Showing posts with label Jury. Show all posts

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Post 557: PWAS Best of the Region Juror - Catherine Hillis

PWAS Best of the Region Juror - Catherine Hillis

The Prince William Art Society is sponsoring the Best of the Region Fine Art Show and Sale June 3-15 to be held at the ARTfactory in Manassas, Virginia. Our juror for this event is the acclaimed artist, Catherine Hillis.

Catherine Hillis

Catherine Hillis Bio

For the past 30 years, Catherine Hillis has exhibited at numerous galleries, museums and art centers, both public and private, around the world. She authors comprehensive articles about watercolor painting and competes on the national plein air circuit as well as in international watercolor exhibitions, winning hundreds of awards.

“I paint. It's the thing I do best. I create light and movement with watercolors. When I see a scene with a story and the light is just right, I must paint. I find myself painting places that folks pass every day but fail to recognize the beauty. Many people say I see color and light that isn't there. I contend that I'm observing things as they really are, at least to me. Whenever possible, I try to make a statement through my work, employing a playful twist or edge that a viewer can appreciate.”

A popular educator, Catherine believes in a commonsense approach to teaching, with an intent to provide students with strong technical skills for use both in the studio and en plein air. With a background in theater, she presents materials with vivacious energy and a sense of humor. She is intensely passionate about her medium and considers herself to be an ambassador of the fluid mark. See her website for a schedule of workshops at home and around the world.

Hillis has served as Artist in Residence in Dinan, FR; and at Chateau d’Orquevaux, and at Hot Springs National Park, USA. The artist is a long-time member of the Washington Society of Landscape painters and has earned Signature Memberships with the Laguna Plein Air Painters and 8 other national organizations. You can see her painting “Freefalling” at the American Watercolor Society Exhibit at the Salmagundi Club in NYC during April of 2025.

Bio, Catherine Hillis www.catherinehillis.com

Recent Meeting of Catherine Hillis

Sandra Lewin and I attended the 74th Fredericksburg Fine Art Show and Sale in February of this year. We went to the Artist Reception for that show and were wandering around getting pictures of each of our artworks and seeing what the awarded artworks for each category were.

It is an interesting show each year in Fredericksburg. The artworks are arranged and displayed in sections, with each media type grouped together. So the oil paintings are all in a row with 1st, 2nd, 3rd places; The acrylic paintings with their ribbons of 1st, 2nd and third; and a row for watercolors, mixed media, sketches/drawings, and sculpture/3D artworks with each of their ribbons. We finally found the award for Best of Show, and guess who the artist was? You guessed it, Catherine Hillis!

Photo by Donna Liguria

We spent a few minutes with Catherine and discussed the upcoming Best of the Region Fine Arts Show and Sale at the ARTfactory in Manassas, Virginia June 3 through 15. Catherine plans on being at the ARTfactory Artist Reception on Saturday, June 7 (6-8pm). She loves to see the artwork in person and how it is presented before she makes final selections for the awards for the show.

She also mentioned that she would like to have the ability to make comments on the artwork as she juries the works, so that feature will be available for her to use and for the artists to see if she types a comment in ARTCALL. The Web Gallery will be available closer to the June artshow.

The ARTfactory is located at 9419 Battle Street, Manassas, Virginia 20110, with plenty of parking right across the railroad tracks. And the artwork already submitted is looking great, so be sure to go see this show! AND that Call for Art is open April 1 to 30, 2025 11:59pm https://bestoftheregionexhibit.artcall.org/

The CALL FOR ART for the Best of the Region Fine Art Show and Sale is open until April 30 at 11:59pm. So go to the link above to submit your art today!

Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.

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Thursday, August 10, 2023

Post 381: Watching the Jury Process at Open Space Arts

Watching the Jury Process at Open Space Arts

Open Space Arts, Wednesday, August 9, 2023 9am - A new art show at a gallery means that the Call for Art to jury all the art submitted is on the agenda this morning. Here are some things of note that I observed while jurying, or watching the jurying for the new upcoming art show.

The Jury Process at Open Space Arts (OSA)

I was on the original OSA Committee Team 2022, along with the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) members Penny Shaw, Bettie Sperty, Staci Blanchard and Sandra McClelland Lewin. But in this jury process today, I was more an observer, a reporter...taking notes on what to pass along to you, the artist reader.

