Wanda Sperling works on an acrylic next to the Rich Creek Community Center.

RICH CREEK -- Wanda Sperling, 80, of Rich Creek is a plein air painter who loves being outdoors.

"I like to paint outdoors; you're close to nature and I appreciate it. I just get a good feeling when I'm outdoors," she said while out on a recent weekday morning.

Plein air is a term derived from the French phrase "en plein air," which l means "in the open air."

She was making an acrylic painting of an autumn scene next to the Rich Creek Community Center in Giles County. She spent four hours there, occasionally stepping back from her French-style easel to look at her painting.

"I like to capture the different seasons," said Sperling, a member of the Giles Art Council and the Appalachian Art Association.

Sperling also teaches art at the Giles County Senior Center in Pearisburg.

Her paintings are occasionally on display at the senior center along with work by some by her students.

The rainy day did not deter Sperling from being outdoors as she mixed colors and applied them to her canvas.

"The damp air actually helps keeps my paints from drying out," she said.