Colby's Art on the Oasis

So no one told you it was gonna be this way...
by Rebel Mahieu
Best of Show

Last weekend I judged and critiqued the annual Art on the Oasis show in Colby, Kansas. It was enlightening in so many ways.  Judging always makes me study up on composition, color theory, and critique.

I was caught off guard by a question from the crowd about my credentials. I started with certification in art education, which this person laughed off, as he could paint better than most of his instructors.  Understandable. What would you offer as your credentials that would satisfy a critic? I mused on this with last night’s insomnia, and decided that making art for 50+ years, intensively for the last 20, as well as working to improve my art with workshops from master teachers, consultations with other artists, and lots of studying is more important than any degrees, memberships, or show resume bullet points.  The more you make art, the better you get. And I would argue that, at least for me, teaching pushes my expertise up a notch by the preparation required to feel confident in front of students.

This Colby show is organized into three skill levels, each with seven categories of medium.  Different categories are appreciated, as it's nearly impossible to compare a photograph to a well-executed oil landscape--like apples and oranges.  In fact, as a one-of-a-kind-mixed-media artist, I recognize my bias against a photographer who can make multiple prints of a good photo. However, this judging experience made me realize that categories can be cumbersome and need to be understandable to the public.  There were pieces entered as drawing that were clearly mixed media. Their category “Oil or any other opaque not listed in another class” put fabric batik in with oils. Multiple categories mean more awards for artists, but more cost for the hosting organization. And, with so many possible mediums, it’s hard to know where to stop in making a fair contest.

 

Wolverine
by Elizabeth Gladin
1st, student drawing media

There were over 200 student entries.  One senior from Southern Valley Schools in Nebraska came for critique of her watercolor abstract and 2nd place acrylic of a combine in the field.  Her courage and willingness to improve skills will be useful in her art ed classes at Wayne State College. High school artists are limited by poor quality supplies and the 47-minute class time, where 10 minutes is wasted with take out and cleanup. Still, they produce impressive art, like the first place Wolverine graphite portrait shown on the right. (This photo is cropped to remove the entry label.)

In judging different skill levels, I was struck with the fact that a lot of the difference in skill showed up in presentation.  A majority of amateur entries had poorly cut mats, unpainted canvas edges, warped paper, or frames with no spring clips. Even in the professional level, the difference between two perfect pieces came down to matting with frayed edges from using a dull blade.

An artist’s signature shows pride in one’s work, and I am all for unobtrusive signing.  But an obvious signature should be in sync with the personality of the artwork. Three signatures stand out in this show: one, with traditional acrylic landscapes, paints his signature in small capital lettering; the second, a photographer, uses black marker, centering the smallish script signature on top of double white matting, with a long horizontal line before and after. Both these artists had multiple works in the show and their signatures were consistent, creating a recognizable branding of their work. The third signature was much bigger than I prefer, but executed in the style of the charcoal drawing, so as to almost blend with the image. This artist had other works in the show that were not signed in the same manner. I prefer branded signatures as a professional statement, but for some reason, this one worked for me.  I wonder if the same script, only much smaller would work for his brand…. All that being said, do you want me to remember the art or your signature? Maybe both!

As I talked aloud in the critique about my decisions, I realized how important storytelling is in my appreciation of art.  Given equal quality compositions, and masterful use of media, I will always choose art that tells a good story. Sometimes that is found in the image itself.  Sometimes I find stories in writing or ephemera used in mixed media. And a great title will lead me to the story.  Someone in the audience had known judges who purposely don’t look at titles. I know I did not notice all the titles, but when creativity is used in a title, it can lead the viewer to take another look, to empathize with the artist’s struggles, or to laugh out loud—which makes the art memorable.

In addition to all the above musings, I must mention the satisfaction I get from connecting with other artists at events like this.  I loved meeting others who create in remote areas, and seeing many Nebraska art friends there for the critique.

I learned a lot from this experience…I hope you have too!