Artists both homegrown and from as far away as San Francisco, California, were featured in this year’s Paint It! Ellicott City, in hopes of earning nearly $6,000 in awards. Who did judge Hai-Ou Hou favor?
Thirty juried artists from across the country recently competed for the eye of judge Hai-Ou Hou in Ellicott City, Maryland, from July 7 through the 9th. As they drew inspiration from the old mill town’s unique architecture and quirky charm, the eighth edition of the paint-out saw many gorgeous paintings completed.
Bruno Baran and Jane Knighton both took home the $1,000 top prize for “The Fairy Store” and “Tiber Rest,” respectively. Michael Kotarba’s “Twins” won the artist an $800 First Place prize, while Raymond Ewing’s “Light Traffic” won $700 for Second Place. The $600 Third Place prize was won by Alison Leigh Menke’s “Lights Around the Bend”; Tara Will’s “Courthouse Parking” won the $500 Fourth Place award; and Debra Howard’s “Stacked Rocks on the Patapsco River” took home the $400 Fifth Place award.
Nancy Freeman’s “A River Runs Through It” and Paul Keysar’s “Work in Progress” each earned a $150 Honorable Mention.
Howard County Blossoms of Hope’s Award for Best Depiction of Nature, $250, went to Sara Kahn for “Ellicott City Community Garden — Patapsco Garden.”
Patapsco Heritage Greenway’s Best Depiction of the Patapsco River Award, $500, went to Debra Howard for “Stacked Rocks on the Patapsco River.” Patapsco Heritage Greenway’s Purchase Award went to Charles Snell for “Manor Hill Tavern.”
Awards were also presented to the Open Paint Artists:
- Howard County Tourism Director’s Choice Award, $100: Katherine Farrell, “Wiley’s Sunday”
- Howard County Arts Council Director’s Choice Award, $100: Rana Geralis, “Houses on Park Ave”
- Emerging Artist Awards, $50: Annika Marthinuss, “Around the Bend” and Madeline Dozat, “Date Night with Dad”
Paint Down Main, the popular quick-draw competition, returned for its third year on Saturday, July 8. A record 62 artists participated, taking a painting from start to finish in just two hours. Sponsored by Mat About You Gallery & Framing, the Ellicott City Partnership, Howard County Tourism & Promotion, Chesapeake Fine Arts Studio, and HorseSpirit Art Gallery, the event yielded more than $2,000 in cash and prizes. The judge selected the following artists to receive awards:
Juried artists
- 1st place: Nancy Freeman, “Greens for Lunch”
- 2nd place: Raymond Ewing, “Down Hill from Here”
- 3rd place: Stanley Agbontaen, “Somewhere Around Us”
- Honorable Mention: Dennis Young, “Reflections” and Jane Knighton, “Around the Bend.”
Open Paint Artists
- First place: Caitlin Tallie, “Down Main”
- Second place: Thomas Bucci, “25 Miles Per Hour”
- Third place: Pamela Wilde, “Firehouse Yellow”
- Honorable Mention: Lorraine Imwold, “Down Main Street” and Debbie Miller, “Ellicott City Stream”
Under 18
- Winner: Alexis Leder, “Hot Summer Day”
- Honorable Mention: Jordyn Pittman, Cara Pahucki, Jonathan Storch, Gavin Grimm, and Levi Leder
The People’s Choice Award went to Alison Leigh Menke for “Color Shade.”
“Paint It! Ellicott City 2017,” the exhibition featuring the juried artists’ work, remains on display at the Howard County Arts Council through August 11.
To learn more, visit Paint It! Ellicott City.
This article was featured in PleinAir Today, a weekly e-newsletter from PleinAir magazine. To start receiving PleinAir Today for free, click here.