There are 48 local Prince William County artists that answered the Call for Art (C4A) for this upcoming show called "Strut Your Stuff". This show is scheduled to start on Wednesday, August 23 and run until September 17, 2023.

On this jury committee were Mandy Powell, Evelyn Chatters, Nicole Fisher, Larry Burch, Penny Shaw, Mark Murphy and Aaron. Herb Williams came in as well.

It is different not being behind the table with the jurors. My thumbs caught a break today. Observing their process, and not tracking the results necessarily allowed for interesting details to be noted.

The screen that displayed the artists with their submitted work

Penny gave the instructions on the voting. For this particular show, the accepted art is not based on any kind of a theme nor title - as always, we want the BEST of the art submitted.

Numero Uno: It should always always be the quality of the art.
Each volunteer juror votes - basically a thumbs up or down. In case of tie, Mark votes. (Mark mans the laptop and slides on the TV.)
Composition, balance, use of color - all the art fundamentals, elements, principles of art should be in the jurors minds, as well as the uniqueness, the originality - the impressiveness of the piece being considered.
The name of the artist does not matter.
There should be no restrictions in the number accepted per person. The C4A currently asks for up to 8 large, 6 medium, 6 small and 6 sculpture pieces.
The sales ability of the piece is a consideration in a gallery.
Consider if it is family-friendly, controversial? Does it speak to the viewer in the manner the gallery finds acceptable?
Are there any copyright issues with the piece? For the most part, artists that submit something that may have controversial copyright infringement problems is kicked out. This is for the gallery's protection. An example is that if you took a Disney figure and put it in your artwork. If you are trying to sell that piece, that very easily could be copyright infringement. See How to Tell If an Image is Copyright free (Public Domain Art)

Let the games begin, the jurors thumbs are twitching...

Submitting Your Art for a Call for Art

As the observer to these good folks volunteering their time to jury this art show, I feel the need to point out the obvious. There are things as juror to be aware of as well as the artists that submit their artwork.

Not all artwork can be accepted, period.

You know the saying that it only takes 7 seconds to make a good first impression? Well, that can absolutely be said about a jury process, in my opinion. If there are hundreds of pieces of art for the juror(s) to look at, a decision needs to be made, and quickly. I would offer that if there is a judging and awards being given, I would imagine the selections -should and probably do- take more time than that. Some jurors and judges get paid in those cases. Others are volunteers not getting paid.

The more people that enter an art show that will be juried, the more important the rules, directions, and jury process is. If a person does not follow the directions, the more likelihood that an artist that doesn't follow them are to be kicked. (Does it sound better if I say "not accepted"?)

Depending on the size of the gallery or art space, only up to a specific number will actually fit into the given space. And the jurors have to be aware of the size of the artwork coming in. Different shows, some art might be quite large - which of course makes a BIG impact, but definitely they do take up more wall space. Along with diptychs, triptychs and artist series of a collection.

What did concern me was the number of artists that just do not follow the directions. All of the jurors noted how the image quality was often pretty awful. Clarify, really BAD. Artists must understand that the juror must make a decision on an art piece within a few seconds. If the artwork cannot be clearly seen, it will get the thumbs down vote very quickly although in person, it might actually be quite beautiful artwork.

I'm noting here, and I have photo posts on this blog and there is tons of info out on the internet about taking quality photos of your artwork. If artwork is not lit well during the photo session, it follows that it will not show well in front of the jurors.

Take your photos BEFORE you varnish to avoid that additional glare.
Edit your photos to ensure horizontal is straight. Crop off the edges some if you have to.
As much as possible try to take the photo straight at the artwork as tilted can throw distortions across the piece.
Take your photos outside - there are specific times of day that will work best. Use a tripod. Take a LOT of photos to get the BEST.
Jurors mentioned no frilly setups. ONLY the artwork is to be in the image and nothing around it. In the past, others have submitted art with it posed in a living room looking wall, trying to "Etsy" the look. Know what I mean? You do not do that when answering a Call for Art.
Someone could offer a class or workshop, or be the guest speaker at a meeting to show HOW to take photos! Or write a blog post!

Framing. Oh this one is a stickler. Take the picture of the artwork without the frame or EDIT out the frame! ALL of the jurors mentioned this one and more than once. The frames were so distracting (and sometimes the frame did not do the artwork any favors). Also, because they included the frame in the photo, the actual size of the artwork on the television screen is even smaller, again, making the artwork harder to see.

