Painter spreads joy by helping Toy Fund

Brunswick-based artist Maria Castellano-Usery is well known for her colorful and playful paintings, a distinctive style she says is intended to be “a conduit for joy and light.”

This painting was raffled off after the 2018 Toy Fund Paint-a-Thon. Maria Castellano-Usery

She’s also known for spreading joy and light by using her art to raise money for local charities.

On Saturday, Castellano-Usery will hold her 85th charity Paint-a-Thon. And, as she has each December for the past six years, she will donate half the proceeds to the Press Herald Toy Fund as a way to spread joy and light to children who most need them.

Her Paint-a-Thons work like this: Castellano-Usery sets up her easel first thing in the morning, breaks out her acrylics and a blank 8-inch-by-8-inch canvas and starts painting. She keeps painting for eight hours until she ends up with a work of art that she raffles off to raise money for a chosen charity.

The raffle actually takes place while she paints. Tickets cost $5 each or three for $10 and can be purchased by contacting Castellano-Usery through Instagram (@brushstrokesbymaria) or Facebook. Castellano-Usery also will be selling other artwork and sharing the proceeds with the Toy Fund.

Castellano-Usery has raised thousands of dollars over the years for a variety of good causes. She calls it Brushstrokes With Impact.

Today, she will be setting up her easel just inside her home Sugar Shack Studio and painting from roughly 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. And she’ll bring the joy and light.

TODAY’S DONATIONS:

This was the 2017 painting raffled off for the Toy Fund. Maria Castellano-Usery

For Alice & Bill Amero from children $40
In honor of Bob Pettengill, from the family $50
David Smith $500
Frank & Deborah Pecoraro $2,500
Carol Juliano $100
In memory of my wife, Sharon, & daughter Krista, both of whom loved Christmas. Ken Wing $50
In honor of Victoria, the MM, for her delightful column, including the most recent one about the teal Christmas tree. $50
In memory of Eleanor Joy, from Kathy & Jay Lowery $2,500
In memory of Jim and Janice Owen $50
In memory of Susan Jean Stevens. We miss and love her so much. Dad, Mom, Rick, Eric, Tim $100
Anonymous $10
John Sanders $100
From the grandkids of Bob’s Welding – Abby, Sam, Carly, Molly, Xavier, & Maddox $120
From Susan, Patsy, Billy $30
Merry Xmas – Jim & Kathy Ryan $150
Robert Tweedie $100
In memory of Andrew Campbell $100
In memory of Timmy – Mom, Dad, Robin, Karen $250
In loving memory of Emmons & Joan Johnson, from Phyllis, John, & family $250
In loving memory of Jane E Quirk and Quirkie $100
In memory of our parents – Merry Christmas $50
In memory of Lora A Lemanski, from Adam, Nicole, Luke, and Frank $100
Jane & Gary Farmer $100
Merry Christmas to those less fortunate, from Finnegan, Abbie, Declan, Julia $50
In memory of Gigi & Grandmom $100
Merry Christmas! $25
Merry Christmas! Phil & Diane $100
Irene Reilly $25
In memory of Paul J White from K White $100
Sarah Crosby $100
In memory of W Earle Eskilson, who worked on The Bruce Roberts Fund in 1949 and after, $50
In memory of Sally Eskilson $50
In memory of Flora & Walter Perkins $100
Merry Christmas! $100