Juror's Statement
THE MAY 2002
ALL-MEDIA MEMBERSHIP SHOW
This is the third time I've had the privilege of jurying an Art League Membership show. The work is consistently strong and varied here. I tried to select pieces in a range of styles and media in order to truly represent the artists who participated. I was influenced by strong drawing composition and color. I looked for the artists' feelings and mastery of their chosen materials.
It was difficult to choose one award winner. There were several artists in this group whose work stood out. All of their pieces seemed very personal, were beautifully crafted, and well presented. I look forward to seeing the show and commend all the artists who submitted their work.
Sherry Trachtman
Juror's Dialogue
by Pat Gerkin
Sherry Troum Trachtman has juried another technically strong and colorful show for our May All-Media Membership Exhibit. Ms. Trachtman has been a professor at Northern Virginia Community College for 18 years, teaching classes in drawing, painting, and design.
"I tried to choose a range of techniques and materials. The awards reflect the best in each of those groups," she said. Ms. Trachtman's process included making a first cut of those works that were obviously weak: lacking strong drawing or composition, framing or matting.
For the second cut, she grouped like media so that she could compare technical and compositional merit. "I kept a lot of pieces in for the mood, pieces that seemed universal in spirit. Some of the figurative pieces were contemporary in dress but universal in pose. Vermeer did that, " she noted. "I rejected works whose colors were discordant, not mixed well, or depended too much on white. Presentation mattered to me, also. Some frames were poorly put together, black mats overwhelmed the art, blue mats competed with the color in the piece, little strips of framing with no mats constricted the work, so I took those out."
As we talked, Ms. Trachtman noticed that several of her choices were ../images of birds. "I am not necessarily a 'bird person'. The fact that I chose so many was either accidental or subliminal," she mused.
Pastel/colored pencil: "The pastel drawing of the rooster makes such a rich statement (R. Fitzgerald). The artist clearly knows this medium. There is nothing redundant in this work, and the framing is perfect for the piece. The drawing of mussels is very nice (C. Richmond). There are parts of it that are quite beautiful."
Watercolor: "I chose the chickens done in watercolor (A. Kale) because of the piece's technique. The brushwork is loose and abstract, yet the imagery is realistic. The artist really understands her color. The reds enrich the greens, and the framing complements the color of the piece. I guess I shied away from the most formal and conservative watercolors. I feel saturated by them."
Fiber: "The fiber piece is beautiful visually, very satisfying. It has beautiful color and a warm feeling (P. Warwick)."
Drawing: "Although I feel that the drawings submitted were comparatively weak, especially the figurative pieces, there were some outstanding works, also. The figures drawn in ink and wash were wonderfully expressive (J. Saunders). Figure drawing is very difficult."
Painting: "There were some very strong pieces in very different styles. I liked that, and chose many of them. I rejected a few paintings that were directly taken from photo ../images without much translation. Direct copies always seem somewhat stiff to me. Paint is its own thing. A few of the paintings seemed trendy but not heart felt. Although they represented good efforts in exploration of style, and it is essential for a painter to experiment and mimic in order to find her own style, some of these paintings seemed to be part of this search process, and not there yet, or not completely true for the artist.
"Alternatively, the watercolor of the warrior (Dasher) seemed like a mature piece. It is very stylized, but very personal, and appears to come from the heart. The small red bird with a human head (S. Jones) makes a very personal statement, too. This artist is taking a risk because some people might find the imagery off-putting, but it is technically beautiful and has a compelling emotional quality. I liked the painting of two blue tires (L. Pfeiffer), also. I found the tight use of space on the canvas very interesting. This artist may have studied Wayne Theibaud. I really support finding a 'muse' in another artist, not so much to copy from, but to learn to use those things that get you excited when you see them. Recognizing what you love in someone else's work helps you to know yourself."
Sculpture: "I was impressed by some of the glass pieces, especially the elegant blue dish (L. Beil). I liked it because of its economy, and the balance of ../images inside the circle. The carved wooden chair (S. Wengrovitz) is very creative. I was disappointed that there were not more ceramics submissions. However, I thought the large raku pot (R. Camarillo) was wonderful, and one vase had a very unique shape (E. Seefeldt). I liked the clay sea lion quite a bit, also. It is humorous, and seems gentle and again, personal (M. Noriega)."
Works on Paper: "The bulk of the submissions were on paper and they make for a strong show. I prefer working on paper myself. I love its variety and flexibility."
Photography: "The photography was very strong overall. Some of the digital work was still experimental, but there were also some wonderful iris prints. I was captured by the beautiful sense of design and pattern in many of the landscapes; by the sense of abstraction. Choosing landscapes was not specifically intentional. It just turned out that way."
Printmaking: "There were a lot of evocative pieces. People will spend some time looking at them. The archival digital print (C. Bernstein) held my interest. I didn't particularly like the sentimentality, but I did like the technique, and the fact that these aspects of the piece are at odds made it interesting. The little monotype of the garden was very textural, like a woodcut, (G. Zepecki) and the linocut reduction (M. Hackman) was full of energy and appeal. I was also attracted to the traditional etchings."
Mixed media: "The large collage shows that the artist really knows how to make good visual choices in constructing her pieces. Collage takes things out of context (L. Stuart). The painting on a glass window was interesting to me because it evokes work I've seen from Haiti and Africa. I like it when artists find ways to incorporate the traditions of other cultures in their work (S. Cutchen)."
Abstracts: "When 80 percent of the work is traditional, those who are working outside the box are the ones who are really taking the risks.
"I try to look at the work from the artist's perspective to honor/respect that person's sensibilities. Teaching makes you good at that. In the classroom, I have to be able to communicate what is good about a given piece, so I have to be able to see its strength myself.
"The work always needs to be strong visually. If a work is strong conceptually, but not well drawn or composed, or the color is not right, it is still not quite successful. We are visual artists, not writers. It can't just tell a good story, it has to look good, too. I enjoyed jurying this show. It was difficult to take out as many pieces as we had to."
Advice to Artists: "Try to be as broad as possible. Go to museums, experiment as much as you can, meet other artists halfway, and don't be afraid to change your mind. Go with your own personal vision. It is good to have a critique group for support, but at some point, you have to trust yourself enough to work outside the classroom. As a long time teacher, I sometimes feel I hear my own opinions too much; that's when I take a class! And I am enriched by my students' ideas, but artists have to work alone."
On process: "Drawing is the bottom line. Many artists don't spend enough time developing their drawing skills and their understanding of color. Slow down. Take the time. Be a little humble. Stay focused on the process, and usually you will get the product, too."
Advice to Art League: "You need more exhibition space for such a large membership! Maybe you could consider limiting the number of pieces entered each month, or the number of members who can submit. Maybe a two month rotation? Judges are forced to reject very good work each month."
This page was last updated 05/12/2002.