Saturday, April 13, 2024

Post 454: Inside the Studio of Zee Berrios

Inside the Studio of Zee Berrios

A new feature for our PWAS Artistry Spin Blog is "Inside the Studio of..." which will feature the Prince William Art Society member's studios. For our second studio in this series of blog posts, this studio belongs to Prince William Art Society member, Zee Berrios who gives us a view into his creative space.

Prince William Art Society Member, Zee

Zee has been in PWAS a little over 2 years, since about 2022. Because of the size of most of his paintings he says, "I have not been able to participate in most of PWAS activities." In general, most of the PWAS art shows are "pop-up"shows using the gridwall display systems that are at most, about 36 inches wide. Zee's canvases are typically much larger than that.

Here are a couple of shots of the "Z" studio, and he says about his space:

"The studio is in the basement, so the light is not a desired "natural" one. The lighting is a combination of Blue-ish (neon) + yellow (bulbs) and white (halogen) lights which provide a near to "natural" light.

To the right of the second photo is the table that is used for watercolors, drawings and other non canvas items.

It is a tiny studio. Most of the paintings are stored in a separate room.

The photos are one with a small and one with a large painting in progress. (the one with the large one is the current one)."

The web page with samples of some of the artwork is: https://www.facebook.com/ARTEDEZORRI

Thank you Zee for sharing your studio with us!

Who is the next in the studio tours?

Hey PWAS Members! If you want your studio to be featured on a similar blog post, please send me several photos of your studio space, a little about you, how long you've been a PWAS member, and what you would like to say about your creative space, no matter the size. I enjoy these "Inside the Studio of..." series, don't you? Say so in the comments below and let the studio owners know!

Previous Studio: Inside the Studio of Sandra McClelland Lewin

Author: Zee Berrios

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: Zee Berrios

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!

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Post 453: Be the Scout

Be the Scout

The members of Prince William Art Society are asked to keep their eyes open for "art spaces and opportunities". We have a growing art group of very diverse talents that love showing their art, and are searching for ways to do so. While everyone is out and about, especially in Prince William County, if you see a spot where art can go, let's see if we can get PWAS in there!

PWAS Opportunities

As is often the case with a nonprofit art group, having a base "home" can be a luxury - but its definitely on the wish list of the Prince William Art Society. Our board members are always on the lookout for art spaces, opportunities, an art class space, and actually, a gallery of our own. Wouldn't that be an incredible thing - to have our own PWAS gallery? An actual building!!

Photo by Jennifer Farnan on Unsplash

We see it as, for an art group that's been around since 1971, isn't it about time?

Sure, it will take the usual - time, money, work, grit, determinations, elbow grease and luck. But if we want to make a true artistic impact in the county, why can't we shoot for the stars?

As a nonprofit art group, perhaps we can work out a deal of some sort, long term or short term to use a space one way or another. Sometimes its about getting your foot in a door. So what we are asking is for everyone to let the board know if you see something that might work for us...Know anyone in real estate that can point out an opportunity?

A good idea is in your travels, near and far, see how other states, cities, towns, and local communities do their art. Do they have an art scene? How many art spaces do they have? Do they have a lot of members? Go into galleries large and small and take note on everything. Field trips are good things too, visit around the NOVA area as well to see and for inspiration.

While I was in Morehead City, North Carolina, I spotted a storefront called Arts Council of Carteret County and walked into the gallery there. There was a long open area with a counter where sales were made on the right side, like art prints along with the paintings, and small art gifts were housed in the glass cases. Down the center were arranged portable walls with Member art. Down the left side, taking up the long wall was their current art show with 1st, 2nd, 3rd place ribbons on the winning pieces, and all the other art on display from the show. In the next area toward the back was wash rooms and in the back section were art classes and storage.

While in Loudoun County, we came across the Gateway Gallery Artists Cooperative in Round Hill. There was a couple of floors with multiple rooms housing various artist's collections, studios, and more, and filled with art of every type and media.

Take note of:

Is there room for classes?

Is there room for an art shop?

Meeting space?

