Our "Brushes with Nature" program was created to foster fellowship and the opportunity to meet other NEWS members -- while painting outdoors at some of New England's most beautiful locations.
Plein Air events are just for fun. There will not be any instruction to sharpen your skills. However, as a member, you will have the added opportunity to exhibit artwork done over the spring, summer, and fall at one of the events and submit your artwork in the annual Brushes with Nature exhibition at our Gallery in Plymouth MA in January and February (starting in 2024).
All watercolors created at a Plein Air event will be acceptable for entry into our Brushes with Nature exhibition. This exhibition is open exclusively to members that participate in the Brushes with Nature program. All submitted artwork must have been completed during one of the scheduled Plein Air events -- or started in the field and completed in the studio.
CLICK HERE to view the prospectus of NEWS Gallery shows.
| M A Y | |
| WHEN: | 6-May-2023 (Saturday) 9am to 3pm |
| LOCATION: | Flanders Nature Center, 5 Churchill Road, Woodbury, CT (map) website: flandersnaturecenter.org |
| INFORMATION: | Visual artists of all media are invited to join us on Flanders’ beautiful
and picturesque grounds. The site offers a variety of painting subjects . . .
farm animals, buildings, barns and machinery, ponds and woods. Please register on arrival. (rain date: 7-May-2023) |
| CONTACTS: | Flanders@flandersnaturecenter.org Diane Dubreuil: ddubreuil2017@gmail.com for NEWS |
| WHEN: | 17-May-2023 (Wednesday) 9am to 3pm |
| LOCATION: | Maine Art Gallery, 15 Warren St, Wiscasset, ME (map) website: maineartgallerywiscasset.org phone: 207-687-8143 |
| INFORMATION: | Town of Wiscassett, Maine - waterfront town and historic sites, potentially lilacs in bloom, etc.
Maine Art Gallery will be open all day for the artists. |
| CONTACTS: | Diane Dubreuil: ddubreuil2017@gmail.com for NEWS Celia Ludwig: celiaartist28@gmail.com for MAG |
| WHEN: | 26-May-2023 (Friday) 3:30pm to 7pm |
| LOCATION: | Two Lights State Park, 7 Tower Drive, Cape Elizabeth, ME (map) website: two-lights-state-park |
| INFORMATION: | Meet in the Parking Lot at 3:30pm Two Lights State Park encompasses 41-acres of rocky headlands. Standing high above the rocky coast and rolling surf, visitors have sweeping views of Casco Bay and the open Atlantic. Off Route 77 in Cape Elizabeth and one-half mile east of Crescent Beach State Park. A playground, picnic tables, and grills are available. A shelter and sites for groups are available by reservation for a fee. Fee $5.00 State Park - If you have a pass there is no fee. Bathrooms and picnic tables available RSVP by May 20th |
| CONTACTS: | deenaball@mac.com |
| J U N E | |
| WHEN: | 3-Jun-2023 (Saturday) 10am |
| LOCATION: | Boston Public Garden, Boston MA - at the George Washington Statue (map) website: www.boston.gov/parks/public-garden |
| INFORMATION: | Oldest public garden in America; many colorful flower beds, tree varieties, swan boats, people mulling about. Food along Charles Street, bathrooms in Boston Common. Parking: Boston Common Garage, pre-book for a discounted price Boston Common Garage. $14 up to 3 hours, $18 all day, $16 -- if reserved ahead online. RSVP: By Thursday, 1-Jun-2023 |
| CONTACTS: | Wendy Hale: wendyhalestudio@gmail.com |
| WHEN: | 10-Jun-2023 (Saturday) 9am to 5pm |
| LOCATION: | Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, ME (map) website: www.mainegardens.org |
| INFORMATION: | Join us for the annual Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Plein Air Days. Bring your art supplies and easels, and admission is free! There are 300 acres of gardens, ponds, troll sculptures, and nature spaces to enjoy and paint. The gardens are very accessible to everyone but are often busy on weekends so be sure to get there early. Plein Air Days are free for artists but you must make reservations (RSVP) with the gardens prior to the date. Free parking, food available on site, bathrooms available. Walking required to most painting locations. We will meet at the Great Lawn between 9:00 - 9:30am (Hoping for a group photo). |
| CONTACTS: | Erica Qualey: ericaqualey@yahoo.com for NEWS RSVP the Botanical Gardens: call 207-633-8000 - or - fill out the form at: www.mainegardens.org/contact |
| WHEN: | 21-Jun-2023 (Wednesday) 9am to ?? |
| LOCATION: | Pemaquid Lighthouse in Bristol, ME (map) website: www.bristolmaine.org |
