“Veiled Worlds: Hidden in Plain Sight” by Eleanor Tanno

September 4, 2026 – September 27, 2026
Gallery Hours: Fridays & Saturdays, 12-5pm; Sundays, 11am-2pm
Opening Reception: Friday, September 4, 6-8pm

Eleanor Tanno’s collection of paintings of interior spaces is a celebration of shedding light on intimate spaces. Each painting explores the duality of feeling both the safety of home and mystery of being in an unfamiliar space. She used a water-based medium,
called gouache (rhymes with squash) for this collection. Gouache is applied to paper like traditional watercolor paint, but differs in that it is not transparent. Its opaqueness allows gouache to be layered to render more vivid colors, similar to oil paint.

Eleanor frequently shows her work in both solo and group shows. She was the first place winner in 2024 at the prestigious Easton Plein Air Quick Draw Competition, competing against 200 artists. Recent previous solo shows include Java Nation Coffee House (Kensington), National Institutes of Health (Bethesda), and the Thomas Farm Community Center (Rockville).

“French Impressions” Paintings by Barbara Mandel

October 2, 2026 – November 1, 2026
Gallery Hours: Fridays – Sundays, 1-3pm
Opening Reception: Sunday, October 4, 3-6pm
Closing Reception: Sunday, November 1, 3-6pm

Paintings of Provence, Paris, Giverny, Brittany, Corsica,  patisseries, vineyards and lavender invite the viewer into sumptuous spaces, awash with luminous colors. Travel down the Loire River, to a Normandy beach, to Luxembourg Gardens, to Mont Saint-Victoire. At every season, every time of day, in every region, France is a painting paradise.

Barbara Mandel is a plein air and studio painter, specializing in oils. Her favorite subject is France, especially Paris, Provence, and patisseries.

Barbara has a BA in Painting/Studio Arts and an MA in Art Therapy. As an art teacher and an art therapist, she has helped children, adolescents, and adults express themselves through art in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, day treatment centers, community centers, public and private schools, and museums. Barbara was an art teacher at Lowell School in Washington, DC and The Holton-Arms School in Bethesda. She is currently a School Docent at the National Gallery of Art and a Teaching Artist at Art Works Now in Hyattsville.

Barbara has exhibited locally in juried shows at the Rockville Art League, Strathmore Hall, the Yellow Barn Gallery, Bethesda Library, Gallery B in Bethesda, Brookside Gardens, the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation Fellowship Gallery, Windridge Vineyards, and Politics and Prose. She is a member of Gallery 209 in Rockville.

Maruja Quezada
Unit B

María Quezada is a painter who has fostered her profound love and appreciation for art since she was young. An admirer of realism in art as expressed by the Old Masters, she also has a fascination with the sensitivity of colors used by the impressionistic and modern artists. María paints landscapes, still lifes, portraits and figures. Her work has been featured in several group exhibits including at The National Arts Program in Baltimore, MD, Yellow Barn in Glen Echo, MD, VisArt Gallery in Rockville, MD and Art League Gallery in Alexandria, VA. Before focusing on art fulltime, María studied commercial art and worked in the business. She later went on to study at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, successfully completing the Art Certificate Program. She further honed her skills and continued her studies at the Art League in Alexandria, VA.

To view more of Maruja’s work, click here.

Barbara Siegel
Unit C

Barb Siegel is an oil painter and illustrator. She is also a registered architect and award-winning artist in collections around the world and a Plexus Institute Catalyst. In addition to creating fine art, Barb is a graphic novelist and is anticipating the upcoming publication of her novel, “The Shattered Sky.” She also specializes in visual practice; the practice of drawing on large sheets of paper as a person follows an idea. As a past president of the Gifted and Talented/Learning Disabled (GTLD) Network, she developed a working knowledge of neuro-psychology and strategies for learning and thinking. Barb has experience designing and delivering workshops in creativity, graphic recording, and thinking skills for a variety of groups. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland. After receiving her master’s degree, she studied sculpture with Bert Schmutzhart and F.L. Wall at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design and several years later studied printmaking at Montgomery College, Takoma Park.

To view more of Barb’s work, click here.

Stephen Estrada
Unit D

Stephen Estrada’s paintings reflect an intimate, human connection with the natural world. After his career with the Smithsonian as the Chief of Design for the National Air and Space Museum, followed by his role of Director-Curator for the U.S. Diplomacy Museum with the U.S. Department of State, he returned to his studio to paint fulltime. Stephen’s work traces his personal journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast, as well as his travels in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. His work has been shown in numerous exhibits throughout the United States including at AnnMarie Art Center, Solomon’s Island, MD; 3 Square Art Gallery, Fort Collins, CO; Museum of Art and Science, Macon, GA; Morris Art Museum, Augusta GA and Riviera Invitational, Coconut Grove, FL.

To view more of Stephen’s work, click here.