the Fall", which is the 3rd commission from a fellow that resides in Washington DC. I've previously painted Spring "Cherry Blossoms, an Annual DC Event" (the Washington Monument), and Winter "White House Having a White Christmas", so I have a whole DC seasons series going. The final Summer season painting is yet to be determined but it just seems like it should be fireworks, don't you think?

 

 

I ended up throwing more Fall at it. 

And we have Arts Alive this Saturday, September 14, 2024 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas from 12 to 5. Come on out and support the arts!

PWAS Member Elena Jochum

The painting I am currently working on is for my small business, Tidewater Trove. It is a depiction of riverglass and pottery artifacts from the Potomac River. Some of the artifacts date back to 1800s.

This is a watercolor painting where I am focusing on light, reflections, textures, man-made objects - and the fleeting of time. The composition is also representing negative space. I am challenging myself with abstracting realism. 

PWAS Member Pierre George I'm back in town and was able to get back on the canvas again. What's on my easel? A 30 x 48 painting, I have just completed this weekend. I am currently in the sketching phase of another very, very large painting called "Wash Day". Inspiration: J.C. Leyendecker, Michelangelo and a host of other artist who has come and gone. PWAS Member Otis Stanley Here's what I'm working on; Morning Cast, acrylic,  24" x 36' PWAS Member Mandy Powell I’ve been working tremendously and have a solo show that just opened this weekend at Sunshine Ridge Winery! It will be there until November 17 with the reception on Sat Nov 16th! I’m so excited!! Please share.
Drop a comment below and let them know what you think.

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Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

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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

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!

Post 484: What are PWAS Members Working On?

What are PWAS Members Working On?

A few PWAS members answered the question on "What are you working on?" That's a question that is periodically asked of the Prince William Art Society members. Let's see what they're doing...

What's on Your Easel?

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) members below wanted to show what they are currently (or recently) working on, just came off their easels and/or just out of the studio. 

PWAS is an art group that began in 1971 in Prince William County, making it the longest living nonprofit art group in the county. The members are every level of artists and certainly a wide variety of art styles. If you want to learn more about PWAS, see our website at https://princewilliamartsociety.com and our online store at https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/category/all-products

PWAS Member - Donna Liguria

I recently visited my mom and she loves this flag painted on metal but the sun has faded the colors...so of course, she asked me to repaint it. Here's the metal flag waiting to be repainted.

I have a couple of commissions to start and here is the story behind the first commission that I need to start "Lincoln Memorial in the Fall, a DC Season Series" The progress on the painting will be posted on my blog, Donna's Cave Paintings at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

PWAS Member - Sheri Herrick

I am working on of the Neushwanstein  Castle in Bavaria, which is supposed to be the inspiration for the Disney Castle. I also attached the photo I took there in 2022. The painting is acrylic. I still have to add a lot of tree detail in the foreground and more sky work. This is the first painting I've done since my shoulder replacement in April.  It is 16 X 20.

 

 

And the finished painting below...

PWAS Member - Sandra McClelland Lewin

Here is a painting I just finished "Virginia Natives". I'm including a photo of the painting in progress. It is 40"w x 30"h and is painted in acrylics. It depicts several animals that are indigenous to Virginia (Deer, Bear, Coyote, Bald Eagle, Fox, Blue Heron, Owl, Squirrel, and Raccoon. It also includes Redbud trees and Virginia Bluebells. It is currently on exhibit at the ArtFactory gallery in Manassas, VA and will be there until September 15th.

PWAS Member - Bettie Sperty

I started painting my friend’s backsplash this past weekend. He recently had his kitchen remodeled and didn’t want the usual tile. Asked me to paint a mural depicting some of the local sights. This is in Southern Maryland, lots of fields, Amish buggies, old houses and barns.

 

Now I’ll share some of the photos of the Butterfly that Sandra and I created for our show at The Art Factory that is running from August 1st through September 14th. 
Since the show is called “Earthly Delights” and features “nature” (blooms, bears, birds, bees, bugs and such), Sandra had this great idea of having a large butterfly hung so that visitors to the exhibit could stand in front of it for a photo opportunity. We got busy and created this winged wonder!

If any of the PWAS members have their photo taken in front of our wings, I hope they post them for all to see! Fun!

PWAS Member - Otis Stanley

"Send For Me" by Otis L. Stanley is an acrylic painting, 16"x 20" in monochromic colors. This work depicts one left behind during the Great Migration period of the early1900s of African Americans from southern states to northern states in search of better living conditions and away from Jim Crow laws.

This work will be one of the paintings featured in the upcoming exhibition by the Onyx Art group on Saturday, September 21st at the Westridge Swim and Dive Clubhouse at 12764 Quarterhorse Lane in Woodbridge, Va. 22192 from 1-6 P.M.

PWAS Member - Anna Gatling

Swan song -Ode to the orchid. Currently on my easel. Labor of love as it is an on and off love affair. A slow waltz. 

PWAS Members LOVE reading your comments, so let them know what you think by clicking the Comments section below this blog post. If you need help learning how comments work, click the blue Comments link.

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Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

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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

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!