More about Plein Air Painting

This is Mary, one of the plein painters that I met Saturday at Tina's farm. There were 7 of us that showed up to paint out in the country between Shawnee and Meeker. This was a new experience for me and I can tell you now it won't be the last!





















Here are Tina's rooster and hens. I'd love to paint these guys in the near future. I took several photos that I can use later.














Another view from the farm. These horses will be in my first painting but they moved before I could add them! That's the trouble with painting animals they don't stay put long enough. I have photos of them so hopefully I can successfully add them later.

My paintings didn't turn out very good but I'll post pictures of them when they are finished (if I'm brave enough!).

Plein Air Painting Day

Carla and I joined other Plein Painters of Oklahoma on an outing this past Saturday and had a wonderful day painting outside at Tina's farm. We had great weather, great company of other artists, great views, and a great time!
















I painted two pictures and this is a view of the second painting. Neither of my paintings were great but it was only my second attempt at plein air. I'll improve.
















Here is Carla on the left and Dana in the foreground. I was painting down by Carla under the tree next to the chicken coop.















Here is Carla...smiling and having a great time in spite of all the knats and other flying insects. There were donkeys in the field behind Carla but we didn't attempt to paint them. They wouldn't stand still long enough!

Rejected

I didn't get accepted into the Oklahoma Centerfold exhibit, sob! However two of my friends, Carla and Stephanie got their fiber pieces accepted so that's exciting because this is a national art show not just a fiber show. I plan on attending the opening reception of the exhibit in Lawton at the Leslie Powell Gallery because I like to see what the juror selected. Of course the gallery director said she liked my work but they were limited by space and had to reject many, many good pieces. Nancy, the director, is a very nice and gracious person but I'm still disappointed.

I got a notice in the mail today about another exhibit to enter so I'm moving on and looking to the next opportunity. I don't get discouraged enough to quit!

OVAC 12 x 12 Art Show and Sale

I attend OVAC's 12 x 12 Art Show and Sale Saturday night. They were expecting around 1000 people to attend and I would guess they met their goal because it was crowded. The food was great, as usual, and they had several nice musical groups that provided entertainment.

All the work on display must be 12" x 12" or smaller. They displayed the work from 150 artists on movable panels as shown in the photo. Each piece has an envelope (with the artists statement printed on it) in which to deposit your silent bid. The bidding start at $168 so the highest bidder at the end of the evening wins unless someone pays the 'buy it now' price. I stayed that night until my piece had a bid. I always worry about it not selling so I like to stay long enough to find out.

In the photo above the painting on the far right at the top is by my friend Carla Houston. It's a landscape with an adobe house with orange flowers. I couldn't talk her into standing in front of it so I could take her picture.

Entering Art Shows......

Entering art shows can be stressful! Making the work is only the beginning of what can be a lengthy and expensive process. Only after spending months and even years refining techniques, finding your 'voice' in your chosen media and developing a body of work are you ready to enter jurored art shows.

Let me stress, this isn't a course for the faint of heart! If you are going to enter art shows you must have professional looking images of your work. I’ve actually seen people enter images of their work that had been taken outside in their driveway. The landscape painting was propped up against the tire of their car! If you feel the need to take your own photos then learn to crop! You also must be aware of different venues that you feel is a 'fit' for your work. This can take hours and hours of time browsing the internet and buying art magazines that list calls for entries. Then you must fill out the entry forms correctly and try to second guess some of the instructions that aren’t completely clear. Now it’s time to pay the entry fees, which are too high in my opinion, and the postage. If you waited until the last minute to mail in your entry (I’m sure I’m not the only person that does this!) to meet the deadline you must pay for overnight postage. Once the entry has been sent off you try to forget about it because sometimes it takes a month before you hear the verdict and you don't want to spend that much time in agony wondering about the results. You try not to get your hopes up too high. You tell yourself you won't be accepted all the while you hope deep down inside that you will be. Then comes that fateful day when you receive the notice about the show. You get all excited and your heart is pounding in your chest as you open the letter to find out if your work was accepted or not. If you receive good news you are floating on Cloud 9 for weeks, if not you do your best not to cry and tell yourself the idiot juror must have been blind! Unfortunately, you must be able to accept rejection time and time again and not let that deter you from your goals. The only way to get in a juried exhibit is to enter. You don't have a chance otherwise because they are not going to come knocking on your door!

Sometimes I ask myself, why? Why do I enter shows? Why do I spend the money on photography, entry fees, shipping cost (if applicable), and insurance? Why do I put myself through the agony of being rejected? I don't have the answers. I'm not a competitive person by nature but it's just something I'm compelled to do. Maybe the 'high' I receive when I'm accepted or if I'm lucky enough to win a monetary prize it's all I need to carry me through the numerous rejections.

Are you wondering why I'm pondering on this subject? I just mailed my entry to the Oklahoma Centerfold exhibit. I probably don't have a chance on earth being accepted in this national juried art exhibit but I did it anyway and I'm hoping for the best. So keep your fingers crossed for me!