Our annual plein air paint-out culminated in a reception on July 9 celebrating the opening of our Paint It! juried exhibition. A highlight of the evening was the presentation of more than $6,000 in awards to the artists.
Juror Bennett Vadnais presented the top two prizes, the $1,000 Gino Awards named in honor of Ellicott City artist Gino Manelli (1915–2010), to Tara Will for Downtown View and Alex Wissel for A Slight Detour.
Juror awards also went to:
- 1st place, $800: Thomas Bucci, Power of Water
- 2nd place, $700: Greg Foertsch, Mount Ida
- 3rd place, $600: Ronaldo Dorado, Recovery
- 4th place, $500: Kyle Buckland, The Shrine of St. Anthony
- 5th place, $400: Erin Pryor Gill, Hill House
- 6th place, $200: Debra Moffit, Sacred Spot
- Honorable Mention, $150: Rana Geralis, Main Street E.C. & Kathleen Gray Farthing, Shrine of St. Anthony
Patapsco Heritage Greenway’s Best Depiction of the Patapsco River Award ($500) and Purchase Award went to Kathleen Gray Farthing for River Play.
Howard County Blossoms of Hope’s Award for Best Depiction of Nature, $250, went to Ann Crostic for Looking Upward.
Awards were also presented to the Open Paint Artists:
- Howard County Tourism Director’s Choice Award, $150: Jane Knighton, Garden of Honor
- Howard County Arts Council Director’s Choice Award, $150: Andrew Warren, July Farm
- Open Paint Honorable Mention, $55: Joan Lee, Firehouse Museum
We’d like to thank all of the artists who participated in this year’s paint-out. It’s always a treat to see your wonderful depictions of Ellicott City and we’re thrilled that this year’s expanded painting boundaries allowed you to show us some of our community’s lesser known scenic gems.
We’d also like to thank our award sponsors: the Manelli family, Howard County Tourism, Blossoms of Hope, and Patapsco Heritage Greenway, as well as all of the venues who welcomed Paint It! artists for the first time, including Clark’s Elioak Farm, Hebron House, the Shrine of St. Anthony, and Turf Valley Resort.
Paint It! Ellicott City 2018 will be on view through August 17, so don’t miss it! Sales from the benefit wall will help support our Re-Create: Ellicott City Artist Relief Fund. It’s not too late to support EC artists with the purchase of a favorite Ellicott City scene!