Don’t be afraid to show your work!

If you create, at some point, you will want to show your work to somebody else.

What do you think of this? How did I do?

It’s part of the process. If you create and pour your heart into what interests you, then lock it away in a drawer and show nobody at all, it is, to me, an incomplete circle. Creative work is meant to be shared and enjoyed. It’s part of the joy of creating.

It is, of course, also risky. Sometimes the only one who likes it is you. And maybe even you aren’t so sure you like every work.

Also part of the process.

This past week I’ve had two peeks into the process of observing and reflecting on somebody (an exhibit juror) looking at work analytically and evaluating it. It’s fascinating. And understanding various approaches helps the artmaker.

The first example is the jurying of Zak Foster, who selected work for SAQA’s regional show “The Artist’s Question Answered in Fiber.” From 72 works submitted by 52 artists he chose 29 works for the exhibit. (That number was his assignment.)

I am happy-happy that one of my works was selected. “Nor Could Our Hands Catch Them” is my work that will be exhibiting.

In his juror statement, Zak writes that the premise of the exhibit is what he used to guide him. This exhibit is about an artist asking a question of some sort – “What if? Why does… Would I be able…” – and then answering the question through artistic expression. He was most interested in artwork that really seemed to grapple with an aesthetic question or a social issue and tried to find ways to answer it.

So, for him, the artist’s intent, as expressed in the statement, was very important.

The second example of juror analysis is the thinking of Barbara Lee Smith, who selected works for SAQA’s Exhibit at Intersect Chicago 2021. She chose 31 pieces from over two hundred submitted. I was also thrilled to be selected as part of this exhibit. with the work, “Entering Untold Stories.”

(I was less thrilled that this in-person show was cancelled due to Covid. Drat!)

But. SAQA created a FABULOUS video of the show, with narration by Juror Smith. I’ve watched this several times now. I highly recommend spending the approx. 15 minutes it lasts to take a look. It’s very very good. See it on YouTube. (I’ve put the link at the end of this post.)

One of the fascinating tidbits this juror revealed is that she read the artist statements after selecting the works. So, her selections were guided by her own experience and aesthetics, and a gut reaction to the works she was reviewing.

I think that an experienced, qualified juror can work that way. Additionally, unlike “The Artist’s Question” exhibit, this one had not asked artists to respond to a specific concept or query.

In the past few months I have also received two rejections to exhibits for which I was not selected. (Drat! Double drat!) It happens. I like what I created enough that I will submit them to other shows.

And one more experience… Just in the past two weeks I shared a work-in-progress with three fellow artmakers whose opinions I trust and respect. My work was far enough along that I had decisions to make, but not so complete that I had nowhere to go. I emailed jpegs. I asked specific questions about things I was not sure how to resolve. I am SO grateful for the artist feedback. Each artist I asked saw things a little differently. Listening to those critiques and suggestions resulted in a much better finished work. I have submitted the quilt to an exhibit for 2022. I await jury results. (Maybe another Drat! Maybe a Yayyy! I’ll see.)

Don’t be afraid to show your work!

Watch the narrated video of The Intersect Chicago works here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_HmKtWmACQ

You can learn more about Nor Could Our Hands Catch Them on my website here
https://www.bobbibaughstudio.com/layered-nature-artwork/nor-could-our-hands-catch-them-art-quilt

You can learn more about Entering Untold Stories on my website here
https://www.bobbibaughstudio.com/journeys-and-stories/entering-untold-stories-art-quilt

For all the artmakers: Happy creating
For all the art lovers: Happy appreciating

 Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

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