Painting wins award in calendar competition

THIS ‘N' THAT

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009

Nov. 28 marks the fourth year that the WARMTH (Working Artists Raising Money for the Homeless) Art Show and Silent Auction will be held in Leonardtown to raise funds for Three Oaks Center and its programs.

It will be the first year, however, that a calendar featuring the artwork of many of the show's participating artists will be available.

Jacqueline Owens Lancaster and Mary Rosine Owens, event co-chairs, solicited entries for the inaugural calendar from artists who had participated in WARMTH in previous years. With artists allowed to submit up to three works, Lancaster and Owens received approximately 75 entries, Lancaster said on Friday.

There wasn't an overall theme for the entries, she said. The entries, rather, are tied to certain times of the month.

"We asked them to submit things that would apply to more than one month," she said.

Then, she and Owens selected a quote to go with each month that was designed to inspire. "We looked for quotes about what you could do in your daily life to make a contribution and about the hope that things were always getting better," she said.

The calendar features the work of 12 Southern Maryland artists — Candy Cummings, Raymond Ewing, Sharon Weiner, Nadine Chicoine, Charlotte Allison, H.S. Lanny Lancaster, Suzy Mattingly, Kathy O'Rourke, Rita White, Clarence "Shoe" Schumaker, Beverly Jackson and Mary Rosine Owens.

The 12 selected artists also competed for the Brian Gallagher Prize, awarded to the artist whose piece selected for the calendar demonstrates outstanding artistic merit.

The prize was created to honor Brian Gallagher, a young artist who participated in WARMTH 2008, according to a release. He died earlier this year, but his belief in the work Three Oaks performs continues to serve as an inspiration to the WARMTH organization. This year's Brian Gallagher Prize was awarded to Clarence "Shoe" Schumaker for his painting, Gray Day. The award includes a $200 prize.

The calendars will be available at the Nov. 28 WARMTH Art Show and Silent Auction on Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m. at Leonardtown's Camalier House, located at 22635 Washington St. Each calendar is $20, all of which is tax-deductible. Purchase of a calendar on the day of the show provides the buyer with free admission to the art show. Calendars are also available by calling Three Oaks Center at 301-863-9535. All proceeds from calendar sales go directly to Three Oaks.

Admission to the show and auction is $5 for those not purchasing a calendar.

Festival of Trees to benefit hospice house

The public is invited to kick off the holidays with Hospice of St. Mary's Festival of Trees. In addition to decorated trees, there will be vendors to start visitors' gift giving, holiday music and activities for children.

The event will be held Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Wyle Conference Center at 22300 Exploration Drive in Lexington Park. Doors open at 9 a.m. Breakfast with Santa will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Vendor shops will be open and activities for children will be offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Tree of Light ceremony and program will be at 6 p.m. Trees will be available for purchase.

Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, $1 for children 4 to 12 and free for children 3 and younger. All proceeds from the Festival of Trees will go to support and maintain St. Mary's Hospice House, which opened September 2009. Call 301-994-3023.

scraton@somdnews.com