Do they have an art competition or member art up?

Do they use portable walls, and what type?

Do they have interesting themes or groupings?

How do they hang their art?

Did you notice any cool and interesting ideas to borrow?

Square footage minimum and maximum would be good to know. Is the space wide open or cut into rooms?

Within our county, while you are going here and there, check out places that are empty or for lease. Those empty store fronts and businesses might make a great place for an art show. Never know until we ask, right? A business with people in it is far more attractive than an empty property, any day of the week.

Get the phone number, address, who to call. Snap a few photos of the front and parking areas. Why did it catch your eye? What else is around it? What are the hours of the businesses around it?

Then pass the info to our Member at Large, Tom Payne. memberatlarge@princewilliamartsociety.com

There are so many ways to show art including:

Popup Art Shows

Popup Galleries

Libraries

A home on a busy main street that might be zoned for a business.

Restaurants

Wineries, Breweries

Bed and Breakfasts

Coffee Shops

Museums

Gift Shops - often they LOVE local artists

Real Estate Offices

Hair Salons/Barber Shop

Nature Conservancy

Art Supply popup show

What other ideas do you have?

Does it have:

High traffic, foot traffic areas and busy businesses?

Great parking - for visitors and art receptions, good crowds for events.

What other attractions are in the area?

Ideally, it would be wonderful to work with PWC to have an actual all-in-one arts space or a specific visual arts space that could house multiple artists, possibly multiple art groups - sort of an arts alliance, art cooperative space. With classrooms, studios for rent, the works. If you go to Loudoun, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, and of course DC, there are great examples of art spaces.

And when you go to visit these busy, thriving art-centric towns and cities, you automatically see the value of a vibrant art community and what it does for that area. Perhaps you've seen areas with several galleries and studios near each other and they periodically have art crawls, First Fridays or street festivals to enhance and highlight the art culture in the area.

This can be us. It should be us. PWAS just needs the space.

For Further Reading

https://partners.artsy.net/resource/pop-up-galleries/

https://artbusinessnews.com/2023/08/how-to-start-an-art-gallery-2/

https://startup101.com/how-to-start-an-art-gallery/

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!

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Post 452: Bluebells and the Plein Air Posse

Bluebells and the Plein Air Posse

A story about the inaugural outdoor plein air painting session of the new Prince William Art Society group called the Plein Air Posse which had their first meeting and outing at the Merrimac Farm in Nokesville, Virginia on Sunday, April 7, 2024. The Bluebell Festival at this historic location made for a wonderful subject and feature for the group's artwork: Bluebells.

Bluebells and the Plein Air Posse

by Tom Payne

A crisp Sunday morning dawned on Merrimac Farm as members of the PWAS Plein Air Posse rode into Nokesville, Va. The sun was shining, the wind had died down from the previous day, and five PWAS artists were ready for a perfect day of painting among blooming bluebell flowers.

David Dillon, Robert Dew, Jess Kodad, Doreen Dauer, and Jeff Holman walked
down the trail that runs along Cedar Creek until each one found a suitable location to set up shop and begin their individual plein air painting experience.

The morning sunlight, streaming in from the east, cast long dappled shadows on the bluebells and the forest floor. Blues, greens, and browns were the colors of the day as beautiful sketches slowly appeared on the artists’ paper and canvas. Many visitors on the bluebell trail stopped to chat with the artists, offering compliments and words of encouragement. Everyone was smiling and enjoying the sea of azure blue at their feet.

Elizabeth Stathis and Donna Liguria held down the fort at the PWAS table. Lots of folks stopped by, admired the artwork, and inquired about joining our illustrious art society. We hope to see them again at an upcoming membership meeting.

One exciting highlight occurred when a photojournalist from Voice of America stopped to photograph and interview Doreen Dauer as she worked on her oil painting along the bluebell trail.

He also stopped and photographed me as I was photographing Jeff Holman. Who knows? With a little luck, maybe PWAS will go worldwide as part of the story being done by VOA about the Bluebell Festival.

