Margaret Dowell to Exhibit at Mattawoman Creek Art Center

Margaret Dowell is one of the most talented, exquisitely gifted, and technically proficient painters that I know.  Add to that hardworking!

“Margaret Dowell: An Art Continuum” is a retrospective of sorts of this brilliant artist. And, it is the first showing of a body of Dowell’s work in Southern Maryland.

Self Portrait with Bush Hog and Ancestor by Margaret Dowell

The Sunderland artist grew up working with her family on the tobacco farm where she now paints. Her representational works which have addressed both the likes of social commentary and farming have been exhibited regionally and nationally, but never locally – until now.

Speaking about her art this well respected artist and educator says: “The making of Art for me is a physical, spiritual, intellectual and psychological process which can be simultaneously humbling and elating. If I have a lofty goal it would be that the works contribute in some way to the shaping of a more tolerable existence.”

Dowell’s solo show will be held in MCAC’s front gallery. In the back gallery Dowell is joined by Frederick photographer Donald Dunsmore for “Addiction and Art” – an exhibition that utilizes art to promote dialogue about substance abuse and recovery.

Show Dates: May 27 – June 26 (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 11 AM – 4 PM)

Reception: Sunday, June 5, 1-4 PM

MCAC is located in Smallwood State Park, Marbury, MD. (301)743-5159. www.mattawomanart.org.

Upcoming Workshop and Survey: Methods and Materials- DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

From Ron Humbertson, Art Collections Registrar, DC COMMISSION ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES:

Hello, Artists!

As a previous applicant to the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank and Public Art programs, I am reaching out to inform you of an upcoming workshop and pre-survey to help us develop content for the event. In collaboration with the Washington Conservation Guild, we are excited to present a workshop called Methods and Materials. The workshop will focus on art and conservation practices to provide artists with resources and information on how to make artwork more sustainable. Each panelist will discuss conservation and archival methods concerning their expertise in painting, photography, works on paper, and sculpture indoors and out. At the end of the discussion, the panel of professional conservators will take participants’ questions to help support your practice.

If you have a moment to take the survey, please let us know about your current practice and questions on archival materials. Response from this survey will help the panelists address topics through their discussion to best support our community. Please provide any responses by Friday, June 17. To participate, please go to the following link and complete the short google survey: https://forms.gle/zg51GLaGBigq58Jv9

Your thoughts and participation are greatly appreciated! I look forward to hearing from you, and we hope to see you on Wednesday, July 20, from 12 – 1:30 PM. An email with further details and a sign-up for the workshop will be sent to our general contact list closer to the event date.

I will be out of the office from June 9 – 15. If you have any questions regarding the event or survey during this time, I will happily answer them upon my return.

Thank you,

Ron

Ron Humbertson, Art Collections Registrar

(Mr./he/him/his)

DC COMMISSION ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

200 I (Eye) Street, SE, Suite 1400, Washington, DC 20003

Main: 202-724-5613 | Direct: 202-719-6527 | Cell: 202-538-1204

https://dcarts.dc.gov/ | https://dcarts.emuseum.com/

Michael Janis & Tim Tate 2 person show in Toronto’s Sandra Ainsley Gallery

“One Story Is Not Enough”

June 3-July 30, 2022

Sandra Ainsley Gallery

Tim Tate and Michael Janis each grew up as avid readers, each finding the imaginary world as often much more enticing, beautiful and adventurous as what they found around them.

When Michael Janis and Tim Tate met, almost 20 years ago, they discovered a shared fascination of narrative sculpture - one that seeks to arrive at an image that is both unflinchingly candid in physical representation and psychologically evasive. Working together, they are interested in the simultaneous read of an immediately recognizable image that asks the viewer to linger over history and meanings that unfurl more slowly. Mark, line and material become an extension of touch in the act of representation. The relationship of hand to subject, negotiated through the material, can elicit a response of both visual and tactile.

With these confines they create work in many techniques, but if you stand slightly back and see their history a huge thread of interconnected stories weave through their work from day one. The beauty comes into focus and the viewer sees the edges of a world not dissimilar to this one, but so much more thoughtful.

They present this glimpse into that alternative world, seemingly unstuck in time somewhere between past and future.

Details here. 

