Juror's Statement
THE JUNE 2002
ALL-MEDIA MEMBERSHIP SHOW
The work at The Art League is always outstanding. It runs the gamut from the very competent representational imagery such as Marcel's "Old Gourd" and Sally Parker's "Old Tools" through the more experimental abstractions of Karen Hubacher's "Seoul Shelter" and Connie Slack's "Someone Touched My Hand". I tried to select a show that gives the viewer a sense of the good work happening here.
Hank Harmon
Juror's Dialogue
by Pat Gerkin
This month's All-Media Membership Show was jurored by Hank Harmon--artist, teacher, and critic. Harmon has taught at The Corcoran College of Art and Design, The Art League, and Northern Virginia Community College. He has jurored for The Art League before and he notes "The quality of the work remains high. The presentation is better than it used to be. The artists seem to be paying more attention to framing and presenting their work as objects."
Of his selection process, Harmon had this to say: "I tried to showcase a range of all the good work I saw, from representational to abstract, and I feel that the choices I made are competent examples of the work submitted." Harmon looks for (1) craft, (2) idea/content, (3) individuality, and (4) experimentation (willingness to take risks).
"I am a minimalist in my own work, and my choices for the prizes reflect that personal bias. I do appreciate other kinds of work, but I most appreciate conciseness of statement."
Photography: "I chose more photographic images than last time. They were well-composed, well-designed, and images that I had not seen before. Black and white is still my love in photography, but with so much color around, it is hard for black and white to hold up against the bright colors. I particularly liked the tic tac toe piece. It was not too formal (P. Fleming). I also chose a couple of digitized images. Digital imagery has changed the world of photography."
Sculpture: "Sculpture was the most difficult medium to judge today for some reason. I felt that the statements being made in the sculptures were not as strong as those made in the paintings. One piece that was plastic caught my eye because the artist took some risks (C. Hoffman). It was not the traditional sculpture. I did not choose pots because I don't think of sculpture as utilitarian. It's just my own bias."
Watercolor: "Very strong. Some of the best painters, who are able to control watercolor, are found right here at The Art League. However, I would like to see them take more risks in terms of subject matter. I saw a lot of well-painted leaves and flowers, but I'd like to see some risks taken, experiment and play with those forms. Maybe they could paint some 'ugly' subject matter."
Drawing: "The drawings seem to be the least represented today. One of the strongest drawings was that of (P. Wachsstock). Drawing media are sometimes difficult to work with. They are not as forgiving as other media, even watercolor."
Printmaking: "Although there were more prints than drawings, there were not many prints entered. Those that were chosen are strong. I'm a traditionalist, so I think that printmaking should be duplicative. Monotypes are almost like paintings."
Pastel/Colored pencil: "This medium was very strong. It was the strongest of all the drawing media. It is important that the form is built from the color. I rejected those in which the color sits on top of the form. That's where they fell down."
Works on canvas: "I am perhaps most critical of these works because I am a painter and I do work on canvas. Strong, gutsy painting is happening here. Some that I rejected had strong beginnings but they fell flat because sometimes they were overdone, labored, stale, or forced. It's difficult to get the freshness, the spontaneity back when they are overdone."
Works on paper: "These works tended to be fresher, more immediate, and more direct than those that were on canvas. Paper is not as precious, therefore, we take more risks."
Collage/Mixed media: "It is difficult to pull together different elements into one cohesive unit. I always like imported images, but they have to become the artist's own through manipulation or painting back into it. It is very important that the artist be involved in the message."
How important are juried shows? "Very important. You have to see how your work stands up against other people's work. If your work is rejected, weigh it against the others that were accepted. And remember, it is the work that is rejected, not the artist."
How to critique one's own work? "Live with it for awhile. Analyze it in terms of the four areas (1) craft, (2) idea/content, (3) individuality, and (4) experimentation. Does it hold together as a unit? Where does the piece lead me to? For me, it fails unless it leads to the next painting." How to resolve a problem? " I like to take a digital photo of a work in progress, put it into something like Photoshop, resolve the problem, and then finish the painting. That's how I correct my work, and I would recommend it as a tool for those who can make use of the new technology."
Advice to Artists: "Just keep doing it. Learn from what you do. Progress. Be willing to take risks and fail. With the failure sometimes comes the light bulb. Keep doing it no matter what any juror says. Ultimately, it is your own self-expression."
Advice to Art League: "Keep on doing what you are doing. There is nothing I would change."
This page was last updated 06/09/2002.