Juror's Statement
November 2001 Black and White Works Membership Show
The overall quality of the works submitted was very high. Obviously, all of the works I selected for the exhibition are technically proficient. The final deciding factors for acceptance were technical brilliance and strength of visual content and expression. I also strived to achieve a balance of various stylistic approaches, and to represent fairly all media. I am extremely impressed with the quality, variety, and visual impact of the show.
Donald A. Brown
Juror's Dialogue
by Pat Gerkin
Each November, The Art League imposes a theme on one of the two shows in the gallery. One of the shows is the Small Works and the other is the themed show. This year the themed show is a Black and White Show. The restrictions were tight, and the work--as well as its frame--was required to be done in either black or white or a combination of the two. The Black and White Show was judged by Donald Brown, who works in printmaking, drawing, and digital photography, and taught at Northern Virginia Community College for 25 years.
Mr. Brown was surprised to see so many entries for the black and white show--more than 500! He noted that there were more photos than any other media, but that he chose a good stylistic range from among the submissions. "I try hard not to judge according to my own taste. This show is remarkable because one might think that the imposition of the black and white restriction would limit the numbers somehow. But this show has a really wide range of styles and media."
"When you must cut to 20 percent of the works, you must cut some very good works as well. Only about 10 percent of the submissions were truly not technically good enough, but that means that fully 90 percent were technically proficient. Remarkable. And 2/3 of that 90 percent were highly competent. I looked for the works that had the most snap, that grabbed the viewers' eye and pulled them in. I could have put in twice as many works and not lost much of the show's quality."
"I always tell my students that if they do not get into a show, it doesn't mean that their work isn't any good." Mr. Brown says that his work is naturalistic and that is his bias. "I am tougher on realism as a result," he says. He said that this show had very few framing problems except those that were rejected because they didn't meet the criteria set for the show. "We had one piece in a yellow wood frame that was so strong that we asked for a provisional acceptance if the artist reframes it (P. Llewellyn)," he stated.
"I looked for 1) technical proficiency, 2) strong image content--compositionally or figuratively, makes a strong statement; content plays a strong part in a work of art; and 3) something in the work that brings me back for a second viewing and still holds my interest--some subtlety and depth. The first prize was a fabulous graphite drawing (M. McGurk)."
How important is intention?: "The intention may be oblique. We, the viewers may not even catch it. But on first look, we should be able to get something of the intention. Art is communication, and there must be a personal message in fine art, otherwise it is just illustration. Illustration is providing someone else's message. "
Photography: " The quality of photography was the most even across the board. This made it the most difficult to jury down. I looked for uniqueness in content, angle, or a technical point of view. Some used gelatin or dyes that made them stand out technically. Most of the selected pieces had an aura or mood, atmosphere, a presence beyond photojournalism--in other words, artistic."
Printmaking: "The etchings showed a wide range of quality, but the best ones were superior. Some were magnificent. Most of the lithography was well done. Lithography is a difficult medium. The printing process for lithography is very tense. It is purely a chemical process, a little like alchemy. You ask yourself is it going to work or not? Preparing the stone is very physical, and there is an element of risk."
Drawing: "As I expected, there were excellent pencil and charcoal pieces. Most the 10 percent that were not technically proficient were in the drawing category. Even though drawing is the most accessible medium, it is very difficult to master. To keep the immediacy and not be labored is difficult. There were fabulous drawings in the show. It takes a long time to develop the skills needed to execute such drawings. Basic motor skills are more important in drawing than in any other art medium."
Watercolor: "This was a surprise in the show-so many black and white watercolors. For the most part, the watercolors were very well done."
Canvas: "I saw very few canvases , maybe 10-20. Grissaille painting is just not done much anymore."
Mixed media: "Most of the mixed media were chosen for the show because they were unique and very interesting."
Sculpture: "Sculpture was difficult to judge because of the variety of 3-D, wall sculpture, and ceramics. It was hard to judge them as a group because they were so different. Most of them were selected because there was no space problem. I considered only a few of them not technically proficient or trite."
Pastels/Colored pencil: "There were only a few white colored pencil on black paper. One of these won an award; it was a very exceptional piece (W. Donahoe). Pastel was usually in combination with charcoal. Some of these were also very good."
Advice to the Artists: "If it doesn't get in, it doesn't mean that it isn't good. If you are entering more than one piece, vary the styles because you never know what a judge will like. Go for variety. Always go with your gut feeling. What excites you the most? That is the one that probably has the best content, even though it may not be the best technically."
Advice to the Art League: "Get the city to give you more space. So many artists in this area and we never have enough shows. The Art League is providing one of the best services to artists in the area."
This page was last updated 11/11/2001.