Accepted into the 35th National Georgia Watercolor Society Exhibition

I’m thrilled, my painting Waiting in the Wings was chosen for the 35th National Georgia Watercolor Society’s Exhibition!  This is my second year in the show.  Last year my painting Hong Kong Happy Hour was chosen.  It’s always a great honor for me to be juried into shows, and to have my work included with some of the most talented watercolorists in the nation for national shows and from all over the world for international shows.

If you enter a few shows a year whichI do, the logistics of keeping track of it all can be tricky!  Some show dates conflict with each other.   Therefore a careful review of your inventory is necessary to decide which paintings will be submitted where.  Some will accept three paintings for the judge to see, some accept two, and some only accept one.  But usually only one paintingis juried into the show.  Many shows are going on at the same time, therefore if you submit three paintings for one judge to review for a particular show, those can not be submitted for other shows because any one of the three could be chosen and you don’t know which one it will be!

You always want to submit your best work, but usually out of the two or three you submit, you have a personal favorite that you feel is the strongest.  But, your favorite may not be the favorite of the judge, and he or she will choose their preference!  Judges are different from show to show.  Therefore, if a piece is rejected one year, from one organization, doesn’t mean it will be another time from a different judge!

If you are interested in submitting work to juried shows, keep your brushes moving so that you have a good inventory to choose from.  Only submit you strongest work that you are most proud of.  Keep careful records so that you don’t submit the same painting that may be tied up in another show, sold, or not be shipped back to you in time for the other deadline.  Most of all don’t give up!!! Rejection is all part of the process which doesn’t mean you are a bad painter or your work is bad either.  The way I look at rejection from shows is, the judge’s taste just didn’t lean toward my work, and now I have a painting that is available as consideration for another show, where the judge’s taste might lean in my direction!

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Pak Tai Guardian Lion Sketch & Painting

Pak Tai Guardian Lion

$3,500.00

Watercolor, Framed

30” x 22.5,” (76 cm x 57 cm)

Framed Size 42.75" x 34.75"

This is the second painting in a series of temple pieces inspired by a Chinese Lion statue I saw on my many visits to the Pak Tai Temple in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island.

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Purchase

As I mentioned in my blog before, one of my favorite places to visit and sketch is the Pak Tai Temple in the Wan Chai area of Hong Kong.  A few of my smaller sketches have inspired larger paintings.  This pencil sketch is one of them.  The day I did this one was particularly memorable for me.  Our time in Hong Kong was winding down and I knew I would be leaving soon.  This visit, I knew would be my last while we were living there.  I did a pencil sketch of this guardian lion statue and before I could apply anywatercolor the keeper of the temple came up to me and we started chatting.

Sketch done at the Pak Tai Temple

We talked for over an hour about a variety of things.  He was kind enough to write the name of the temple in modern and ancient script in my sketch book, next to the sketch plus a faint impression of the actual temple chop.

Me & Sammy Lo, Pak Tai Temple, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

While I painted the larger painting of this statue it invoked so many wonderful and memorable memories of my visits there.

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Watercolor Sketching

I dabbled with watercolor sketching, but really fell in love with it when I lived in Hong Kong.  I had so much wonderful subject matter around me andI wanted to try plein air painting, so I started going out on location and painting in my watercolor sketch book.  The major thing I learned after I started doing itwas, it took away the intimidation of doing a painting in watercolor.  Sometimes I would sit in the studio and look at a big piece of white paper and wonder if I was going to pulloff something I was going to be happy with.  Even though artists shouldn’t get caught up in that way of thinking, that everything we do has to be a winner because it always isn’t!  After all it’s just paper and paint, but I think deep down we always want to be happy with what we create at the end of the day.

Watercolor sketching is a wonderful thing to do for so many reasons:

• Sketching forces you to be quick and not over think things.
• It forces you to simplify what you are seeing in the environment and not get caught up in the details.
• It gave me a chance to feel more comfortable with the medium and took away the intimidation when I did do larger works in the studio.
• If you do it plein air, it’s great to be out in nature or really soak in the sights and sounds of a place, much better than a quick photo.
• Gives you a lasting memory of a moment in time when you were enjoying the act of painting.
• Sketches can be used to develop bigger paintings.
• Great way to meet people or connect with other artists if you go out together.
• My watercolor sketch books go with me when ever I travel.  Your sketch books becomesa treasure of meaningful memories.

In future posts I will talk about my materials and share some of my sketches.  I hope it inspires you to try it!

This sketch was done at the Lama Temple in Beijing.  I had a nice older chinese gentlemen sit down next to me on the bench while I worked on this sketch.  We talked about a variety of things.  I will never forget it!

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