Potomac — Nature in October puts on her most gorgeous display of colors — and residents of Potomac are fortunate to live in the midst of delightful weather and stunning scenery. The paintings displayed this month at the Art Gallery of Potomac reflect the beauty of the C&O Canal, Glen Echo and the Potomac Crossroads as well as the lushness of the sunsets, flowers and rural scenes of this area.

October at the Art Gallery of Potomac will feature the work of guest artist Susan Gibbs alongside the work of two resident artists, Terri Cunningham and Carol Dyer. The theme for the show is Potomac – Yesterday and Today. The show will run from Oct. 3 – 31 with the opening reception from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6.

Gibbs, a long-time Potomac resident, will feature her pastoral paintings. Gibbs attended the Schuler School of Art in Baltimore and paints in an opulent Flemish style. Her floral still-lifes are dramatic and her rich pastoral paintings display the cows and sheep in the more rural areas of Maryland and Virginia.

Both Gibbs and Cunningham are plein air painters — artists who paint on location outside — as well as good friends. They enjoy traveling across the U.S. and to Europe to attend work-shops and to paint. They have studied with some of the foremost plein air painters in the world.

“My paintings are a journal of my love of the outdoors. Landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes that are painted in the plein air tradition are more immediate in capturing the light and color on site,” said resident artist Cunningham. “This produces a spontaneous and natural look. Most of all, painting outside evokes a sense of awe and wonder that only being in nature can provide."

Cunningham will feature paintings of the local area — the C&O Canal with its blue herons and fall colors. Her images of the lock houses invoke the spirit of the canal long-ago when it was heavily traveled by barges carrying food and goods to and from Georgetown and manned by resident families who controlled the locks.

Dyer will be displaying four new paintings of the area. “Potomac Days at the Crossroads” is her vision of what the River and Falls Roads intersection was like in the early 1900s when it was named Offutt’s Crossroads. This folk-art painting is being auctioned through Oct. 20 by silent bids placed at the Art Gallery of Potomac. The winner will be announced during Potomac Days and the painting will be awarded the evening of Oct. 20 at the Potomac Arts Night.

She will also present “Family Day at Glen Echo Park” depicting the park when it was established in 1891 with its famous Dentzel Carousel, a Ferris wheel, hot air balloons, the trolley and families enjoying its wonders. “The park has been dedicated to entertaining people for over 100 years — and I wanted to capture it as it used to be,” she said.

Her “Kensington Marketplace” portrays Kensington’s Antique Row. Dyer said, “The area is full of collectables and gourmet foods.” She paints Antique Row with folks enjoying an afternoon tea at the Corner Cupboard, locating hard-to-find books at the bookstore and viewing the work of the clock-maker.

One additional painting by Dyer on display is entitled “Clyde’s Cider Mill” — a scene from Old Mystic, Conn. Established in 1881, the mill is the last steam-powered mill in the northeast area. People who visit this quaint New England village in the fall are treated to pumpkin bread and warm spiced apple cider.

The Art Gallery of Potomac’s hours are Wednesday through Sunday from noon – 4 p.m. The gallery is located behind the Verizon Store and next to Big Wheel Bikes in the Potomac Village Shopping Center.

This wine and cheese reception on Oct. 20 will also feature flower arrangements inspired by the artwork and created by the Country Gardeners, Potomac’s oldest garden club. Additionally, there will be musical performances by the Potomac Theater Company from its fall musical, “My Fair Lady.”