Call for 2D&3D Public Art at Frostburg State University

Frostburg State University (FSU), in partnership with the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) seeks to commission an artist or artist team to create durable, unique, permanent public artwork for the new Education & Health Sciences Center (E&HSC). 

Please read the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) document for a full description of the project,  artwork themes & goals, location description,  site history, and architectural plans.  

RFQ: 2D & 3D Public Artwork for FSU Education & Health Sciences Center 

This project offers two artwork commission opportunities. Artists and teams with the appropriate qualifications and experience may apply to both locations but are required to submit two separate applications.  To apply for either (or both) opportunity please follow the link below:

• Wall-Mounted two-dimensional or low relief artwork ($75,000 Artwork Budget) 
• Three-dimensional, sculptural or installation-based artwork. ($210,000)

Up to three semi-finalists, for each commission opportunity (six total), will be invited to develop and present artwork concept proposals to the E&HSC Artist Selection Committee in person. Semi-finalists will be offered a stipend of $2,500 each for time and travel. 

The two public art commission opportunities offered for the Education & Health Sciences Center are part of a State of Maryland Capital Improvement Project, managed by the University of Maryland, College Park. Upon completion, all artwork will become the permanent property of Frostburg State University. 

Apply online at publicartist.org

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. EDT Wednesday, June 29, 2022

An old collector wants to sell your work - what to do?

Sometimes the collector is interested in selling or deaccessioning the artwork – more often than not it is the children of the original buyer, who may have inherited the artwork after mom or dad passed away.

In any event, the issue is that they have several of your pieces and they want your help in selling them somewhere/somehow.

What to do? What not to do?

The second one is easy: never, ever take the artwork back to try to sell it for them – unless you’ve already got a “new” buyer lined up ahead of time who only wants your vintage work from 1979.

What to do?

Read my advice here.

Bethesda Art Walk Returns June 10

The Bethesda Art Walk returns on Friday, June 10th from 6-8pm.

Participating Galleries:

Gallery B

Studio B

Triangle Art Studios

Waverly Street Gallery

Details here. 

Join me on ZOOM this morning

 Art Clinic Online - Saturday, May 28 from 10:30 -11:30am

Join me at 10:30 this morning at the Art Clinic Online for a discussion and Q&A about nearly everything you wanted to know about being me, and an artist, what has influenced me, etc.

About Art Clinic Online (ACO)

The Art Clinic Online community aims to create a friendly artsy environment and bring together artists who may have taken classes with us before or who are contemplating it and want to learn from one another in an online community-based setting. As such, they are not didactic sessions but a forum for the equal exchange of art ideas and art information as well as an opportunity to share art challenges and breakthroughs. 

The Stone Tower resident artists created the ACO after hearing the need for such a forum expressed by many of their students. 

ZOOM Dial in: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84149389951?pwd=QkNqUU1ZMFJ5SXpSU1dFOVFTeXZZZz09

Mattawoman Creek Art Center Call for Artists

MCAC holds 8 - 10 exhibits each year including an exhibit of local high school artists, invitational exhibits (showing the work of individual artists), multi-media exhibits (open to members and non-members), and occasional specialty or themed exhibits.

Their first exhibit of each year is the Seven-up High School Exhibit open only to local high school student artists who are selected by their art teacher. 

Their invitational exhibits are by application only and are open to all artists. Guidelines are as follows:

 

Artists of all media are invited to apply to show their artwork in an individual invitational exhibit. The Mattawoman Creek Art Center Gallery is spacious, light filled, and overlooks the Mattawoman Creek.

 

The Art Center's Artist Advisory Committe meets in August of each year to select applicants for the following two years.

Interested applicants should submit the following:

 

• an artist statement and/or resume

• 15-20 .jpg images which are representative of their work, to be sent via e-mail,  or a CD via regular mail.  Be sure the images are in .jpg format, and include title, medium, and the size of each original piece of art work; and

• a printable (.doc) or printed listing of the images.

• A self-addressed stamped envelope if you are sending your application/CD by mail and wish to have it returned to you.

 
For applicants who are accepted for exhibition, there is a $300 gallery fee due at contract signing to cover the cost of postcards, postage and the opening reception. 

 

Please download an Application and a copy of MCAC's Framing Standards.

Join me online tomorrow!

 Art Clinic Online - Saturday, May 28 from 10:30 -11:30am

Join me at the Art Clinic Online for a discussion and Q&A about nearly everything you wanted to know about being me, and an artist, what has influenced me, etc.

