JURYING ART SHOWS & CRITIQUES
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008To be honest, I feel that Art cannot be judged. What causes one person to paint this image over that is a very personal choice in matters of Art, and one choice no better than the other if offered from a place of authentic need to express. One person may paint the darkness that has befallen him/her as an ‘exorcism’ or means of communication and this can be construed as Art; and it does not need to be attractive or marketable. Others (my favorites) paint something ‘beyond’, something intangible and unknowable, like icons for ‘what might be’. Many paintings offered in traditional representational galleries are celebrations of the artists’ reality, hopefully containing ‘expressive marks’ of the creator, telling us as much about how the artist felt about the subject as a two-dimensional representation of ‘where he/she was’. Others are actually craft created by people who have become very good at ‘wiggling the brush’ and paint attractive representations of the world in 2-D for fun, to earn money, or just because they can. It’s all fine, just don’t expect me to call it ‘Art’. (This applies to myself too, of course….In truth, I’m guilty of all of the above.
When I do agree to jury an art show, often I will think about what the painting tells me of its creator; who is a left-brained, hard worker, who is courageous and painting from the heart, who is having a tantrum on the canvas and calling it art, etc., etc. In trite horse paintings I often see the ego; in wonderful realism, the dedication to craft (technique is, after all, craft); I love to see courageous, expressive paintings and willingness to think ‘out of the box and communicate something of the artist’s authentic nature aside from her ego.
Yesterday I received an email from CB asking "would you please look at my paintings and tell me why I didn’t get in this national show?" I answered her personally, but the following is the list I think is the only fair way to evaluate art for a show. I developed a system that starts off with quantifying those elements of visual arts that I feel can be evaluated and judged, and I assign each a number out of ten. I then total the list and those paintings that score the highest in the show, all are evaluated more personally. For those of you who want to know what those categories are, I list them here….
- COMPETENT USE OF MEDIA: Craft, skill, technical competence and confident execution of media.
- DESIGN COMPETENCE: Proficient use of design elements i.e., shape, colour, line, value, texture to support idea. Abstract appeal and composition.
- EMOTIONAL IMPACT: Does the work invite scrutiny, thought & feelings beyond obvious visual pleasure/interest?
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CREATIVITY: Has the artist thought ‘out of the box’? Is there an element in the work that is new, unexpected, brave?
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MARK ALL YOUR PAINTINGS OUT OF TEN, AND ASK YOURSELF THESE TOUGH QUESTIONS. (P.S. MANY OF MINE WOULD FAIL MY TEST MISERABLY….JUST TO LET YOU KNOW!) Happy creating!
Poor Johnny! It was pouring down rain at Myerscough college when Johnny, his father Clive and the Vail of Lune hunt came to pose while I painted. (I’m not stupid…There’s me, jet-lagged yet dry in the tent). I was doing a painting demonstration initially in the rain, but the rain soaked my clothes and my paint wouldn’t move, so I chickened-out. Johnny let the rain drizzle down his neck for a full 20 minutes. (The resulting painting is in my studio and will be uploaded soon.)
The sunlit hills of Derbyshire hint of something wonderful around every bend. One can never be prepared, however, for the feast for the eyes that is Chatsworth, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Derbyshire. The beauty of the place, the splendor of its countryside was in fact eclipsed for me by the art collection inside. Chairman of Sotheby’s, the Duke has secured his beloved collection and heritage from the clawing hands of governmental tax laws by ingenious trusts, set up to preserve his precious history. One cannot help but be thankful for him and his family who, while they reside still it the family seat since 1600’s, now rent the 1st floor apartments as custodians of Chatsworth. I imagine the Duke feels deeply in his soul that we are only custodians of art and beauty, and he has done everything in his power to preserve beauty, heritage, and history; all things good about being British, for us all to enjoy. I admire him to the root of my being.
Here I am in the Duke’s sculpture room. I have to admit, I was still reeling from encountering two beautiful Rembrandts (purchased by the Duke’s family in the 1700’s when they were still affordable) and fabulous Lucien Freud’s paintings when I walked into this marvelous gallery. All these treasures to be viewed in someone’s home was a rare, unique experience for me. It gave the art more presence; it seemed more real, more visceral when viewed nestled in its own private setting. 
Here is my newly graduated daughter Lauren in the lawns of Chatsworth. As an art history major, she was equally stunned by Chatsworth.
Well, as you can see, I live a charmed, artful life. I am still digesting our June in the U.K. and France and I am utterly grateful to my husband and to all our friends and relatives who mad our travels magical. See you back on earth! 
In the evenings we would seek the local fine wines and select the brasserie to sample local delights. In the days we would travel through centuries visiting our local Amboise (here is my son Chris at Amboise castle being a gargoyle)…
We were rather shocked at the sheer magnitude of the ego and narcissism that would permit one to build the Palace of Versailles when people were starving all around. Here is Ashley, my second daughter at Versailles..
We didn’t stay too long at Appleby Fair…The gypsies had just arrived and it was a "zoo". We stayed in a wonderful hunting lodge called Bracken Bank Lodge in the Lake District….
While the family was getting up and around I had all manner of wonderful horses to sketch from this lovely pony passing by to a gorgeous Fresian who looked like liquid ebony in the morning northern June light. 
So what do you do in Standish when you’re all nice and dry? Whet your whistle, of course! I took my children to sample beer and crisps at my local pub, the Boar’s Head in Standish. It’s old. I mean, it was mentioned in the Magna Carta old. I’ve passed it thousands of times growing up, and stopped in once or twice as an adult. (I can’t go anywhere without doodling something or someone. This was done in my travel journal with watercolor and a Bic pen.) 
When the kids won’t get up and you want to paint something, what do you paint? I thought I’d do what Sargent did; paint the first thing you see when you walk out of the door. In my case, my clothes from the day before hung out to dry (thanks mother.) Painted directly into my journal on gessoed watercolour paper, in oil (13 x 8). 
I thought about the questions raised with recent polygamy cults. I decided to paint an icon for a free woman responding to the spirit of life in dance; I decided to paint a flamenco dancer from a 30 sec. gestural sketch I did from the telly watching Riverdance. The oil was done on gold gesso-primed oil panel (30x 20), and the watercolour was from a similar sketch of the same woman. I am finishing them this week, and I’ll load them up then. Those who attended, thank you for your warmth and graciousness. 
