Painters focus on unconventional topics

By Margaret Foster
Posted on November 25, 2020

The painting category of the Celebration of the Arts has the potential to elicit dramatic, unusual works, and this year was no exception. Rather than traditional landscapes or still lifes, two of the winning paintings depict industrial scenes, and the third is a busy European cityscape. First Place online pharmacy buy mobic with best prices today in the USA Ellen Yahuda Chevy Chase,... READ MORE

Ceramics artists like to ‘play in the mud’

By Margaret Foster
Posted on November 24, 2020

To make pottery or ceramic work, artists become very familiar with the concept of transformation. First they transform a gray lump of clay into a shape — which is easier said than done. Next the work gains color, or glaze. Finally, the work is dried and transformed by heat. After years of experience, the winners of this year’s Ceramics/Pottery category are accustomed to... READ MORE

Mixed media opens up many possibilities

By Catherine Brown
Posted on November 24, 2020

Creative inspiration can come from surprising places. Often, something we happen upon at a particular moment can generate a reaction in us and lead us down creative paths we might never have anticipated. The three women who won awards for the Celebration of the Arts Mixed Media category have all been artistic for much of their lives. As they’ve gotten older, they have focused more time ... READ MORE

Drawing winners have eye for fine detail

By Margaret Foster
Posted on November 24, 2020

A well accomplished drawing can leap off the page. Although Leonardo’s famous drawings of the human form are no more than ink on paper, their faces and muscles seem to have three-dimensional depth and texture. The winners of the Drawing category have a similar way with pen and paper. This year, all the winners, including the honorable mentions, are women. First Place Ruth... READ MORE

Sculptors, carvers use humble materials

By Catherine Brown
Posted on November 23, 2020

American sculptor Malvina Hoffman wrote in 1939 that “sculpture is a parable in three dimensions, a symbol of spiritual experience, and a means of conveying truth by concentrating its essence into visible form.” Whether it involves building up materials like clay or carving away stone, sculpture can tell a distinct story, memorializing a person, a moment in time, or even an... READ MORE

Jewelers work with color, beauty and joy

By Margaret Foster
Posted on November 23, 2020

Ask any of the three winners of the Stained Glass and Jewelry category why they spend hours creating intricate works, and they’ll say the same thing: Because it makes them happy. The category’s juror, Maryland art designer and instructor Jill Tannenbaum, was pleased with the three winners and eight honorable mentions. “Overall, the quality was impressive,” Tannenbaum said of all... READ MORE

Poe’s stories come alive over the radio

By Robert Friedman
Posted on November 20, 2020

Dr. Mallard leads his guests at the mental hospital to a cell, where a patient relates his sad story: “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore; while I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.” In the next 21 minutes, listeners hear the ... READ MORE

Artists bring new life to shops

By Tony Glaros
Posted on November 20, 2020

In a cozy, second-floor studio at Long Reach Village Center in Columbia, where the walls gleam with a fresh coat of white paint, artist Stacey Berger stepped back from a collage to gain perspective. She gazed at the meticulously arranged, diamond-shaped pieces of orange and blues. “I tore pages out of National Geographics buy zoloft online... READ MORE

Fresh deliveries help support local farms

By Diane York
Posted on November 19, 2020

The turning point in Mark Lilly’s life came in 2008, when the former Marine decided to take a course at the University of Richmond, where he worked. As part of the emergency management class, titled “Hazards and Threats of the Future,” Lilly had to create a 20-year projected scenario of a disaster; in his case, famine in the West in the year 2029. When he predicted a pandemic... READ MORE

Scaled-down performances start to return

By Glenda C. Booth
Posted on November 17, 2020

“Gathering to hear a story is a basic human need,” said Edgar Dobie, Arena Stage’s executive producer and president. Amid challenging pandemic protocols, gathering has been a fleeting fantasy for most, but some area theaters are re-opening with limited and re-imagined programming. The show is going on, cautiously, at several creative theaters. “Art will always find a way,” said ... READ MORE