The Silver Spring Penguin

Here’s something to ponder: Is it better to be prim and punctual, or fashionably late?

It was Thursday morning, and 20 marketing managers were swapping business cards inside a Discovery Communications conference room.

That’s when someone let the scoop slip: Local artists would be meeting at Adega Wines that night to discuss a stealth project using the downtown turf. The cabal would convene at 7:00 p.m., possibly 8:00 p.m.

By 8:10 p.m., daylight was waning on the turf. The kids playing teeball below Adega’s patio couldn’t spot the ball, and some of them were in desperate need of a nap (above). Still, not an artist in sight.

It was nearly 8:30 p.m. when a handful of Silver Springers were spotted inside the wine shop and restaurant. They huddled around a candlelit table with Jamie Karn, architect and staunch green advocate, and Richard Jaeggi, who directed the short film “Finding Our Turf.”

They donned their best Cheshire cat smiles when approached, but Jaeggi was genuinely startled when asked about the secret art project.

“Does everyone know about this thing?!” Jaeggi quipped.

Um, they do now. Details will be posted as soon as they’re pried from the shadows.

The Penguin newsroom decided to give punctuality another shot. An opening reception at Kefa Cafe for photographer Nancy Coviello started at 6:30 p.m. Friday, and dammit if Penguin staffers weren’t there by 6:29 p.m.

The result: Paydirt. Coviello’s photos of Italy wrapped the cafe’s gallery space in centuries of history. Two particular images showed mosaics unearthed at Pompeii, their colors as brilliant as the day they were buried in soot and ash (above).

Equally dazzling was Kefa Cafe’s Venetian table — a decadent spread of cookies and treats piled on a corner table inside the gallery.

Unfortunately, the Coviello event at Kefa Cafe presented a scheduling conflict with the opening of “3 Roads Traveled” at Gateway’s Heliport Gallery. By the time Penguin staffers arrived at that gig, the powdered donuts (or possibly kilos of blow) were gone (above).

Still, printmakers Maureen Feely-Kohl and Nancy McNamara showed off bold lines and fierce colors, along with Marie Defeche’s billowing images of tranquility (below). The three artists are affiliated with Montgomery College’s Silver Spring/Takoma Park campus.

Photos by Ron Pace for The Silver Spring Penguin. Images from “3 Roads Traveled” courtesy of Gateway’s Heliport Gallery.