In case you didn’t know (I didn’t), Voice of America is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the USA! It is the largest and oldest of the U.S. funded international broadcasters, producing digital, TV, and radio content in 49 languages, distributed around the world. Its targeted and primary audience is non-American. As of November 2022, its reporting reached 326 million adults per week across all platforms. Very cool!

During the day, I wandered down the trail and captured photographs of each PWAS
artist hard at work and enjoying the zen magic of the glorious day. Stay tuned and keep an eye out as members of the Posse begin to share their artwork on Facebook, the PWAS website, and the PWAS blog - Artistry Spin. They don’t know it yet but I’m going to encourage the plein air artists to share their experience and insights at a future membership meeting. The Plein Air Posse is always ready to ride, in search looking for more awesome painters and painting opportunities. Enjoy today!

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

Tell us what you think in the comments below! We love hearing your feedback. Want to learn more about Plein Air Painting? Come by a Prince William Art Society meeting and join the group(s)! The Plein Air Posse is a part of PWAS. The next PWAS meeting is Monday, April 22, 2024 at 7:30pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center 12298 Cotton Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA.

Author: Tom Payne

PWAS Member-at-Large (2024-2025) and digital artist, photographer. If a PWAS member has a suggestion or question to pose to the PWAS Board, contact Tom.

Photography/Video Credits: Tom Payne

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!

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Post 451: Blue Sunday

Blue Sunday, a Day Amongst the Bluebells

Sunday, April 7, 2024. Big blue sky, mud, and blue flowers. It must be the Bluebell Festival at the Merrimac Farm! The farm is located at 15014 Deepwood Lane, Nokesville, Va and there was a LOT of people there. Parking is limited and we understood that folks were waiting to get in or parked way down the road and walked to it. We think it was worth it and you might too once you see it.

The Bluebell Festival

What a wonderful history of this 300-acre farm. Read more here

https://www.pwconserve.org/merrimacfarm/index.htm

The Bluebell Festival provided the tent with one table and one chair, although the tents are shared. Small artwork was the main theme of the day for sales. Be ready next time folks, bluebells all day. Elizabeth Stathis and I were working the table for PWAS and when Tom Payne was finished taking photographs, he helped watch while I did a walkabout.

PWAS Plein Air Posse

A little later in the day, I took a walk to the "Exit" side of the path as I was hearing in that direction was the most BLUE. And our new group with the Prince William Art Society called the Plein Air Posse were supposed to be along the path.

One thing that is so amazing for this Woodbridge girl, is the absolute quiet while out on the path. True, there are other folks walking along here and there, but along certain points once they've trekked on is the stillness, the quiet. An occasional bird chirping or calling. I would imagine the plein air artists had that enjoyment at points in their day.

This was the first outing of the PWAS PAP group and I think they had a great time of it. I would love to hear their stories of lessons learned as most of them were first time plein air painting I believe.

First, I came across Doreen Dauer who was finished painting for the day and heading home.

When they say don't wear tennis shoes, wear rain/mud boots...I'm glad I heeded that advice. I soon came across another painter off the bluebell beaten path (although the warnings were there to NOT pick nor trample the bluebells). David Dillon had picked a spot and was painting away in watercolors.

In the area where David was painting...

David said that Robert Dew had been nearby but had since moved further through the pathways. So through the mud I went, passing many people with their families admiring and snapping photos of the sea of bluebells.

I came across Robert Dew who had already done one painting and was working on another. A lady wanted to buy the first one - I hope they work something out. Robert paints with oils.

To follow the path or go back to the tent...? I went back to the tent to help with sales. We had a few other plein air artists that were somewhere painting but I didn't come across them in my half loop.

As I walked back towards the cottage, the quiet of being out in nature is slowly replaced by the voices and sounds of humanity as I came along the path. It is an awakening of the creative artists and appreciation of plein air painting being out there painting live.

Here are a few photos from Robert Dew

Photo by Robert Dew

Everyone that worked and volunteered at the Festival was marvelous, extremely knowledgeable and just great people. They would come around periodically and check on us and see how things were going. We enjoyed the day so much! My new friend Carolyn Rubinfeld sent me these great pictures too.