About Art Clinic Online (ACO)

The Art Clinic Online community aims to create a friendly artsy environment and bring together artists who may have taken classes with us before or who are contemplating it and want to learn from one another in an online community-based setting. As such, they are not didactic sessions but a forum for the equal exchange of art ideas and art information as well as an opportunity to share art challenges and breakthroughs. 

The Stone Tower resident artists created the ACO after hearing the need for such a forum expressed by many of their students.   

ZOOM Dial in: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84149389951?pwd=QkNqUU1ZMFJ5SXpSU1dFOVFTeXZZZz09

Bethesda Painting Awards Finalists

The 8 finalists have been selected for the Bethesda Painting Awards exhibit being held from June 9 - July 3, 2022 at Gallery B.  I will review their artwork and pick the one who would win if I was the sole juror!  Looks like Maryland rules this year and DC got skunked as Baltimore takes over!

Finalists:

Emma Childs, Baltimore, MD

Jim Condron, Lutherville-Timonium, MD

Andrew Hladky, Kensington, MD

Jeremy Jirsa, Dundalk, MD

Magnolia Laurie, Baltimore, MD

McKinley Wallace III, Baltimore, MD

James Williams II, Baltimore, MD

Ju Yun, Chantilly, VA

Gallery hours:

Thursday - Sunday, 12-5pm

Opening Reception:

Friday, June 10, 6-8pm

My money is on Andrew Hladky, whose almost three-dimensional works are essentially immensely intelligent wall sculptures, although I suspect that they'd be a nightmare to keep clean! :-) They are different from what jurors usually see, so bet on his work.

My other choice would be James Williams II, whose work has presence and social commentary - would not be surprised if he took the prize!

Emergency Grants are available!

The purpose of the Maryland State Arts Council Click here for further details and the full program guidelines.Emergency Grant program is to support the needs of independent artists as they adjust to income losses as the result of an emergency situation (including, but not limited to, the ongoing impact of the pandemic). 

This Emergency Grant program is accepted on a rolling basis with a monthly review process. Grants are available for up to $2,000. Click here for further details and the full program guidelines.

The face of evil

Satan visited Uvalde, Texas today - this is what he looked like...

A few thoughts on a few things which should be of interest to all artists

Airportism: As you travel across this great nation, airports strive for unique individualities – but the one common denominator is how boring and predictable the public art which decorates airports has become over the decades. There are exceptions – such as the rare airport which also boasts of built-in art galleries, which rotate shows as any gallery would – of course avoiding any of the taboos mentioned above.

Art History: The number one spot in my top ten most influential books (on me) of all times has been occupied since 1977 by The Painted Word by Tom Wolfe.

Read all the things here.

More VOLTA Pics

 

VOLTA Pics

 

Re-shuffling booth after some big sales

Almost done!

The great Dulce Pinzon

 Today I got to finally meet the great Dulce Pinzon! Art world royalty!

Dulce Pinzon and Lenny Campello circa 2022 at VOLTA Art fair in NYC

The booth at VOLTA

All done!

Alida Anderson Art Projects at Volta Art Fair NYC 2022

Volta Art Fair opened today

Pretty decent opening of the Volta Art Fair New York City at the Hauser & Wirth building in Chelsea. I sold a ton of the Bisque pieces as well as my largest drawing, a 36x36 mixed media painting from my "obsessive" series.

This piece is heading to North Friesland, Germany, which means that I have to pack it back in the van and drive it home and then crate it and ship it.

Suddenly, She Wasn’t Afraid Any Longer
Original mixed media painting on 300 weight paper by Florencio Lennox Campello

Van is ready for Volta

 

Art Clinic Online: Bootcamp for Artists!

 Art Clinic Online - Saturday, May 28 from 10:30 -11:30am

Join me at the Art Clinic Online for a discussion and Q&A about nearly everything you wanted to know about being an artist, grants, resume-building, approaching galleries, etc.

About Art Clinic Online (ACO)

The Art Clinic Online community aims to create a friendly artsy environment and bring together artists who may have taken classes with us before or who are contemplating it and want to learn from one another in an online community-based setting. As such, they are not didactic sessions but a forum for the equal exchange of art ideas and art information as well as an opportunity to share art challenges and breakthroughs. 

