Great Reception in Belmar

As you can see, I had a pretty good day at the exhibition. I arrived right at the beginning when it was still pretty empty, making it very easy for me to spot this plaque sitting under my print. It's not the first time I've taken the top prize in a group show, but the first since 2003. Kind of a surprise, as last week I wasn't even sure I'd be in the show at all, and because mine is the only print in a show full of paintings, juried by a well known painter. But I'm told he was impressed by the technique and the design, and maybe (my guess) he respected it a little more because it's a process he's not as familiar with. As it was, I brought some of those action photos of me working on the block and ended up showing them to a lot of people as they asked for explanations of how the piece was made.

I appreciate the honor of the top award, but I try not to get too excited because I'm too aware of the subjective nature of jurying shows and awarding prizes. This was the first exhibition of this print, which had been completely rejected from previous shows I'd submitted it to, forget about any awards. And it's entirely possible that it will get rejected from the next show I submit it to. As an artist you can't get too personally invested in the opinions of jurors, critics, etc. Worry too much about the audience and you start making artistic decisions for the wrong reasons. A lot of bad art has come out of that strategy. Of course, some artists have made a lot of money with this stategy, so decide for yourself if you want to follow my advice.