2018 Catalog Cover Art Competition Winner

Congratulations to Sally Drew of Olney, MD for her winning entry in the 2018 Cover Art Competition.

Artist Statement

I have been drawing since I discovered how to hold a pencil and have been painting since I received my first oil painting set at age nine. My favorite gifts were always new crayons, colored pencils, and paint-by-number kits. My interest in color and creativity didn’t stop with painting and drawing but led me to explore and appreciate the texture and beautiful colors of yarn and the amazing things that could be made from it. I have been an avid knitter ever since childhood when I picked up that first set of needles and colorful ball of yarn. I remained interested in anything artistic and creative which led me to major in commercial art and to minor in biology in college. The accumulation of knowledge in biology and art grew into an interest in the dynamic colors and shapes of art with nature. Plants and animals are an inspiration for much of my art work.

As a mother of two, art as a profession was put on hold but definitely not forgotten. My artistic side inspired me to create toys and decorations for my children, and to challenge their interest in Mother Nature’s creations – from the shapes of trees and the habits of insects to the colors of the skies and clouds.

As demands in my life changed, the art of watercolor seemed to speak to me and called me back into painting. Watercolor is a wonderful medium but it can be very frustrating. Patience and a lot of practice taught me how to use watercolors to their fullest extent. Beautiful shapes and colors can create a large range of emotions from the viewers – happiness or sadness, peace or excitement, curiosity or satisfaction, and just make them smile. I am particularly drawn to color – it’s the first

thing that attracts me to a painting. Next, the images, or lack of them, pull me further into the painting. I love a painting that makes me travel through it, moving from shape to shape and from color to color. The goal of my paintings is to provide the viewer with this same sense of discovery and to experience an emotional response to its content.

My paintings have won many awards at exhibits in Montgomery and Howard counties. Recently, I was honored by receiving a Juror’s Award in a juried show in the Kentlands Manor in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I currently have a painting on exhibit at the Olney Library. I have served on the Board of Directors, Olney Art Association, for the past seven years, and am a Signature member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society, and belong to the Olney Art Association, Rockville Art League, and Montgomery County Plein Air Artists and exhibit in all shows sponsored by these groups. I am very humbled to know that so many of my paintings have been purchased to hang in people’s homes.

My two grown children married two wonderful people and I have a beautiful 17-year old granddaughter who is very dear to my heart. I have lived in Olney, Maryland for 47 years – in the same house!

Contact Information: Tel – 301-774-2125. Email –

 Honorable Mention

Hannah Kate Messer
Williamsburg, VA

Clare Margaret Douglas
Harrisburg, PA

Destiny Pryor
Willingboro, NJ

Shannon McNicholas
Conesus, NY