Windmill Island
Exciting news my friends! For the first time I had a painting accepted into a screened and juried show.
So what is a screened show? It’s when the juror goes through and either accepts or rejects paintings. Sometimes it’s based off of a theme, or their style, or just their mood for the day. It’s honestly anyone’s guess what will and won’t be accepted. I’ve tried several times in the past with online submissions, but have gotten rejected from all of them up until now.
The juried portion of a show? It means that the juror gave places to their favorites. The number of awards will depend on the number of entries or specifics of the show.
This time it was for the Artist’s Society of Dearborn Spring Showcase. I joined this group in September and they are extremely kind people and so inspirational. A lot of the artists in the group are professionals or lifetime painters, so it’s great to have my work among them!
For this show I submitted three paintings, Cherry Blossom Path, Pier Michigan, and Windmill Island. Windmill Island made it into the show. The judge today decided to accept paintings based off of a theme she picked from the paintings. The theme wasn’t too clear and we won’t know her judging process until the end of the show on March 26th when we will hear the critiques. At that time I can also bring in the two paintings that were rejected where they can be critiqued as well.
Honestly when I went to the library to pick up my paintings after the judging I was preparing myself mentally to see all three paintings in the reject pile. I feel very accomplished that one is accepted, but still a little sad that two were rejected. I just try to remember, if it was a different day or a different person all three could have been accepted, or rejected.
Reading my words here, it makes me think. Making art isn’t about being accepted or rejected, it’s about making myself happy and enjoying the process. I didn’t start painting to enter competitions or sell my art. I started to find a way to help me deal with the depression I’ve been struggling to overcome. If people like it, that’s great and makes me so happy. If people buy it, it warms my heart to know it’s found a new home. But if I find joy in painting the piece, then that’s the most important part and the reason to keep on doing it.
The only problem is when I run out of wall space!