An Awesome Arboretum Day

Well once again we lucked out on our scheduled plein air day. Mother Nature has been weeping buckets the last few weeks, with hardly a day going by without rain, sometimes in monsoon-like amounts. But today, after some early morning clouds, she decided to show off her fall colors a bit and bring on the sunshine. It was a great day for painting.

About 14 FCPS members showed up for our first scheduled plein air outing of the season at the Jacksonville Arboretum, which we had last visited in February of 2013.

A lot of improvements have been made since then, including a few new cleared areas that make it easier to have a view of the lake.

The Lake Loop was the pathway most folks took as they looked for places to set up.

Some folks went down lower and closer to the water.

Others found vantage points up higher that gave great views of the lake.

The little docks along the edge of the water were fantastic places to set up, and there are far more of them than there were at our last visit.

As usual we had a picnic lunch together after the painting session.

We needed two tables, and probably even three if all of us sat down together, but some folks ate and left a bit early, or later.

After lunch we had a "show and tell" where everyone displayed their works of the morning, in various stages of completion. These photos, of course, don't begin to do the artwork justice, as they were taken at wonky angles and in bad lighting. But we hope it will give you some idea what the members of the FCPS were up to this morning.

 If you would like to go back to the Arboretum, or even make a first visit here, here is a sign about an upcoming event that sounds like a lot of fun!

Don't forget, our next meeting is Nov. 1 at the Ponte Vedra Cultural Center. We will be hosting award-winning Georgia artist Donna Biggee, who will do a still life demo for us.  Donna's work has most recently been showcased in Pastel Journal.  Don't miss the opportunity to watch her work!