Recently I decided to put some more effort and time into redecorating my home to look more cohesive. Since this will take some planning, I decided to take a gallery road trip to Howard County, Maryland in search of some key pieces of art to pull my home’s look together. My plans included taking my time to peruse the art at two galleries and to stop for a delectable meal. During April and May, you can visit special artistic events during Art for ALL, which involves multi-discipline art offerings, including live theatre to gallery exhibits, musical performances, culinary arts, pottery, outdoor sculpture, fashion, home decor, and even art to borrow.

Visit Howard County, in partnership with the Howard County Arts Council, recently launched this all-new arts awareness campaign called Art for All. The mission is to bring increased awareness and added business to Howard County’s art community by showcasing art offerings of every discipline.

When shopping for home decor, not only is it nice to give back towards the local art community, but you can also find beautiful, creative works of art that are going to be much more stunning to have in your home than a printed, manufactured piece of decor from a retail store.

To start my gallery road trip, I visited Old Ellicott City, which is an area that is dear to the heart of many who grew up there, but is also a place to discover creative art, boutiques, and more. While the Ellicott City area has overcome flooding twice in the past few years, it was fantastic to visit and see the shops and restaurants bustling with visitors.

In Old Ellicott City, I visited The Artist’s Gallery, which specializes in selling local art. You can find a range of modern, contemporary art with vibrant colors as well as more neutral colors and realistic designs. From painting to stained glass and sculptures, the items could fit any taste of home decor.

Although my gallery road trip was meant to be a mom’s day out, the kids tagged along with me for this first part. It was helpful to get their input for our home decor, as they were leaning more towards the realistic and traditional style instead of modern, which I would have expected them to like more. They are very creative children and they enjoyed learning more about art through this experience.

Coming up soon at The Artists Gallery, you can take part in a few interesting exhibits, such as ceramic impressions by Kathy Swan on May 4th, post photo processing by John Stier on May 5th, and a reception for the show “Multiple Dimensions” by Kathy Swan and John Stier on May 11th. There are also regularly held workshops so you can discover your artistic side with some guidance.

On Saturday, April 27th, you can also visit SpringFest in Old Ellicott City, which has live bands, crafts, art demos, kids’ crafts and face painting!

Next I visited the Savage Mill area for more luxurious time enjoying art, and this time, without the kids. Savage Mill is an enclosed shopping area with unique arts and crafts shops, antiques, food and more.

While there, I visited Horse Spirit Arts Gallery, which is another spot for incredibly talented local artists to show their work. Previously located in Old Ellicott City, this gallery flooded twice and then re-opened at the new location.

This gallery had a mix of creative mosaics, modern designs, quilt-inspired designs and sculptures as well as more realistic and traditional art.

Coming up, you can go to the Artist Talk on May 12 from 1 – 3 pm and attend the opening reception of “L’amor de Art” on May 26 from 1 – 4 pm. You can also attend workshops to learn from the artists who exhibit there.

If you are decorating your home with local art, you don’t have to let your budget get in your way. Many local galleries carry items that come in a wide variety of prices to make art affordable to all. Even you are the more practical type who prefers to save up for nice set of furniture, designing your wall space with beautiful art to match your taste can make your entire home look cohesive and consistent.

If you visit for a gallery road trip, I highly recommend dining at the Elkridge Furnace Inn. This historic mansion dates back to 1744, which is evident with its colonial style architecture that has been lovingly restored over time. With views from the second and third floors overlooking the Patapsco River, the Inn is also part of the Civil War Trail and the Underground Railroad. Interested in learning more about the history? Just ask Chef Daniel Wecker, who is very knowledgeable about the history of the mansion as well as the historical connection of his food to French cooking.

Inside the restaurant, you can find intimate seating for couples, but also spacious enough for a family. All food is inspired by the French and any areas they conquered. This provides a delicious range of fresh food, since the French have conquered many areas. To start with, I had a fantastic French Onion Soup made with a touch of white wine. Then, the Spanish-inspired salad has a delightful mix of bright colors, freshly grown vegetables, and a light, refreshing dressing.

In the salad was a delectable, well flavored artichoke grown fresh in the greenhouse at the restaurant, where you can also find artichoke, kale, onions, squash, and more. With 13 acres of property lined with Magnolia, Holly, and Linden trees, the restaurant wisely and resourcefully uses its land to bring fresh food to the dining experience.

While the meat is sourced from farms only miles away, the chef also coordinates with the other farms by giving special attention to the direction of sunlight in order to grow the right crops in the right location. There is also compost for eco-friendly use of the food, and even the sausage and ravioli are made fresh at the restaurant.

Elkridge Furnace Inn $50 Gift Card Giveaway

When taking a road trip to Maryland, you have to try the crab cakes! At Elkridge Furnace Inn, the jumbo lump crab cakes are made Maryland-style with a special, gluten-free recipe and a delectable mustard pan sauce. So you can get the chance to try this delicious staple to the area as well as the other farm-to-table ingredients, Theresa’s Reviews is hosting a $50 gift card giveaway to the restaurant!a Rafflecopter giveaway

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