Penny had the recent honor of having one of her maritime photographs selected to hang in the NW Maritime Art Exhibit in Port Townsend, Washington. Last night was the “Meet the Artists” Reception and Awards Presentation. The weather cleared up nicely for the long drive over and back.
Walking into a room filled with buyers, photographers and critics, knowing that my photograph is hanging somewhere within these walls, is a mind-numbing experience. I had to stop myself from focusing on all the things I didn’t like about my photograph, all the things I “could have done better” and just enjoy the fact that my picture was selected to hang in this gallery next to wonderful artists such as Michael Berman.
The first thing I learned is that if you stand too close to your own work for too long, you are inundated with comments, critique and questions; thus leaving little time to explore the other unique submissions or nibble the catered food.
The second thing I learned is that everyone’s a critic, including myself. I realize that I am much harder on my own work than others are. It was very nice to be complimented even when I had trouble overlooking the flaws myself.
The third thing I learned is critical to remember for anyone entering an art exhibit. This piece of advice was given to me by one of the judges… Presentation is the key. Now in my case, procrastination was the key problem. Wall-sized art rarely comes out printed correctly the first time. This means that the more critical of your own work, the more times you may need to edit and reprint. The other piece to a great presentation is originality – three dimensional mounting, synergistic matting or classic framing. The final overall look is what impresses your audience – judges and buyers alike.
It was a real honor to be selected to have my work shown in the exhibit and I look forward to pulling out all the stops in the next one! The exhibit will be open until September 22, 2010 at the NW Maritime Hall in Port Townsend, Washington. (iPhone pictures included)
