Monthly Archives: February 2012
Juried Exhibitions
I used to apply at juried exhibitions periodically. Most of the time, however, I get rejected. I have tried to look at my work objectively to see why.
I am aware that juried shows are subjective but I also need to be honest about my work. Is my art so bad that it gets nixed by curators almost all of the time? Would I change my style or concentrate on one theme to get in at galleries? Should I do shocking work to catch the attention of jurors and curators? Will doing any of that make me happy? The simple answer is no. I like what I do. I try to improve my craft by taking art workshops occasionally but my style is more or less unaffected. And as much as I’d like to exhibit and sell, I am just not willing to create art which doesn’t come from the heart – my heart.
Do I Want to Exhibit?
Of course, every artist wants to exhibit his or her artwork. But I am no longer keen about getting to exhibit in galleries. A male artist I met did not seem to care much about it. I asked him how he sells his paintings and he said nonchalantly, “Just by word of mouth.” True, not many artists actually sell during an exhibition but I was touched by his attitude. He was more animated talking about what paints he uses than where or if he sells his work. A purist, I thought.
Belated News: December 2011 Awards
My painting “The Winding Road” placed first in Best-of-the-Rest for December 2011 at Barebrush Gallery; “Trapped” took third place in December’s Favorite Nude of the Month! Not a bad way to start the New Year!
The Winding Road
Trapped