JOSH DAVIS / BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Paint Berlin 2017 winners, from left, Alison Leigh Menke (second place), Mateus Costa (first place), judge Kirk McBride, Diane Joy Laird (honorable mention, Del. Mary Beth Carozza and Christopher Best (third place) pose following an awards ceremony, last Septemer.
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor
(Aug. 16, 2018) As of late last week, 15 of 50 slots remained for the 2018 Paint Berlin plein air event, the ninth annual competition presented by the Worcester County Arts Council.
This year’s event is scheduled Sept. 19-22, and will culminate in a “wet paint” sale and exhibition on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the arts council building on 6 Jefferson Street in Berlin.
The registration deadline is Aug. 31 and the standard fee is $40. For active military personnel and college students, the fee is $20.
Arts Council Executive Director Anna Mullis said the event regularly fills up.
“It’s become pretty popular and a lot of artists are returning, so they keep looking forward to this event year after year,” she said.
Artists may paint from any location within a five-mile radius of the arts council building.
Last year, that area was expanded to also allow painting at Assateague Island, Ayers Creek and St. Martin’s Church. Mullis said painting would also be permitted in Ocean Pines this year.
“I think the artists really appreciated [the expanded area], since many of them like to be on the water,” she said. “This is such a wonderful time of the year, when you actually enjoy being outside in September.”
Awards for the competition are $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place and $100 for honorable mention, artist’s choice, board of director’s choice and the Maryland Legislator’s Award.
Bradley Hudson, University of Maryland Eastern Shore professor and coordinator of sequential arts, will judge the competition.
Additionally, a quick-draw competition will be held for the first time on Friday, Sept. 21 from 9-11 a.m. The registration fee is $15.
“There is a specific area for the artist to paint, so they will be given an area to focus on and it only will take two hours to complete the panting,” Mullis said. “They can use any medium they choose.”
Local artist Doris Glovier will judge the quick draw and the winner will take home $100.
Mateus Costa, winner of the 2017 Paint Berlin grand prize, will host a plein air workshop on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 4-6 p.m. at the Berlin library on Harrison Avenue. The fee is $75.
“We keep improving the event each year and it’s actually very smooth for us right now,” Mullis said. “In the beginning, we had to learn to coordinate everything, but now everybody really seems to enjoy it.”
Mullis thanked sponsors the Town of Berlin and the Joan W. Jenkins Foundation.
To register, visit www.worcestercountyartscouncil.org/index.php/site/article_general/paint-berlin-2018.
For more information, call 410-641-0809 or visit www.worcestercountyartscouncil.org.