Many of the big art societies either are in the process of or have recently completed jurying cycles. Some of you may be floating on a cloud or threatening to quit either submitting to competitions or painting altogether... Let's take this post to talk about the jurying process. I've juried several exhibitions and I know many of the big-name jurors out there. I feel I have a good understanding of the process from both the artist and the juror point of view. I've had a too many rejections to count so I know the feeling of being rejected well.

Let's begin...

When submitting artwork for consideration to an exhibition, I know many artists who seek out the juror. They then research the artist online to see what medium, style, subject matter they work with and so on. They then tailor their submission to align to what they've learned. 

DON'T DO THIS!

When jurying artwork, the foremost concern of the juror is putting together an excellent, cohesive exhibition. If not constrained by the exhibition's theme or the venue's guidelines, a juror typically attempts to select a diverse show. Themed exhibitions or venue restrictions cause the juror to work only within the set constraints. I know many jurors, like myself, who select work which doesn't look anything like theirs. The main concern is always, "IS IT A GOOD, STRONG WORK OF ART". Always submit work which you feel is your best and which best represents you as an artist. Following your heart and soul on this will cause you to select a piece which will most likely impact the juror as well.

The Jurying Process (a general overview)

I'm going to use two examples in this section to describe what typically happens.

For the large shows, a panel known as the jury of selection chooses the work for the exhibition. A large show can easily attract over 2,000 artwork submissions. In one large organization I know, the jury of selection meets at the venue and are given electronic "clickers". A person in another room sees the results of the clicks and records the vote for each painting. The jurors don't discuss the works in question. They simply view the work and click to accept the work or not click to reject the work. There's often an odd number of jurors to prevent tie votes.

On to actual selection...

The jurors view the work on a screen as a slide presentation. Due to entry volume, each painting may have no more than 5 seconds of display time. With that timing, a collection of 2,000 artworks would still take almost three hours to get through! If a painting receives three yes votes, it's in the show. If a painting received two or three no votes, it's out. Any paintings that receive two yes votes may be in if there's still room. The jurors review and vote on these works in a second cycle until the exhibition has its desired number of works. Other organizations have similar processes where each juror of selection may review the works on their own PC at home and vote online for each piece. The jurors' votes are then combined to determine the final set of accepted works.

For smaller exhibitions, the work may either be all online through a service such a Juried Art Services or Callforentry. Each of these sites has voting processes built into their sites. The venue may also just lay the work out along the walls and have the juror come in for several hours to review and select the work in real time. In this situation, a juror typically makes an initial pass through all the work, then does one or more rounds of elimination until reaching the final selection.

Jury Criteria (What jurors look for)

Knowing the process, and keeping in mind the timing of 5 seconds mentioned previously, my opinion is that the most critical evaluating criteria for an artist determining what to submit and a juror selecting what to accept is IMPACT. Does the piece have an emotional impact or visual impact on the juror quickly. If yes, the piece will most likely make it to the next jurying stage. Without that impact, the piece will most likely be rejected regardless of how technically excellent it may be.

Once past impact, the average juror will consider the following criteria in evaluating the remaining work: composition, color usage (or value usage in monochrome or black and white works), usage of the media, and mastery of the media. If the work is realistic or impressionistic figurative work, proper proportions are also key. Intermediate or major faults in one or more of these areas could cause your work to be eliminated so keep all of this in mind when creating work for exhibitions and when selecting what to submit.

Image Submission

Another point to consider when submitting images to a show... Make sure the image you submit:

• has the artwork properly and evenly lit
• has the artwork as a square or rectangle with no keystoning issues due to it leaning on something
• has correct colors compared to the original artwork
• is in focus everywhere, and has ONLY the artwork in the image, meaning no frames and no background distractions.

