Juror's Statement
November 2001 Small Works Membership Show
As usual the quality of the work submitted was very good. I was encouraged by the number of artists who were experimenting with different expressions in the traditional media-especially in watercolor and photography. The Art League artists have always been very strong in the watercolor mediums. This time many were stretching toward abstraction or greater expressionism and creating more personal and original art. However there is still some problem with the choice of frames and mattes-where sometimes the frame will overpower or kill a good piece. It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm on the part of the artists and the staff. It is a pleasure to judge a show of such great quality.
Ann Banks
Art Critic, Washington ReviewJuror's Dialogue
by Pat Gerkin
The Art League's November show features the Small Works Show and a theme show, this year the black and white show. Small Works was judged by artist-educator Anne Banks, a familiar face in art circles in the Washington metropolitan area.
Ms. Banks commented that some of the work was rejected because of the frames overpowering. This is familiar. We keep hearing that the frames are inappropriate for the work from almost every juror we have had in the last few years. When asked why she thought this was a recurring problem for our artists, Ms. Banks replied, "I think that artists are not confident about the quality of their work, and they mistakenly believe that a big, gaudy frame will somehow make it better. It often doesn't work. Perhaps they think the frame doesn't matter, but it does matter. Presentation is part of the work." She noted that, although she might usually avoid colored or wild frames, some of the ones she chose were so right for the piece that they worked well.
Ms. Banks' selection criteria include 1) experimentation, 2) personal expression, 3) going farther than is safe; taking chances, risks, and 4) craftsmanship." One cannot develop as an artist without taking some risks. If you really believe in your work, submit it to different judges. Don't give up after the first rejection."
What made her reject pieces was 1) badly crafted work, 2) sliches in subject matter, and 3) inappropriate framing. "A lot of this process is a matter of confidence. Artists are sometimes afraid to come out with a personal statement. They are busy trying to second-guess the juror. I guess that is why I like primitive art so much--it is so honest. Even if the artist is not well-painted, the art is often powerful and expressive."
Pastel/colored pencil: "Here there was some beautiful craftsmanship, use of color, contrasting colors. The same was true of watercolor. I like bright colors and I found strong color contrasts and abstract qualities that attracted me."
Books: "The books submitted were very nice (M. Sewall). I enjoyed looking at them. One book had no words at all, not even a title. Books need to have words, that's part of why they are books."
Sculpture: "The sculpture presented included several good pieces, but some of the others were not well thought out, were weak in form. There was a variety of media, including ceramics. The ceramics should be separated for judging. I would encourage more sculpture. I did really like the raku piece of the woman (L. Schumaier)."
Canvas: "Paintings on canvas were mostly figures and landscapes--traditional in approach. Some were nicely done. I especially liked the long format work (T. Teague)."
Photography: "The photography is getting better and better. Artists should learn from what they see in the show. There was a black chair with a bird on it. I thought it was quite original (M. Setton)."
Printmaking: "I saw several etchings and mixed media pieces that were quite good. However, there is nothing quite like a pure print or photograph, and these are very hard to do. They are very pristine."
Mixed media/collage: "I am seeing a lot more mixed media in The Art League shows. This is encouraging because it means that artists are experimenting. Most of these were quite abstract. Some were very innovative. Collage also requires a sense of design. I myself learned a lot about color by doing collage. Some of these pieces had drawings on bark paper,and I found those very interesting (L. Wertheimer). This was an area that had innovative frames, but they worked with the piece. I am a purist and I like a white frame, but I broke my own rule for a small painting that had a purple frame because it was perfect for the piece (C. Zilliacus). The piece tells you what to do with the frame."
Drawing: "There were two drawings on bark paper and I found these very interesting because they had innovative frames that worked with the pieces (L. Wertheimer). Although I am sort of a purist, and I like an unobtrusive frame, I broke my own rule because these were done well. The art itself should tell you what to do with the frame. Drawing is one of my favorite mediums. There was a chalk drawing that was especially good (M. Deleyiannis), and the drawing in the first prize was very well done (V. De Kosinsky)."
Advice to Artists: "Take risks; be yourself. Know what you want to say and keep submitting."
How important is intention?: "Intent is like willpower, and it depends on working through your vision and concept and creating a dialogue with the work in progress. Sometimes an artist does not know the intention at first, but it will emerge as your work. If there is no intention, the artist will not be doing art."
Advice to The Art League: "Keep up the good work. It would be good to have a juror's talk or a time when the artists can meet with the juror. It is a teaching opportunity. Maybe a good thing for The Art League to consider is to invite professional artists, even some of the jurors, to come and give a talk on their work or show slides. This, too, is a teaching experience. It could be very informal."
This page was last updated 11/11/2001.