*Jurors also made mention that an art piece might work better in another more appropriate upcoming art show. Artists may be asked to not submit repeating artwork within a time frame so understand your inventory of work to the art shows upcoming that you may want to enter. Be aware of the season of the show too. EX. Snow may not work in July - in most places.

One juror mentioned the difference between artwork that appears more finished and the canvas being covered entirely. She feels that artwork is not complete unless white canvas is painted white - she doesn't like the bare canvas showing. Paintings are often built with LAYERS of paint and the canvas does not show through it. She gave further feedback as follows:

"When painting with acrylic and oil, be sure to build up your paint on the canvas to create depth and show rich color. Canvas should not show through your medium, creating visible brushstrokes that are not part of the texture."

Oddly enough, red artwork seemed to be trending. More often than not, red artwork got in. I found that interesting and they may not have even realized it was happening.

Sure, I would have voted differently on many of the pieces, everyone is definitely entitled to their own likes and dislikes with art. I was quite surprised at the volume and selections of no votes. But I do consider it as more of a fair process to be juried and voted on by a team of your artist peers than a single voter. At that point, you are selected or not according to only one person's likes and dislikes. What if that person LOVES abstract art and abhors landscapes or vice-versa?

A New Gallery Management Team

Considering that a new gallery management team is starting soon, new Call for Art directions, rules and the process will all probably change. Hence, all artists need to be aware that changes will take place and the reading of the rules and following directions will be even more crucial going forward. As with anything, there will be growing pains and they are to be expected.

Flowers. The Open Space Gallery is scheduled to do an annual springtime art show for flowers, so the gallery's preference is submit subject matter artwork of flowers to that art show. Under discussion were still life and landscape artwork with flowers in them. Hopefully the new management will have more clarity on this later.

One item that was brought up that will be in effect is that after October 1, 2023, if the art call asks for a photo of the artist and bio, they are planning to use that digital info as media/data/press(?) in the gallery. Hence the need to submit those each time you want to enter. By the way, great bio pic, Vaze.

Herb Williams also noted that the jurors should help with the art check in as well. They voted the pieces in that will appear and the art check in is MORE than just that. Artists are required to have their artwork READY to be hung on the gallery's walls. FINISHED sides, WIRED correctly, Framed properly. Has a label on the back? At check in, this is that last filter before art goes on the walls so if the artist does not have the art ready, he or she must get it corrected immediately or risk being rejected from the show. See Display

Therefore, do not pass go, do not collect 200 until you:

R E A D T H E D I R E C T I O N S

Thumbs Up!

A Call for Help

Penny Shaw also noted that for the "Strut Your Stuff" art show, she is looking for volunteers to help with the art reception (date?), the window display for the show (Aug 20-21) and help with the art hanging those same days too. Email Penny at shawonesent@gmail.com

For the most part, ALL of the information needed is pretty much on this blog already. Do a search. If you want to show your artwork in a professional gallery, YOU must learn to be a professional as well. Learn how that gallery EXPECTS your artwork to hang.

All artists know, they will hear NO. That will happen at many art shows in your art careers. In a way, because of some of the notes above, it has to...And they always ask why was my artwork rejected? See Rejection. Dust off your knees and keep going, or as one of my friend's always says, "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it".

I hope that makes things a little clearer for everyone.

Talk about a jury process...see Art at the Mill - maybe Open Space Arts one day!

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA and Artistry Spin Blog Admin, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, Donna's Etsy site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Photography/Video Credits:

Donna Liguria

Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 52-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Friday, October 21, 2022

Post 246: Learn to Take a Better Photo When Submitting to Calls for Art

Learn to Take a Better Photo When Submitting to Calls for Art

And Other Stuff

A simple Google search...that's often how easy it is to learn how to fix anything from your coffee maker or how to take better photos. And when it comes to this digital world and submitting your artwork into art shows, you are going to need to take NOT ok photos, but GREAT photos.

Some of the Do's and NOT Do's for Calls for Art

I found I did wander a bit in this blog post, as I sometimes (often) do. Nonetheless, you may find some sense to the madness, I hope.

A friend said the other day, after we juried an art show for the art gallery, there is a standard that an art show or an art gallery sets, that they expect the artists to meet and to exceed. It's sort of like when you go out to a fine dining restaurant where you had a reservation and waited 6 months to get in and they require you to wear a jacket. You would not get in wearing a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops. The restaurant is setting a standard, an expectation for the guests to be, well, professional.

