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Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Portsmouth Art Guild Figure Show

SOLD


I have been 'quiet' for a while, and want to explain. Spring is the time when there are hosts of juried competitions, as well as some applications to juried art associations. I've been really busy submitting, and have been dealing with, well, the agony of defeat. ;) I know, everybody has their ups and downs, and truly, I'm one of those people who don't want to belong to any organization that would let me in! More on that later.
The Portsmouth Art Guild took two of my paintings, above, into their juried show. One, you'll probably see on my Daily Painting Blog, the Skaters, the other is, well, different for me. It came after a particularly stinging rejection of all my pieces into a show I really wanted to get into. It's called "The Rejected Artist" and I took inspiration from Courbet (yes, Courbet the realist) and his "Desperate Man" painting. I took my canvas and my acrylic palette into the bathroom and set up in front of the mirror, tried to strike a similar pose to 'Desperate Man', dried my tears (I'm an easy crier) and let it all hang out. DAMN it! I SHOULD have gotten in to that show! GRRRR..... I'll show them! AUUGGGHHHH!!" etc. Oh, yeah, the next week I got rejected from an art association for membership, so I have plenty of 'models' for my crazy artist paintings.... but truly, you win some and you lose some.... can't let the losing be the emphasis of your life, right?

5 comments:

Paula Villanova said...

The "Rejected Artist" really grabbed me. It had the effect on me that art maybe should have as a most important form of communication and it disturbed me only because this one is close to home. Paint your way through this…we’ve all been there at some time, will be again more than once, and if we’re sensitive enough to capture our experience on canvas as part of the process, we will all be better for it. Keep those heart shaped clouds close by.

Kelley Carey MacDonald said...

Thanks. Yes. Your comments are always right on the nose.

Nini said...

Hey Kelley,

The rejection thing is hard, you totally captured that feeling in your "Rejected Artist." But remember, rejection is how we learn, and how we grow. If it were easy we would all be painters, and we would all get into every show. But rejection is what makes acceptance sweeter, it makes it worth striving for, and worth the rejection because that carrot is so much sweeter than the stick.

Stay strong.

Jo-Ann Sanborn said...

Rejected Artist really strikes a cord. I've had similar experiences and it always hurts but does make me examine my work and try harder. I love your work and your attitude. Don't let it get you down. I'll hope you have a sale or a prize soon! Jo-Ann

Kelley Carey MacDonald said...

You know, you guys, I so appreciate all your comments. And there's this thing about me... when I get rejected I get crazy.. for a day or so, THEN I look really hard at my work, and I question if it's really going where I want it to go. And THEN I get moving and try to do ten times better..... (so it's all good!) ;)