Photo by Carolyn Rubinfeld

I'm thinking to paint MORE bluebells for next year, how about you?

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

Photography/Video Credits: Donna Liguria, Robert Dew and Carolyn Rubinfeld

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!

Monday, April 8, 2024

Post 450: A Saturday in Manassas, Virginia

A Cold Saturday in Manassas, Virginia

Twas a Saturday, April 6, 2024. The weather: partly sunny, around 55 degrees. The place:The Harris Pavilion on Center Street in Manassas, Virginia. The who: with the Prince William Art Society (AKA PWAS) and twelve other artist members. The what: An art show of local artists in Prince William County, showing their art to the public, at Mike Flynn's Artist Inventory Sale.

Setting Up a Group Art Show

Unloading all the art equipment and getting it set up is the first order of business for the day. The entire group helps stacking the gridwalls allowing for good traffic flow while other members set up the "sales table". After the walls are up, typically for the Prince William Art Society, we designate by random draw, who hangs where.

And up goes the art. So the battle with the breeze ensues...

Correction on the weather: C-C-C-Cold, windy, downright gusty and did I say COLD?!? Such is the weather for an early April day.

Tom Payne, David Dillon, Mark Clifton, Otis Stanley and Richard Tyler all helped in getting the gridwalls set up.

Sonya Cromwell, a friend of Kelly's, Doreen Dauer, Evelyn Chatters and Richard Tyler

Kelly Haneklau

Sandra Lewin, Donna (where's a hat when you need one) Liguria, and Mike Flynn

Evelyn Chatters with a friend

Kelly Haneklau, Sonya Cromwell and Staci Blanchard

Funny how quickly an art show can come down compared to how long it takes to go up.

Art Show in Gail Force Winds

A painting whether framed or not against a wind gust, well, isn't a particularly good mix. The wind just may win and often does. The Artist Inventory Sale artists hung out for a couple of hours, some visitors did come out for the day and some art sales were made, but we all folded up shop well before the 5pm closing time.

Nonetheless, it was so good to see everyone and have so many hands ready to help in any way they could.

Photography/Video Credits: Otis Stanley - As always, thankyou Otis!

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!

Saturday, April 6, 2024

Post 449: Inside the Studio of Sandra Lewin

Inside the Studio of Sandra McClelland Lewin

A new feature we can start on our PWAS Artistry Spin Blog is "Inside the Studio". For our first studio, belonging to Prince William Art Society member, Sandra McClelland Lewin, she had sent me this link to Gallery System Art Displays that had asked for feedback on her purchase of their art hanging system, from several years ago. Thus the idea for PWAS Member Studios was born!

Prince William Art Society Member Sandra McClelland Lewin

PWAS Member Sandra, has been a member of the Prince William Art Society since 2014 and has served the art group holding several positions. She was the President of PWAS from 2020-2021, she's been the member of various gallery, location, and nominating committees, and is the current Vice President of PWAS (2024-2025). Her art experience, professionalism, and dedication has benefited PWAS in countless ways and she's been a leading force in helping getting PWAS on the map of Prince William County and beyond.

How Do You Hang Your Art in Studio?

Sandra's been using this kind of hanging system in her own home for a few years now and she highly recommends its use. In several places around her home, she's using the Gallery System Art Display, and I can say, having seen her studio, hanging art this way is very efficient, clean and certainly saves the walls!

Hanging in an Artist's Workspace - Sandra's studio pics and feedback on the website

Gallery System Art Displays - Look around their website, lots of great info about displaying art too.

The hanging system is used on three walls around Sandra's studio.

Sandra uses the hanging shoe racks to store her assorted tubes of paint as well as spray paint.

Sandra designed this studio for herself when she moved into her home. She had the wire baskets already to organize her supplies so part of her design had to include under the counter space for ease of access to her crafting materials. One of her favorite things about the studio though, is a big sink in the counter on the back wall.

