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Thursday, July 12, 2018

Plein-Air Painters of Princeton, with Heather Barros, on view at D&R Greenway through July 25

Plein-Air Painters of Princeton

WHEN: on view through July 25. Gallery hours Monday-Friday 9:30 to 5 p.m. Call 609-924-4646 to be sure gallery not rented at time of visit.
WHERE:
D&R Greenway Land Trust’s Evelyne V. Johnson Gallery, Preservation Place, Princeton.
www.drgreenway.org

What does Princeton have in common with Giverny? Its own corps of plein-air painters actively immortalizing natural scenes in and around the town. D&R Greenway Land Trust’s Evelyne V. Johnson Gallery shimmers with plein-air art just completed. Heather Barros and friends take themselves to unique nature sites, such as Grounds For Sculpture, Prospect Gardens and the fishing bridge on Carnegie Lake to capture momentary beauty. Selected artists are Helene Mazur, Lucia Stout, Jordan Spector and Heather Barros.

All Plein-Air Painters of Princeton art is for sale—a percentage supports D&R Greenway’s preservation and stewardship mission.

Heather Barros D&R Greenway Garden framed

For more than 25 years, Heather Barros has taught art to children and adults through her school, Art Collaborations, inspiring hundreds to find and hone their creative centers, whether through puppet theater, yoga or enjoying the natural world with her group of plein-air painters. What she likes best about teaching is what she learns from students. Indoor classes take place on the campus of Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, 1128 The Great Road, Princeton. http://artcollaborations.net/

BHelene Mazur Fishing on Carnegie Lakearros may paint from Greenway Meadows Park (above) in Princeton, or create an imaginary path through a foggy field. “When you paint en plein air, you stand in the same place for a long time... long enough to meet people,” says Barros. “It’s fun to see mothers picnicking with their children, and teenagers  meeting for a tryst.”

Sometimes Barros works from photos, sometimes from life, and sometimes from her imagination. “If you do all three, you get better at all three,” she says. “Painting from memory, you understand what’s important and it helps to simplify.” (Above left: Helene Mazur, Fishing on Carnegie Lake)

See Princeton scenes as they might have inspired Monet, Daubigny, Sisley, Pissarro and company, in the 1900 barn that houses D&R Greenway Land Trust.