The edges of the artwork should be the edges of the image. If your artwork is of an odd size which doesn't match the image proportions, use a photo editing tool to fill the void with black or a dark neutral. I have seen many artworks eliminated because the painting appears at an angle leaning against a box of stuff on a floor with bright light on one section and shadow on the other. Respect your artwork when photographing it and submitting it.

In Conclusion...

If you follow what I've mentioned above, you will, hopefully, see more success when submitting to exhibitions. If you're just starting out, I recommend submitting to local shows first, then state, then regional, and then move on to national and international exhibitions. Best of luck to you all. 

With all of this said, the most important thing when creating artwork, whether you submit to competitions or galleries or not, is to be true to yourself and paint what hits your heart and soul. This simple statement will make a huge impact on the work you create and will most likely hit the viewers the same way because, then, the work is genuine and comes from a good place.

Until next time... keep on creating art.

In Part One, I discussed foundation options you may choose to paint upon. In this post, I’ll focus on points to consider when deciding whether to use canvas or board. I’ll also discuss protecting the finished artwork depending on the surface and media used.

Should you work on stretched canvas, unstretched canvas, or on boards? This is a personal decision. I recommend you try both and decide what feels and works best for you. Canvas has a give and take which many artists, including me, love. Board has a smoother finish which allows the brush and the paint to glide over the surface.

An intermediate solution could be canvas panels, where canvas is stretched and adhered to a rigid panel of either wood, metal, or cardboard. This option gives the rigidity of board and the texture of canvas.

Canvas works can be removed from their stretchers and rolled to make shipping less costly and easier. When working on board, size and weight can become factors. Due to weight, many artists prefer to use panels of 18 x 24 inches or less. If your work involves a lot of impasto or built-up surface either through the use of mediums of the adherence of materials onto the surface, a rigid surface such as canvas panels or boards are best suited to your work. These types of works may crack or delaminate with time if painted on stretched or unstretched canvas. If you paint lean or use washes in your work, any of the surfaces mentioned will work for you.

Protecting the finished work

Once your painting is complete, it is best to protect the painting from dust, smoke, and other materials which can affect the surface and eventual cleaning and restoration. For oil paintings, varnishing is recommended. For acrylic paintings, applying an isolation layer over your work and then varnishing is best. For watercolor works, appropriate framing with mats and either glass or Plexiglas (UV protective for both) is best.

I just mentioned an isolation layer. I learned of isolation layers while preparing my work for a large museum exhibition. I began by applying varnish directly onto the finished works and noticed that the varnish reacted differently depending on the brand and color of paint used. Because I use both Golden and Liquitex Heavy Body acrylics in my works, the surface appeared mottled with gloss and matte areas once dry.

I reached out to Gamblin, the makers of Gamvar varnish, and they suggested removing the varnish with their Gamsol product, applying an isolation layer, and then revarnishing the work. The isolation layer serves to create a common base across the entire surface while also protecting the painted layer from the varnish and any restoration solvents which may be used in the future. The isolation layer solution is comprised of acrylic medium and water. Golden now sells a pre-mixed isolation coat product. If you wish to mix your own, use a 2:1 ratio of Golden Gel Medium (gloss) to water. I mix mine in a large glass container which can be sealed. You don’t want bubbles in the mixture so it’s best to let it set overnight. You may brush or spray the isolation coat onto your painting. 

The layer may need to be applied in one or more coats. Once applied, let the surface dry completely and then look at the painting. If you see an uneven sheen, apply another coat perpendicular to the original coat and let dry. Don’t apply the layers too thickly. The layer may not dry clear when it dries.

Once satisfied, let the isolation layer dry thoroughly and gas out before applying your varnish. The varnishes I use are Gamvar Gloss, Matte, and Satin, depending on the painting. I’ve heard of artists mixing a 50/50 blend of gloss and satin, or satin and matte depending on the need. Apply the varnish in the same manner as mentioned above for the isolation layer and let dry thoroughly. If interested, I noticed last week that Gamblin has now produced its own line of varnish brushes intended to be used with their varnishes.