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Thursday, May 13 - Sunday, May 23, 2010
Solomons, Maryland

The second annual Solomons Paint the Town art festival draws artist from not only the East coast but as far as Chicago to paint the beautiful sites of our community. Artists will paint Thursday through Saturday at a variety of locations throughout Solomons. Their artwork will then be submitted to be hung and judged in an art show and reception at Annmarie Garden beginning Sunday, May 16. The artwork will hang and be on sale at the gallery for a period of one week.

Artists and budding artists are also invited to participate in a Quick Draw on Saturday, May 15 at Calvert Marine Museum. Over a period of 2 hours, artists will create scenes of Solomons. After being judged, the artwork will be on display and available to purchase.

Carmen’s Gallery will be featuring the work of this year’s Plein Air judge Carolyn Egeli in a gallery show Saturday, May 15, 7 – 9 p.m. Egeli, a life long resident of Valley Lee, grew up in a family of artists. She studied at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and is a renowned portrait and landscape artist. Her children and siblings all have careers in the arts as did her parents.

The community is invited to interact with the artists while at work around Solomons, to participate in the Quick Draw at Calvert Marine Museum, to view the exhibit at Annmarie Garden beginning May 16 through May 24 and to attend the gallery show at Carmen’s Gallery on May 15.

April 16, 2010 Artist Application Deadline
(artists are emailed event information after application has been accepted.)

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE SCHEDULE

May 12, 1:00-4:00pm Artist Check-in at Annmarie Garden

May 13, 8:00am-Noon Artists Check-in at Annmarie Garden
(during check-in, all competition canvases are stamped and artists are given event information, maps, coupons, etc.)

May 13-15
All Day! Artists Painting – see map of locations (free)

All Day! Enjoy the shops, restaurants, & attractions in Solomons & along Dowell Road

Friday, May 14
5:00-6:30pm Wine tasting & live music at Back Creek Bistro (http://www.backcreekbistro.com/).

6:00-9:30pm DiGiovanni's Restaurant (http://www.digiovannisrestaurant.com) will feature
singer/guitarist, Larry Tierney.

May 15

9:00-10:00am Register for the Quick Draw (free) @ Calvert Marine Museum
(http://www.calvertmarinemuseum.com/).

10:00-Noon Children’s Mural Painting at Calvert Marine Museum by the Color & Light Society (free)

10:00am-Noon Quick Draw at the Calvert Marine Museum – Public is invited to enter this “iron artist”
competition where each contestant has 2 hrs to create a work of art. Registration to participate
will be in the museum lobby from 9 – 10:00 a.m. FREE public access to museum grounds during
Quick Draw. Exhibition Hall requires admission. Judging will take place at 1pm and then works
will be offered for sale.

Noon - 1:00pm Quick Draw works on display @ Calvert Marine Museum

1:00pm Judge Carolyn Egeli will present awards for Quick Draw. Following awards works will be available for purchase.

7:00-9:00pm Cocktail Reception at Carmen's Gallery (http://www.carmensgallery.com/) featuring
paintings by Carolyn Egeli (free)

May 16

1:00-1:30pm Awards Reception @ Annmarie Garden (www.annmariegarden.org): Judge Carolyn Egeli
will present artist awards for Solomons Paint the Town; following the awards presentation all
works will be available to purchase (free)

1:00-5:00pm Sale of plein air art @Annmarie Garden - following the Awards Presentation, artworks
created during Solomons Paint the Town will be available for purchase. Admission to the
Annmarie Garden Arts Building will be free from 1-3pm.


May 16 – May 23 (closed May 18)

All Day! Enjoy the shops, restaurants, & attractions in Solomons & along Dowell Road

10am-5pm daily Solomons Paint the Town Exhibition & Sale @ Annmarie Garden – all works created during
the festival will be on exhibit in the Arts Building at Annmarie Garden (please note the Arts
Building will be closed on May 18). Admission is free to public on May 16, 1-3pm; otherwise, a
modest admission fee applies.

May 19
9:30am-3:00pm: Paint the beauty of Annmarie Garden with artist Nancy Ellen Thompson. Learn techniques for fast color studies and sketches. A fun, laid-back class for beginners and advanced students alike on the stunning grounds of Annmarie! All materials provided-just grab your sunscreen and enjoy the day at this lovely sculpture park! Nancy is one of 39 artists taking part in Solomons Paint the Town and she is also a faculty member of the Studio School @ Annmarie Garden. Cost is $65 for Annmarie members/$75 for non-members; $10 material fee due to instructor at class; to register email studioschool@chesapeake.net or call 410-326-4640.

