Post 558: PWAS Monthly Meeting and Guests Charles and Holly Todd

PWAS Monthly Meeting and Guest Artists Charles and Holly Todd

Monday, April 28, 2025. The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) will meet at 7:30 pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Dr., Woodbridge, VA  22191 for the monthly meeting and the public is welcome to attend. Our guest speakers are Charles and Holly Todd.

Guest Artists Program

Guest artists Charles and Holly Todd will share their work, their processes and the way in which they inspire and influence each other through their very different arts. Charles is a COO for architectural firm Little. Over the past 25 years he has intensified his artistic focus on capturing stories and experiences with urban sketching and watercolor. Holly has a background in computer engineering and medical services, piloting a large family, dog rescue, and knitting which enables her to explore her passion for color, patterns and complexity. The Todds have found that working in tandem serves to build their sense of purpose in their art and supports their artistic evolution. More of their work can be viewed at:  https://www.knitsketchschematics.net/ . 

PWAS monthly meetings and programs are free. The public is cordially invited to attend, enjoy the free program, and stay to hear about the many ways our art society supports county artists and the arts.

Meeting Agenda and Art Updates

PWAS has some big events that will be discussed that are on our radar including 2 shows to be held in May and June at the ARTfactory in Manassas, Virginia...

• Call for Art Deadline for the Best of the Region Show is April 30 11:59pm 
• Juried by Catherine Hillis
• The PWAS Member Art Show May 15-30
• PWAS Member Art Show Web Gallery 
• The Best of the Region Fine Art Show and Sale June 3-15
•  Apply Here

Also upcoming are the...

• Saturday, May 3 Art in the Garden 9-12 9535 Linton Hall Rd, Bristow VA
• Saturday, May 10 Spring Tall Oaks Art Show at the Tall Oaks Community Center in Woodbridge
  

And several other shows to be discussed as well.

You miss a meeting, you miss a LOT!

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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 550: PWAS Program in the Bag

PWAS Program in the Bag

Monday, March 24, 2025. The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) meets once a month on the 4th Monday of the month. Our art group typically meets to not only discuss what we have going on - with the plotting and planning of our art events but we often have a guest speaker talking art. But occasionally, we do take a detour. 

Mixed Up Media

For our program portion of the meeting on Monday, March 24 at the Tall Oaks Community Center in Woodbridge, every one grabbed a chair around a table. We had cards in front of us to create on and a bag placed above the card. Each bag contained various batches of "you-name-it-you-create-it" media. From colored pencils, markers, gel pens, charcoal, watercolor...anything could be in the bag. 

Following various prompts read out by Emily Hawes or Donna Merchant, periodically the bags would be moved to the right, the cards to the left. Sort of a musical chairs with the artwork. Anyway, we all shared the creation of whatever happened at the table we were sitting at. 

The variety of creativity was literally off the card.

It was a program we actually participated in - which is the point. And talking with our fellow artists. And meeting our new members too!

Here are some pictures captured...

Photos from Tom Payne 

 Photos from Donna Liguria

Photos from Donna Merchant

All that and a blueberry poptart too! (See the Bluebell Challenge Revealed blog post coming tomorrow.)

We love having a change of pace, it does make the meetings even more fun. Thanks Emily and Donna!

After some time spent being creative, and the presentation of the Bluebell Challenge winner, the business talk portion of the meeting ensued. Updates, info, art shows, art grants, 2 art shows at the ARTfactory in May and June and so much more.

Miss a meeting and you miss a lot! 

Did you have fun? I did!

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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.

Photography/Video Credits: Tom Payne, Donna Merchant, Donna Liguria

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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 548: Prince William Art Society Meeting Mon, Mar 24 at 7:30pm

Prince William Art Society Meeting Mon, Mar 24 at 7:30pm

The Prince William Art Society (EST 1971) has their monthly meeting coming up on Monday, March 24, 2025 at 7:30pm at 12298 Cotton Mill Road, Woodbridge, VA. Our meetings are not always just business, especially since we are an art group with members that are VERY creative people!

Let's Have Some Fun

This next Monday, the 24th of March, the Prince William Art Society will hold its monthly general membership meeting at the Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22191. The meeting will start at 7:30 pm with a program to provide an opportunity to get playful with art and enjoy conversation and community with our fellow artists. Members of the public are welcome and warmly invited to attend for a free program and to hear all about the many ways our art society supports county artists and the arts. 

PWAS members are reminded to also bring their Bluebell Challenge artwork for a small presentation in honor of the upcoming Bluebell Festival on Sunday, March 30. If you signed up to show art at the festival and are not going - bring your small artworks as requested to the meeting on Monday, March 24. We'll also need your art show entry form and Inventory Lists too if you haven't already sent those in. Contact Donna Liguria and Staci Blanchard if any questions.  

