The 2022 Paint the Town Award Winners!

It was my distinct and unique honor to serve as the 2022 Paint the Town juror for the Montgomery Art Association, which together with the town of Kensington, Maryland stages this annual visual art exhibition and competition each year in beautiful Kensington, just outside of the District.

This was a very difficult show to juror - both the open exhibition at the Kensington Armory and the plein air competition which took place yesterday all over this beautiful Maryland town outside nearby Washington, DC.  Below are the award winners selected by me - congratulations to all of them... it was a really difficult competition!

Let me repeat myself: as all great shows are, this was an immensely difficult show to judge, which is a good thing! The quality of entries was uniformly superior in almost every category, and the difference between first, second, third, and even some honorable mentions was minimal. The Portrait category in particular was tough to judge as there were so many really outstanding entries. And I was especially surprised by the Kensington category – there was not a single bad entry! As always, I am honored to be able to judge and comment on work of my fellow artists.

Kensington Category

1st Place & Best in Show (Bertha Clum Award): Historia Est Magistra Vitae by Dora Patin

Historia Est Magistra Vitae by Dora Patin

2nd Place: The Hard Work by Paula Zeller

3rd Place: Early Morning on the MARC by Barbara Mandel

Honorable Mentions: Light Remains by Virginia Browning; At the Station by Susan Fitch Brown; Cedar Lane, 3 am by David Sommers

Landscape Category

1st Place: Golden Cloud by Sarah Clayton Davis

Golden Cloud by Sarah Clayton Davis

2nd Place: Vaison La Romaine, France by Mary Vinograd

3rd Place: Water Meadows, Woodfield Road by Benita Kane Jaro

Honorable Mentions: Time Out by Margaret Ingram; Winter by Rajendra KC; Isle of Capri by Deborah Pollack; Tempest by Ting Rao; The House Before the Storm by My-Linh Rouil; Nature's Sculpture by Yik Chek Phan

Portrait Category

1st Place: I Will Conquer by Isabella Martire

I Will Conquer by Isabella Martire

2nd Place: You Are Gone and That Scares Me by Ally Morgan

3rd Place: Summer Morning by Ting Rao

Honorable Mentions: Glow by Jennifer Lynn Beaudet; Gaby Is Musing by Nan Dawkins; Playing the Blues by Karen Merkin; Weathered by Ellen Yahuda; Stock Up Time by Vicky Zhou

Still Life Category

1st Place: Veri Peri Macaron by Jennifer Barlow

Veri Peri Macaron by Jennifer Barlow

2nd Place: A Bear Necessity by Amanda Coelho

3rd Place: Waiting for Wings by Christina Webber

Honorable Mentions: Chatty Onions by Nan Dawkins; Roses Ride by Jack Hammond

Abstract Category

1st Place: Metamorphosis by Sandra Pérez-Ramos

Metamorphosis by Sandra Pérez-Ramos

2nd Place: Rhapsody of a Hug by Martina Sestakova

3rd Place: Crows by Nancy Randa

Honorable Mentions: Composition 29 by Mari Craig; Coastal Dreams by Rosemary Fallon; Happy Wave by Raya Salman; Exploration by Jenny Wilson

Sculpture Category

1st place: Patchwork of Promise by Peijisan Art

Patchwork of Promise by Peijisan Art

2nd Place: A Much Needed Break by Samantha Hecox

3rd Place: Ice Bucket by Nadia Hewchuck

Honorable Mention: Fort! by Anastasia Walsh

Photography Category

1st Place: The Gymnast by Arindam Dasgupta

The Gymnast by Arindam Dasgupta

2nd Place: Warbler House by Julie Steinberg

3rd Place: Snow Day by Regina Boston

Plein Air Competition

1st place: Saturday Market by Vicky Zhou

Saturday Market by Vicky Zhou

2nd place: OK Morning! by Robert Pearlman

3rd place: Water Fountain by Carrie Adler

Honorable mentions: Professor by Holly Buehler; Outdoor Seating, Kensington by Garine Magary

Student Invitational

Winner: The Bearer by Elielle Kayomb

The Bearer by Elielle Kayomb

2nd Place: Hammer Brooch by Nadia Hewchuck

3rd Place: A Gazelle in the Water by Stephanie Fernandez