That doesn't mean that the person wearing the t-shirt and flip flops is not a good person at all. If the person went home and changed clothes, he or she would certainly get in then right? They improved their presentation. Something to think about.

Wrong Ways to Submit Art

Photo by Angela Pencheva on Unsplash

Do not include background, foreground - or anything AROUND your artwork photo.

WHY? The artwork is the star, the subject, the only thing that matters. Anything else detracts from it. Cute cat though, right? The Juror does not care.

Photo and Painting by Donna Liguria, called "East Coast Beach Sunrise"

What is horizontal should BE horizontal. All computers and smart-butt phones have editing of photos capabilities, so straighten those lines!

WHY? The Juror observing your art is wondering if you can paint a straight line.

This is how the actual photo was submitted, not the one above:

Photo and Painting by Donna Liguria, called "East Coast Beach Sunrise" with horizon correctly oriented in photo

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Although the exact total dimensions are required when submitting artwork that is framed, the actual image photo of the artwork should NOT include the frame. Please reread that - do NOT include the frame in the photo. This is the cropped painting from the above framed artwork - and this is how the artwork should have been submitted below.

WHY? Because the Juror deciding if your art should be submitted into the art show can actually SEE how you executed the piece before they make that decision.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Photo and Painting by Donna Liguria, painting name, "No One Can Teach Riding so Well as a Horse" - photo is overexposed and not cropped

This photo (above) had very poor lighting and it faded the colors. The painting looks so much better in person, yet if I had submitted this photo...disastrous. Also, the photo is slightly angled and not cropped as it should be, so we are seeing the background again.

WHY? The Juror does not/may not know the background of the art or you. Nor should it matter. He or she does not know if the over exposed photograph is actually how you painted it or not. The artwork cannot be clearly viewed.

I believe that most jurors would know there is some discrepancy when having to view things digitally, but it is up to the artist to present their art by taking the BEST photo of it in the first place. If the juror cannot see it well, your art could get by-passed.

This is an improvement below, do you agree? Even if cropping out some of the edges removes whatever is behind the artwork, you need to cut out the background.

Inappropriate Content - if the gallery asks for family-friendly, non-political, etc, it is probably not a great idea to submit a nude portrait even if it is so realistic it could walk off the canvas.

A few other important thoughts:

What are you trying to say with your artwork? Is the message clear?
The background in a painting is as important as the foreground and vice-versa.
What is that odd 'blotch' on the artwork? Watch out for those shiny spots/ reflections when taking photographs!
Does the title of the painting make sense for that painting?
"Untitled" as a title could be terribly confusing for a gallery especially if there are other pieces called "Untitled".
All of the important rules of composition are in play. Your artwork and the image you submit for your artwork should for the most part, play by those rules.

Please see Artwork Rejection for further reading.

Right to Submit, and YEH! I got in the Art Show, What Now?

Well, I could submit artwork here that made it into various shows, but we all know if we did or did not get in. And I have other blog posts about jurying processes here on the Spin. Instead at this point, are the things to be sure are done correctly at the last stages of having your art checked in to the show. Or, as the gallery sees the artwork in person...

Your Best Artwork - it should go without saying, and often we KNOW in our creative little hearts what is our best artwork and what we have hidden within the depths of our closets or studios never to see the light of day. Or the stuff destined to be over painted. Don't we all have some of those? For your best chances of being juried, always submit your best and always, always be improving.

Finished Artwork - edges should always be completed which means the edges should be either a solid color or bring the painting around the edges. Make sure all of your preliminary sketch work is erased or buried within the painting process as well.

Photo and Painting by Donna Liguria, called "Mountain Reflection"

Properly Wired Artwork - make sure you understand the requirements for that gallery and their wiring methods. And remember, not all galleries are the same and their hanging methods could be VERY different. Make sure your wire is not too high so that the hanging bracket will show.

Side Note: It still tickles me when a painting arrives unwired...

Photo by Donna Liguria - the wire needs to be much lower. The artist will be tasked with redoing the wiring so that the bracket used will not show above the canvas.

Properly Labeled and Signed Artwork - Follow the labeling requirements which is often have YOUR label on the back of the artwork with your name, title, year, medium and price. Notice this one may be at your discretion, so a business card or label might work well. Some shows may ask for a front label with some of the same information or they may print their own for you.

Side Note: Remember, "if you liked it then you should have put a sig on it" - sing that to the Beyonce tune. Just sayin'. Put your signature on it!

