Contests

Matthew Severson · 03-21-2004, 08:08 PM

Perhaps this is a dumb question. Maybe no one has an answer.

I have to submit 5-10 works of any medium in a college art contest in order to receive one of several scholarships. Some of you may have had some experience with contests and such- what do judges like to see in your artwork? What impresses them most?

Perhaps I'm cheating by asking this- if you think so, please tell me.

Matthew

Michele Rushworth · 03-21-2004, 11:16 PM

You're certainly not cheating by asking this question, but I think you are right in that there may really be no firm answer. It all depends on what those particular judges want to see.

Much of the art taught in college art departments these days is very experimental and abstract (video performance art, and that sort of thing). Submitting realistic work may not get you anywhere if it's that kind of place. On the other hand, if they're really teaching drawing and painting at the particular school you're looking at, your best representational work may very well win you some nice $$$. You do some good stuff, Matthew, and I think it would be recognized as such, but only IF it's a school that values realism.

My advice is to check out the kind of work the instructors and judges themselves create. If that's not possible at least check out the kind of work the students are turning out. If it's what you want to learn how to do, then submit your best stuff and see what happens.

The same advice would hold true whenever you're choosing where to attend college, if you decide to study art when that time comes. A scholarship to attend the wrong school won't help you. Above all else: see what kind of work the teachers and students are producing and only apply to that school if you want to learn how to do the same kind of work that they are doing. Stories abound from artists (like myself) who spent four wasted years of art college hoping to learn to draw and paint and coming away with no useful skills whatsoever.

Mike McCarty · 03-22-2004, 12:04 AM

Matthew,

What is the time frame for the submission? Are you that close to graduating from high school?

I would select only your best work. If you only have five pieces that fit that bill then I would submit only five, if seven then seven. I would rather be strong on quality than on quantity.

I don't think you are cheating by asking. By the way, hows that camera problem coming along?

Steven Sweeney · 03-22-2004, 10:10 AM

One way to approach this, Matthew, is to select your submissions so as to demonstrate as thorough a knowledge of the basics as possible. You might review this Cafe thread, in which some members listed the most important features they looked for in a good painting . Then consider which of your drawings or paintings tend to exhibit those qualities to the greatest degree.

The caveat here, I suppose, is to be careful about clinging to a "favorite," because, say, the eyes turned out well, if in fact the rest of the drawing, design, composition and the like aren't pretty close to being equally demonstrative of your artistic appreciation for the piece as a whole.

Of course, you can only submit what you have. Give it your best shot, and then try to be open and flexible to adjust and adapt to whatever eventuates. (Why, this year alone I will fail to place in either the PSA or ASOPA competitions, and yet I just keep on truckin.)

Matthew Severson · 03-23-2004, 12:15 AM

Unfortunately, this college and it's art teachers really support abstract art. I DETEST ABSTRACT! Well, its only a two year junior college. I can make it. All works must be submitted by the middle of april some time, so have about a month to get together some nice examples of my work.

Hopefully, if all goes well, i'll go to college in the fall.

About the camera - I did get a new one, but im still not very good at working these things. I'll figure it out - eventually - *laughs*

Matthew

Michele Rushworth · 03-23-2004, 12:22 AM

Is this contest meant to give the winners money to help them attend THIS college? If so, why would you want to, since they support a kind of work that you're not interested in doing? It would be rather like applying for a scholarship to med school when you really wanted to be a lawyer.