There’s something about having four seasons that makes spring and summer more precious.
Being outdoors is what June is all about, and when it arrives, all things open up to their full glory: flowers, back doors, sails and motorboats, and convertibles that make those of us driving a hardtop envious this time of year.
Outdoor fairs and bistro seating open up the streets, where shoes give way to flip-flops, iced coffees dominate the cafés and ice creams parlors have lines all day long. The kickoff to this welcome summer celebration is Annapolis Art Week, with MFA’s Paint Annapolis as the starring attraction and multiple events throughout the city.
The impressive events and exhibits this month prove that Annapolis is a mini-mecca when it comes to the variety and quality of art. Summer is here!
MFA’s weeklong plein air competition, “Paint Annapolis”, begins today with events running through June 9. Now an exciting Annapolis tradition, it sends some of the best plein air painters from around the world – United States, Ireland, Nigeria, and Canada – out into our community for all to see.
Rather than watching a demonstration devised just for the observer, these painters are in their zone, painting for real, and what a gift to be able to observe the truth in action. Events (visit MFA website or contact Circle Gallery for details):
“Dueling Brushes” – open to the public takes place today; check-in at Circle Gallery by 9 a.m., paint in Historic Annapolis and display work at 12:30 at Susan B. Campbell Park
“Paint by the Bay” reception, open to the public, features work of the Chesapeake by the juried artists. 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Annapolis Maritime Museum
“Nocturne” – open to the public, check-in from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Circle Gallery and paint during Dinner Under the Stars, Wednesday.
“Art on the Avenue” – open to the public, check in by 10 a.m. Thursday; paintings displayed on Maryland Avenue during the Block Party from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday
“Collector’s Reception” – ticketed event (purchase through Circle Gallery), 6:30 to 9 p.m. Circle Gallery.
Public Exhibitions: Work will be on view and open to the public 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
“Mimosas and Muffins” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 9, will accompany the final day of viewing, which will close at 4 p.m. June 9.
MFA launches a new partnership with Soul Restaurant on Forest Drive, with the inaugural exhibit featuring artwork by local abstract artist Patrice Drago, me.
Get ready to see abstract pieces augmented with bold colors while enjoying Soul’s tasty Southern cuisine. On display now through June 30, join her for a meet-the-artist reception and lively art discussion from 5 to 6:30 p.m. June 11.
West Annapolis Artworks is pleased to be hosting “Plein Air Maryland Style”.??In conjunction with “Paint Annapolis,” West Annapolis Artworks is showcasing artwork from previous plein air events. Work by these talented, juried artists will be on display starting today through the summer.
Stop by during Art Week to see Maryland in Plein Air Style, and join them for a Patio Party 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 13.
MFA’s Circle Gallery opens “Eye of the Beholder” June 20 through July 20.The art of found object comes to life in this, exhibition that showcases the works of fine art constructed out of one or more found objects.
Ordinary items are turned into extraordinary creations. Katie Dell Kaufman of the Corcoran College of Art and Design will jury the show. Opening Reception, 3 to 5 p.m. June 23.
McBride Gallery presents “Impressionism, Tonalism and Perceptualism” opening June 23 and running to July 28. This exhibit will explore the differences and connections between these terms, historically and today, with the assistance of the artists who will discuss them briefly at the opening reception.
Perceptualism is the new term, with contemporary?artists self-subscribing to variations of this definition of their techniques and philosophies. Participating artists include: Mark Beale, John Ebersberger, Cynthia Feustel, Abigail McBride, Murray Moldofsky, Bill Schmidt, Carol Lee Thompson, Sarah Wardell and more.
The public is invited to meet the artists from 1 to 4 p.m. June 23, and to listen and participate in the discussion “Three Methods of Seeing and Creating” at 2 p.m. June 23.
Paul’s Homewood Café presents “A Kaleidoscope of Photography and Watercolor Paintings by Dilian Deal and Addison Likins.” These two talented MFA member artists will combine watercolor and photography to make a show that blends scenes from all over the globe. The exhibit runs through June and July with an artist reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. June 25.
Gallery 90 presents the MFA exhibit “Reflections”, on display through July 1. In this collaboration with Hospice of the Chesapeake, artists Kate Stillwell, Richard Niewerth, Maggie O’Leary, Wil Scott, and Angela Petruncio have their art on display for the residents to enjoy at Gallery 90. The displayed art highlights each artist’s strengths in their preferred mediums.
