Juror's Statement
November 2002 Small Works Membership Show
No statement available.
Trudi Van Dyke
Director, Ellipse Arts Center
Juror's Dialogue
by Pat Gerkin
This month the annual Small Works Show was jurored by local art enthusiast and Director of the Ellipse Arts Center in Arlington, Trudi Van Dyke. Ms. Van Dyke is a seasoned juror who brings the eye of the curator and gallery director to our process. Ms. Van Dyke found the small works show interesting. "I had only seen some of these artist's works in large format in the past, and I found it interesting to see their works in small format. Some translated very well and some really did not," she said. "Artists who have chosen to work in small format often have their works overlooked and overwhelmed in the regular shows. I like the small works show because it gives these artists the opportunity to shine, and it gives the large-format artists the opportunity to challenge themselves."
Selection process: "I looked for (1) appeal...something that touched my eye, perhaps color, composition, or media. (2) I then decided intellectually why I chose that piece. (3) I asked the question, 'Is the artist trying to find a voice?' (4) After these preliminaries, I then focused on the technical aspects of each piece." When I asked what might knock a piece out of contention, Ms. Van Dyke immediately replied, "If my eye is drawn to the frame instead of the work of art. There were some pieces that I had to fight the framing choice to be able to see the work. If the work was outstanding, it may have still made it in, but if it was not an outstanding work of art, the frame caused it to be taken out. This is specially problematic with small works. There were 10-15 pieces that did not get into the show because of trite subject matter. I wanted to see something different."
"On the positive side, I found that artists were using unusual materials, or were trying to make 3-D on a small scale. I chose a lot of 3-D work. I thought it was quite strong. I liked the white or off-white mats. They are the best choice for small works," she stressed.
Drawing: "I didn't have much to choose from. I would like to see more in this category."
Watercolor: "This medium was particularly strong. I selected a lot of watercolor. It was by far the strongest category. It translates well to a small format. I chose a lot of abstract watercolors, which I found very appealing."
Pastels: "This is a very technical skill. The submissions were either very strong or very weak. It seemed that those artists were having trouble bringing their work down to an effective scale on a small piece."
Printmaking: "There were a lot of excellent monotypes. It was a very strong category."
Photography: "Not many photographs were submitted, or chosen. The small-scale minimalist approach works best. Here, I also found some cliche pieces. I would encourage artists to shoot different, fresh subjects. Use the camera more insightfully rather than just to reproduce a subject."
Works on canvas: "This is an area where artists seemed to have difficulty in translating their works to small-scale. Subject matter has to become more minimalistic. Instead of a whole countryside, do the tree. This, also, was the worst area for inappropriate framing. The works might be very busy and then they were put into two-inch gold frames."
Abstracts: "I found quite a few effective abstracts among the watercolor, collages, mixed media, and even some oils."
Collage/mixed media: "This was the strongest category. The artists collaged with materials that really worked on a small scale."
Sculpture: "I actually took almost all of the sculpture. Those that I didn't use were not mature enough in terms of technique. I really admired the sculptures. It was a strong category."
Advice to artists: "Get other people's opinions on what to submit. Artists get emotionally attached to certain works. The works may be their favorites but they are not necessarily their best works. Get other people's opinions on what two pieces to submit together. That way the juror can see that it's not just a lucky day. The work is part of a body of work and the body of work is good. I chose approximately 200 artists to represent the Small Works Show. Certainly I could have chosen 100 artists and taken both pieces of each artist. It may even have been a stronger show, but I want to encourage all the artists."
Advice to The Art League: "The Art League hangs twice as many pieces in a show as I would like to see hung, but I understand the need for it to be that way. It is always a pleasure to juror for The Art League; the process is so organized. And, I really see a lot of the artists maturing and going in new directions."
This page was last updated 11/13/2002.