60 Watercolor artist | DECEMBER 2019
Bright Ideas
Frank Eber poses next to his
painting at the opening of the
2012 Annual Exhibition of the
American Watercolor Society
(above). Eber stands next to his
painting at the 2014 Annual
Exhibition of the American
Watercolor Society (at left).
Both were held in New York City.recognition among a wider swath
of artists. It’s not always easy to be
objective, but you need to determine
where your art stands in terms of
quality and artistic development.
Compare yourself to the best artists
within your genre and see if your
paintings meet the same standard.
If you’re having a hard time judging
your work, ask for an honest opinion
from an artist you respect. Try to
avoid asking family members or your
signifi cant other for a critique, as
they’ll naturally default to praise.BE REALISTIC
Th ere are many competitions
nowadays, so pick your battles
carefully. Entering the most
prestigious should be your
long-term goal. If you’re work-
ing mostly in one medium, it’s
easy to fi nd the most well-
known. Focus on submitting
your work to those, as enter-
ing too many shows can be
costly. Th ere are entry fees,
membership fees and shipping
costs for paintings with return labels,
not to mention framing costs.AVOID THE PITFALLS
One mistake to avoid is to start paint-
ing for the competitions. Many artists
fall into this trap, especially once they
get in a show and win. If you fi nd
yourself contemplating what to paint
for this year’s Fill-in-the-Blank
Annual Exhibition, you’re probably
guilty. It should always be the other
way around: You have an amazing
painting and you think it might just
be good enough to submit to a
national exhibition.
Another pitfall is to try and please
a specifi c juror by attempting to paint
what you think will interest him or
her. Your motivations to paint must
be your own. Your art should express
your vision. If you make sure to sub-
mit work that is 100 percent you, it’s
likely to be your strongest work.TO ENTER OR
NOT TO ENTER
Th ere are many established artists
who never submit their work into
exhibitions and national shows. By
submitting your work, you grantsomeone permission to judge
your painting, which is a personal
decision. Ultimately, a painting
can’t be judged without bias. It’s
like music. Th e reality is that you
can only ever compete with yourself.
Take it all, win or lose, with a grain
of salt. One positive is that your sub-
mission fee likely will support a non-
profi t art association that consists of
volunteers who stage exhibitions with
wonderful artwork for the general
public. We artists need these kinds
of people and organizations. Without
them, there would be much less oppor-
tunity to show our work in public.
So, is it a good idea to enter
competitions? Mostly, yes, as long
as the pursuit of acceptance doesn’t
become your artistic raison d’etre.
We have a need as artists to share
our genuine feelings and ideas. When
art comes from that deeper place,
the accolades will arrive without
much eff ort. WAFrank Eber (frankeber.com) was
mentored by master Renato Casaro.
He strives to create timeless art and
to convey a subjective, emotional
response to the natural world.Take Note
Here’s a list of factors that
are important to jurors during
their deliberations. Good
technique is important, and
aprerequisite—hence, it’s not
included on the list. Just
because a painting is
technically well done
(something I call a “techy”
painting) doesn’t mean it’s
great, however. This is a list of
other qualities that contribute
toa well-rounded work of art:- design and composition
- quality craftsmanship
- originality
- historically significant
- evocative
- theme and broader
societal commentary - narrative
- uniqueness
- mood or expression
- poetic quality