Juried Exhibitions

I apply at juried exhibitions periodically just because I always look for opportunities to exhibit.  Most of the time, however, I get rejected.  I have tried to look at my work objectively to see why.

I am aware that juried shows are subjective but I also need to be honest about my work.  Is my art so bad that it gets nixed by curators almost all of the time? Would I change my style to get in at galleries? Should I do shocking work to catch the attention of jurors and curators?  Will doing any of that make me happy?  The simple answer is no.  I like what I do.  I try to improve by taking art workshops periodically but my style is more or less unaffected.  And as much as I'd like to exhibit and sell, I am just not willing to create art which doesn't come from the heart - my heart.    

Nude of the Day, June 1, 2011 at Barebrush Gallery

The above drawing, Despair, was curated as Nude of the Day for June 1, 2011 at Barebrush by Mr. James Patrick Reid, artist and art lecturer.  It was previously chosen as Nude of the Day for July 30, 2010. For the first time, Despair was also selected as one of the five curators' choice for June 2011.

From the write-up about the NOTM for June 2011 (http://barebrush.com/mybarebrush/Previews/NOTM.php), I quote:
About Despair, Mr. Reid thought for a while, composing this thoughts and then said:

"The gesture of the figure is powerfully felt in the foreshortened space she occupies relative to the placement of the dark vertical and the shaded plane of the table. Also, there is a great rhythm connecting the clockwise movement of her arms with the ovoid form of the cushion and her breasts and thighs. This works in two and three dimensions simultaneously. The cloth hanging at the top of it forms the necessary contrast to the clockwise rotation of her upper body and the counter-clockwise thrust of her knees....[some hesitation] The more I look at it, the more I could talk about it."

Needless to say, I am deeply honored.  Thank you, Mr. Reid.