The Stone Tower resident artists created the ACO after hearing the need for such a forum expressed by many of their students. If you are interested in joining, click the button below and email Mariana to join! Yes, it's still FREE.

Location: Glen Echo.

Rejected!

 They do not want me to do this portrait... cough... cough...

Dear Florencio,

Thank you for your application to create the official portrait of former Rhode Island Governor (and current U.S. Secretary of Commerce) Gina M. Raimondo. I’m sorry it has taken so long to reach a conclusion to this process, but we are happy to say that Secretary Raimondo has made her decision.

As you know, there was a significant amount of interest in this commission. Many, many excellent candidates submitted work, and any number of artists would have been an excellent choice for this important commission. While we appreciate your interest, I regret to say that you were not chosen for further consideration.

We are not prepared to announce the chosen artist until all arrangements for the commission have been concluded, but we will be happy to share the announcement with you once it has been circulated.

We wish you all the best and thank you for your interest in this project.

Molly Dickinson

RISCA public art director

on behalf of the Gubernatorial Portrait Selection Committee

Exhibit Opportunity: Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House

Exhibit Opportunity: Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House

The Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House is seeking exhibition proposals for 2023. 

The Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House is a non-profit gallery located in Columbia, Maryland. Operated by the Wilde Lake Community Association, the gallery features two spaces within the Slayton House lobby and Conference Room that hosts multiple juried art exhibits per year.

Details here -- Send completed application forms to Lisa Kim at events@wildelake.org. 

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival this weekend!

Get excited for art, entertainment, food & more at the annual Bethesda Fine Arts Festival on Saturday, May 14 (10am - 6pm) & Sunday, May 15 (10am - 5pm)! Stroll Norfolk & Auburn Avenues to see 100+ artist booths, listen to great music & enjoy food, wine & beer for the perfect weekend in downtown Bethesda.

All free and also plenty of free parking!

Details here.

You can see the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival 2022 artists here.

You know what's coming next - my awards for top artists in the show.  As a brilliant juror, I can use my experienced eye from the thumbnails and website visits to award the Campello awards.

For the painters I liked  Zhiyi Li (from Enfield, CT) in Booth #66, and Thomas Williams (from Chicago, IL) in Booth #78.  

All three printmakers in the show are exceptional -- I've written a lot about Joseph Craig English from Washington Grove, MD (Booth #84) - in this show John Pernell and Michael Nemnich are also quite good.

For Mixed Media, my top pick was Sandra Sedmak Engel, whose sensual work is a pleasure both to the eye and the eros that outdoor shows usually try to eliminate.

There are a lot of talented photographers in the show. See them all here. James Richmond from Titusville, Florida (Booth #76) went to Cuba and has the mandatory photos of old 1950s cars in Havana, as I understand that the Cuban dictatorship will not allow tourists (and photographers especially) to depart from the jailed island unless evidence is presented at the airport that photographs of the vintage cars have been taken.  

Pet peeve aside, Richmond has an exceptional eye for capturing the grace that is human kind, all the way from Portuguese card players in Old Europe to gorgeous indigenous women in Panama, to Cuban farmers in the brutalized Castro Brothers' Workers Paradise.

It is a wonderful photograph, capturing the essence of the Cuban guajiro, his ancient Basque bloodlines still quite cleaning running through his veins as evidenced by the telltale ear lobe, a wide smile for the American tourist on his thin lips, and a hand-rolled Habano in his mouth, the envy of every smoker millionaire around the planet.

"Cuban Farmer" by James Richmond

In the category of sculpture, Tanya Tyree caught my attention as her sculptures struggle between talented efficiency and a bit of whimsy. What is clear is a straight and unique vision being delivered by the (I suspect) very strong and skilled hands of this artist.

And the Campello pick for Best in Show?

It goes to painter Cassie Taggart from Rehoboth, DE in Booth #51.

Parachutes by Cassie Taggart

While anyone can immediately see that Taggart's work explore surrealism, what she has brilliantly done is to deliver a new 21st century version of surrealism, where her skilled painting talents marry it with fantasy, and the fantastical (which is different) as well as a healthy dose of narrative storytelling.  

It is "otherworldly" artwork deeply anchored in data which lives hidden in our ancestral brain.  This is work which once you buy it and hang it in your house, will dominate everything else which you have hung on those walls.

