Juror's Statement
THE AUGUST 2003
AMERICAN LANDSCAPE SHOW
No statement was available.
Juror's Dialogue
by Binaifer Davar
Howard Paine, former art director of National Geographic Magazine and friend of The Art League, juried this month’s show. It was the fifth time he has juried the All-Media American Landscape Show. Paine says that The Art League is doing a wonderful job encouraging its artists with frequent exhibitions, awards, and publicity.
When asked if he discovered surprises in the show, he answered, "I was surprised that there were no surprises." Like Ed Ahlstrom, the juror of the July All-Media Membership Show, who commented that he was "fatigued by seeing so much fruit, flowers, and still-life," Paine said, "I was irked by the endless trees, mountains, rivers, and rustic barns."
Selection process: Paine is a careful and experienced juror who says, "I am always delighted at what I find at The Art League shows. The range of styles, the talent, and the competence is impressive. It is always interesting work. I try to select a balance of subject matter, techniques (from photo realism to abstract), and a mix of landscapes and cityscapes (such as alleys, storefronts, and factories). What would The Art League think of a juror who picks only trees and rocks? I stay away from landscape clichés like lighthouses and aging barns. In particular, I look for color, human interest, and a suggestion of action. In a seascape, I look for boardwalks and carousels rather than simply beach and rocks."
"Initially, I pick what I like based on technique, color, composition, and subject matter. Then, I look again to rationalize my choice. For example, when studying two similar landscapes, I see how well the sky or water has been rendered." Paine also gives tremendous thought and time to ensure that, as much as possible, all media are represented in his thirteen Equal Merit Awards."
"While this is obviously not a portrait show, I miss the human interest gained with workmen, oystermen, fishermen, farmers, children playing on a beach, people crossing the street. I’m looking for life swirling, albeit subtly, around the landscape. A dock, an auto, a telephone wire, a human footprint, a suggestion of a narrative quality in the landscapes. And I love the abstract. Instead of a whole bridge, I like to see the bold intersection of the girders."
Drawing: "Very few."
Watercolor: "Two of the three top awards are watercolors (S. Platt and G. Bragg). In choosing these awards, I leaned towards cityscapes. In the small watercolor with the American flag, the church steeple in the distance is beautifully rendered." One of my Equal Merit Awards is also a cityscape with interesting angles and perspective (M. Rea). I also chose a breathtaking aerial with a huge flock of birds, an ink and watercolor (L. Wei)."
Photography: "I want to be all-inclusive, from traditional black-and-white prints to new mediums. I look for technique: is this a good print? In this show, I chose three photographs for Equal Merit Awards: an iris print (J. Sitrin), a strikingly composed giclee (H. Goodrum), and an archival color print (E. Funk). Most of the photographs were quiet portraits of trees, rocks, mountains, with, again little action or excitement."
Printmaking: "Very few, if any, silk screens, woodcuts, lithographs, or etchings. It’s a show of paintings."
Sculpture: "Very few, and some of the submissions were pushing the limits of the meaning of a landscape. Making a piece of pottery, a wall hanging or a vase, and giving it a title with the word landscape in it, does not make it a landscape."
Paintings: "One of the three top award winners is an oil painting with a lot of water (L. Altaffer), as was one of the Equal Merit Award winners (R. Merrill)."Both of these artists have outstanding competence in painting water, and rendering it in an infinite number of colors."
Collage/mixed media: "Very few."
Pastel: I like pastel, and one of the Equal Merit Award winners (L. L. Edwards) was a handsome example."
"I would characterize this show as somewhat quiet, with few surprises. I’m always drawn to works that have a strong composition, a sense of graphic design. Placement and balance help to prevent having scenes with empty holes in the middle!"
Advice to artists: "I want the artist to say something new, to make a fresh statement rather than a cliché. When National Geographic does a story on Paris, it doesn’t run a postcard portrait of the Eiffel Tower, but it takes the viewer halfway up the structure to show workmen giving it a coat of paint."
Advice to The Art League: "As always, your selections crew was wonderful, helpful, and cheerful. Perhaps you could consider an "Art on Paper" show highlighting woodcuts, etchings, silk screens, and photography including traditional photography, as well as new mediums such as digital and giclee prints. Maybe the League could also resurrect its lectures at noon?"
This page was last updated 08/13/2003.