It was a great honor for me to judge the 87th Fall Members’ Show at the National Art League running from October 30 – December 2, 2017. I was impressed by all the beautiful work! Many thanks to Marie Marsina for asking me to judge the show and to Karmen Elsen and Paul David Elsen for recommending me to teach a workshop here this past summer.

It was extremely challenging to select only a handful of award-winning pieces from the 88 pieces on display. Only by judging this show did I realize how hard it is to quantify the skill, impact, and originality of each piece. Despite this, I enjoyed having the chance to carefully contemplate each and reflect upon what makes a moving work of art.

The criteria used to judge this show were: technique & impact, creativity & concept, and design & composition. Technique and impact are very important. The impact is subjective because each person will relate to work differently; yet, it triggers something visceral and concrete. Once I decided which pieces impacted me the most, I looked more closely at the technique used. Strong drawing and skilled control of the medium are more objective criteria which I then used to judge the work.

Creativity and concept were also a deep consideration. I also looked for the artist’s emotional connection to the work. I wanted to see the artist’s unique perspective. Sometimes a piece might not be as skillfully executed, but the work stood out because of the concept. At other times, a piece might be technically very proficient, but appear to lack the artist’s personal connection. I also looked at the design and composition of the work. I observed the shapes, forms, colors, and texture. I considered the balance, proportion, perspective, movement, rhythm, and unity of the piece.

Personally, I can sometimes be annoyed when my paintings are overlooked in an art show. And perhaps at times, I have been too bitter, complaining to my friends and fellow artists at art exhibitions. But, by doing this, I had the fortune of hearing a much-admired artist’s thoughts on being a juror. Ricky Mujica once consoled me by saying that it is hard to judge a show and that other elements are sometimes a factor. He mentioned the pressure to not choose too many of one style of painting or at times it simply depends on the juror’s mood that day. At the Portrait Society of America conference, Everett Raymond Kinstler also shared a story about how his painting was passed over several times before eventually winning the grand prize.* I am grateful to have the chance to understand the perspective from the other side. Now, I can say with certainty that a judge wants to award more paintings than is possible.

So, what is important is that you continue to focus on what interests you the most and pursue it with passion. Keep on looking at work that inspires you, and don’t get deterred when a painting doesn’t turn out the way you hoped. It’s because of the struggle to create art that makes your success more meaningful.

I want to congratulations to everyone in this exhibition for putting forth art that shows unique vision and skill. It was truly an honor to be involved and to spend time appreciating each piece of work in this show.

Click here to read about the award-winning art.

Seth Harris won an honorable mention for his painting “Not Enough Leads” (left).

*there may be discrepancies in my recollection of these conversations.