Properly Packaged Artwork Prints - art prints should be packaged in archival bags (for safe keeping) and be backed with STIFF board to help protect the print from bending.

Properly Framed Artwork - typically gallery wrapped canvas will not need to be framed but follow the directions of the gallery/art show you are submitting artwork to. Frames can make or break artwork, so do some research on this topic as well.

Sorry to say but these topics are not as thoroughly written out as they could be, so again, do the homework, ask questions and learn what your fellow artists are doing right so you can avoid the wrong. There are no guarantees when submitting artwork for jurying into art shows and galleries, but it is a great idea to avoid the obvious wrongs...it could make the difference.

What I Found in a Few Moments About Taking Photos

Before starting this blog post, I did a quick Google search and I found these really great links on info from some fantastic online art resources on "Photographing Your Artwork". Wasn't that what this blog post was supposed to be about?

From taking pictures on cloudy days outside between 11 and 2 and having light kits for indoor photographs, someone also suggested taking the photo of your artwork BEFORE you varnish it too, which made sense to me.

4 Steps to Photographing Your Art Like a Professional

Tips for Photographing Your Artwork by Gavin Coates

Here is a YouTube video from Tyler Stalman from saatchionline.com that's really good.

How to Photograph a Painting, Step by Step

We could all use a workshop on photographing artwork, so make that suggestion to your art group. Also while you are at it, make a suggestion box for your art group for goodness sake!

So, from the photographers and experienced art folks out there, what else would you suggest when photographing your art?

And now I have "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) in my head..."Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, o-ohh".

By the way, coming up next Blog Post- Cropping an Image Made Easy

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to know how to get involved at OSA? If you are an artist (18 or older) living in Prince William County, or a are a member of a PWC art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Monday, October 17, 2022

Post 242: Fall Art at the Mill Oct 1-16, 2022

Fall Art at the Mill Oct 1-16, 2022

The Open Space Arts Gallery wanted to share this link with you, especially if you have not heard of this art show held in Millwood, Virginia (and online). Since I have been a member of PWAS, I have heard talk of the "Art at the Mill" show periodically, often in the very hushed tones of sheer reverence.

Art At The Mill

Don't worry, the current call for art is closed, so no frantic rush to submit art. Definitely read more about the show on their homepage at https://artatthemill.artcall.org/.

The OSA Committee shares this link with you on the artwork that was juried into the show - and part of the mention of this is that they juried in all 1,124 pieces showing. Wowzers, makes me wonder how many pieces were submitted! Check out the art here:

https://artatthemillfall2022.artcall.org/pages/web-gallery?fbclid=IwAR0x7NXiffk9x0BacA1QMD1_Z1LCFYDp8IyCfG3YklEC_C6FkiEL-wXP4p8&page=3

The show is sponsored by the Clarke County Historical Association (CCHA)

Clarke County Historical Association
32 East Main Street / P.O. Box 306
Berryville, Virginia 22611
https://www.clarkehistory.org/art-mill.html

Located at: Burwell Morgan Mill, 15 Tannery Lane, Millwood, VA
Phone: 540-837-1799

That's just over an hour from Woodbridge, which isn't too bad. Keep an eye out for the next call for art though.

Photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash

Author: Donna Liguria

An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Post 224: Artwork Rejection

Artwork Rejection

You've done the work. You created your artwork and submitted it to a juried art show or gallery in the hope of showing off your artwork to the masses. The wait begins to see if you get the thumbs up or the thumb down.

Out of Your Control vs In Your Control

(Warning: Please note that I'm not going to sugarcoat this article.)

There are some things within the artist's control when submitting artwork to a gallery for selection, but probably much more frustrating is that there are more things that ARE NOT within the artist's control. And even more confusing and/or frustrating, the reasons for rejection that are out of your control you may never know about.

At Open Space Arts (OSA) at Stonebridge, we use a "Jury Committee" which is a group of artists with a variety of art backgrounds that review all art submissions. While we cannot speak for every juried art show in the world, there are common features that are taken into consideration when populating a gallery for specific art shows.

Here are some things that the gallery has total control over:

1. To be blunt - your artwork may look great in person, but the image of it that the jury sees - well, sucks. Actually this happens a lot and the artist does have control over taking the photo of it. Do NOT include background in your art photos. Take a GREAT picture and CROP out the background. And quite frankly, because of techie things, the image may not translate well from image to projected when the jury is doing their thing.

