9/29/2015 7:12:21 PM
All of us have had the experience of walking through a show looking at the awards and wondering what was the judge thinking? When you enter shows the jurying process seems shrouded in mystery. Some artist with credentials is assessing your work and labeling it good or bad. Or at least that is how I viewed it when I first began to enter shows. Now that I have juried for numerous shows both locally and nationally, I respect the struggle that each juror faces when hired to select the entries and award winners. The exhibition only shows the final results and not the questions, comparisons, and selection process of each juror. The goal of this blog is to take some of the mystery out of judging.
The first thing to know is that every jurying experience is unique. Some shows are juried in person and some are juried online. Sometimes one person judges for entries and awards and other times there are many jurors involved. Each juror was hired to narrow a selection of entries to form the exhibition and then select what they feel are the best works in those entries for awards. Most jurors have entered shows and know the impact their choices will have on those who have entered.
Jurying in person is preferred but not always possible. With seeing and comparing work in real life, the juror can see the mark making, values, and color that a photograph may distort. Some shows are juried by CD and the juror must rely on the photographs provided to make their choices. The quality of the photograph is crucial to the decision making. I have juried paintings where the photographs were blurry. Although the design and color may have looked good, I couldn’t really tell because the photo was poor.
A newer method of jurying online is very fair. This is done through popular websites like Juried Art Services or Online Juried Shows. Artists register and send their images in for a specific show. Several jurors are hired to make the initial selection and they score each work individually. It can be a 1-10 or 1-5 scoring system. The scores are tallied by a separate person. Often there is a juror of awards who views the show in person. This way you have several opinions and the bias of each judge is balanced by the others who are judging the same images.
No matter the method that is used, each juror must keep in mind that they are being hired to work for a client. Each prospectus lists the criteria for the works that are entered. I always read the prospectus before I jury and, when I jury in person, always ask the following questions:
- Numbers: How many pieces are allowed in the exhibition? How many works is each artist allowed?
- Exhibition: What should the show represent - the diversity of the group or personal preference of the juror? Is there a theme? How important is the theme?
- Awards: How many awards are there? Can one artist win more than one? Is there leeway with the number of awards?
My method of jurying from life and online is similar. I first look at all of the entries several times before I make any decisions. This gives me an overall feeling for the show and quality of the submissions. Then I begin to group the work according to how I feel each piece compares to the other entries. I will usually begin by selecting the strongest work and giving it a top score. Online services will automatically group the paintings according to the score. If ten is the best, then all of the tens are placed in a folder and can be looked at as a group as well as individually. If I am working from a CD I will copy the CD then create my own folders to score the work. Either way I can go back and compare paintings that I feel are similar in quality. When paintings are viewed next to each other it is much easier to see the strengths and weaknesses. Online jurying takes place over a long period of time giving the juror the luxury of looking at the paintings again and again. I will go back numerous times and look at the show and continue to move paintings into different folders to see how they compare. I do this until I am satisfied that I have made the best decisions possible. In person, I will group the work that I think is best and the work I like the least to narrow the selection. Usually the work that is rejected is removed from the room so the juror can get a better feel for the exhibition. Sometimes artists enter several paintings but can only have one or two accepted. After the initial selection I will group the artist’s work together to decide which ones should stay in. This can be tough and I have had to reject some very beautiful work because of these limits.
Choosing the award winners is the most difficult task. Often this takes just as long as selecting the show. When the top works are comparable, it is like favoring apples or oranges. I have agonized over selection of Best of Show vs. First Place - running them through the criteria listed below to see if either of them has an edge over the other, and yes - this is where framing can make all the difference. Artists should always keep in mind that framing becomes important when jurying in person. A good frame shows the artists’ respect for their work and can go a long way in making a judge look at the work favorably. Sometimes there are more paintings deserving of awards than awards that are granted. Again, it comes down to subtle differences. If you are rejected from a show, or do not get an award, know that your painting may be one of those that was agonized over.
As far as personal bias, all jurors have them and every exhibition will be influenced by the personal viewpoint of the juror. Portrait is my strongest subject and I may be harder on portraits than a juror who specializes in seascapes. That juror may be harder on seascapes than on figurative work. That does not mean you should not enter a portrait if the juror is a portrait artist; just know that your portrait will be facing a well trained and critical eye. To keep my bias at a minimum, I use the criteria below to jury shows. This is especially helpful if there is a medium in which I am unfamiliar.
