At last, a truly glorious day! Despite predictions of rain for most of the previous week, the day itself dawned clear and the sun was very much in evidence. We’d been planning this particular paint-out for months: a plein air event on the grounds of the Howard County Nature Conservancy, in Woodstock, in conjunction with the Conservancy’s annual Fall Fest. About 25 of us – a mix of HoCo plein air regulars and other Maryland Pastel Society members – arrived in the morning, well before the festivities started at noon, and set up all over the grounds. Some folks went out into the fields for the long distance view, while others focused on the closer motifs, like the historic farmhouse, or the rock fountain in the Honors Garden. We were serenaded by strolling musicians, bought lemonade for a dime, and could make applesauce, buy native plants, or take a hay ride if we needed a break. Several of us formed a pod of painters (a pool of painters? a pigment of painters?) in the shade of the Montjoy Barn and produced remarkably diverse paintings of the same view – it’s so much fun to see how each of us approaches the subject so differently! My version is posted here. At 3:00 we gathered at that same spot for a quick show and tell; there were at least 20 lovely paintings propped against the tall grass verge, some complete, some well begun; a couple of people had completed several small studies instead of one primary painting. We had lots of attention from the public and answered many good questions about pastel and pastel painting: all in all, a very good day!