Member Spotlight: Ella Soroori

Lives in: Silver Spring, MD                                    

Website: https://ellabellaarts.com/

Social Media: Ella is on Facebook and Instagram.

Media and subjects: My preferred medium is acrylic paint but, recently I’ve started using polychromes pencils and have been enjoying mixing the dry and wet mediums. I create abstract art using different fluid art techniques such as dutch pour and dirty pour.

Why you joined MAA: I joined MAA for the opportunity to meet other artists and also to find ways to be more active in the community.

Something fun about you: English is my second language and I learned it by watching “Friends”!

Artist Biography: Friends and family know me as Ella Bella. I am originally from Afghanistan but was raised in Iran and lived most of my life in India, the Philippines, and the US (since 2012). During the first few months of the Great Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, I started playing around with fluid acrylic paints and was genuinely mesmerized by the endless creative possibilities that would come alive with pigments running amok across the canvas. 

In all my life, I’ve picked up a brush and a canvas or a pencil and a drawing book a few times but never really fully invested in it. Now in my 30s, I find there is nothing more therapeutic than mixing some paint and laying it on a canvas, guiding the ebb and flow of colors and shapes while allowing it to take its own journey. The surprising direction the paint takes when it flows across the canvas sometimes in harmony and other times like a beautiful disaster is genuinely addicting. 

I create contemporary abstract art using my mixing recipes. My inspiration comes from the sheer joy of painting. I am in love with abstraction and the incredible artistic freedom I find in acrylic pouring techniques. 

In April of this year, I had the opportunity to showcase my art as an Afghan American artist in the “We are All One - Arts Transcending Borders” art exhibit in the celebration of cultures in Johnstown, PA.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for Dora Patin, who took first place in the Kensington category at the Paint the Town Labor Day Show. MAA has traditionally celebrated that piece as our unofficial best in show.

Dora joins a long line of artists who have claimed the prize, including our current president, Jennifer Barlow and last year's winner, Alden Schofield. She sat down with us to talk more about her piece and what's coming up in her art life:

MAA: How did you learn that you took first place in the Kensington category?

Dora Patin: I was at my daughter’s soccer game when I received a call from show manager Paula Zeller letting me know that I received the Bertha Clum Award.

MAA: Who was the first person you told?

DP: My husband and my daughter.

MAA: Tell us a little more about the piece: Why did you decide to do a trompe l'oeil piece?

DP: I’ve entertained the idea to try this genre for a while. I follow some trompe l’oeil artists on Instagram whose work is amazing and they were one source of my inspiration. I also was inspired by last year’s Bertha Clum award winner, Alden Schofield's, Kensington Train Station painting Passage of Time. It was so skillful and creative.

I decided to paint the Kensington Train Station again, as I painted it for the past couple of Paint The Town Shows. However, I wanted to make it different than my previous paintings, a little more unconventional. Making it in trompe l’oeil style gave me a great opportunity to do that.

I love Kensington’s historic district and I wanted to honor that. I intended my painting to have the meaning of my appreciation of historic preservation. To do this I wanted to have an old and a new photo of the train station. I used my photo I took in 2022 and I searched the internet for old photos, which I found on the Kensington Historical Society’s website. They gave me permission to use it in my painting.

After trying several different set ups, I finally came up with the one in the painting. The actual painting took me about 3-4 weeks from start to finish. First, I drew it on paper and then I transferred my drawing onto my cradled panel. I painted a couple of layers. I did both, drawing and painting from life.

MAA: What practices or mindsets do you put in place to keep yourself painting regularly?

DP: Life is quite busy with three kids and two dogs. I’m trying to do my best to paint as much as I can. Having a supportive husband is very helpful. Talking to friends who are in the same situation often helps to get inspired to go on and try even harder. Besides, I have so many ideas I’d like to paint. I’m not sure if a lifetime is enough.

MAA: Do you have any upcoming shows or art plans in the coming months?

DP: I try to exhibit my work as much as I can in the DMV area. MAA gives great opportunities to constantly show some of my paintings. I’m also always on the lookout to enter juried exhibitions. In the spring I’m planning to participate in the Affordable Art Fair in New York City.

Currently I’m exploring the trompe l’oeil genre. I had fun painting my last piece and I intend to create a series. My main goal is to always improve and to create work that is meaningful and high quality.

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.

-Lenny Campello
Judge, 2022 Paint the Town Labor Day Show

Kensington Category

1st Place (Bertha Clum Award): 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
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
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
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
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
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
2nd Place: Warbler House by Julie Steinberg
3rd Place: Snow Day by Regina Boston

Plein Air Competition

1st place: 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
2nd Place: Hammer Brooch by Nadia Hewchuck
3rd Place: A Gazelle in the Water by Stephanie Fernandez

Looking for something new and different to paint during the September 3 plein air competition? We have hired two professional art models to pose at iconic Kensington spots from 10 am-1 pm.

