There are paintings large-scale and small; there are pastels and gouache, collages and tapestries blazing with crimson, indigo, orange, and teal. There are figurative terra-cotta sculptures, cheerful celadon frogs and works in iron that whip across the gallery floor like a cat-o-nine tails. “A String of Pearls” celebrates the 30^th anniversary of the Cecil County Arts Council this year, and with 150 works in a multitude of media crammed into the Elkton Arts Center at 135 East Main Street, it showcases the finest works of CCAC artists young and old.

Some have taken the pearl theme literally: Donna Steck’s sensuous woven alpaca work  “Pearl Essence”, Anne Stubb’s “ Wreath of Pearls” and Pamela Skwish’s “Pearlaceous” incorporate the watery gem, while Ian Wright’s mixed media work “The Philosopher Contemplates a String of Pearls” well, says it all! Others have used the pearl as a visual metaphor as Mimi Irwin did in “Secluded Pearl”, a sensitive depiction of an earthly haven in a painterly manner. Tim Jackson’s wry work “Rest in Pieces, Rowlandsville” laments the loss of yet another of Cecil County’s architectural treasures, as if each one were like a discarded pearl falling from a weakened strand. The milieu of water is delineated and a rainbow of colors echoed in works by Shirley Taylor’s “Blue Crab”, Patricia Price’s in “Koi Pond” and Kristeena Crabb’s in her witty “Sushi” Series, and water itself implied by the lush floral works offered by Annie Schappert, Dan Trout and Conor Twohy.

It’s the juxtaposition of individual works that is so intriguing in an open group show; sometimes it seems as if themes are carried around the collective artistic unconscious like a runner’s baton. Portraiture is explored in very different media: by Ruth Ann Manning in her tapestry “My Son” and by Peter Goodwin in his photograph “Three Graces”, as his wife Jonah smiles from the space defined by two sets of marble buttocks. Young Abigail Castelletti seems to say “Aaaah-Ha!” from a series of digital self-portraits; Judith Owen’s magnificent oil of “Geoff” shows a down-home farmer in a classical pose and Dan Campbell’s “Aunt Pearl” will simply leave you speechless. Allison Weer and David Berndt from Hardcastle Gallery judged “A String of Pearls”, and marveled at the variety and quality of the works included in the show.

The idea for this exhibition came from long-time Arts Council supporter Bobby D. Jones as a way to celebrate the wedding of art and community that the staff, board and members of the CCAC have brought to the county for the past 30 years. The CCAC makes this marriage work through classes, workshops, exhibitions, concerts, lectures, literary readings and publications; and by funding of many community-based artistic offerings within the county.

The opening reception for A String of Pearl is Friday October 5, from 5-7 pm at the Elkton Arts Center, where recipients of the CAD grants and the prize-winning artists will be announced, awarded and applauded. The public is invited to attend the festivities —  there will be fine food and drink, poetic talk and marvelous music by Off Bass.

“A String of Pearls” is sponsored by Armor Graphics and Finley’s Art Shoppe of Newark, DE. The Cecil County Arts Council is sustained in its mission of promoting, presenting and supporting the arts in the county through generous funding from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Cecil County Government and the CCAC membership; thank you, all!

The EAC is completely accessible, and is located at 135 East Main Street in Elkton. The reception and the exhibition are free and open to the public; hours are 10am-4 pm weekdays, Tuesday evenings from 6-8 pm, and the 1^st and 4^th Saturday of the month, from 10 am -1 pm. For more information on this show and all the other most excellent CCAC happenings, please call 410-392-5740 or visit the spiffy, newly reformulated and designed website at www.cecilcountyartscouncil.org.