2. How large the gallery space is vs. the number of pieces submitted, also vs the size of the pieces submitted. Say a gallery has room for 100 large pieces and they receive 350 pieces of large art to jury. Do the math, that's a lot of rejected art.

3. IF the gallery is looking for a theme and the artwork submitted doesn't fit that theme, it has to be cut. Although OSA doesn't want to necessarily stick to a theme for each art show, occasionally the title of the show does dictate a "theme". Say the show was "Summer Spotlight on Art" and artists submit art that has snow, ice, fall colors and the like. Although the art might be scrumptious, the time of year along with 'what might sell best at this show' would mean that these pieces may do better if submitted for a fall or winter seasonal show. Again, look at Number 2, something has to go.

4. Best of the best vs diversity. I can speak for OSA on this topic as we jury art for our shows, we strive for the BEST of the art submitted. We want the highest quality of art from Prince William County artists for every show we have juried. That takes precedence. We realize that some artists only do abstracts, some only do large works, some artists do photography, and others do realism. We compare an artist's submissions against other pieces that same artist submitted (often taking the best out of that artist's entries) as well as the entire shows submissions.

There are galleries that are all about featuring every style of visual art known to man, perhaps to appeal to the diversity of potential gallery visitors. And in essence, there is nothing wrong with that. Again, space over the number of pieces means cutting out some great art.

5. Although I am on the Jury Committee for OSA, I do like to think we are being fair in our selections. We vote on pieces and we do tend to try to be inclusive. We each have our own opinions about what we like and do not like in art and this is true for any jurist or jury committee at any gallery. I believe that a committee vote works better than a single person selecting work for a show. Our committee members are objective in their decisions, seeking the quality of the artwork submitted as our priority. A single jurist may or may not be as objective - I've seen it at some galleries as you probably have.

A Rejected Art Piece

I'm going to show you an example of one of the oddities in art jurying. This is a photograph of a piece I painted and recently submitted to the OSA Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration show that is now open from September 21 to October 16, 2022. This piece was rejected from the Call for Art.

Pinata by Donna Liguria, 2022 Acrylic on Canvas

Now, why I am showing you this, is that on Saturday, September 24, at the Occoquan Arts and Crafts Show, the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) had a tent up with 9 artist members displaying a diverse tent of art. This painting was the first piece that sold at the show. Funny but true and others have similar stories.

Art Crafts vs Fine Art

I do think that an understanding should be made here about the difference between fine art and craft art. See this article Difference Between Craft and Fine Art

At OSA, we have turned away craft art. It is also worth remembering that the OSA Committee, made up of Prince William Art Society members, needs to also work under the guidelines of our gallery sponsors - meaning that the artwork on display must be FINE ART of the best quality.

What is in the Artist's Control?

1. Follow the rules, the directions, the process. Proofread you submission BEFORE you submit it. You know the saying, "Dot your 'i's and cross your 't's"? When a gallery has A LOT of artists submitting hundreds of pieces of art, what is really unfortunate is when an artist DID NOT FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. Print out the directions so that it is easier for you to follow the checklist of things to do!

...I could stop this list at this point because that is simply where most mistakes happen...

With everything on the internet, on YouTube, on this blog or elsewhere, a simple search and doing your homework will help you understand the art business world and its expectations. It is a business and an artist wants to sell art as much as the gallery does. If a gallery has requirements, it is UP TO YOU TO MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS. Otherwise, maybe a juried art show might not be what you should do if you can't take rejection.

If I come across as harsh on this, I'm not going to apologize. I've had artwork rejected too. It happens and it probably has to you too. Nonetheless, here are some areas where mistakes can and do happen when submitting art to galleries to be juried:

2. Bad photos.

3. Missing information.

4. Unfinished artwork. (This covers a lot of territory from under-drawing showing to unfinished edges.)

5. Badly framed or matted and framed artwork, or unprofessionally packaged art prints.

6. Improperly wired artwork. (We have received artwork with no way to hang it.)

7. Not original artwork. (Unless you are Walt Disney, don't submit Mickey Mouse art.)

8. Incomplete, unprofessional artist bio.

9. Submitting only one entry. (Could be a sort of an alert that you may be a beginner and you may be overlooked for a more aggressive entrant or perceived as larger body of work artist.)