Sandra's website is SLML - Sandra Lynn McClelland Lewin Fine Art

A big thankyou to Sandra for showing us her studio!

Hey PWAS Members! If you want your studio to be featured on a similar blog post, please send me several photos of your studio space, a little about you, and what you would like to say about your creative space.

Photography/Video Credits: Sandra Lewin

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!

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Post 448: PWAS at the Artist Inventory Sale, Harris Pavilion, Manassas, VA

PWAS at the Artist Inventory Sale, Harris Pavilion, Manassas, VA

The Spring Artist Inventory Sale at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, VA will be attended by 13 members of the Prince William Art Society as a group on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Come by and see the artwork on display from 1 to 5pm.

Artist Inventory Sale, Harris Pavilion, Manassas, VA

Saturday, April 6, 2024 is the show date and the rain date is Sunday, April 7 - but the weather is supposed to be partly sunny and 54 degrees on Saturday!

This will be the first time the PWAS Artists as a group will have reserved a spot at this annual event and we hope to attend again! The Artist Inventory Sale is held twice a year, in the Spring and the Fall art shows at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, VA. Renown artist, Mike Flynn is the organizer of this event.

The Artist Inventory Sale is a great place to browse the work of local artists with very diverse styles and backgrounds. And you may just find the perfect piece for your own home or a gift - Mother's Day and Father's Day are right around the corner!

Many artists will also have prints available as well as miniature paintings.

PWAS Members at the Artist Inventory Sale

The Prince William Art Society is the oldest art group in Prince William County, and also the largest with well over 60 members currently. The group began in 1971 and is a nonprofit art group that has shown art in and around the county in art shows, popup shows, galleries and every way we can! We call ourselves PWAS for short, pronounced as "P-WAZ". Find out more here https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/

These are the thirteen artists that will be showing on Saturday, April 6th.

Staci Blanchard
Donna Liguria
Kelly Haneklau
Nicole Goble
Katie Keller Dugan
Sonya Cromwell
Sandra Lewin
Mandy Powell
Richard B. Tyler
Doreen Dauer
Brittney Walker
Mark Clifton
Evelyn Chatters

Artist Inventory Sale 2023

Come by and enjoy the art, talk to the artists and have a great day!

PWAS will also be at the Bluebell Festival in Nokesville, VA on Sunday, April 7 along with their new off-shoot group of plein air artists out painting the day. This will be the first time also at this awesome event and this should be a beauty! Seas of blue along the forest floor...I can hardly wait! Find out more here http://www.pwconserve.org/merrimacfarm/bluebellfestival/

PWAS is also currently showing at the Sunshine Ridge Farm Winery in Gainsville in the upper room, so check if there is an event upstairs first! It's a wonderful spot with a beautiful view of the lake!

Art is in bloom!

Photography/Video Credits: Donna Liguria

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!

Pages

Saturday, April 13, 2024

Inside the Studio of Zee Berrios

Prince William Art Society Member, Zee

Who is the next in the studio tours?

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Be the Scout

PWAS Opportunities

For Further Reading

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Bluebells and the Plein Air Posse

Bluebells and the Plein Air Posse

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Blue Sunday, a Day Amongst the Bluebells

The Bluebell Festival

PWAS Plein Air Posse

Monday, April 8, 2024

A Cold Saturday in Manassas, Virginia

Setting Up a Group Art Show

Art Show in Gail Force Winds

Saturday, April 6, 2024

Inside the Studio of Sandra McClelland Lewin

Prince William Art Society Member Sandra McClelland Lewin

How Do You Hang Your Art in Studio?

The hanging system is used on three walls around Sandra's studio. Sandra uses the hanging shoe racks to store her assorted tubes of paint as well as spray paint.

Thursday, April 4, 2024

PWAS at the Artist Inventory Sale, Harris Pavilion, Manassas, VA

Artist Inventory Sale, Harris Pavilion, Manassas, VA

PWAS Members at the Artist Inventory Sale

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The hanging system is used on three walls around Sandra's studio.

Sandra uses the hanging shoe racks to store her assorted tubes of paint as well as spray paint.