May 21

6:00-9:00pm Annmarie After Hours @ Annmarie Garden – an adult evening of plein air art and wine, with
live music by Joseph Norris & Catfish Joe. Enjoy complimentary appetizers courtesy of
Saphron Restaurant. The highlight of evening will be the exhibition of works from Solomons
Paint the Town; all works will be for sale with proceeds to benefit the Solomons July 4th
Fireworks and the Solomons Christmas Walk. $5/person.

May 23, 3:00-5:00pm Artist Pick Up Artwork
 

Plein Air Painting

Simply put, plein air painting is painting that takes place outdoors. The words "plein air" comes from the French term "en plein air" which translates as "n the open air." Well known artists, including Claude Monet and Pierre-August Renoir, created some of their best and most famous works in this style. Once a plein air artist has chosen a desirable outdoor location, they set up their easel and paints, and perhaps an umbrella, and then set to work. They may choose a view of trees, boats, water, animals, people, insects, rural or urban scenes - whatever captures their interest at that moment. Plein Air artists are appreciated for their exceptional use of light and in the stirring manner they are able to capture the essence of a moment in time. See map of locations.

Quick Draw at the Calvert Marine Museum - Sat., May 15, 10 a.m. - Noon

Anyone is invited to enter this exciting art competition – competitive painters, amateurs, or anyone daring enough to give it a try! Each contestant has only two hours to create their work. They may choose a location anywhere on the campus of the Calvert Marine Museum. All contestants will set up their supplies and paint, draw or sculpt “en plein air.” This is surely to be a fun and spirited event for all involved – contestants and the audience. At the end of the two hours, all works are judged and awards are presented. After judging is complete, contestants may sell their works, giving 25% to the Calvert Marine Museum Society. To register, go to the Quick Draw booth on the grounds of the museum between 9:00-10:00am on Saturday, May 15.

Artsy Activities at Annmarie Garden - Sat. & Sun., May 15-16, Noon - 4 p.m. each day

Known for a fun and inviting approach to the arts, Annmarie Garden will offer hands-on activities May 15 & 16. With a colorful backdrop of hundreds of blooming azaleas, visitors of all ages can enjoy a walk in the woods, an artsy scavenger hunt, and other engaging activities and exhibits in the Arts Building and around the park. All activities are on-going and drop-in, so registration is not required.

Awards Reception at Annmarie Garden - Sunday, May 16, 1:00am-1:30pm.

Solomons-Paint the Town will culminate on Sunday, May 17 with an Exhibition & Sale in the Arts Building at Annmarie Garden. All the plein air works will be for sale.

Exhibition & Sale at Annmarie Garden - Sunday, May 16-Sunday, May 23 (closed May 18)

The Exhibition & Sale will continue through May 23. Works will be removed from the Exhibition as they are sold and artists are welcome to replace the works sold with new works.

Annmarie After Hours – Friday, May 21, 6:00-9:00pm
This adults-only evening is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a class of wine and beautiful art. Live music and hors d’oeurves will also be available.

Solomons, Maryland

Solomons is a lovely waterfront town situated where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay.

Just over an hour drive from Washington-Baltimore metro area, Solomons is a popular destination for tourists, boaters, and regional residents.

With spectacular views, a boardwalk, interesting shops and galleries, restaurants, and an art museum and a marine museum, Solomons is a delightful place to spend the day or the weekend. To learn more visit Calvert County Visitors Guide, or Solomons Island Websites.

About the Judge

Carolyn Egeli
http://www.artistccegeli.com

Carolyn Egeli built her home and studio on the shores of Herring Creek in the Valley Lee, Maryland. When you turn down the long tree-lined lane, you feel that you are entering a very special place where art is a way of life. The quality of the light strikes one first as you make your way to the studio. The next sensation is that one is in the midst of beauty, the sustaining beauty one finds in nature to window one looks across the lawn shaded by mature trees to the headwaters of the creek, the wild shore, a dock or two jutting out, eagles of defining their territory to the osprey and blue herons gliding across the expanse of water. Then, you see the work on the walls around you, and sense clearly how Carolyn’s reverence for beauty and its relationship to light and revealed the masterfully rendered portraits, landscapes, sailing ships, and still-life studies.

