This year after the jurors finished the second round of judging I asked them what tips or advice they could offer artists entering their work. Below are the answers they all strongly agreed on.
Make sure that your entries are representative of your larger body of work. Don’t enter: one portrait, one still life and an abstract piece trying to find something for everyone. We want to see that your work is consistent and you are committed to your own distinctive style.
Unless the frame is inherent to the work keep it simple, which is not the same as cheap! When you visit art fairs, exhibitions, museums and galleries spend time looking at the framing and presentation of the work. When selecting a framer use one that has worked with professional galleries or artists and buy the best that you can afford.
What constituted a “good” title was an unresolved discussion among the judges. What they all agreed was important was for the piece to have a title. The title can often put the work in context and help the viewer relate to or understand the subject on another level.
Make sure the price of your work is justified. Prices develop over time based on the skill and reputation of the artist as well as how much work they have sold, by who they are represented and availability of their work. Prices are not determined by how long the work took to finish, the size of the piece or how good others have said the piece is.
Open Exhibition 