Juror's Statement
THE JUNE 2003
ALL-MEDIA MEMBERSHIP SHOW
Jurying for The Art League is always an enjoyable, though exhausting, experience. I regret the speed with which the jurying has to be accomplished, limiting time spent in consideration of each entry. Consistent high quality makes decisions difficult. I always fear that a worthy work will not receive adequate attention. This year I found realism, portraits, landscapes and still lives extremely strong and abstraction weak. I found improper framing damaging to many entries.
JAMES HILLEARY
Juror's Dialogue
by Pat Gerkin
Washington Color School Painter, James Hilleary, juried the Art League's June All-Media Membership Show and will present the Urquhart Award. "It's so interesting," exclaimed Hilleary, "that I have chosen a predominantly realist show, because I have always been an abstract painter." Realism was the strongest of the submissions, and the abstractions were weak in comparison. Hilleary chose to comment on the award winners first, saying, "The first-place and second-place paintings were by the same artist (Bu Rulei) and are rendered exquisitely. The light in the landscape is captivating. When selecting, I did not know the paintings were the work of the same artist."
When asked how this show differed from the last time he juried for us, Hilleary noted, "The paintings in this show were weaker. There was a dearth of good abstraction. The realism outstripped all else. I also noticed a lot of poorly framed work. Presentation is so important for artwork and many of these submissions were not framed properly."
Drawing: "Although few drawings were submitted, the award for drawing was a charcoal. (L. Breen). Beautifully drawn with a well chosen frame. The work is rather haunting in presence. "
Pastel: "The award winning pastel was the best of many good pastels (M. Lagnaoui). Another pastel that was worthy of note was a lovely little landscape (M. Mc Quillen)."
Photography: "I gave equal awards to the two color photos because the quality of the photos are so painterly (E. Yawn, K. Steele). The artist has captured an incredible light on the trees (K. Steele). I like the ilfochrome photograph of the red umbrella (S. Saferstein). The composition and color really grab your attention. There were many wonderful black and white photographs. There were so many good photographs that it was difficult to choose award winners."
Glass: "I did not recognize their beauty until I picked them up off the black table and could see the loveliness of the light shining through."
Batik: "The batik work is exquisite. A wider frame would have been less restrictive to the piece, but at least the frame is in a tone sympathetic with the work. (L. Kirpichenko) "
Watercolor: "I chose two watercolors, one for its abstract, dreamy quality and the concentration of light on the figures (K. Stenburg) and another beautifully painted watercolor (S. Hayes) with a frame that was far too overwhelming for the delicacy of the work. Although there were a lot of watercolors entered, a lot were also rejected -- generally the compositions was good, but the color was weak. "
Painting: "A well-done academic work, in oil, captured a dim light but was consistent throughout (M. Walsh). There was a waterfall that has a nice quality to the flowing water, but again, the framing was inappropriate for the piece. The sunflowers have a fresh approach, and the work does not pretend to be Van Gogh (G. De Santis). This was a lovely decorative piece with flowers, in acrylic (K. Conner). The oil of a garden had a very nice quality to it. The luminosity of an oil portrait (C. Spotswood) was especially beautiful. The frame works well with it. The small portrait of oil on panel (C. Bernard) has a wonderful rendering of light, and the eyes draw you into the painting strongly. I also like the painting of Venice (P. Myerson). The artist didn't make Venice look brand-new as so many artists do. You can almost smell the canal. A beautifully painted landscape of a storm rising (L. Neher) needs to be re-framed. The frame is too dark and restrictive."
Sculpture: "The lovely bronze head that I chose as the first-prize award for sculpture was notable, graceful and sweet (G. Lockhart). The hair is exceptional, so well executed. I also chose to award a tall, stately figure that was seated (S. Beck)."
Advice to Artists: "Take care with your framing. Framing was the biggest flaw that I saw in the show. Some works were compositionally well conceived but lacked the color emphasis to make them outstanding Look, Look, look at art. It is through looking that you learn. When I go to an opening, I never look at the artwork. I go to respect the artist. Then I go back to see the show because the openings are not conducive to concentration and much of the art requires closer reflection."
Advice to the Art League: "You seem to be doing a pretty good job, I love the spirit of cooperation and assistance when jurying."
This page was last updated 06/14/2003.