Maryland Hall continues its current exhibitions. Exhibits in Chaney and Martino Galleries run through June 22:
Chaney Gallery: “Navigation”, in partnership with the Maryland Federation of Art, this exhibition and coincides with Annapolis’ citywide spring Maritime celebration.? Works in this exhibit are maritime-themed or relate to the Chesapeake Bay, juried by local historian, Jim Cheevers of the US Naval Academy Museum.
Martino Gallery: “Making an Impression: Etchings from the Anne Arundel Community College Print Shop”.? Long-time Anne Arundel Community College students are showcased alongside renowned teacher and printmaker,?Jake Muirhead, in an exhibit that highlights the collegial spirit that guides and motivates?this collective of local intaglio enthusiasts.
The Openshaw Balcony Gallery continues its 8th?annual juried maritime show,?”Weather on the Water”, through August 15. This exhibit highlights each artist’s exploration of the conceptual and literal interpretations of the beauty and drama of both sea and?skyscapes of the Chesapeake Bay.
Currently on view at The Mitchell Gallery, St. John’s?College, is the?biennial “Image & Imagination: Anne Arundel County Juried Exhibition 2019.” Juried by Georgetown University Art Collection Curator LuLen Walker, 85 artists with works in all media were chosen with subjects in landscapes, abstraction,?still life, and figurative works.
Sally Wern Comport’s?illustration?”Harriet Tubman, Song of Freedom”,?an illustration giving homage to Tubman’s work with the Underground Railroad,?won Best in Show. The?digital print for Best Two-Dimensional prize was awarded to?John T. Hanou for?”Starry Night.”
Best Three-Dimensional prize was awarded to sculptor Eddie Lavin for his Italian marble sculpture,?”De Divina Proportione,” ?a work?reminiscent of the styles of Raphael and Michelangelo.?The exhibition remains on view through June 9.
The Galleries at Quiet Waters Park exhibits “Natural Beauty,” oil paintings by three award-winning and nationally collected plein air artists.
Meg Nottingham Walsh is known for her paintings drenched in light and bold abstract qualities. ?Lynn Mehta is recognized for her loose impressionist work with rich color and thick impasto paint.
David Diaz is acknowledged for his impressionistic realism composed with bold strokes and subtle color shifts. To complement the exhibition, members of the?Garden Club, founded in 1971, will have on display interpretive flower arrangements of specific paintings. The exhibit will be on view through July 7.
To celebrate their move to a new location in the Design District and larger space, Art Farm is showcasing the works of four modern Annapolis area artists through June 21. Works by Jeff Huntington, Charles Lawrance, Joseph Karr and Christine Laubach will be featured. Limited viewing hours throughout the month, open during events.
Jo Fleming Contemporary Art? is moving! Just a short hop up the street to 68 Maryland Ave., where she is proud to exhibit the striking, garden themed digital imagery of western Maryland artist Lisa Sheirer through July 31.
While touring Annapolis’ Secret Gardens in June, stop by and enjoy Sheirer’s modern graphic floral visions.? Reception will be in July. Stop by to see the new space!
Benfield Gallery welcomes the annual “David Lawton?Influence Show” from Saturday to July 20.
David Lawton has been and continues to be an influential figure for the arts in Anne Arundel County. He has studied here and abroad with some of today’s finest artists. He has worked in several mediums over the years, and he currently focuses on oils and soft pastels.
His teaching has inspired students across multiple genres, many continuing on to careers in the arts.?Thirty-three former and current students of Lawton?have over 40 current works of art in oil, acrylic, pastel, watercolor and ink on display. ?Will Williams is the awards juror, and there is also an opportunity for you to vote for the People’s Choice Award.
Main St. Gallery’s June exhibit features artists Sue Foell, OPA and William Wright.? Open now, stop by during Annapolis Arts Week to see new works by these talented artists. The show runs through June 23.
The?Annapolis?Marine?Art?Gallery is pleased to extend “The Annapolis?Invitational Marine Art Exhibition”, featuring members of the American Society of Marine Artists. Baltimore artist Patrick O’Brien is one of the featured artists.
Baywoods of Annapolis presents work by artist Nancy Lee Galloway. Inspired by a life filled with travel and diversity, her interests fuel the energy of her imagination, leading her to paint numerous subjects, challenging herself with her preferred medium of watercolor. The show runs through June 30.
