Arts Council Announces The Gino Award for Paint It! Ellicott City Juried Work

The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) is pleased to announce The Gino Award for 2015. Named in honor of artist Gino Manelli by his son Julian Manelli, the Gino Award is a $2,000 cash prize that will be given to 1-2 artists participating in Paint It! Ellicott City 2015.

Gino Manelli (1915–2010) was an avid artist and cyclist who maintained an art studio in Ellicott City for nearly four decades. In the span of his seventy-year artistic career, Gino created landscapes, portraits, and still lifes in a broad range of media and styles. Known for his dramatic use of color and a dynamic palette knife, he interpreted the world with a mature sensibility, creating emotional, engaging artwork.

Born in 1915 in Philadelphia, Gino later moved to Italy, became a semi-pro cyclist, and used his purse winnings to pay for his art education. After returning to the United States in 1954, he opened his art studio in Ellicott City in 1972, which he admired for its picturesque setting of hills, buildings, and atmosphere. He began to teach art, sharing his love and knowledge of drawing and painting. When not at his easel he continued cycling through the challenging hills and curves of the city, often with a paint box strapped to his back. Gino passed away in 2010. His work can be found in numerous galleries in the United States and Europe.

Paint It! Ellicott City, an annual plein air paint-out sponsored by HCAC, Howard County Tourism, the Ellicott City Partnership, and the Howard County Public School System, will take place this year from July 9–12. Over the course of the weekend, juried artists will set up their easels throughout Ellicott City’s historic district and ‘paint the town’ as they vie for a minimum of $5,000 in total awards, including the $2,000 Gino Award. Community artists are invited to join the fun as part of the Open Paint-Out taking place concurrently. New to the event this year will be an Ellicott City Ghost Tour & Nocturne Paint-Out, and a quick draw competition.

The juror for Paint It! Ellicott City 2015 is artist Valerie Craig, whose past honors include Gold/Mayor’s Choice Award, Ireland’s 2013 Art in the Open; Grand Prize, 2013 American Women Online Juried Competition; Best in Show, 2011 and 2008 Wayne Plein Air Competitions; and Second Place, 2011 Plein Air Easton. Craig is known for her impressionist approach to color and light in urban and rural landscapes, intimate still life paintings, and figures within a landscape.

On July 13, HCAC will host a special reception from 6–8pm to celebrate the opening of an exhibit of the juried artists’ work at the Howard County Center for the Arts. The evening will feature the presentation of awards as well as a one-night exhibit of work created during the Open Paint-Out. The juried artists’ exhibit will run through August 21 and the Open Paint-Out artists’ work will be on display at the Howard County Welcome Center through the summer.

The deadline for entries for the juried portion of Paint It! Ellicott City 2015 is April 30. Entry forms can be downloaded at www.hocoarts.org/exhibits.php. For more information on this and other Arts Council programs, email info@hocoarts.org, or call 410-313-2787.