Blog

February 1, 2020

What to paint for the juried exhibition?

If you are familiar with my website, you will know that I consider acceptance to the “Birds in Art” international exhibition of the Woodson Museum of Wausau, Wisconsin the most important, at least to me. This wonderful museum was very instrumental in my course of action of teaching myself to paint, after starting out my career as a scientist. To be able to study paintings close enough to examine the brush strokes was a game changer. Since the first juried acceptance of my work in 2002, I have been fortunate to have my work included ten times. Which leads to the dilemma of what to paint.

Not having the advantage of the advice of art school professors, I didn’t realize that I should chose one area of study and get ‘known’ for it. Therefore, I have explored watercolor, acrylic, oil and pastel over the past 30 plus years. Trompe l’oeil, impressionism and painterly realism are genres that I enjoy. Of the ten painting that were juried into this international juried show, four trompe l’oeil, three impressionistic landscapes, two waterscapes and one still life made the cut. They were created in oil, acrylic or pastel. These painting are in their own category on my website, www.janstommesart.com.

My subject matter is birds for this exhibition, but any aspect of them can be pursued, since interpretation of that subject is broad. Feathers, eggs, bird tracks, nests, close-ups, within a scene or still life make the possibilities endless. How to choose?

So how do I decide what to paint? First, I use my photos for inspiration. I go through the following suggestions and create several paintings from which to pick my two entries. If you are stuck on what to paint for any of the countless art exhibitions available to enter, perhaps you would like to see my criteria for deciding what to paint. These would work for any exhibition that you are considering entering.

1] Look at previous years’ accepted entries, and don’t enter anything like those pieces. Get out of the box!

2008

2] Look for a different perspective for the subject matter.

2017

3] Use color combinations unlike anything that you have seen before.

2002

4] Find a subject matter that is uncommon.

2009

5] Consider brushstrokes that are not often used.

2018

6] Try juxtaposing various textures in your subject matter or medium.

2006

7] Decide if a simple or complicated piece challenges you more and go with the more difficult one.

2011

8] Chose lighting for the subject that energizes.

2013

9] Paint something that makes you feel good and excites.

2007

10] Most importantly, get out of your comfort zone!

2015 [purchased by the museum]

And speaking of out of getting out to the box, have you used naan bread to make pizza?

We like the garlic naan bread the best. Any sauce, any topping, and in a few minutes in a 375 degree oven, you have pizza. An easy recipe for dinners on busy nights.