| INFORMATION: | Gathering at Pemaquid Lighthouse Park in Bristol, Maine with the New England Watercolor Society (NEWS) and the Plein Air Painters of Maine (PAPME). Minor fee for parking. Bathrooms, picnic tables, shaded and sunny locations, artists gallery on site, bring picnic or restaurant food available nearby. |
| CONTACTS: | Diane Dubreuil: ddubreuil2017@gmail.com for NEWS Fran Scannell franscannell@gmail.com |
| J U L Y | |
| WHEN: | 5-Jul-2023 (Wednesday) 8:30am till 3:30? (rain date: 6-Jul-2023) |
| LOCATION: | Water Street, Newburyport MA (downtown / boardwalk area) (map) We will begin at the Harbormaster’s House parking Lot |
| INFORMATION: | There are clean restrooms at the Harbormaster's House and the Newburyport Art Association. Restaurants, coffee shops and sandwich shops are available. Karen will have a list of places to eat with a map of places to paint — churches, custom house, Tall Ship, historic cemetery, flowers, fountain, and more! Parking: metered lots, a parking garage and some free on-street parking near NAA. RSVP: By Thursday, 29-Jun-2023 |
| CONTACTS: | Karen Fitzgerald, ksf.artwork@gmail.com, 508-361-4684 |
| A U G U S T | |
| WHEN: | 1-Aug (Tuesday) 10am (rain date: 3-Aug-2023) |
| LOCATION: | Mass Horticultural Society / The Gardens at Elm Bank 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA 02482 (map) website: www.masshort.org/the-garden-at-elm-bank |
| INFORMATION: | NEWS "Brushes With Nature" event with the Wellesley Society of Artists. We will meet in the parking lot at the entrance to the gardens. Parking is free. Mass Hort. Society Members enter the gardens for free, non-members pay entry fee of $10. Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Garden at Elm Bank is a horticultural jewel of Greater Boston. Participants will have no trouble choosing a subject to paint--- the Olmsted Italianate garden with its beautiful fountain, the Bressingham Garden, the Goddess Garden, the trial gardens, the Manor House, Weezie's garden for children, garden sculptures and gazebos—all will be calling your name! RSVP: By Wednesday, July 26, 2023 |
| CONTACTS: | (NEWS): Yale Nicolls yalenicolls@gmail.com (WSA): Nancy Treves ntreves@mac.com |
| WHEN: | 18- Aug (Friday) 9am |
| LOCATION: | Wickford Village, 61 Brown St, North Kingstown, RI 02852 (map) Meet at public parking lot |
| INFORMATION: | Within walking distance, Wickford Village offers historic houses, churches, an historic cemetery, harbor scenes, boatyards and marshes. We will provide a map of these locations. Sheila and Tom will start off at the Town Dock located at the Public Lot in the morning. Parking is free in the lot as well as on the street. Public restrooms are available at the parking lot. There are restaurants and coffee shops available throughout the village. RSVP: By Monday August 14, 2023 |
| CONTACTS: | Sheila Newquist snfineart@gmail.com 401-662-0513 Tom Ardito tcardito@gmail.com 401-575-6109 |
| WHEN: | 26-Aug & 27-Aug-2023 (Saturday & Sunday); 10am to 3pm |
| LOCATION: | Kent Art Association, 21 South Main Street, Kent CT 06757 (map) (parking is free for all KAA participants and visitors) website: www.kentart.org |
| INFORMATION: | Located on the western edge of the Litchfield Hills, Kent offers the plein air painter a variety of New England subjects. From rolling forested hills, farm fields and the Housatonic River to Kent Falls, Bull’s Covered Bridge and the Sloane/Stanley Museum, Kent offers something for everyone. Now in our 100th year, come join us and discover why so many artists have been and continue to be attracted to our corner of CT! Bathroom and snacks available at the KAA gallery; Many restaurants nearby RSVP: by Saturday, 19-Aug-2023 |
| CONTACTS: | Joan Macfarlane/Deborah Shiflett-Fitton –kentartassociation@gmail.com 860 927-3989 |
| S E P T E M B E R | |
| WHEN: | 6 & 7-Sep-2023 (Wednesday & Thursday) 9:00am till 4:00pm |
| LOCATION: | Weir Farm National Historic Site, 735 Nod Hill Rd, Wilton, CT (map) website: www.nps.gov/wefa/index.htm |
| INFORMATION: | Meet up from 9 to 10. Park ranger will direct artists to parking lot near Weir’s studio. Bring lunch & all painting supplies. Restrooms on site, open from 10 to 4. Visit and paint on the property that includes the home, gardens and studio of America’s most beloved Impressionist, J. Alden Weir. Set midst more than 60 acres of painterly woods, fields, and waterways, Weir described his home as the “Great Good Place.” Weir’s farm is a national legacy to American Impressionism, the creative spirit, and historic preservation. NOTE: Please “leave no trace”. Take away all trash and dirty water RSVP by Tuesday, 5-Sep-2023. Attendance is limited to 25 artists. |
