Go Ahead, Judge Me!

Join us as Skip Whitcomb takes us on an insightful dive into what catches his eye when judging an art competition and how participants can make the most of jumping in.

Mr. Whitcomb is an accomplished artist with numerous awards to his credit. His landscape paintings in watercolor, oil, and pastel reside in major public and private collections, and he regularly has one-man shows and participates in gallery invitational and museum exhibitions at the national level. Here, along with the winning paintings, are his judge’s notes for the November, 2023 PleinAir Salon.

First Place Winner Overall, Maria Josenhans, Endless Agate Beach, Oil, 36×60 in.

First Place Winner Overall, Maria Josenhans, Endless Agate Beach

The Josenhans water painting is a beautiful orchestration of natural shapes and color harmonies. It is woven together with lost and found edges and values that move the viewer through an exciting journey of the entire surface of her canvas. It’s an outstanding example of what Whistler referred to as “visual poetry.”

Second Place Winner Overall, Robert Spooner, Last Field to Plow, Oil, 49×65 in

Second Place Winner Overall, Robert Spooner, Last Field to Plow, Oil, 49×65 in.

Robert Spooner’s western themed piece is a refreshingly contemporary interpretation of an age-old subject. His color harmonies are thoughtful orchestrations, equally refreshing, and adventurous. His paint handling is bold, confident, and unapologetic, visually dynamic. It is a complete expressive statement.

Third Place Winner Overall, Carolyn Lord, High Altitude Vista, Watercolor, 11×15 in.

Third Place Winner Overall, Carolyn Lord, High Altitude Vista, Watercolor, 11×15 in.

The Carolyn Lord watercolor is a masterful arrangement of shapes in a completely different approach than the Josenhans painting but no less masterful in the way she uses the form within forms to move the viewer’s eye through her compositions. Her intentional use of hard edges and the mosaic-like quality gives her work a remarkable and uniquely personal quality rarely seen in the medium.

Why Should Artists Enter Art Competitions?

Art competitions can be important if one wants to get a sense of where their work stands among their peers. But there needs to be a full understanding that opinions of judges vary widely with individuals and cannot be taken personally. Competitions can lead to awards and recognition. If one is engaged in the art world, competitions are a fact of life. Don’t let the judgments, good or ill, dramatically affect your commitment to the journey.

What Advice Do You Have for Would-Be Participants?

If one is considering entering work in a competition, make certain that the image is of the highest quality, a professional quality photograph! Many works are juried out of shows because of the poor quality of the photo. If the judge(s) or Juries cannot get a true sense of the work the it often is rejected. Above all, make sure you are submitting the very best work you are capable of doing at that moment in your career.