>Tommy Skaggs asked to see the photos of pieces that were rejected by the jury at Lake Oswego. Here they are. The sun is 13" diameter, made from yew with pyrography and prismacolors; the hunt hollow stands appoximately 6" tall, made from maple burl with pyrography; the mustang piece is 8"x4" African Mahogany with pyrography; and the bowl with scorched/carved band is 8" diameter of African Mahogany. I notice after previewing this post that the pics are a little fuzzy as a result of reducing them to fit on WC, so you'll have to imagine them crisper.
>HI Molly, So sorry to hear about your rejections....You are not alone; I can attest to that! Your work probably was NOT the cause for the rejection..I hope that is a little encouraging.
This can be a very positive learning experience...First, high-end exhibitions and craft/art shows rely on slides, they must be top-notch, professional quality. Images sent for the jurying process will also be used for publicity purposes, therefore the images must be "ready for publication" without any fussing or repair.
A mediocre piece presented in a professional manner will often be juried in over outstanding work with poor-quality slides for this reason alone...
Check out the "small treasures" exhibit on the del Mano website.....the images there were taken, for the most part, by the gallery. Those images are exactly what the jurers are looking for, and may be a good guide to improving your slides.
The same applies to submissions to magazines for publication; images that are not up to par will not be considered.
Next time, armed with new slides, I expect we'll see a big YAHOO! on WC when you are accepted! PS Just ask Jamie D. about some of MY photos!
Well all I can say is that it's completely obvious to me, your work is of such high artistic content and quality, they could not show it as to distress the others entered in the show.
I am so sorry your pieces were not accepted. I can attest to what Keith said about being juried by slides. I've experienced the same thing; poorer pieces juried in because of professional quality slides not professional quality work.
Frankly the photos are very good and your work is unique and beautiful. I have seen your work before but it helps me understand the situation when I can see what the judges saw. After seeing it I can only say that your work is worthy. It's a darn shame the judging went the way it did. Hang in there!!
You have to always remember a few things about the jurying process, and how it often works.
Things are not always as they seem. Many times the rejection has nothing to do with the work or the pictures that were submitted. Many times the acceptance doesn't either. That's the politics of juried art.
The first problem is always the "theme" of the show, and what the jury wants to present to the public. That means they are looking for something. When your stuff doesn't fit what they want, it is passed over. It has nothing to do with quality.
The other problem was that these folks said upfront that they had some number of featured artists. "Invited" was the word I remember, and I remember there being something like 6 or more of those. That is a clue that a pecking order has been established before the first slide is looked at. These folks are "in" without having to go through the jurying process. They will usually try protect those folks and not let in any competition.
Then there are always a few that are invited "off the record" by someone on the committee that runs the show. They are usually in without having to be juried.
There is another group who was juried into the show last year, and sometimes they are also given a waiver of the jury process for this year.
Sometimes there just aren't very many openings to be filled from the jurying process.
All I am saying is that your rejection may only mean that someone else was already there ahead of you. It has nothing to do with your art. Don't let it bother you. There will be others who will appreciate what you are doing.
