In Shadows Cast. Oil on linen, 20x24.Recently, I entered a juried exhibition held annually by a professional organization of which I am a member. I uploaded my digital image on the jury service's site and anxiously awaited the day when all the accepted names would be posted. When it arrived, I felt like I was back in high school field hockey summer camp, standing among the other anxious girls to see if I made the cut. As it turned out, I didn't make the A-list for this show. While rejection is a big part of our careers as artists, I have to confess that it cast a pall over the rest of my day. Whether we want to admit it or not, acceptance feels better than rejection.
As artists, we feel pressure to compete, to earn badges of authentication by jurors & peers as evidence our work's value. Galleries, collectors, writers, museums all expect this kind of vetting. Lest I sound too cynical about the whole process, let me stress that there are positives despite my adverse mien. It is a good thing to have a deadline and a purpose for painting. Even the most driven artists can use the extra incentive to focus their energies. The prospect of being juried helps to magnify and hone the process of self-editing. Juried shows encourage us to look outside of our studio doors, and even outside our regular comfort zone of subject matter and style. Looking at other's work can help us to see our own in a new light. Regardless of the ultimate result, our work can only grow from these exercises, provided we don't lose sight of our own goals.
Honors and adulation, though encouraging, are largely arbitrary and fleeting. At the end of the day, in art as in life, the only validation that counts is that which comes from within.
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Hi Jennifer - I just discovered your blog and your writing is great! I too got rejected from the show, and although I've learned not to take jurying too personally, it definitely bummed me out for a day or two. This is a great post about the whole process, and what it does and does not mean in the scope of our careers.
ReplyDeleteI still absolutely love this painting, btw - it's gorgeous.
Hey Jennifer, thank you for the words. One year I was accepted all over the place, next year--nothing. And so it goes. When I was visiting Tim Allen Lawson up in Maine, he said some very wise words. May I share them? He said, and I summarize here, that there is a trap waiting for artists, going after shows. You can have strong pieces, but they are not recognized at all. He said he learned that, while shows are important, if we simply focus on our work, grow as an artist, then--as if by fiat--the awards usually come anyway. Why I love this blog post is because you arrived at this very conclusion. Me? I don't mind rejection from a show, it's the feeling that I must somehow be falling behind, must not be good enough comparatively, that is perilous. At this point, I have thus given that "rejection" or that "juried show" power to temper and dampen my dreams. Solution? Friends who have been there: the club known to us all as the Artist's Life; then, simply going after it harder.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap beautiful stuff it is not very common that you see plein aire stuff like this! pretty dang incredible!
ReplyDeleteHey Jen, My FB friend. Well, rejection IS a part of that "stuff" of which we are made--or conquered. In the end, we just keep creating strong work, then stronger work, and somehow, the rewards seem to come anyway. There will be a day when you (or any artist with tenacity) will not have to be subjected to the ritual of waiting; they will call you and invite you. Your work is strong, master level in most cases, and as you continue, the tables will turn, and you will be accepting/rejecting from these very shows based on your commitments and time available. Keep it up, and the rewards will come.
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