Numerous Artists Honored For Work During Paint It! Ellicott City 2025 Event

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Artists from around the region gathered in Ellicott City June 5-8 for Paint It! Ellicott City 2025, an annual plein air painting event. Numerous artists received awards for their work.

Artists set up their easels throughout Ellicott City’s historic district to capture scenes of the mill town and its unique charms while also competing for cash prizes.

The Arts Council hosted a public reception on June 9 featuring the opening of an exhibit showcasing the work of 28 juried artists and the presentation of more than $4,600 in awards.

Juror Crystal Moll presented two Gino Awards, $1,000 each, which are sponsored by the Manelli Family and named in honor of Ellicott City artist Gino Manelli (1915-2010). The awards were presented this year to Dana Enders for Lean on Me and Oleg Shvets for History in Light.

Juror awards also went to:

• 2nd place, $750: Zhaobo Li, Red Umbrella
• 3rd place, $500: Ann Crostic, Morning Has Broken
• 4th place, $400: Andree Tullier, Waiting For Breezes
• 5th place, $300: Mark Hiles, From the River to Main St
• 6th place, $250: Nancy Freeman, Sun Steps

Honorable mention awards valued at $100 each went to Kathleen Kotarba, Quiet Refuge; Michael Kotarba, Eastbound View; Zhaobo Li, Rain; Therese Spadaro, Welcome to Ellicott City

The following awards were presented through the support of the Arts Council’s Paint It! Ellicott City partners:

• AARP Maryland’s AARP Award, $750: Oleg Shvets, Two Bridges
• Howard County Historical Society’s Best Depiction of a Historical Site Award, $500: Mark Hiles, After the Rain Stops
• Patapsco Heritage Greenway’s Best Depiction of the Patapsco Award, $500: Susan Benigni-Landis, Swinging Bridge Stroll @ Patapsco Park
• Blossoms of Hope’s Best Depiction of Nature Award, $250: Ann Crostic, The Pastor's House
• Howard County Historical Society’s Honorable Mention, $250: Andree Tullier, Patapsco Female Institute
• Ellicott City Partnership’s Best Depiction of Main Street Award, $250: Tammy Leffler, Stopping Along Main Street
• The Carole Zink Award, $100: Dana Enders, Bridge to History

The Paint It! Ellicott City 2025 exhibit is on display in Gallery I at the Howard County Center for the Arts through Aug, 2. Also on display in Gallery II is No Boundaries: Unrestricted Artistry, the annual exhibit in partnership with Howard County Recreation and Parks featuring work by youth and adult artists with development disabilities.