The St. Michaels Art League (SMAL) is pleased to announce the winners of their Mixed Media exhibit which is currently on display at the St. Michaels Community Center during the month of January.      

Mixed Media is art that uses at least two different mediums and includes assemblages, collages and more and may use paint, cloth, paper, wood and found objects etc.   

The exhibit was judged by Bridget Whited, a Visual Art Educator at St. Michaels Middle High School, where she has taught for18 years.  She co-founded “Spindrift”, Talbot County Public Schools’ Literary Arts Magazine, and serves as its design layout faculty advisor.  A National Board-Certified teacher, she was named Talbot County Teacher of the Year in 2015 and was a Maryland State finalist. In 2024, she received the Maryland Art Education Association “Advocate for Inclusivity” award. She strives to create an environment where all are welcome and free to be themselves, using art as a tool for expression and self-discovery. 

First Place was awarded to Mona Birmingham for “The Wise Woman,” Second Place went to Jennifer Cristaudo for “Dog Neck (My Neck),” and Third Place to Nancy Lorentz for “Eire.” Honorable Mentions went to Sharon Thorpe for “Free Bird” and to Irene Martinelli for “Preparing for Tomorrow.”

The St. Michaels Community Center is located at 103 Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels.  The public is welcome to view the exhibit during their regular hours of 9am-5pm Monday-Friday.  Artwork for sale through the artist.  

For more information about this exhibit or other SMAL activities visit smartleague.org. 

The St. Michaels Art League has announced the winners of the 2025 Martha Hudson Awards for excellence in watercolor. 

Martha Hudson was well-known in the community for her watercolors depicting scenes of Eastern Shore Life.  As a young art student, Martha was given a grant to use for the continuation of her studies. In return, she generously left an endowment for an award to be given each year by the St. Michaels Art League to deserving watercolor artists. The accepted media includes watercolor and gouache.  

The judge for this year’s exhibit was Linda Luke, an internationally recognized fine arts professional. Linda was raised in Delaware County, PA but has lived in many states.  She had her first solo exhibit at the age of 21 at the Widener Museum of Art.  Linda’s realistic watercolors and oils reflect the “Brandywine Tradition,” focusing on landscapes, but also including people, animals, flowers, and still life. She has been commissioned by clients like Hershey Trust, Hilton, Franklin Mint and Sterling Vineyards, with work in collections worldwide.   

First place was awarded to Caryl Ersenkal for her painting “Closing Time,” Second Place went to Camille Woodbury for “Catbird in the Cattails” and third place to Deborah Wolfe for “Little Bird.” 

The exhibit can be viewed during the month of December at the St. Michaels Community Center located at 103 Railroad Ave., hours are 9am-5pm Monday-Friday.  Art for sale through the artist.  

For more information about the St. Michaels Art League and its activities, visit smartleague.org.

The St. Michaels Art League has announced the winners of the 2025 Martha Hudson Awards for excellence in watercolor. 

Martha Hudson was well-known in the community for her watercolors depicting scenes of Eastern Shore Life.  As a young art student, Martha was given a grant to use for the continuation of her studies. In return, she generously left an endowment for an award to be given each year by the St. Michaels Art League to deserving watercolor artists. The accepted media includes watercolor and gouache.  

The judge for this year’s exhibit was Linda Luke, an internationally recognized fine arts professional. Linda was raised in Delaware County, PA but has lived in many states.  She had her first solo exhibit at the age of 21 at the Widener Museum of Art.  Linda’s realistic watercolors and oils reflect the “Brandywine Tradition,” focusing on landscapes, but also including people, animals, flowers, and still life. She has been commissioned by clients like Hershey Trust, Hilton, Franklin Mint and Sterling Vineyards, with work in collections worldwide.   

First place was awarded to Caryl Ersenkal for her painting “Closing Time,” Second Place went to Camille Woodbury for “Catbird in the Cattails” and third place to Deborah Wolfe for “Little Bird.” 

Martha Hudson was well-known in the community for her watercolors depicting scenes of Eastern Shore Life.  As a young art student, Martha was given a grant to use for the continuation of her studies.  In return, she has generously left an endowment for an award to be given each year by the St. Michaels Art League to deserving watercolor artists. The exhibit includes both watercolor and water-based gouache media.  

Last year’s winner, Caryl Ersenkal, was awarded first place for her painting “Lighthouse Sundown.”

The judge this year is Linda Luke, an internationally recognized fine arts professional.   Her long career includes her first solo exhibit at age 21 at the Widener Museum of Art, and commissions by notable clients including the Hershey Trust, Hilton Franklin Mint and Sterling Vineyards. In Linda’s words, “I’m happy when I paint, I hope that shows!”   

The watercolor exhibit will be on display at the St. Michaels Community Center and many of the pieces will be available for sale through the artist from December 1st to December 30th. The Community Center is located at 103 Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels. Hours are 9am-5pm Monday-Friday.  Visitors welcome!  

