Sunday, September 18, 2011

Try Try Again! How do judges decide?

Didn't make it into the Paddington Art Prize. :((
But as these things often happen, I received a newsletter (Blackheath Art Society Aug-Oct 2011) in the mail in which Anthony Bond, Director of Curatorial Services at the Art Gallery of NEw South Wales, was interviewed by Christine Townend regarding his choices in Art Prizes (among other things). He states that for him, "it is important to consider the context". In other words, if judging in an area where the "prevailing themes are landscape or configuration, you need to take that into account (and) encourage the best possible practice in that area, rather than automatically giving the prize to the most adventurous.....What interests me is the degree of honesty and observation that an artist brings to the work."
He later goes on to say that " in every case, I'm looking for an honesty, a directness and keenness of observation. Often the works that seek to be more contemporary end up being over technical or just plain flashy: they simply don't ring true".
Well, I don't consider mine flashy or technical, but then again, Tony Bond wasn't the judge. Perhaps he ought to have been!
Image: Gabrielle Jones, "Tree Movement (Blackheath)" 122 x 122cm Oil on Canvas. Perhaps  should have entered this one?

So...what do you think makes a worthy prize winner? What considerations would you take into account if you were the judge? How do you pick up and go on after "Art  Prize Failure"?

No comments:

Post a Comment

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...