This is the criteria I use for judging a show. It helps me to be impartial to style or subject matter:
- Concept: What is the painting about? Do all of the parts of the artwork come together to create a whole concept? The whole is more important than any part.
- Composition: How do the shapes fit within the picture plane? Do the values and or colors support the concept?
- Shapes: Are the shapes interesting and unique? How do they fit the format? Is there a dominate shape? What is the quality of the perspective, proportion, and line quality (drawing)?
- Values: How are they used for design quality? Is one value dominant? Do the values explain form (if applicable)?
- Edges: Is there a nice flow of sharp and soft edges? Does the edgework explain the narrative of the piece?
- Color: Is there a dominant color harmony? Does the color explain light (if applicable)? Does the color support the concept?
- Technical Mastery: Is the application of materials or medium interesting and well crafted? Does it support the concept?
- Presentation: Does the framing or presentation complement the work?
I hope this post on judging and the two previous posts on entering juried shows will give you a better idea of what to expect when submitting. Competitions can be a rewarding and useful method of building confidence and gaining recognition. My best advice is to not take them personally but learn from them. Study the work in the top shows, read jurors statements, and visit shows in your local area. If a painting is rejected from one show, enter it in another - another juror may give it Best of Show!
Good luck and happy painting.
9/10/2015 12:52:07 PM
My last blog post discussed the benefits and drawbacks of entering juried shows. Now I would like to give you some tips on entering shows: selecting work to submit, how to choose which shows to enter, and a few tips for increasing your success when entering. I wish I could say that I could guarantee you acceptance and an award but, as I stated in the last blog, the only thing you can expect when you enter a show is that you never know what will happen.
What to Consider When Entering Shows
Paint for Yourself. My number one tip for choosing which painting to enter is to paint for you, not for the show. I have had the most success when I have created paintings to try out a new concept or approach without any expectation of success. Artists are visual storytellers and this sense of play adds honesty to the narrative. “Blue”, which has done very well in shows, was created to test out the limited palette of my Terry Ludwig Portrait Set. I wanted to paint different models in different light sources using only those 30 pastels. “Pause”, my most recent painting, was created as preparation for my last figurative workshop in Italy. Michelangelo’s David inspired me to focus the workshop lessons on gesture and the “about to” moment. I wanted a do a painting that encompassed the lessons and help solidify the concept before I left to teach. If you paint for yourself the inspiration and sincerity will shine through. If you create a work with anticipation that it will get into a show then you burden your creative drive with expectations that are out of your control.
"Blue" 11x14 pastel
Use Facebook or social media to test your image. If I have a painting that I am thinking of entering in shows I will post it on Facebook or in my newsletter. If the painting gets a good response and lots of shares, then I know I have a strong image. If the painting gets a lukewarm response then I will reconsider entering it in a major show.
Make sure your work fits the show. Look at past shows online or in catalogs to see what they are like and if you want to enter them. Make sure your subject matter and medium fits in. If it is an abstract show and you paint realistic then you do not need to enter. If there is any doubt about your medium or subject matter fitting the show criteria then save your jury fee and enter a show where you are certain your work fits in.
Weigh if the rewards are worth the risk. I compare the cost of the entry fee to the prestige of the show and possible awards and sales. Some local shows are just as expensive to enter as national shows and the award money is much smaller.
Look at the judges’ work and shows they have juried. This is not a guarantee but you can notice trends in what jurors choose. Portrait is my happy place and I tend to do better with jurors that are portrait artists. If the juror is conceptual I will not enter. Some jurors will like your work and some will not. I will enter shows with jurors who I have had prior successful entries. However, just because you win a prize with a certain judge is no guarantee that you will get into the next show they jury.
Know who you will be competing against. Some shows have very high submission numbers and very successful artists enter them. Your odds of getting in go down with the number of artists that enter. However if you do get into these more selective shows the publicity is worth the risk.
Read the prospectus and do exactly as it says. Some shows receive huge numbers of entries and the people who are sorting them are usually volunteers. They cannot make exceptions, and if you do not follow the rules your entry will be rejected and they do not need to notify you as to why. Make sure your work fits within the size limit and the time frame. Do not enter any work that was painted during a workshop, even if the instructor did not touch it. Keep good records of what paintings you have entered in shows so you do not accidently send in a prior entry. The only thing worse than being rejected is having a piece rejected after it is in the show.
