2024 Plein Air Schedule
Cherry Blossoms — Lansdowne and Horticultural Drives, Fairmount Park– April 5, 10:00 am
The cherry blossoms in Fairmont Park can be spectacular. This has been a weird spring so we can offer no guarantees! However, there are many other things in the area — woods, sculptures, beautiful views of Shofuso, the Japanese House, without having to go in, (as well as other paint-worthy views, from inside for the admission fee).
There’s parking along Lansdowne and Horticultural Drives, by Shofuso, the Japanese House and Garden. We’ll meet there, and then it’s a short walk to the cherry trees. Please let Kathy Apfelbaum (fourbeank@aol.com) or Pat Riley (rileypat@gmail.com) know if you’re planning to come or if you have questions.
THE Hermitage — Betsy Miraglia’s place, Friday, April 19, 11:00 am
Betsy Miraglia has graciously offered to let us paint at her home at The Hermitage in Bryn Mawr. This beautiful site offers woods, a gazebo, a pond, and gardens. Please note the later starting time — 11 am. We’ll paint for a while and then have lunch on her back patio. Don’t forget to pack your lunch!
It is important to RSVP to Kathy Apfelbaum (fourbeank@aol.com) or Pat Riley (rileypat@gmail.com). We ab
Valley Forge National Park, General Knox Quarters — Saturday, May, 4 10:00 am
Route 252, in the Southwest corner of the park.
The first of our Saturday Paint Outs! There’s a large parking lot near General Knox’s quarters in the southwest corner of Valley Forge, and it’s a short walk over to the buildings, the stream and fields. (These pictures were taken in January. Imagine what the area will look like in May!) The covered bridge is also within walking distance. Lots to paint here. Please let us know if you’re coming. Pat Riley, rileypat@gmail.com or Kathy Apfelbaum, fourbeank@aol.com
Chanticleer Gardens — May 17 10:00 am
$15 entry fee, $8 with Radner library card, free with membership
With a wealth of things to paint, Chanticleer Gardens is a wonderful place to spend the day. We can set up anywhere on the lawns or terraces, but be sure to allow adequate space for movement around you. Please stay with your equipment and use care in cleaning your equipment. Please take out what you bring in, and leave the garden and rest rooms as you found them and respect the wishes of the gardeners and other guests. |
The gates do not open before 10:00 so please don’t arrive early and block the street. You will need parking reservations. Go to chanticleergarden.org and click on “visitors information and parking” to make a free reservation. There are picnic areas, so bring lunch if you’d like. |
Brandywine Park, 1001 N Park Drive, Wilmington DE — Saturday, June 1
Brandywine Park is located off of 95 south exit 8, in Wilmington, Delaware, about 18 miles south of Media, PA. Painting subjects include several bridges, monuments, a fountain, and a waterfall, all connected by paved paths. The zoo is nearby as well, and porta potties are located under the Van Buren bridge by the parking area. There’s also a picnic area so you can bring your lunch. Thanks to Paula Brown who lives in Wilmington and paints in the park, for these directions, (and a good recommendation for lunch if you don’t bring it!) Take 95 South and exit to Concord Pike, Exit 8…stay left to go to 202 S Concord Ave at exit. Turn left onto Concord Pike 202…merge to the right, go under the rail bridge (stop light before), go straight through another stop light (Kreston Liquors on the right)…at next light turn right onto Baynard Blvd (Castle Condos on the corner…go past Scout Café on the right (great coffee and café for lunch!) …go down to 18th Ave (start of park across street with statues), turn right…go down a couple of blocks, turn left at Van Buren Street into the park, and go down a steep cobblestone hill / road. You will see Brandywine Zoo on the left just before bottom of hill…stay to left and turn left onto main road (parking lot is on your right side)…go about ¼ of a mile and turn right into the parking lot…park down by fountain area. Parking is flanked by the fountain grounds and the river. Please let Pat Riley (rileypat@gmail.com) or Kathy Apfelbaum (fourbeank@aol.com) know if you are coming so we have a sense of who will be there. |
2023 Plein Air Schedule
April 12 — Wednesday — Dalton Tulip Farms (raindate Friday, April 14)
660 Oak Grove Road, Swedesboro, NJ 08085 Tickets are $12 plus tax and fees online or $16 walk up gate admission if tickets are still available. Tickets are non refundable, and the farm is open rain or shine. I suggest waiting til Tuesday so you can check out the weather before buying tickets. Meet in parking lot at 9:45am Bring a lunch if you want. More information can be found on their website daltonfarmsnj@gmail.comPlease let Kathy (fourbeank@aol.com) or Pat (rileypat@gmail.com) know if you’re planning to come.