Go outside and see some artwork this weekend, talks to artists and artisans, eat some bad-for-you food and listen to some outdoor music.

Opportunity for Artists: HoCo Juried Silent Auction 2022

Deadline: June 20, 2022

The Howard County Arts Council will hold its annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County gala on November 5. The Celebration is an exciting showcase for local artistic talent, and is one of HCAC's major funding sources for arts programs. They are seeking artists for the Juried Silent Art Auction, which takes place in the Rouse Company Foundation Gallery at Howard Community College and is an essential part of the Celebration.

Eligibility:

2D, 3D, and fine craft artists who work, live, or study in Howard County are eligible to submit, as are HCAC members or artists who have exhibited at the Howard County Center for the Arts within the past year. Artists must be 18 years or older. Artwork exhibited in previous auctions is ineligible.

Details here.

Meet Sagitarius A*

 

This is the first image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.
Credit: EHT Collaboration

"It’s the first direct visual evidence of the presence of this black hole. It was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an array that linked together eight existing radio observatories across the planet to form a single “Earth-sized” virtual telescope. The telescope is named after the event horizon, the boundary of the black hole beyond which no light can escape." - Read about it here.

Opportunity for Artists: Art Bank Program

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) requests applications from qualified arts, humanities, arts education, and service organizations for its Fiscal Year 2023 Art Bank Program. Award amounts vary but eligible applicants can be awarded up to $15,000.

RFA Release: Monday | May 2, 2022

Submission Deadline: Friday | June 24, 2022 | 4 pm

Incomplete or late applications or applications that do not follow the instructions and guidelines will be automatically deemed ineligible for review and funding.

Prospective applicants should read through the Request for Applications (RFA) in its entirety before submitting an application.

Details here.

Staff Contact: Sarah Gordon, Curator | sarah.gordon2@dc.gov

Finalists for the Bethesda Painting Awards

Eight painters have been selected as finalists for the Bethesda Painting Awards, a juried competition and exhibition produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District. Over 200 artists from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. submitted work to the annual competition created to exclusively honor regional painters.

The top prize winners will be announced on Wednesday, June, 8nd in a private reception. The Best in Show winner will be awarded $10,000; second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000.

The artists selected as finalists are:

• Emma Childs, Baltimore, MD
• Jim Condron, Lutherville-Timonium, MD
• Andrew Hladky, Kensington, MD
• Jeremy Jirsa, Dundalk, MD
• Magnolia Laurie, Baltimore, MD
• McKinley Wallace III, Baltimore, MD
• James Williams II, Baltimore, MD
• Ju Yun, Chantilly, VA

The exhibit will be on display June 9 – July 3, 2022 at Gallery B, located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E in the former Fraser Gallery space. Gallery hours for the duration of the exhibit will be Thursday-Sunday, 12 – 5pm.

The competition’s jurors consisted of Maggie Michael, Painter and The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Best in Show winner 2008; Tony Shore, Bethesda Painting Award Best in Show winner 2006 and Maryland Institute College of Art, Painting Chair; and Robert Yi, George Mason University, Assistant Professor and Interim Chair of Drawing and Painting.

The Bethesda Painting Awards was established by local business owner Carol Trawick in 2005. Ms. Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda and established The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation in 2007. She is the former Chair of the Maryland State Arts Council, Strathmore, Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. and founder of The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards.

Art Clinic Online

 Art Clinic Online - Saturday, May 28 from 10:30 -11:30am

Join me at the Art Clinic Online for a discussion and Q&A about nearly everything you wanted to know about being an artist, grants, resume-building, approaching galleries, etc.

About Art Clinic Online (ACO)

The Art Clinic Online community aims to create a friendly artsy environment and bring together artists who may have taken classes with us before or who are contemplating it and want to learn from one another in an online community-based setting. As such, they are not didactic sessions but a forum for the equal exchange of art ideas and art information as well as an opportunity to share art challenges and breakthroughs. 

The Stone Tower resident artists created the ACO after hearing the need for such a forum expressed by many of their students. If you are interested in joining, click the button below and email Mariana to join! Yes, it's still FREE.

Location: Glen Echo.

Caitlin Berry to be named director of The Rubell Museum

I am told that former Hemphill Fine Arts alumni art dealer Caitlin Berry will be the director of the new Rubell Museum in Washington, DC. This is the 32,000 sq. ft DMV museum that will open to the public on 29 October this year!