Send in only your best photographs. In the online competitions you have seconds to make that first impact on the juror. A photograph is never as good as the original and all jurors understand that. Learn to use editing programs to correct the image without changing it from the original. A blurry photograph can hurt a wonderful painting. As a juror I have seen blurry photos of what looked like very good paintings and it hurt the score I gave to the work.
Use the best framing you can afford. When work is juried in person framing becomes very important. The final awards are the most difficult choices for a juror to make. Often the top works are apples and oranges in comparison and a good frame can be the difference between the top prize and second place. A bad frame can distract from the work and end your chances of winning any award.
Do not take it personally either way. Years ago I was entering local shows and received many rejections. A friend suggested I enter the Oil Painters of America National Exhibition and the same painting that had been rejected locally was accepted into this highly competitive show! I had been questioning the quality of my work and if I was meant to be an artist but once I started winning awards in the national shows with the same paintings that had been rejected I came to the conclusion that my work is neither terrible or great and that I am painting for the journey. If I have a painting that is rejected a couple of times I will set it aside and look at it months later. Often the fresh look will point out obvious flaws that I did not see before. In that way I use rejection to make my work stronger. Review the shows at the end of the year. What was successful and what was not? Use that information to make decisions for your next shows.
In the ten years of entering shows I have learned a few lessons about what to do and what not to do. I hope this post helps you to paint for yourself and gain confidence to enter shows. In my next post I will talk about what is it like to be a juror and my approach and process when I jury a show.
"Pause" 20x16 pastel
9/7/2015 9:21:09 PM
Quite a few artists have asked me about entering juried shows. For the next three blogs I will discuss why I enter them, tips for entering them, and also my thoughts and process when I am the juror. Entering juried art shows can be a scary and rewarding adventure. Scary because you are paying to have your work judged against your peers, but rewarding because it is a venue where you can gain recognition, win awards and increase sales.
I have been entering national juried art shows for about ten years. I have been rejected, accepted, and won awards. One thing I have learned is that I never know what will happen when I send in the submission. Paintings I was certain would do well did not and twice I have won best of show with work that I did not feel was my finest. That being said I continue to enter them because they have been an important part of moving my career forward. If you are thinking of entering juried art shows first consider the benefits and drawbacks to see if they are right for you.
Benefits
- See how your work compares with similar work on the market. There is no better way to see how your work compares to other artists. It can be a wonderful experience to hang on the same walls as some of your art heroes.
- Awards: Awards can come in the form of cash, materials, and publicity and occasionally all three at once. Cash prizes are wonderful but I also love winning art materials. A wonderful prize from the West Coast Pastel Society many years ago introduced me to the incredible Terry Ludwig Pastels and a friendship with Terry himself. They are also a terrific way to get free publicity. Award winners can be mentioned in magazines and often have their paintings printed in the next year’s prospectus and posted on art group websites.
- Recognition: I rarely get to attend receptions but have been surprised how many people contact me because of a painting in a show. Signature status, which is earned by winning a number of awards within a group, adds credibility to your work and helps widen your collector base and gain notice of publishers and galleries.
- Sales: Juried shows can expand the number of collectors who see your work and broaden your audience.
Drawbacks
- Expensive: Entering shows can be expensive. Be prepared to pay membership fees, entry fees, shipping, handling, and framing. Sometimes you will make money through sales and awards and sometimes you will lose money. Set aside a couple of hundred dollars when you begin then roll award money and sales back into the account to enter other shows. Keep good records of your costs for your taxes.
- Rejection: If you enter shows, rejection will happen. Every artist has been rejected at one point. Accept that this is part of the job and do not take it personally. Sometimes a painting that is rejected in one show will receive the gold medal in another. If a painting gets rejected from several shows, ask for a critique from an artist you trust.
- Shipping and handling. Shipping takes time and money. To enter shows you need a small fleet of expensive shipping boxes. I tend to paint smaller because they are easier and cheaper to ship. Handling fees can vary; some shows are very expensive and most will charge per painting. Always insure your work, pieces can be damaged.
- Tying up your work. Sometimes a show can tie up a piece for almost a year. Your painting should not be for sale on your website from the time you submit to the time the painting is returned to you. I have turned down sales of paintings only to have them make more money through awards. If you think you have a strong piece, do not offer it for sale outside of the shows. Also time your entries so you can enter several shows with the same painting.
I hope I have given you a few things to consider if you are thinking of entering shows. In my next blog, you’ll read tips that will help you decide which shows to enter and how to select which of your paintings to submit, so get busy painting those award winners!
