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! 

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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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Post 602: Snow is Cancelling the PWAS Meeting Set for Monday, Jan 26

Snow is Cancelling the PWAS Meeting Set for Monday, Jan 26

The Prince William Art Society meets once a month on the fourth Monday of the Month but NOT this month! The upcoming snow storm is threatening inches and inches of snow so the artists are staying home and trying to dig out.

PWAS Art Meetings

Typically the art group meetings are held at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Road, but the Board has elected to cancel the meeting. The next meeting will be held on Monday, February 23, 2026 7:30pm and we look forward to seeing you then.

 

Tall Oaks Community Building in the Spring 

Paint While Being Snowed In

Need some ideas to paint? We should do a snow challenge...10x10, or any size? What do you think?

15 Fun Winter Painting Ideas for Cold Months 

What to Know About Painting Snow 

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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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Post 590: PWAS Meeting Recap 11/24/25

PWAS Meeting Recap 11/24/25

Monday, November 24, 2025. The Prince William Art Society met for their monthly meeting at 7:30pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Road, Woodbridge, VA. Our guest speaker was Christine Dixon.

Christine Dixon

Christine gave the members a view into her creation process of the wonderful original artworks. She brought examples of her works, which were absolutely beautiful and shared information on her painting surfaces, varnishing, planning the subject matter, and much more. 

Her art bio info is found here: https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/2025/11/post-586-pwas-meeting-nov-24-guest.html 

And a few pictures from the meeting: 

The PWAS Meeting takes a break after the guest speaker, along with some snacks and a beverage. It is always a good few minutes of mingling with the members and learning what everyone is up to. The meeting continues afterwards with reports from the various PWAS officers on our finances, updates on our art shows, social media, website, art class news, etc. Members often ask questions, so Q&A can be a part of a meeting as well. 

Meetings are open to the public, so very often we meet new artists from around the area that want to learn more about PWAS. November is in fact the last official "meeting" of the year as the December get together is always a private member only (plus one adult) Christmas party. All members are to bring a pot luck dish and we ALWAYS have a great time. There is a Signup Genius link for the party that was sent out to members.

Now, I'm off to visit the family for a day or two, so Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! See you for the Christmas party!

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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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Post 589: After the Market

After the Art Market

Another weekend, another art show. Tis the season for art, art shows, art fairs, festivals, and markets leading up to Christmas. Because of course, the gift of human-made original artworks make great gifts and great decor for anyone's home. And for the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) as an art group, the last of our art shows on the schedule for 2025. 

Art Shows by the Season

The weather outside did start off as frightful on Saturday, November 22, 2025 but gradually the rain clouds dispersed while the art elves hung their artwork with care. 

Click on an image for a larger view. 

 

PWAS member Mark Clifton 

I don't know about you, but it seems like it was a heavier art season this year between all the individual and/or group shows this fall for many of the members of PWAS. By seasons, I've found that in spring and the fall are where most of the art shows tend to hit our radars. More than likely because the weather isn't too hot or too cold (USUALLY) and artworks tend to not be very fond of HOT HOT summer and being inside cars.

True, some shows are inside galleries and indoor art shows year around. Thank goodness for AC and heat when needed.

This fall has been filled with plenty of art shows and art markets and PWAS took part in the ARTfactory's Autumn Art Market and enjoyed showing what we do with all the visitors to our "booth". A big thanks to Jordan Exum, who is the Gallery Art Director at the ARTfactory for all she does to make art happen. Perhaps a thank you too to Mike Flynn...the Autumn Art Show used to be called the Artist Inventory Show which Mike coordinated.

PWAS had 10 artists showing, and they were: 

Anna Gatling and Staci Blanchard - our show coordinators (thank you so much!)

Mark Clifton - our equipment coordinator for the show (big thanks to you too!)

Richard Tyler

Michelle Evans

Kelly Haneklau

Robert Dew

Latifa Hamedi

Kathleen Gates

and me, Donna Liguria 

See https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/2025/11/post-588-pwas-artists-at-artfactorys.html 

We love it when folks come by to actually meet the artists and talk to them. The artists enjoy it when we can connect with the people that admire our art and want to learn more about our stories and why we do what we do. And THAT is why most people buy art I believe, when they connect with the artist.

Here are some pictures of the Autumn Art Market as the ARTfactory in Manassas, VA, when we had it set up at 12 noon.

 

PWAS members Kelly Haneklau and Kat Gates 

 

PWAS members Kelly Haneklau and Evelyn Chatters 

 

PWAS member Michelle Evans 

It was a great day to see all of our art friends and our fellow art groups from the area including MAG (Manassas Art Guild) and P-Art-ners and the other vendors at the show. Such fantastic art under one roof! And we had a visit by the celebrated artist René Dickerson, whose art is showing on the ARTfactory's walls for the current Rhythm and Hues exhibit. Be sure and go by and see that show! Wow is a good thing to insert here.

PWAS Meeting on Monday, November 24 at 7:30pm

When next we meet...that was a question that came up during the show on Saturday. Officially, we do meet at the PWAS Meeting (Nov 24) which is held on the fourth Monday of the month at 7:30pm at 12298 Cotton Mill Road, Woodbridge, VA. That's at the Tall Oaks Community building on the corner of Hedges Run and Cotton Mill Road. And that would be the last PWAS Meeting of the year because in December we always have a PWAS Member only + 1 adult guest Christmas Party, scheduled for Dec 19.

