Back on Campobello Island—And a Two-Person Show!

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Incoming Tide / 12x24 Oil
Will this be in my show?

Back on Campobello Island...and loving it!  I'd forgotten what a beautiful place this is.  Besides gathering up work for my show in Lubec in a few weeks (more about that in a moment), I've been trying to get out to sketch regularly.  I have a large oil painting in mind that I want to do, so some of these sketches are made with a purpose.  I'll post a few of them below.  They're all gouache and 5x8.

As for the show, I'll be joined by Trina Stephenson for Seasons in the Sun: Twenty Years of Landscapes, which will be at the Mulholland Market (Lubec Landmarks) in Lubec, Maine. The show runs from July 21 through August 9, 2022, at 50 N Water Street, Lubec, with an opening reception from 3-5 pm ET on Saturday, July 23.

Originally, this was going to be a solo show.  But US Customs threw a wrench into the works when I went to speak with them about importing my work from Canada into the US.  Turns out, if the value of the paintings entering the US is above a certain amount ($2500), you have to hire an import broker.  I spoke to two brokers, and learned that, frankly, it was going to be a paperwork headache and very costly.  So, I will unfortunately have to limit the number of paintings in the show.  (But you can still come over to Campobello Island to visit my studio, and I will donate part of the studio sales to Lubec Landmarks, a non-profit that is trying to save a historically important smokehouse on the waterfront.)

I will get on my soap box for a moment and note that this requirement favors the big corporations and not the little guy.  I have run into this kind of bureaucratic snafu before when running small, low-impact workshops on federal lands.  (You can read about that here.)  It's a shame, but it turns out it is all about easy money.

Trina will offer her beautiful kaleidoscopic imagery that portrays a variety of natural scenery.  Here's a sample, and you can see more at her website, www.trinastephenson.com

"Bog and Rhodora"

Even though my show is much reduced, I still need helping picking out the paintings.  I'm asking for my loyal followers on Instagram to help.  Every day, I've been posting one or two images of possibilities and asking for feedback.  If you'd like to help, head over to Instagram and follow the hashtag #mcjlubecshow (or go here.)  I appreciate the help!

Now, here are a few gouache sketches.  The big painting I will use some of these for will be in the show. 

Upcoming Exhibitions

 Thanks to the pandemic, I'm finding time to enter my work into a few juried art exhibitions.  Why do I thank the pandemic?  Many of the upcoming exhibitions have switched from being in a real gallery to being online.  That means no shipping costs!  So, I can take the money I would have spent on shipping and apply it to registering for the juried exhibitions.  Some of these have awards, but some do not.

So here are a few I'm in or will be in:

American Impressionist Society Juried Online Exhibition

After the Flood 16x20 Oil (sold)

The exhibit will be up on September 9 at www.AmericanImpressionistSociety.org.  Awards will also be announced that day.

Pastel Society of New Mexico Signature Member's Show (Online)

Autumn  Splendor 20x28 Pastel (Available)

Spring Flood II 12x18 Pastel (Available)

You can see all the images in the Signature Show here, as well as purchase information.  The "exhibit" will be up until September 11.

Plein Air Painters of New Mexico Online Exhibition (November 7-29, 2020)

This one will be in an actual, physical space:  Wilder-Nightingale Gallery, Taos.  I would love to post the images of my two accepted paintings here, but PAPNM has asked we not post them until the judging is done and awards are given, which will be November 7.  So, I'll post them then.

Entering Shows: Is it Worth It?

Tools from the Age of Slides

For any professional artist, building one's resumé is an important task.  The healthier the resumé, the better one's chance of  landing a premier gallery, having a solo exhibition or getting into a museum collection—and the healthier one's cash flow.  A substantial resumé validates the artist.  It assures the collector that the artist has not only a proven track record but will most likely continue to do well and be a good investment.

Getting into shows and winning awards go a long way to building a resumé.  But in my opinion, both are becoming harder and harder.

Think back to the Age of Slides.  To enter a show, one had to know not just how to take a decent photo but also how to remove a slide from its mount, crop out the background with Mylar tape and an X-ACTO knife, and then re-mount the slide.  This tiny, precious piece of plastic—film that cost money to purchase and develop—then needed to be mailed in a sturdy envelope along with a check.  Many times, you'd send an image of only one or two paintings because of the labor and expense.

Right away, this process weeded out many artists, especially amateurs, who weren't so committed.

Today, with a few clicks of the mouse, you can crop your image and upload it quite easily.  Anybody can do it.  And you can submit a dozen images almost as easily as one.  How much money you are willing to spend on entry fees is the only factor.  Some shows, especially the online ones established to fund something other than awards—money-making machines for the sponsoring organizations—don't care how many images you submit.  The more, the better.  Some artists have a shotgun approach, and rather than submitting their finest work, submit as many images as possible, hoping that one will make it.  (As a judge of entries, I've seen this over and over.)

In some ways, today's shows have become more like state lotteries than juried exhibitions.  I, for one, don't buy lottery tickets.

Although I can't find a study to support my guess, I believe there are many more people painting in America today than there were back in the Age of Slides.  More importantly, there are many more excellent painters.  The competition has become fierce.

So, is entering shows really worth the cost?  Perhaps.  But before you enter, look at the numbers.  If you're considering applying to an online show, especially one advertising to a national or international pool of artists, your chances will be slim to none.  On the other hand, if the show is going to be in a bricks-and-mortar exhibition space, your chances are much better.  Why?  Artists thinking of entering understand that, if they are accepted, they will have to ship the painting and, most likely, have the painting shipped back.  Because of this potential added expense and trouble, some will decline to enter. 

If you want an even better shot at getting into a show, consider applying to a regional one or to one sponsored by an organization of which you're a member.  These usually are advertised to a small pool of artists.  Although winning a regional award might not be as impressive as winning a national one, over time you'll build a longer list of awards—and thus a healthier resumé.