STARTSTRONGIN
THEFIRSTQUARTER
If youworkoncommission,
onechallengeyoumay
faceis findingtimetocre-
atepaintingsthatpushthe
envelopeofyourcraft—the
kindthatmightalsoattracta
juror’sattention.Mostofmy
revenue-generatingartwork
is doneoncommission,and
mostclientsprefera conven-
tionalapproachtoa portrait
insteadofthekindofedgy
andinnovativeportraitthat
mightmakethecutina com-
petition.Clientswhoallowfor
experimentationwithunusual
cropping,colorsortechniques
aretheexception,nottherule.Toaddressthisdilemma,
makeanefforttocreateone
ortwo“flagship”paintingsin
thefirstquarterofeachyear—
piecesthatyoucanearmark
strictlyforentryinupcoming
competitions.PLANAHEAD
Undertakea strategicreview
ofthecompetitionsyouplan
toenterintheyear.Thiswill
allowyoutodecidehow
longtoholdontoa painting
inthefortunateeventthat
it’sselectedforanexhibition
andneedstobeavailable
physicallyfordisplayata
venue(asopposedtoan
onlineexhibition).So,forexample,if you’reworking
toattainsignaturestatusin
thePastelSocietyofAmerica
(PSA),whichhasitsannual
exhibitioninthefall,markthe
paintingyouintendtosub-
mitas“NotForSale”inany
exhibitionsyouenterpriorto
thePSAdeadline.Thatway,
youcanstilltakepartinearlier
competitionsanddisplayyour
latestcreativeefforts,while
keepingyouroptionsopen
shouldtheworkbeselectedby
PSAlaterintheyear.KEEPASPREADSHEET
Keepa spreadsheetofyour
competitionentrieseach
yeartotracka painting’s
performance,avoidany
duplicateentriesandensure
thatyourentriesmeetallthe
eligibilityrequirements.POSTPONEASALE
If a clientexpressesan
interestina paintingwhile
it’sstillbeingshown,give
himorherthe“firstright
ofrefusal”onthepainting
oncethecompetitionsin
whichyouplantopartici-
pateareover.Mostclients
willbeunderstandingand
willbeallthemorepleased
if thepaintinggarnerssome
professionalrecognition
beforetheytakepossession
ofit!PJLisaStockdellisa painterwho
specializesinequineart.She's
anassociatememberofPSA
andSocietyofAnimalArtists,
anda MemberofExcellence
intheSoutheasternPastel
Society.Formoreinformation,
visitlisastockdell.com.Raise the Bar
Whenyoucreate
paintingswith
juriedexhibitions
andcompetitionsin
mind,explorethe
boundariesofyour
skillsandthoseof
thepastelmedium—
andseewhereit
takesyou.Makean
intentionaleffortto
raisethebar.Help Your Entries
Look Their Best
Becauseyouwantyour
artworktobeseen
atitsbest,invest
ina high-quality
professional
digitalscan
ofanypaint-
ingyouintend
tosubmitfora
juriedexhibitionor
competition.CAMERA:BEDRIN-ALEXANDER/GETTYIMAGESMake Show-Worthy Art
Asartists,weallstrivetokeepournamesinthepubliceyeandtobuildour
artisticresumésthroughexhibitingourwork.Makingjudiciouschoiceswith
yourtimeandyourcompositionswillhelp.Here,LisaStockdellofferspractical
tipstoensureyou’redoingthisworkandplanningeffectively.
Stockdell'spastel,
MyHeartWillGoOn
(16¼x11½)earnedan
HonorableMentioninthe
20thAnnualPastel100.5-Minute Coach
ArtistsNetwork.com 15