Perched on an easel lit by a glow of northern light from the bank of windows, the portrait-in-progress of Cardinal Egan of New York greets you, his hand not quite formed, the eyes penetrating and for a moment you feel the animating spirit as it takes shape. A finished portrait of the formal governor Donald Schaefer hangs to one side. The studio walls are hung with several familiar Southern Maryland scenes. On one wall, crabbers pole in a skiff along creek’s edge, on another, Chesapeake Bay skipjacks race, and schooners crest the rolling sea under full sail. On yet another wall foxhounds casting for a scent lead the Master of the Hounds through the dappled light along the shore of Jutland Creek. Behind her working easels the lower walls are line with graduated stacks of current work in varying states, mostly finished and in their frames waiting to be viewed by a buyer who has scheduled a visit. On this day, much of the work is of Vermont landscapes headed for a show; among them the drama of light on drifted snow, light peeking from the distance of a shady stream, and a summer’s evening glow on the backs of cows being turned out6 across a mountain pasture. Whether gardenia or rose, a landscape at he magical moment the sun breaks through a stormy sky, or a quiet land beckoning you follow it down, what one perceives is a masterful portrait of light in all its beauty.

Carolyn Egeli was born on a snowy day in January of 1948 in an upstairs bedroom of a farmhouse built in 1857 on Glebe Farm in Valley Lee, Maryland into a family life rich with artistic sensibilities, independence, and a “can do” spirit. Her father Bjorn Egeli, noted portrait painter and marine artist and her mother, an accomplished artist as well, had bought the farm in Southern Maryland to have the opportunity to be self-sufficient. It was also true that her father eventually wanted to build another large sailboat of his own design with the timber on the farm, which he did finish when Carolyn was ten years old. Both of her parents were award-winning students of the Corcoran of Washington D.C. Carolyn’s father earned the family’s living painting hundreds of portraits of many, many of the leading lights of his generation. Carolyn is the youngest of five siblings and her four older siblings are also successful artists. So art has always been a way of life as well as a way of being for her.

Carolyn has many wonderful memories of growing up on the farm. There was little traffic and few homes then. Life was involved with farming, crabbing and oystering in the Southern Maryland.
Xmas trees were cut off of the farm and a big event would have been the County Fair or the Volunteer Fire Department Carnival. Entertainment was homemade and for Carolyn, that meant making things or drawing and coloring.

Carolyn often accompanied her father to his “sittings” from the time she was a little girl until she was a young adult. Many trips were to Washington D.C. or Wilmington, Delaware. As a child, she remembers coloring in the chambers of the Supreme Court and the office of the directors of the National Gallery, waiting for her father to finish. (He had two one man exhibits there; in 1936 and in 1958). As an adult, she traveled with him often, which was even more meaningful, because by that time, she was developing career of her own. Her father had trained her in art throughout her early development and sadly lost him in 1984. So when she traveled extensively over the years to distant cities and sometimes hauled along her own children, the life seemed natural to her.

Carolyn has enjoyed her experiences and also the sharing of her knowledge with students. It was never the focus of her creative life, but finds it extremely rewarding. Because ultimately she finds she grows at least as much as her students in the process of teaching. She taught for a number of years, but doesn’t find as much time for it now. It is a chief joy, however, so occasionally she will take on a few students or put on a workshop.

After high school, she attended Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and then began earning as living as an artist, most as a portrait artist, but also as a prolific landscape painter, right from the beginning. She has never been a “jointer” and in the tradition of her upbringing, has consistently chosen independent paths, seldom-employing galleries, agents, or being a member of any art professional groups. Yet she has developed a national and international audience throughout her lifetime and is noted as being in the top five percent in quality in the world.

In her personal life, Carolyn has three children - one son and two daughters. The oldest son, Brian Page, is a realtor and sculptor who plays music. The older daughter, Jennifer Page DiGuiseppe, is a successful performer of light opera in musical theater. The younger daughter, Laura Wigginton, is finishing her education and working in finding her creative niche in life. Carolyn also has has two grandchildren who she says are perfect. Carolyn still lives on Glebe Farm in a house her brother Bjorn James Egeli designed and built for her in 1975. It has been modified and added onto over the years to accommodate her growing needs. Things change and the rest of Glebe was sold when both parents passed away. Fortunately, the land has remained undeveloped and is a treasure of undisturbed waterfront and farmland. This has always nourished Carolyn’s spirit to live in such a beautiful place and also has seen the renewal of many a soul who has passed through her studio.