The Jury Is Out

In the last few days I have received good news that my artwork has been accepted into TWO juried shows for the spring! Yee haw! Participating in a juried art show is new territory for me so I am looking forward to being fully present for the experience.

If “juried art show” is an unfamiliar term for you, don’t sweat it. It’s new to me too. All it means is that the show participants will be judged by an outside, hired art expert with a keen eye for… who knows. But the judge is also the jury and he/she picks the winners based on criteria laid out in the original call for artworks. One must apply to be considered for a juried show, with extra fees involved to compensate the judge and provide prize money for the top artists.

Since I am new to all of this I’m just going with the flow and seeing what’s up. Riding the wave. I’ve applied for a few shows in the past but haven’t been accepted… until now! So I’m super pumped up to be able to say I’ve been in a juried show and even more excited for the experience!

BAD FAD
Acrylic on stretched canvas, 10×10

This piece was born in the hot, dark shed out behind my dad’s house. It was August. There was a sweltering Houston heat zapping my body of all its energy but I had to keep on making stuff. Art was dying to get out of me! I had just bought a new easel and decided to try it out on a small piece. It was a “let’s-just-play-around-and-see” type of abstract, so after laying out an all black coat of paint I used a small square brush to just start slapping down red, yellow and blue squares.

I went down a line, following a pattern. Patterns. Primary colors. Playing around.

Once the canvas was covered in colored squares, I start adding letters. And numbers. And symbols. Later I threw on streaks of other colors. I added some touches here. Some there. I just kept playing. Like most of my pieces, if you look long enough you’ll find some special messages. If not, that’s okay too ‘cuz it’s just a bad fad.

See what I did there?

“Bad Fad” is a part of “Sunlight Through A Prism: Exploring Color In Art”, a juried show being held at the Woodlands Art Gallery and Studios in the Woodlands, TX from March 16 through May 10, 2023.

NO MISTAKES
Mixed media on stretched canvas, 18×24

Having enjoyed the abstract process of just throwing paint up and playing around made me want to try it again. But as I explored different avenues of the creative process I found myself having a hard time making decisions. I didn’t want to screw things up. Thus “No Mistakes” was born. I just grabbed a big canvas and a favorite color combo of mine (orange and blue) and went to town with the one rule that I could make “no mistakes”. Whatever happens, happens. The art will find me. Accept and build. Go with it.

This canvas sat in my studio for three months and whenever I felt playful and a little nuts I would pull it out and go at it. I never knew when I would be called, but when I was called, I answered. In time, an image started to appear. It just… appeared to me. Can you see it too?

“No Mistakes” is a part of the juried show entitled: “Salt Life: A Coastal Inspired Art Show”, being held at the Ardest Gallery in Magnolia, TX during the month of March.