April 26 — Wednesday — Steinmetz Goat Farm
660 Oak Grove Road, Swedesboro, NJ 08085 Tickets are $12 plus tax and fees online or $16 walk up gate admission if tickets are still available. Tickets are non refundable, and the farm is open rain or shine. I suggest waiting til Tuesday so you can check out the weather before buying tickets. Meet in parking lot at 9:45am Bring a lunch if you want. More information can be found on their website daltonfarmsnj.com Please let Kathy (fourbeank@aol.com) or Pat (rileypat@gmail.com) know if you’re planning to come.
May 10 — Wednesday — Linvilla Orchards (raindate Friday, May 12)
137 Knowlton Road, Media PA 19063 10AM-1PM Lots of wonderful things to paint here. Not only flowers and vegetables, but animals in the back and a duck pond.Please let Kathy (fourbeank@aol.com) or Pat (rileypat@gmail.com) know if you’re planning to come.
May 24 — Wednesday — Drexel Lodge Park
4140 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square. 10 AM Nature or old trains to paint! Railroad museum, 2 ponds, stream, and woods. Bathrooms available.Please let Kathy (fourbeank@aol.com) or Pat (rileypat@gmail.com) know if you’re planning to come.
June 14 — Wednesday — Ocean City, NJ at Kathy’s house
4726 West Avenue, 2nd Floor, Ocean City, NJ 9:30AM-4PM Lunch will be provided. Paint the wetlands or the ocean.Please let Kathy (fourbeank@aol.com) know if you’re planning to come.
June 28 — Wednesday — Chanticleer (raindate June 30)
786 Church Road, Wayne PA 19087 10:00-1PM Parking reservation required. For details, see their website, www.chanticleergarden.org Adults $12, or Radnor Library Cardholders $6.Artists are asked not to block pathways. There are picnic areas, so bring lunch!Please let Kathy (fourbeank@aol.com) or Pat (rileypat@gmail.com) know if you’re planning to come.
July 15 — Saturday — Blanche Torphy property
Who needs Chanticleer when we have Blanche? Our president, Blanche Levitt Torphy and her husband Ted have an absolutely gorgeous backyard. Ted is an incredible gardener, and their yard is filled with beautiful plants, different environments, and interesting views and corners. We will have the whole backyard in which to paint. Choose some phlox by the back of the garage, or tall grasses near the bird feeder, or a bright orange hibiscus in a grouping of blue pots, or the treehouse out front, or…
August 19 — Saturday — Brandywine Park
A Saturday Plein Air! Brandywine Park is located off of 95 south exit 7B. It’s about 35 to 45 minutes south of Bryn Mawr. Painting subjects include several bridges, monuments, a fountain, and the waterfall, all connected by paved paths. The zoo is nearby as well. Porta pottys are located under the Van Buren bridge by the parking area. And there’s a picnic area so you can bring your lunch. Please let Pat Riley (rileypat@gmail.com) or Kathy Apfelbaum (fourbeank@aol.com) know if you are coming so we have a sense of who will be there.
October 4 — Dalton Tulip Farm for Sunflowers
660 Oak Grove Road, Swedesboro, NJ 08085 Tickets are $12 plus tax and fees online or $16 walk up gate admission if tickets are still available. Tickets are non refundable, and the farm is open rain or shine. I suggest waiting til Tuesday so you can check out the weather before buying tickets. Meet in parking lot at 9:45am Bring a lunch if you want. More information can be found on their website daltonfarmsnj@gmail.comPlease let Kathy (fourbeank@aol.com) or Pat (rileypat@gmail.com) know if you’re planning to come.
October 22 — End of Year Plein Air Exhibit and Celebration
Revisit our 2022 Plein Air Schedule below
Wednesday, April 6. Shofuso Japanese Gardens, Philadelphia. We will paint the cherry blossoms either at the Shofuso Japanese Gardens in Fairmont Park or at Boathouse Row, Philadelphia. There is a fee to enter Shofuso, well worth it for a visit to such a beautiful spring display. Watch for emails and information on our website.
Rain date is Thursday, April 7
Wednesday, April 13. New Jersey Tulip Fields. Dalton Farms, Swedesboro, NJ The exact dates for tulip blooms are dependent on nature. However, our best estimate as to when we will have beautiful tulip fields to paint is April 13. Rain date: Thursday, April 14
Admission fee to Dalton Farms is about $14.
Wednesday, May 4. Jenkins Arboretum, Devon, PA 9:30 am. Jenkins is a beautiful public garden and art gallery, a favorite place to paint int he spring. We are projecting that azaleas and dogwoods may be in bloom in early May. Access to the gardens is free, but donations are encouraged.
Rain date: Thursday, May 5
Wednesday, May 18. Valley Forge National Park, King of Prussia, PA 9:30 am. We will paint at Knox’s headquarters off Route 252 in the southwest corner of the park. There is a stream, a footbridge, old stone buildings, a barn, and open fields. Much to inspire your painting!
Rain date: Thursday, May 19
Wednesday, June 1. Kathy Apfelbaums house in Ocean City, NJ The plan is to paint once again at Kathy’s place down at the shore. Details will be posted soon.
