Howard County Arts Council Seeks Artists for Paint It! Ellicott City 2017

The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) is currently seeking artists to take part in 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.

This year’s paint-out will take place from July 7-9. 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 $2,000 in total awards. Community artists are invited to join the fun as part of the Open Paint-Out taking place concurrently. The weekend will also include a quick draw competition.

On July 10, 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 11.

This year’s Paint It! juror is Hai-Ou Hou, an accomplished plein air and portrait artist. Hai-Ou’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally and hangs in many museums, corporate, and private collections. She has been a Quick Draw judge for a number of local plein air competitions and has participated in dozens of plein air events as an artist.

The deadline for entries for the juried portion of Paint It! Ellicott City 2016 is April 28. Entry information is available in the Exhibit Opportunities section of the HCAC website at hocoarts.org. For more information on this and other Arts Council programs, email info@hocoarts.org, or call 410-313-2787.

Image: Artist Caroline Jasper takes part in Paint It! Ellicott City 2016 (photo by Ray Urena)