Jacalyn Beam paints the beautiful Brandywine Valley where she was born and now permanently resides. Like the Pennsylvania Impressionists of the 19th and 20th centuries who had strong links to the local landscape, Jacalyn typically paints scenes within a few miles of home. Her paintings show the feel, look, and flavor for the area in which she lives. There is much in the Brandywine Valley to capture one's attention - historic homes and barns, lush landscapes, assorted animals, and curving creeks. The area is especially beautiful in the winter because the intimacies of the land are in full view. At night, you can see the warm glow of candles or period lighting in the historic homes that dot the landscape. It's reminiscent of a Sotter scene from the 1800s. Jacalyn holds a B.S. in Music, M.Ed. and Ed.D. and has always had a passion for painting. The Wyeths, Sorolla, Sargent, Sotter, Redfield, and Benson are a few of her favorite artists. Her introduction to plein air painting was in 2009 at the Winter Plein Air Event sponsored by the Chaddsford Historical Society. Since that time, Jacalyn prefers to paint plein air alla prima or finishing in one setting, and has participated in numerous juried shows in the mid-Atlantic region. She loves painting outdoors anytime of day, in any weather, and has a particular interest for snow scenes and nocturnes. I paint outdoors because the world is rich with visual and aural beauty and it's the optimal way to see three dimensional objects, the subtleties of light and shadows, atmospheric perspective, and real colors. Plein air painting is also a lot fun! You meet new friends - animal and human, have fleeting conversations with bicyclists and joggers, and experience the sounds and smells of the outdoors. Jacalyn is an active member of the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painting Association where she serves on the Board of Directors. She is also an elected member of the Board of Directors at the Chaddsford Historical Society where she chairs the annual Winter Plein Air Event. At the national level, Dr. Beam was selected to serve on the National Standards Committee for the Performing Arts whose charge is crafting performance tasks that will inform education practice. At the district level, she was elected to serve on the District Arts Council whose purpose is to improve educational delivery systems in the performing arts. Jacalyn is represented by the Chaddsford Gallery in Chaddsford PA, the Bucks County Gallery, New Hope PA, Strode's Mill Gallery in West Chester, PA, and the Station Gallery in Greenville DE. You can contact Jacalyn and see her work at: www.jacalynbeam.com