Have I begun a tradition? Recently I had cause to update my resume and I noticed that I had participated in the Canton Fine Arts Exhibition seven times since 2009! Does this constitute tradition status? Perhaps only in my own mind, considering there is never any guarantee of a juror willing to participate in my tradition. It has, however, continued through 2018. There are two of my paintings currently at this year's 26th Annual Canton Fine Arts Exhibition during the month of October!
A reception was held last Thursday with an awards presentation and remarks by various people involved in the exhibit, including juror Amy Foster. It was her talk that impressed me. In a surprisingly articulate fashion (or maybe not so surprising since she's a teacher), Amy outlined her process of narrowing down the entries that define the character of the exhibit and then choosing the award winning art pieces. In most juried exhibits, you don't have the opportunity to peer into the mind of the juror- you just try to guess by perusing the artwork and sometimes you still don't understand why a certain piece is chosen. When the juror explains her criteria, you may not agree with all her choices, but you can understand them.
Remarks were followed by more looking at the artwork, talking to fellow artists and, of course, refreshments - which are particularly good at the Canton Fine Arts Exhibit. Which is one more reason I like this new tradition of mine!
Canton Fine Arts Exhibition
The Village Theater Gallery
50400 Cherry Hill Road, Canton
For more paintings in this style, visit the website at jsaitkenart.com.