| CONTACTS: | Diane Dubreuil (203-770-2801) or ddubreuil2017@gmail.com Confirmation email will include additional info and other guidelines. |
| WHEN: | 16-17 Sep-2023 (Saturday & Sunday) 10:00am till 4:00pm |
| LOCATION: | Mystic Seaport,
75 Greenmanville Ave, Mystic, CT (map) website: mysticseaport.org |
| INFORMATION: | Meet by the Thomas Oyster House, just inside south entrance. No fee for parking, but fee to enter the museum grounds if not a member ($21.95). Free entry for Seaport members and a discount for AARP members. Bathrooms are available, and there are nearby restaurants. This is a wonderful location to paint because it is a reconstructed port with numerous antique buildings, wooden ships and views of the Mystic River. |
| CONTACTS: | RSVP to: Howard Park tootsweet46@yahoo.com |
| WHEN: | 22-Sep-2023 (Friday) 9:00am till 2:00pm |
| LOCATION: | Two Coves Farm, 90 Neil’s Point Road, Harpswell, ME (map) website: twocovesfarm.com |
| INFORMATION: | Artists will be painting at a working forever farm. please go to the website to learn more. Parking available; No bathroom - but you can drive to one. There is a farm stand. Also Yurt that could be reserved to stay in - info on Farm website. Participants must pre-register no later than Monday, September 18, 2023 |
| CONTACTS: | deenaball@mac.com |
| O C T O B E R | |
| WHEN: | 7-Oct-2023 (Saturday), 9:00am |
| LOCATION: | Beavertail State Park, Beavertail Rd, Jamestown, RI (map) website:riparks.ri.gov/parks/beavertail-state-park |
| INFORMATION: | Gather at the Beavertail Lighthouse. Paint and enjoy this pristine landscape from one of four overlooks, or walk the rocky coastline, which features excellent saltwater fishing. The main attraction is the active Beavertail Lighthouse, the current tower of which dates from 1856. During World War II, the park area was part of Fort Burnside, one of several coastal fortifications designed to protect Narragansett Bay. Beavertail also attracts scientists of all ages for an exploration of its fascinating geology, ecology, and marine life. The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum offers historical information about the property, Narragansett Bay, and the shipping industry that helped shape Rhode Island. It also features a collection of artifacts from the third-oldest lighthouse in North America. Bathrooms available, bring your own picnic lunch. Carry in/carry out trash. RSVP by Thursday, 5-Oct-2023. |
| CONTACTS: | Gary Graham, ggraham67@me.com Wendy Berube, web62@cox.net |
| WHEN: | 14-Oct-2023 (Saturday), 10:00am till 3:00pm |
| LOCATION: | Mt. Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge, MA (map) website: mountauburn.org |
| INFORMATION: | We will first meet at the Visitor Center located on the Central Avenue just inside the main gate. We can then proceed to find locations that entice each of us. Excellent locations surround the Mary Baker Eddy Memorial Pond accessed from Fountain Avenue and bounded by Halcyon Avenue that encircles the pond. Parking is free along the various roads that are marked by a green stripe on the ground. Please consult the Mt. Auburn Cemetery’s website for additional information on parking. Bathrooms are available at the Visitor Center. Several lunch locations are close by just outside the Cemetery. The Mt. Auburn Cemetery is nationally recognized as an arboretum as well as the final resting place of many of Boston’s most significant citizens. The plantings along the way are worth the visit. The varied topography offers dramatic vistas leading to several ponds. Close and long views abound, many augmented with architectural elements. In October, the fall foliage should be exuberant, casting deep shadows across the meadows. |
| CONTACTS: | RSVP by: October 1st to: Norris Strawbridge nstrawbridge@rcn.com 617-669-3644 |
| WHEN: | 18-Oct-2023 (Wednesday), 10:00am |
| LOCATION: | Park Hill Orchard, 82 Park Hill Rd, Easthampton, MA (map) website: parkhillorchard.com |
| INFORMATION: | Artists will enjoy fall colors in the orchards, with many subjects to paint, including barns, sculptures, crops, rolling hills and beautiful vistas. Bring your own lunch—the farm stand sells hot and cold drinks and snacks. Free parking and restrooms are available. |
| CONTACTS: | E.J. Barnes, art@ejbarnes.com |
last update: 13-Aug-2023 |
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