As far as the art show schedule for 2026, I'll post the known schedule here on the right-side navigation of this blog with TBD - to be determined time frame on exact dates. As we bring in a new Board, new dates and updates will be added. So keep your eyes out for that. And if you are a PWAS member be sure and join our PRIVATE CURRENT member only Facebook Group for all the art shows and calls for art that we share. Rejoining PWAS begins on Jan 1, so that is coming up too, and you'll need to be rejoined for the January 26 meeting. 

As the art show season starts finishing up here in November and/or December, it is definitely time for the artists to get in the studios and replenish their inventories for 2026!   

If any PWAS members have some good pictures from the Autumn Art Market to include here, send them to me. 

And as always, any new PWAS members, important links you need to know about when we art show is Display and Lessons. Drop any questions and comments below, and see you at the next show!

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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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Post 586: PWAS Meeting Nov 24 Guest Speaker Christine Dixon

PWAS Meeting Nov 24, 2025 Guest Speaker Christine Dixon

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) is a nonprofit art group in Prince William County featuring many local artists that meet monthly to enjoy the world of art in us and around us. Meetings often feature programs by area artists specializing in various media and processes as well as show and tell by our members, and other interesting projects.

Guest Artist Christine Dixon

This month the Prince William Art Society will host a presentation by contemporary realist painter Christine Dixon. On Monday, November 24 at 7:30 pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center (12298 Cotton Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22191) you are invited to enjoy the free program which opens each meeting and stay to hear about the many ways our art society supports county artists as well as providing opportunities for those interested in classes and attending shows. Meetings are free and open to the public.

This month our guest artist Christine Dixon will provide samples of her work and share her painting process for still life painting. Though inspired by classical realism, she carefully arranges organic and man-made things in a way that is both nostalgic yet modern. Ms. Dixon’s talk will cover her method of setting up painting references as well as  her process of oil painting similar to the classical tradition of the Dutch Masters. More of her work may be viewed online at :  https://www.cadixonart.com/ ; https://www.facebook.com/cadixonart/ ; https://www.instagram.com/anartangel/ .

In some recent shows this year, I remember seeing Christine Dixon's name on the art labels and thinking, wow, she's good! But I wasn't sure I had ever met her...but I soon will. You can too, so come to the meeting on Monday, November 24, 2025 at 7:30 pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA.

 

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Author Emily Hawes

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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Post 578: PWAS October 2025 Program

PWAS October 2025 Program

A very busy meeting is planned for the Monday, October 27, 2025 Prince William Art Society (PWAS) Meeting scheduled for 7:30pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center in Lakeridge. The public is welcome to attend at 12298 Cotton Mill Road, Woodbridge, VA and our guest speaker is Jessica Pidcock.

 

Guest Artist Jessica Pidcock

The Prince William Art Society will host a program by Fine Artist Jessica Pidcock on October 27 at 7:30 pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Dr., Woodbridge, VA  22191. Programs are free and open to the public who are cordially invited to attend. Enjoy the free program which opens each meeting, and stay to hear about the many ways our art society supports county artists as well as providing opportunities for those interested in classes and attending shows.

This month our guest artist Jessica Pidcock will share some of her work, which "is all about exploration of the self and the unseen vastness within our beings". She uses the visual language of the natural world - flora and fauna - to explore the many facets of her own psyche and invites her viewers to do the same. Her process is one of ritual, solitude, and loss of time and place, while her work attempts to offer a space to explore the self with loving curiosity. Her work can be viewed at JessicaPidcock.com  as well as on her instagram account:  instagram.com/jessicapidcockart/ . 

Coming up soon is the PWAS Fall Tall Oaks Art Show on Saturday, November 1 from 10-5 which will be held at the Tall Oaks Community Center as well so mark your calendars for that too. The Art Show goes on rain or shine.

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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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Post 574: Mike Flynn Visits the Prince William Art Society

Mike Flynn Visits the Prince William Art Society

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) meetings are held on the 4th Monday of the month at 7:30pm at the Tall Oaks Community Building. The meetings are always informative and it is always so much fun socializing with our art friends, especially during the 'break' after the guest speaker has presented a marvelous program! And our speaker for the Sept 22 meeting was well-known local artist, Mike Flynn.

Meeting Post with Mike Flynn's Bio

Program by Mike Flynn

What a great presentation by Mike! So many fantastic art tips and suggestions covering the use of watercolors, paint surfaces, and so much more. I wish I had taken notes - but I'm the picture taker! The members asked many questions and enjoyed seeing Mike's beautiful artworks up close. I learned some new things and I'm sure others did too.

 

Thank you Mike for coming to spend some time with PWAS and showing us your work!

Before moving into the business part of the meeting, we typically break for a little while and partake of some nibbles and beverages and the best part, talking with our art friends. We last saw some of the PWAS members on Sept 14 for the Arts Alive show in Manassas, or even the previous meeting, so we love catching up on what each person is up to. 

And by the way, the PWAS members sign up for nibble and beverage duty on Signup Genius and the link for that is on the right side navigation of this blog. 

Coming soon is the PWAS Fall Tall Oaks Art Show scheduled for Saturday, November 1 from 10 to 5. Local art from local artists right in the Lake Ridge neighborhood.  12298 Cotton Mill Road, Woodbridge, VA. 

 

The next PWAS meeting is Monday, October 27, same bat time, same bat channel. <- remember, you miss a meeting you miss a lot. Mark those calendars!

 Hey, Follow this blog so you see what's going on with the art group! 

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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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