“FISHING ON CARNEGIE LAKE”: This painting by Helene Mazur is featured in “Plein-Air Painters of Princeton,” on view through July 25 at D&R Greenway Land Trust’s Evelyne V. Johnson Gallery at 1 Preservation Place in Princeton.

What does Princeton have in common with Giverny? Its own corps of plein-air painters actively immortalizing natural scenes in and around the town. D&R Greenway Land Trust’s Evelyne V. Johnson Gallery shimmers with plein-air art just completed, on view through July 25.

Heather Barros and friends take themselves to unique nature sites, such as Grounds For Sculpture, Prospect Gardens, and the fishing bridge on Carnegie Lake to capture momentary beauty. Selected artists are Helene Mazur, Lucia Stout, Jordan Spector, and Heather Barros. All “Plein-Air Painters of Princeton” art is for sale, with a percentage supporting D&R Greenway’s preservation and stewardship mission.

For more than 25 years, Heather Barros has taught art to children and adults through her school, Art Collaborations, which aims to inspire students to find and hone their creative centers, whether through puppet theater, yoga, or enjoying the natural world with her group of plein-air painters. She has said that what she likes best about teaching is what she learns from students. Indoor classes take place on the campus of Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, 1128 The Great Road, Princeton. http://artcollaborations.net.

Barros may paint from Greenway Meadows Park in Princeton, or create an imaginary path through a foggy field. “When you paint en plein air, you stand in the same place for a long time … long enough to meet people,” says Barros. “It’s fun to see mothers picnicking with their children, and teenagers meeting for a tryst.”

Sometimes Barros works from photos, sometimes from life, and sometimes from her imagination. “If you do all three, you get better at all three,” she says. “Painting from memory, you understand what’s important and it helps to simplify.”

D&R Greenway Land Trust is at 1 Preservation Place, Princeton. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (609) 924-4646 or visit the website at www.drgreenway.org.