Shadiyah will be in Victorian-style dress near the three-tiered fountain at Flinn Park, 10227 Kensington Parkway (across from the post office).

Harry will be dressed like a 1940s professor, posing in front of this display window of M.O.B. Vintage at 3758 Howard Avenue. 

There should be ample space for 10-15 artists at each location. Spots of course are first-come first served.

And please note: If it's raining that day, we will cancel the models altogether.

Arindam Dasgupta

Lives in: Olney, MD

Website: https://arindamdasguptaphotography.com/

Social Media: 

1) https://www.instagram.com/dasguptaa2005/
2) https://www.instagram.com/portraitsadg/
3) https://arindamdasguptaphotography.com/ 

Media and subjects: I am a portrait photographer interested in several genres including wild-life, landscape, macro and portraits.  I mainly shoot digital but recently took out my film camera from storage to experiment. 

Why you joined MAA:  I have recently transitioned from being a hobbyist to a professional photographer.  Starting a small business has been a challenging experience for me so far.  Joining MAA will give me networking opportunities with various artists and like-minded people in this area.  I feel this will be a good way of connecting with people and learning from them, especially the business side of it.  I am hoping to be able to share/exhibit my work in the coming months. Additionally, I love to teach.  I am hoping that I can get folks I interact with, equally excited in photography as I am. I would also love any volunteering opportunities connected with photography.  

Something fun about you: I have visited six continents so far and hope to visit the seventh (Antarctica) in the next 10-15 years. 
Artist Biography:  I am a scientist and photographer, living in Olney, MD for the last 15 years. I started my journey in my science career by looking through microscope lenses to study tiny cells.  My connection with lenses eventually evolved into my hobby of landscape, wild-life and macro photography. I have been fortunate to travel to six continents and capture unique and beautiful moments of life. Portrait photography is my latest passion. From Art to photography, portraits are fascinating because it tells us a story about the subject. My photography services include corporate and creative headshot, portrait, senior portraits, family portraits, pet photography and more.  I have been fortunate enough to have some of my portrait work published in artist magazines.  Since I am excited and love all genres of photography, I continue to explore wild-life, bird, landscape and macro photography in addition to portrait photography.  

I am so pleased to share several of my photographs with you. 

In 2021, Alden Schofield of Derwood, Maryland, took first place in the Kensington category at the Paint the Town Labor Day Show, winning the show’s only named prize, the Bertha Clum Award. Traditionally, this award has been highlighted and celebrated as MAA’s unofficial “best in show” painting. 

Alden said over the past year the honor has made him more recognized when attending art events throughout the region, but more so has served to reemphasize to him what’s important in composing a painting. 

“It did re-enforce my thinking about my abilities to construct, design and paint an award-winning painting,” he told us in a recent chat.

Health challenges and the ups and downs of the Covid-19 pandemic have prevented Alden from painting as much as he would have liked to this past year, but he has recently been working on three landscape paintings of different angles of Great Falls and a piece depicting the canal and barge as seen from the old tavern/visitors center on the Maryland side.

Alden will have three pieces in this year’s Paint the Town show, plus bin works for sale.

What's his advice for new members who are entering a show as big as Paint the Town for the first time? 

"This one is easy: Just place your art in this show," he says. "It is the best show around. It provides an outstanding opportunity to meet so many great, established artists, along with other new artists, and have ability to talk with them. You also can see the various types of art displayed and compare your art to those around you. It’s a great way to learn more about your passion for art."

The Bertha Clum Award is named for a lifelong Kensington resident passionate about art and gardening. She passed away in 1986. She was an original founder of the Paint the Town art show. 

-Elissa Poma

Lives in: Montgomery Village, Maryland

Website: destinystamper.com

Social Media: Instagram @hippieish.bish

Media and subjects: Acrylic painting, pop surreal portraits and scenes

Why you joined MAA: To connect with the fellow artist

Something fun about you: I have an identical twin, and the I’m oldest of three sets of twins

Artist biography:  Creating has always been a source of comfort and healing. I am a self taught artist from Detroit Michigan. I began drawing as a kid, the love and escape I found led me to painting as an adult. The portraits I paint are bold, forceful and strong, even when I can’t be. Being able to express these attributes I wish to see in myself, has given me confidence to work towards being those things. My work has been displayed at various juried festivals and artist markets, and a cafe in Arkansas. I’m at the beginning of my career, which is exciting and scary, but I am ready for the trials of the journey. I’m excited to learn, grow, and make connections with wonderful people along the way.

Please enjoy several of my works below: 

It must be a lot of pressure to live up to the superlative of one of DC’s “most interesting people.” But Lenny Campello, our judge for this year’s Paint the Town Labor Day Show, never fails to provide.

