Last year it was beastly hot. This year, participants in Paint It! Ellicott City, a plein air event in Ellicott City, Maryland, were spared the roaster but ran into another challenge.
Janice Kirsh works on a painting of the iconic Ellicott City railroad bridge.
Rain. “It failed to deter our painters, however, who turned out anyway with their ponchos, umbrellas, and galoshes,” says Pam Perna of the Howard County Arts Council. In fact, 33 non-juried painters joined the 25 artists juried into the event to double the size of the festivities, which were held July 12 through 14.
Olga Bolgar at work on Main Street
Mark Karnes, professor of painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art, served as the juror, presenting Juror’s Choice awards to Bruno Baran, Joanna Barnum, Mark Coates, Catherine Hillis, Greg Johannesen, Janice Kirsh, Alison Menke, Duane Sabiston, Steve Stannard, and Lida Stifel. The awards were bestowed at the opening reception of the event’s exhibition, which was held July 15 at the Howard County Center for the Arts.