Berry was previously the director at Hemphill Fine Arts.

That's me with Mera when she visited my studio a few years ago to select a work for a show that she was curating for the American University Museum.

Rockville Arts Festival

I walked through the 10th Annual Rockville Arts Festival in downtown Rockville today - as usual it is a terrific show with loads of good artists, food and entertainment!

I love the fact that every booth is a corner booth - thus maximizing the exhibition space for each artist! This show is always good and reflects the hard work of its director Robin Markowitz.

As usual, my two bits on some of my faves from this show.

I liked Bob Friedenberg's fantasy line drawings and Matthew Miller's paintings.

I also admired the paintings of Richard McMurry, who told me that he's somewhat new to the outdoor art circuit; he's clearly a painter at the top of his form!

Detail of a painting by Richard McMurry

Also new to the outdoor art circuit is Yolanda Prinsloo, an exceptionally skilled painter and teacher - her booth was full of multiple and different art explorations, as she seeks to find her place in this demanding art niche... she will do well!

From my earlier look at artists who will also be at this weekend's Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, I ran and proved my exceptional eye and breathtaking ability to jury via online images, by actually verifying in person that Tanya Tyree and Sandra Sedmak Engel are really, really good artists!

Painting by Sandra Sedmark Engel

Sculptures by Tanya Tree

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival next Saturday

Get excited for art, entertainment, food & more at the annual Bethesda Fine Arts Festival on Saturday, May 14 (10am - 6pm) & Sunday, May 15 (10am - 5pm)! Stroll Norfolk & Auburn Avenues to see 100+ artist booths, listen to great music & enjoy food, wine & beer for the perfect weekend in downtown Bethesda.

All free and also plenty of free parking!

Details here.

You can see the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival 2022 artists here.

You know what's coming next - my awards for top artists in the show.  As a brilliant juror, I can use my experienced eye from the thumbnails and website visits to award the Campello awards.

For the painters I liked  Zhiyi Li (from Enfield, CT) in Booth #66, and Thomas Williams (from Chicago, IL) in Booth #78.  

All three printmakers in the show are exceptional -- I've written a lot about Joseph Craig English from Washington Grove, MD (Booth #84) - in this show John Pernell and Michael Nemnich are also quite good.

For Mixed Media, my top pick was Sandra Sedmak Engel, whose sensual work is a pleasure both to the eye and the eros that outdoor shows usually try to eliminate.

There are a lot of talented photographers in the show. See them all here. James Richmond from Titusville, Florida (Booth #76) went to Cuba and has the mandatory photos of old 1950s cars in Havana, as I understand that the Cuban dictatorship will not allow tourists (and photographers especially) to depart from the jailed island unless evidence is presented at the airport that photographs of the vintage cars have been taken.  

Pet peeve aside, Richmond has an exceptional eye for capturing the grace that is human kind, all the way from Portuguese card players in Old Europe to gorgeous indigenous women in Panama, to Cuban farmers in the brutalized Castro Brothers' Workers Paradise.

Cuban farmer by James Richmond

It is a wonderful photograph, capturing the essence of the Cuban guajiro, his ancient Basque bloodlines still quite cleaning running through his veins as evidenced by the telltale ear lobe, a wide smile for the American tourist on his thin lips, and a hand-rolled Habano in his mouth, the envy of every smoker millionaire around the planet.

In the category of sculpture, Tanya Tyree caught my attention as her sculptures struggle between talented efficiency and a bit of whimsy. What is clear is a straight and unique vision being delivered by the (I suspect) very strong and skilled hands of this artist.

And the Campello pick for Best in Show?

It goes to painter Cassie Taggart from Rehoboth, DE in Booth #51.

Parachutes by Cassie Taggart

While anyone can immediately see that Taggart's work explore surrealism, what she has brilliantly done is to deliver a new 21st century version of surrealism, where her skilled painting talents marry it with fantasy, and the fantastical (which is different) as well as a healthy dose of narrative storytelling.  

It is "otherworldly" artwork deeply anchored in data which lives hidden in our ancestral brain.  This is work which once you buy it and hang it in your house, will dominate everything else which you have hung on those walls.

Go outside and see some artwork this weekend, talks to artists and artisans, eat some bad-for-you food and listen to some outdoor music.