We sat down to chat with Lenny, posing five random art questions to him:

MAA: Who was your most memorable art instructor or mentor, and why?

Lenny Campello: Jacob Lawrence at the University of Washington School of Art. Lawrence was one of the greatest American artists of the 20th century and a great teacher. But what I learned from him was to be opinionated, and the power of an opinion.

MAA: Tell us about the first time you won an award at an art show.

LC: I was still in art school, and I entered a drawing from what I then called "Mujertrees Series" and later renamed "Daphne Series." It won the 1979 First Prize (Drawing) awarded by the Renton Art Society of Renton, Washington. I was deliriously happy for an entire year after that!

MAA: What tips would you provide a new or newish artist on how to build your confidence?

LC: Artists must have a thick skin. The trite saying "art is in the eyes of the beholder" is immensely accurate. That means that if a juror or collector or your aunt Naomi doesn't like your artwork, it is their opinion and or taste and nothing else.

As an artist produces and creates new work, and that art is disseminated (sold, traded, given away, etc.) it remains behind as an artistic footprint of the artist—the more artwork an artist produces over a lifetime, the larger the "leave behind" footprint is. That means that decades and decades, or even centuries after the artist is gone, his/her work remains behind as creative evidence of a person who once created artwork.

Also, do not be a hermit - go to openings, see lots of artwork, soak in artsyness, visit an art fair -- see what others are doing and let your inner critic tell you how your work stacks up.

MAA: What do you look for compositionally when you judge art?

LC: I look for fear of empty space (what in art is called "horror vacui"). If used, does it work (for me)? Or the opposite: Does negative space work well (for me)?

Honestly, composition can really rock a work of art, but it is a distant second to mastery over the media. As watercolorists know, the difference between a good watercolor painter and a great watercolor painter is that a great watercolor painter knows how to use his/her mistakes.

MAA: And the age-old question: When you personally are making art, what tells you a piece is finished?

LC: I've never struggled with that issue, which seems to affect painters more than any other artists. When I work on a piece, I'm always sort of seeing it "finished" as I finish it, if that makes sense.

-Elissa Poma

We are delighted to announce that DC contemporary artist Lenny Campello will serve as judge of this year’s 2022 Paint the Town Labor Day Show. Known internationally for narrative-driven paintings and drawings and technology-infused displays, Campello has worked as an artist, gallerist, curator, art critic, instructor, author, and arts blogger. He was named one of DC’s “most interesting people” by the Washington CityPaper.

Born in Cuba, he grew up in the United States and studied art at the University of Washington School of Art in Seattle. Prolific from an early age, Campello has won national and international awards, exhibited internationally in galleries and museums, and has works in private collections in Spain, Portugal, and the United States. He also co-owned galleries in the DC area. He is a prominent local art critic, with reviews published in The Washington Post, local newspapers and arts magazines, and has made numerous appearances on television and radio. Likewise, he has curated or juried art shows in the DC area.

The Paint the Town Labor Day Show is one of the region’s largest and longest-running art shows composed of all local artists. The show will be open to the public Saturday-Monday, September 3-5. Campello will be on site on Friday, September 2 for closed-door judging and Saturday, September 3 to judge the plein air competition and present awards.

-Paula Zeller

Lives in: Rockville, MD                                    

Website: www.mariericcio.com             

Social Media:

Maria is on Facebook and Instagram.

Media and subjects: My media is mainly oil paint although I sometimes paint with gouache if time is restricted or I am not able to transport my oils. My main subject is still life but I also paint the landscape as well as the figure.

Why you joined MAA: I joined MAA for the opportunity to connect with a community of local artists.

Something fun about you: During the summers of high school and college I worked as a puppeteer, putting on shows at the local beaches on Long Island.

Artist Biography: Art has always been a part of my life whether through creating or viewing it. I started my art journey as an abstract painter, but after earning an MFA from University of Pennsylvania, I fell in love with observational painting. 

Over the years, I have gravitated towards still life painting in the studio. Still life painting gives me the joy of orchestrating objects to create an emphasis on color, light and composition and the chance to play with abstract ideas. Most of my still life paintings contain personal stories that are revealed to me during the painting process. I also enjoy plein air painting on a regular basis and paint or draw the figure as often as I can.

For many years I worked as a graphic design and this has also influenced my work. I grew up outside of New York City and moved to Rockville more than 20 years ago. I have exhibited my work in the Washington, DC area and beyond. I am an artist member of TAG/The Artists Gallery in Frederick where I served for six years on the board including as president for two years. I have also curated still life exhibits promoting this often-overlooked genre at both The Washington Studio School and VisArts in Rockville. 

Please enjoy several of Marie's wonderful still life paintings. 

Amongst the Turmoil  12x12" oil

Young Love 16x16" Oil 

Perfect Diamond 20x20” oil