Thursday, June 16. Peace Valley Lavender Farm, Doylestown, PA Beautiful fields of lavender await us for this outing. Although the farm is small, there are many great views. Someone will be available to open the gates for the farm around 9:15. We are asked to try and carpool as the parking lot is not large. Please let either Kathy Apfelbaum fourbeank@aol.com or Pat Riley rileypat@gmail.com know if you’re planning to go.
Audubon Center, July 7. 1201 Pawlings Road, Audubon, PA , 9:30 am Open fields, woods, a stream, Audubon’s house from the early1800’s and other farm buildings all offer wonderful subjects for plein air painting. Walking and painting on the grounds is free, as is access to bathrooms in the modern visitors’ center near the large parking lot. However, there is a charge to view the interesting displays inside about Audubon himself, his painting techniques and the local plants and animals. Again, it’s helpful for us to have a sense of who’s coming. Please contact Pat Riley at rileypat@gmail.com .
July 20. Chanticleer Gardens, 786 Church Road, Wayne, PA 10:00 am Chanticleer offers beautiful vistas, carefully tended gardens, ponds with koi and waterlilies, and planned walks through the woods. We are free to paint where ever, but the staff asks that we make sure we don’t block the paths and walkways. Admission is $12 except if you have a Radnor library card, when it is $6, or if you are a member. At the minute, you must make a reservation to park, (no charge for parking) although this policy may change as the summer progresses. Again, we suggest trying to carpool as much as possible. And, it’s helpful for us to have a sense of who’s coming. Please contact Pat Riley at rileypat@gmail.com or Kathy Apfelbaum fourbeank@aol
Wednesday, August 17. Sugartown Strawberries Farm, 650 Sugartown Road, Malvern, PA 19355, 9:30 am Sugartown Strawberries is a wonderful farm stand with lots of produce, fields of sunflowers, not-yet-ripe pumpkins, and a variety of habitats certified as a wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. There should be lots of interesting subjects for painting. The farm stand officially opens at 10, but we can arrive after 9:30 to start setting up.
Please note:Their Sugartown Rd. is not the same as the Sugartown Road in Devon/Berwyn. Maps or Waze will direct you to the correct location. There are also directions on their website, sugartownstrawberries.com Please let Kathy at fourbeank@aol.com or Pat at rileypat@gmail.com know if you are coming.
Wednesday, August 31. Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden. 1829 East County Line Road, Villanova, PA 19085, 10:00 am With stately old trees, well-tended gardens and a pergola, open meadows, and even a bog garden filled with insect-eating plants, Stoneleigh offers vistas for everyone and lots of shade. (Although, I’m hoping it will be a bit cooler because I want to paint the pitcher plants!) Stoneleigh opens at 10, and as always of course, we won’t block the paths! Let Pat know if you’re coming, rileypat@gmail.com
Saturday, September 17. Skunk Hollow Park, 600 Darby-Paoli Road, Villanova, PA, 9:00 am. We will meet at the south end of Skunk Hollow Park. (The Willows is at the north end) A quiet stream runs through this section with places to paint at the water’s edge. Or perhaps you might want to paint at the corner of Darby-Paoli Road and Sawmill Rd. if the Ardrossan Black Angus Cattle will cooperate and graze near there!
Heading South on Darby-Paoli Road turn right on Sawmill Road. (It’s a small road.) Go over a small one lane bridge and the area where we’re meeting is on the left. There’s some parking on Saw Mill or make a left on Earles Rd. and there’s some parking there. There’s also some parking at the corner of Darby-Paoli Rd. and Saw Mill, and it’s just a short walk up to the turn for Earles.As always it’s helpful for us to have a sense of who’s coming. Pat Riley, rileypat@gmail.com or Kathy Apfelbaum, fourbeank@aol.com |
Thursday, September 29. Laurel Hill Mansion, 3487 Edgley Drive, East Fairmont Park, Philadelphia, 9:15 am A beautiful 18th century mansion within Fairmont Park with landscaped grounds, views of the Schuylkill River and beyond!
Saturday, October 15. Plein Air End-of-Season Show and Celebration, The Veterans Pavillion at East Goshen Park, West Chester, PA Again this year we will have a celebration and outdoor show to conclude our plein air season. Everyone who participated in any of the plein events is invited to show your work, and everyone else — all PPS members, friends and family — is invited to come and enjoy the show and festivities.
As in years past, this is an opportunity to showcase the work we’ve done or started en plein air. Nothing need be framed and pieces started en plein air can be finished in the studio. BUT please, do not bring work that has nothing to do with our plein air season.
Mount your favorite paintings from the plein air meetups (They can have been finished in your studio) with white tape on a foam board, and PLEASE label them with your name, the name of painting and the price if you wish to sell. You must also bring an easel to set the foam board on for display.
What’s special this year is that we will be joining with the East Goshen Arts in the Park celebration. There will be live music, food trucks, and lots people! And hopefully some sales of our artwork!