HIGH SOCIETY
Washington Society of Landscape Painters exhibit
The Washington Society of Landscape Painters is a group of 40 artists from the D.C. area who have been juried into the organization by established members. Together, they participate in regular plein air events and annual exhibitions. This September, Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, will host the group’s next show featuring 60 paintings that depict everything from mountainous lands to urban scenes.
Christine Lashley will present her painting Valley Shadows, which was originally a demonstration for her students on how green can vary in hue depending on if its in the foreground, middle ground or background. “Dramatic clouds were present, casting shadows on the landscape,” she recalls. “I enhanced the feeling of soft light on the valley floor to play up the dramatic light on the far mountain and buildings.”
Depicted in Sara Linda Poly’s landscape A Whisper of Light is a locale not far from her home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The work shows the glint of the rising sun on the water as well as it filtering through the lush vegetation. “In the very early morning it is often so atmospheric near the water and very quiet,” she says. “This is a studio piece inspired by a plein air painting I did on location.”
Brooklyn View, by Nancy Tankersley, is one of many urban landscapes that will be on view. It was inspired by the view the artist saw while riding on the top of a doubledecker bus as it went across an overpass in the New York City borough. “I had accidentally taken the wrong bus and found myself captive for an hourlong tour of Brooklyn,” Tankersley shares. “It was fortunate because that one hour has inspired several paintings where I am exploring composing with a ‘bird’s-eye’ view.”
Other artists participating in the show include Lisa Mitchell, Bernard J. Dellario, Hiu Lai Chong, Meg Walsh, Hai-Ou Hou, Lani Browning and Harry Jaecks, to name a few.
Principle Gallery will host an opening reception September 21 from 6:30 to 9 p.m., while painting demonstrations with select artists happen September 22 at 1 p.m. The show will remain on view through October 16.