10. Failure in not submitting your images in the requested format. Also note, if asked to ATTACH the image is different than EMBEDDING the artwork in the email. Often, although perhaps unknown to you, there are good reasons for specific requests. When dealing with hundreds (or more) pieces of art, each gallery has their own methods of doing things.

11. Failure to submit art on time, to deliver art on time or failure to respond to an email for more information on time.

12. Failure to not submit your best artwork.

13. Poorly constructed compositions, proportions, technical flaws. This is also known as not executed well. (We have seen artwork where the subject matter is quite good, but the piece's background is not. Or the human's hands are out of proportion to the rest of the portrait.)

14. The uniqueness of your art. How does your artwork stand out, what makes it so far superior to another landscape or similar subject matter?

15. Submitting the same pieces over and over again. (The expectation is that you are growing as an artist and have much more artwork to show.)

16. Your attitude in taking rejection is under your control. You can take it as a learning experience or you can always say, 'They hate my art. My art is no good. I hate this gallery." OR you could simply ask where you could improve.

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Post 137: Here Come the Judge

Here Come the Judge, the Art Show Judge and Jury

If you are of a certain age you may get the "Here Come the Judge" reference. (If you remember it, let me know in the comments.) This blog post is about art shows that are juried, which means that someone or a group of someones are "judging" your artwork to decide if it will fit into that particular art show.

Who is the Judge/Jury?

True, there are art shows where there is a judge that studies all of the entries at the show and awards 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or more places which can be ribbons and/or prize money. But there also needs to be someone or a group of people that have to be the decider on what hangs in an art show or a gallery in the first place and what doesn't make the cut.

Photo by Robert Linder on Unsplash

You may wonder who the judge(s) are as well as what their qualifications are to BE a judge or a jury...

Does an art judge need to have an art education to be a good judge?
Does an art judge need to be an art gallery owner?
Can someone judge art even if he/she is not an artist?
Should an artist who is jurying the art show, jury his/her own artwork?
Can someone who's paint style is realistic judge abstract pieces?
Should the names of the artists be "hidden" from the judging?

All good questions and maybe there are yes and no or pros and con answers applicable to each question, although a few of the questions do lean more toward a NO. In a perfect world, maybe the answers are more clearly obvious. I am also a proponent that life experiences can sometimes be just as good if not better than a degree in this or that...Nonetheless, there are basic objectives in the decision making process itself no matter who is making the judgment call.

Basic Judging Criteria Factors

Appeal Factor
Theme Factor
Technical Skills Factor
Unique Factor
Greater Meaning Factor
Presentation Factor

Appeal Factor

This is the "feel good", "I love it" initial impact when you first see the art piece. You like the emotion you feel when you view it which is pretty straightforward. There usually isn't much evaluation at this point and everyone has an opinion when they look at any piece of art. You like it or you don't. As the saying goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and that judge should have at least one eye and has an opinion when beholding that artwork.

*There certainly SHOULD be the obvious "WOW!" or even the "Awwwww" or the even the wonder of how did this person do that??!!

Theme Factor

Theme is included here because many art shows have calls for art for a particular theme, genre, or for categories or sizes of works. Did the artist submit artwork that fits that criteria in a clear and concise way so that it CAN be included for consideration, even if it has the "WOW" factor?

Also note here that the artist should submit what the maximum number of pieces that fits all the criteria requested but DO NOT submit more. And you should always submit your best works per theme request.

Technical Skill Factor

This factor is leaning more to the quality of the work and how professionally made it is. While creativity, originality and "WOW" tend to be what a judge may first notice, the technical skill factor is usually the most important review of the art piece. This is when the art experience of the judge(s) is critical. The judge will consider how the artist controlled/mastered the medium, the balance, the color harmony and values. The artwork must have good composition and design no matter what the depiction subject is or if it is an abstract.

The judge may compare between all of the artist's submitted works. Comparison may also include compared against other artists of similar medium and style. Of possible note is that some may argue that a larger piece may have a better chance at consideration than a much smaller piece when all the elements of good design and composition are in place.

The judge should assess the talent level of this artist and how consistent he/she is in the medium presented as well as the artist's rendition using the visual components of color, form, line, shape, space, texture and value. Also his or her use in the principles of art: emphasis, balance, unity, contrast rhythm, proportion, repetition, and harmony. Consideration is how well the art "rules" are demonstrated or even how artfully they were bent.