 

https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/2025/01/post-535-pwas-bluebell-challenge-and.html

 

15014 Deepwood Lane, Nokesville

Miss a Meeting and You May Miss a LOT!

PWAS has several art big shows coming up very soon on our radar. And you have to say this in your best Ed Sullivan voice, "a very big SHEW"! So be at the meeting to learn the latest!

 

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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.

 

Thank you to Sandra McClelland Lewin and Kelly Haneklau for the show flyers, as well as the Merrimac Farm WMA

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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 543: PWAS Meeting with Valerie Larson, Guest Speaker

PWAS Meeting with Valerie Larson, Guest Speaker

Monday, February 24, 2025. The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) meets on the 4th Monday every month at the Tall Oaks Community Center on the corner of Cotton Mill Road and Hedges Run - right down from the Giant off Old Bridge Road in Woodbridge, VA. At our art group's meetings, we usually have some sort of art program, typically featuring a local artist, on all types of art topics. Manassas artist, Valerie Larson joined us for our February meeting.

Valerie's Artistic Journey

Valerie told of her inspiring artistic journey that has shaped her life and art to where she is today.  Her story has led to many commissioned watercolor portraits of pets, and her art on display truly made you understand why she is much in demand by her clients desiring an artwork of their furry children...aka pets. She explained the communication involved with a client to capture just the right light and life of the pet subject's relationship with their human family. 

As one member said, "You can see the personality of the dog, looking out from the portrait." 

She shared many examples of her work, her commission process, and some of the extra touches she builds into each of her 'works of art'. 

Valerie also shared her approach to the process of art video making with music, marketing and social-media posts on Facebook and Instagram that help getting her art "out there". She loves to use Aquabord artist surfaces, the Inshot app, InDesign, Photoshop, and she often uses Jerry's Artarama as an art supply source.

The PWAS members thoroughly enjoyed the meeting and getting to know Valerie. Many questions were asked and everyone was enthralled by her artwork.

After light snacks and beverages, the business part of the meeting proceeded, including reports from the various Board members, information on upcoming art shows, events, and the need for a Nominating Committee for the end of year PWAS Board elections. Contact the Member at Large if you want to be on that much needed committee.

Are you an artist in Prince William County? Don't miss the next guest speaker - you may miss the exact art topic of interest to what you do! Join PWAS

What did you think of the meeting?

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Author, Photographer: 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 540: PWAS Meeting with Guest Valerie Larson Feb 24

PWAS Meeting with Guest Valerie Larson Feb 24

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) art group meets on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Road, Woodbridge, VA and the public is welcome to attend. Meetings, which begin at 7:30pm, often include a guest speaker giving a presentation of various sorts and art topics followed by a short break and then the business portion of the meeting. The meeting for February is on the 24th, so mark your calendars!

 

"Breathing Room" by Valerie Larson

Guest Speaker Valerie Larson

Valerie Larson is a Manassas artist specializing in watercolor paintings and pen-and-ink drawings. She loves both mediums for their immediacy and freshness. Favorite watercolor subjects include local landmarks, historic buildings, animals, and nature. She tries to capture the beauty around her, and quality of light and how it reveals three-dimensionality is always a key element in her work.

 

"Manassas Love" by Valerie Larson

Valerie's painting time is devoted largely to commissioned watercolor portraits of pets and meaningful places (wedding venues, favorite vacation spots, etc.). She'll be sharing examples of her work, her commission process, and how she helps customers develop their ideal portrait. Valerie will also share her approach to marketing and social-media posts.

 

"Tower of Yum" by Valerie Larson

 

"Eva" by Valerie Larson

 

"Papa and Farah" by Valerie Larson

See also: Learning from the Masters, Learning from Life: Valerie Larson, Artist

We hope you can join us for the PWAS monthly meeting at Tall Oaks Community Center at 7:30pm on Monday Feb. 24th.

Interested in (Re-)Joining PWAS?

The Prince William Art Society has been in existence since 1971. Our members have benefited from the experiences, friendships and encouragement over the years! See this post which includes a list of benefits and what we do.

On the PWAS Website is the easiest and quickest method, so please go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership 

if you would like to include a Showcase page with an about you and your artwork, see Showcase 

If you want to learn more about PWAS, see About Us and for an indepth PWAS History, see our PWAS Artistry Spin Blog About PWAS A History

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Authors: Valerie Larson, Larry Burch

 

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.

