Bellman at The Jane

18x14 oil on linen

Thanks mucho for all your kind comments yesterday. My hubby liked yesterday's painting too - though he thought the colors were not very harmonious. Someone hit the nail on the head with the comment that it might not have been what was in my head. Very true. So I can always paint it again and try to get that image! Unfortunately, it kept me up most of the night thinking about it.

I wasn't sure about this one either, it is a hard thing to tackle all these colors, textures, shiny surfaces, different light sources and temperatures, etc. But when I looked at it again this morning I saw only one area that needed a proper alignment. I like that it has a somewhat tilted composition, but still, things need to line up properly.

This is one of the bell men from The Jane Hotel in NYC. My friend and I stayed there during our recent trip (Tess was the woman in the painting yesterday btw.) The hotel is really great. Its very old, has an interesting history and some amazingly cool rooms - and very friendly staff. The bar was this big, ornate room with a huge fireplace, 12 foot long sofas, lots of comfy seating and really funky decorations. It must be on trend too - Tess got into NYC in the middle of the morning (3 a.m.) and people were lined up waiting to enter. Bless them. I was snug in my bed hours before. Claustrophobic more like, as we stayed in a bunk room that first night - about the size of my laundry room - something like 50 sq. ft. We upgraded to the bigger room first thing next morning. I recommend the bigger room.

Needlework - WIP

12x8 oil on panel - work in progress

There is a lot going on in this painting. And I am not sure its working. First, the figure ended up too small and the room is really quite cool in person, but a little busy in the painting. I need to look at it another day, and probably simplify. Its tough getting my brain and hand communicating right when I've had a break. This might be one of those that I just start all over.

I just wanted to post something to tell you all that I am here! My daughter began school this week and I pushed past the boxes, frames, and other debris littering my studio space to get back to work. Painting time is spotty this week still however since we have had some work going on in the house. As of tomorrow sometime, we will not be able to come upstairs at all. I plan to get my pochade box out and try to work downstairs, but the noise might drive me away entirely.

Moses Botkin Monthly Challenge

Really? Something in or on our car?
Ok - I looked around, even staged a Starbucks cup in my cupholder which would be pretty authentic, but the angles were all wrong. Then I see the beautiful lines of my husband's car. He has had sexy, beautiful cars since I've known him and he races them. They aren't just pretty faces, he goes to the track regularly for high performance driving. Hence the special after-market wing on the back. Can you guess what the car is? And no, I do not drive it.


Aerodynamics
5x7 oil on panel
©2011 Robin Cheers



Just Working
6x6 oil on canvas
©2011 Ruth Andre

Rocket Girl
7x5 oil on hardboard

©2011 Diana Moses Botkin

Cherry
5x5 oil on panel
©2011 Vicki Ross



Old Mobile
6x6 oil on panel
©2011 Sharman Owings

Our challenge was Sharman's brainchild. I can't wait to see what is on for next month! My schedule is about to return to more regular programming as school starts in 8 days!

If My Paintings Were Music

Just sitting here musing tonight.

Musing about the song "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega. It makes me want to paint. It pretty much puts to music what I want my cafe paintings to describe. I love quietly observing all the activity of the world moving around me. And in my paintings, I try to make that activity interesting and memorable.

Sometimes I wish a painting could capture it all. Maybe have life and motion like the paintings in Harry Potter. How cool would that be?

Juried Show Thoughts

I've gotten a lot of interesting feedback on my whiny post about being "rejected". Its been fun to think about it from many sides - and some folks have sent me some interesting articles so I wanted to share them below.

I pretty quickly got over my rejection. I knew my work was good (puffed up as I am), but it baffled me as to why it wasn't seen as meriting inclusion (let alone awards!) LOL
Art is subjective, there is no denying that what I like and what my next door neighbor like are going to be very different. I enjoy the nontraditional work of Pollack and Kandinsky but I know some artists get rabid thinking about their paintings. Personally, I find them more exciting, say, than a beautifully rendered photorealistic still life.

This being said, a panel of several jurists, viewing art projected on a wall perhaps for a minute if the work is lucky, will each have a very different opinion and if your work is among thousands of entries, and they have wall space for a couple of hundred, the jury is going to have to be very quick and cutting to limit the work. Now, some mediocre work does get in, and friendships are hard to ignore, so I believe there is favoritism. We used to laugh heartily over the show catalog from one association because the work was so questionable, but it was the work of board members, etc. You can't reject them!

I was a juror of awards once for an organized show. And I think I was lucky that the show had a theme because when it got really tough deciding between my personal favorites and the best executed works (in a variety of media), I was able to judge which best represented the theme (to me).

A recent show I was in had us all scratching our heads over the grand prize winner. In fact, it seemed to be WAY out of nowhere, based on the other award winners that juror had selected. Then I read an article about a juror who admitted to choosing a huge $ prize winner based on the toss of a coin. Could that have been complementary to the artists involved?

So I believe juried show acceptance is based on three things: 1. who you know (or who knows you) 2. the merit of the art and 3. a roll of the dice.

Is it worth it to enter juried shows? Yes. I am selective in my entries. I learned a long time ago to never enter a show that was judged by an academic (no offense) or critic, or layman and to only enter shows which would include my peers or those I aspire to count as peers. I want my work to stand among other excellent work. I also don't enter shows that will most likely be filled with abstract or very traditional work, which my work would not fit in with. So I will continue to enter and try not to be bitter when my entry fee brings no return and just continue to paint what I love. When I am accepted, its good for my resume, when I am not, it has no effect on me.

Here are some interesting articles for your perusal. And thanks to everyone who commented, shared, patted me on the back, and commiserated.
http://faso.com/fineartviews/33055/should-i-enter-art-competitions-and-shows
http://stapletonkearns.blogspot.com/2011/07/thought-about-juries-for-exhibitions.html
http://www.sageartsstudio.com/drawingboard/?p=239&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

ps - the painting above is mine (nfs) - its my daughter with her gramma and its in honor of our recent trip to Cozumel which was amazing! Its hard to come back to reality - no buffets and friendly service here - and no chillin' in the Mexican Caribbean when it hits 104 like it is now - it was cooler there btw.