Unique Factor

Have you ever read the short art book by Austin Kleon, "Steal Like an Artist"? The author has the basic argument that everything that could ever possibly be painted in human history has probably already been painted before. The trick is to somehow find a way to put your own spin on it, your own style in a way to make your version of it stand out in a more interesting way. It would be great if a judge would think, "why didn't I think to do it that way?"

The originality and uniqueness of the artwork is the, I will call it "bonus factor" that may move an artist's work to the top of the heap. These pieces can make the show a lot more interesting!

I'm sure you have entered art shows and a lot of artists have submitted subjects similar to yours, let's say several artists have painted koi fish. What have you done in your depiction to make yours more interesting, or to have a fresh point of view?

Greater Meaning Factor

Judging, or specifically jurying art, is sometimes a quick decision when there could be hundreds of works to consider, but is there a statement or point the artist is trying to get across? What is the artist trying to say with his/her art? The statement could be political, a challenge, humor, a metaphor, an important message or an emotion the artist wants you to feel. Is there something being said by the piece and is that message conveyed so you can readily understand it?

Is there a fulfilled point to the art piece? Sometimes there is with art and the artist may have it articulated in their artist statement.

Presentation Factor

When a call for art goes out, the importance of great quality photos and images cannot be stressed enough, as your initial start of your presentation of work. And remember, do not submit images with a watermark.

If your artwork is selected to appear at the show, occasionally the presentation of the artwork cannot be considered until the piece is actually seen in person and this may only happen at the art drop off. When artwork is submitted online, the work is reviewed at image and face value only, without the frame. It is not an actual view to the so-called finished product.

*Artwork at check in will need to be actually checked out too.

Presentation can include the overall appearance of the work:

Clean edges - care has been taken not to scratch, scrape, or otherwise beat up the canvas/frame from all angles.
Should the piece be framed and is it properly framed? The juried image should NOT have the frame in the image submitted but for hanging the artwork at the show, the painting may need to be framed. Typically gallery wrapped canvas would not have to be framed, but read the show rules.
Does the hardware for hanging meet the requirements in wiring or hanging materials?
Does the artwork have finished edges? I usually go around the edges continuing the painting from the front around the sides, but if that is not feasible, I paint the edges solid black (best) or an appropriate color from the front of the canvas.

Remember, a bad frame can make great artwork look bad and a good frame can make bad artwork look better. Review your overall presentation and be careful when moving your artwork from place to place!

I recently saw someone on a Facebook group asking what they could do about their artwork that they had wrapped in bubble wrap to move it. Well, for one thing, you DO NOT wrap it with the bubble ON the surface of the canvas. Wrap it with the bubbles OUT, preferably with acid free paper first. The painting had the imprint of the bubbles all over it.

And to Finish Up

When a call for art goes out, it includes the rules/directions, if there is a theme, any presentation specifications, sizes, and other optional info that the gallery has required. If the judging criteria is also listed, make sure you follow ALL of those directions!

There really isn't a way to "beat the system" and most artists learn rather quickly that a piece of art can be refused in many art shows yet win first place in another. Or vice-versa, a winning piece in one show could get rejected in another art show. After all, judges are humans too.

What can you share about your experience with juried art show?

Pages

Sunday, April 20, 2025

PWAS Best of the Region Juror - Catherine Hillis

Catherine Hillis Bio

Recent Meeting of Catherine Hillis

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Watching the Jury Process at Open Space Arts

The Jury Process at Open Space Arts (OSA)

Submitting Your Art for a Call for Art

A New Gallery Management Team

A Call for Help

Friday, October 21, 2022

Learn to Take a Better Photo When Submitting to Calls for Art

And Other Stuff

Some of the Do's and NOT Do's for Calls for Art

Wrong Ways to Submit Art

Right to Submit, and YEH! I got in the Art Show, What Now?

What I Found in a Few Moments About Taking Photos

Monday, October 17, 2022

Fall Art at the Mill Oct 1-16, 2022

Art At The Mill

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Artwork Rejection

Out of Your Control vs In Your Control

A Rejected Art Piece

Art Crafts vs Fine Art

What is in the Artist's Control?

More Reading on the Art Jury Process

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Here Come the Judge, the Art Show Judge and Jury

Who is the Judge/Jury?

Basic Judging Criteria Factors

Appeal Factor

Theme Factor

Technical Skill Factor

Unique Factor

Greater Meaning Factor

Presentation Factor

And to Finish Up

Suggested Reading

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