Howard County Arts Council Announces Guest Juror for Paint It! Ellicott City

The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) is pleased to announce that the juror for its annual plein air painting event, Paint It! Ellicott City 2016, is M. Stephen Doherty, editor of Plein Air magazine. An avid landscape painter, Doherty has exhibited his work in solo and group exhibitions, judged art exhibitions for museums and art societies, and has written a dozen art books and hundreds of magazine articles. He is currently at work on a book about plein air painting. Doherty makes his home in Waynesboro, Virginia.

HCAC is also pleased to announce the return of The Gino Award in 2016. 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 2016.

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 is sponsored by HCAC, Howard County Tourism, the Ellicott City Partnership, and the Howard County Public School System. The event will take place this year from July 7–11. 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. The weekend will also include an Ellicott City Ghost Tour & Nocturne Paint-Out as well as a ‘quick draw’ competition.

On July 11, 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 by the juror as well as a one-night exhibit of work created during the Open Paint-Out. The juried artists’ exhibit will run through August 19 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 2016 is April 29. Entry forms can be downloaded at hocoarts.org/exhibits.php. For more information on this and other Arts Council programs, email info@hocoarts.org, or call 410-313-2787.