The St. Michaels Art League is pleased to announce the winners of their annual photography show which is being held at The Blue Crab Coffee shop in St. Michaels through November 28th. 

The exhibit was judged by Ron Peiffer, an award-winning photographer based in Severna Park, MD.  He has been certified as a judge with the Maryland Photography Alliance and has served as a judge for numerous photo exhibitions in the Baltimore/Washington area and for numerous other organizations in the region.   

First place went to Sharon Thorpe for her black and white photo “Stacey’s Crab Boil,” second place to Tresa Howington for “Crabber at First Light,” and third went to Martin Zell for “Art of the Ordinary.”  Honorable mentions went to George Sass for “Follow the Light,” and to Tresa Howington for “Under the Span.”

The Blue Crab coffee shop is located at 102 S. Fremont St. in St. Michaels. They serve a variety of breakfast, lunch and beverage items.  Hours are 7am-3pm daily.  Art for sale at the venue.  

For more information about the St. Michaels and its activities, visit smartleague.org.

The St. Michaels Art League is pleased to announce the winners of their annual “Capturing Autumn” exhibit which is currently on display at the St. Michaels Community Center through the end of October.

The exhibit was judged by David Lawton, owner of David Lawton Fine Art in Annapolis and Professor of Art at Anne Arundel Community College.  David is also represented by McBride Gallery on Main St. in Annapolis.      

Beth Wright won First Place for her painting “Autumn Glory,” Second Place went to Camille Woodbury for “Best Friends,” and third place to Irene Martinelli for ”Tiny Bubbles”.

Honorable mentions went to Pasquale Diiulio for “Autumnal” and to Mona Birmingham for “Lights at Beacon”.

The Community Center is located at 103 Railroad Ave in St. Michaels. They are open to the public Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. Art for sale through the artist.
For more information about the St. Michaels Art League and its activities, visit smartleague.org.

The St. Michaels Art League (SMAL) is pleased to present their annual fall themed exhibit which will be held through the month of October at the St. Michaels Community Center.  

Multiple mediums and forms of expression of this flamboyant season are featured – from abstract to realism. 

The exhibit will be judged by David Lawton, an award-winning oil painter and pastelist. David teaches art at Anne Arundel Community College and also offers private lessons. David’s art has been featured in several magazines such as The American Artist, The Pastel Journal and The Artist Magazine. Visit davidlawtonfineart.com for more information.   

The Community Center is located at 103 Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels.  The exhibit is free and open to the public. Visitors are welcome to view the exhibit during their regular hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, closed Saturday and Sunday. Artwork for sale through the artist.  

For more information about this exhibit or other SMAL activities visit smartleague.org. 

Image: 2024 First Place Winner Rhonda Ford “Red Maple”

The St. Michaels Art League is pleased to announce the winners of the “Endless Summer” exhibit which is currently at the Easton branch of the Talbot County Free Library through the month of September.  

Multiple library staff persons participated in the judging, each one voting for their top three choices.  The votes were then tallied to select the top vote getters.     

 The winners are Marianne Kost for her oil painting “North to the Sun”, Maryellyn Lynott for her oil painting “Summer Eve” and to Laura Bishop for her pastel “Serenity”.  

 The exhibit can be viewed in the library’s meeting room during their regular hours through September. The Easton Library is located at 100 W. Dover St.  Work for sale through the artist.  For more information about the St. Michaels Art League and its activities visit Smartleague.org. 

Images:   Marianne Kost “North to the Sun,” Maryellyn Lynott “Summer Eve,” and “Serenity“ Laura Bishop

The St. Michaels Art League is pleased to announce a themed exhibit “Endless Summer” on display at the Easton branch of the Talbot County Free Library during September.  

The exhibit will be judged by library staff personnel, each one voting for their top three choices.  The votes will then be tallied to select the top three vote getters for First, Second and Third places.   

The Easton Library is located at 100 W. Dover St. They are open Monday and Thursday 9am-8pm, Tuesday and Wednesday 9am-6pm, Friday and Saturday 9am-5pm, closed Sunday. 

 For more information about the St. Michaels Art League and its activities visit Smartleague.org. 

Join members of the St. Michaels Art League (SMAL) for their biggest event, the annual “Under the Tent” Labor Day Weekend Show and Sale on Saturday, August 30th and Sunday, August 31st at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, located at 304 South Talbot Street in St. Michaels.  The exhibit is free and open to the public. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Artwork by more than 30 SMAL artists in multiple mediums is featured.  Hundreds of works depicting local scenes and subjects are for sale. There will also be artist demos during the event.  This is the perfect opportunity to purchase original artwork by many award-winning SMAL artists.  Come meet the artists and find out more about the St. Michaels Art League and its activities. 

Many of the framed designs for the “Celebrate St. Michaels” banners that hang on Talbot Street will also be for sale, as well as original street banners from previous years.  

For more information, visit smartleague.org. The St. Michaels Art League is funded in part by a grant from the Talbot County Arts Council with revenue provided by the Maryland State Arts Council.