---

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 533: A PWAS Meeting with Guest Speaker Robert Dew

A PWAS Meeting with Guest Speaker Robert Dew

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) met on Monday, January 27, 2025 at 7:30pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center in Woodbridge for our monthly meeting. Our wonderful guest speaker was a fellow member, Robert Dew who gave a great presentation on Plein Air Painting.

Plein Air Painting with Robert Dew

Robert's presentation on how he prepares to go out and paint out-of-doors was a well-received one! He described how he set up for oil painting and for watercolor painting and emphasized that you really do not need to spend a lot on supplies - especially if you are a beginner or if you are unsure if you will enjoy the experience of taking your art process outside.

Robert spoke of various experiences in different locations and painting while on vacation, then showed the artwork created when doing so. He gave a lot of great tips and suggestions including having a much smaller painting pack while traveling and the importance of taking plenty of pictures for several quite reasonable reasons: (1) the light changes every second making the process of painting quickly and loosely rather mandatory; and (2) when traveling with a nonartist friend, partner, or spouse, they may not be too keen on spending too much time in one spot! So a quick sketch or rough outline for a subject goes into one of his art journals.

The Q&A section of Robert's presentation had a lot of great questions including his painting surfaces, papers, and how he picks interesting angles and 'views' for his subject matter. And absolutely, he loves a beautiful sunny day for painting!

 

In a recent blog post, I asked Robert how he stored all of his artwork. If you follow Robert on Facebook, he is posting new artwork ALL the time - rather amazing but as he has said, he tries to paint something every day. In the colder weather, he may be indoors more often but when Plein Air Painting, he will often get several pieces started - and will occasionally complete them at home. See these links:

Art Tips From Various Sources

PWAS Meeting Guest Speaker Robert Dew Jan 27, 2025

Bluebells and the Plein Air Posse

Interested in Plein Air Painting? Often it is best to learn by just getting out there and doing it. 

See suggestions for what you might need while Plein Air Painting but as stated above by Robert, don't invest a lot of money into the supplies unless this is definitely an art creation avenue you want to explore. Plein Air Painting Equipment and Supplies

In 2024, the Prince William Art Society started their PWAS Plein Air Posse (PPAP) group and Robert Dew and David Dillon are the leaders of this group of artists. They would be happy to extend the invitation to go out and paint to any PWAS members that would like to give it a try. Just contact them to see when and where works for everyone.

Contact Robert Dew rddew@live.com and David Dillion anarty1@comcast.net

As a matter of fact, the PPAP will be out painting at the Sunday, March 30, 2025 Bluebell Festival at Merrimac Farm located at 15020 Deepwood Lane, Nokesville, VA where PWAS will also have a table set up with artwork from our members for sale. You are very welcome to join the group of painters. Contact Robert and David if you are interested in painting there.

A big thank you to Robert Dew for this great presentation! 

PWAS Business

After Robert Dew's Plein Air Painting presentation, the PWAS members broke for snacks and beverages, mingling with the visitors and fellow members, followed by the business portion for the group. The members learned about where we are, what's going on, what art events are coming up, and so much more.

Did you enjoy Robert's presentation as much as I did? Leave a comment below.

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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.

Photography/Video Credits: Donna Liguria

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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 529: PWAS Meeting Guest Speaker Robert Dew

PWAS Meeting Guest Speaker Robert Dew Jan 27, 2025

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) meets every month on the 4th Monday of the month at 7:30pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center located at 12298 Cotton Mill Road, Woodbridge, VA. Besides covering art group business in the later part of the meeting, we'll open this meeting with our special guest speaker and fellow artist member, Robert Dew.

Plein Air Painting with Robert Dew

On January 27th the Prince William Art Society will offer a program on plein air painting by member artist Robert Dew, an active member of the PWAS plein air group Plein Air Posse. Mr. Dew will cover doing both quick watercolor sketches and more detailed oil studies en plein air and take questions from members. 

Meetings are free and open to the public, who are cordially invited to attend. Programs begin at 7:30 pm on the fourth Monday of each month at Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22191. 

More information on the Prince William Art Society can be found on the web site:  https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/

What is Plein Air Painting?

From Wikipedia: En plein air (pronounced [ɑ̃ plɛ.n‿ɛʁ]; French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors.

Read more on the Plein Air Posse and Painting:

https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/2024/05/post-463-plein-air-painting-equipment.html

https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/2024/03/post-447-pwas-plein-air-posse.html

 

Tall Oaks Community Center off Old Bridge Road, on the corner of Hedges Run and Cotton Mill Road.

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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! pinterest-site-verification=3ad32cc9cfeae507ba5a382d62fcee17