rejection

[charlie knighton]

well, received notification today.....rejection..... i have gone through several emotions today.....

over 130 artists applied from around the country (just under 400 images) and due to space requirements in the gallery space, the juror was only able to select approximately 70 pieces. (Academy of Fine Arts of Lynchburg)

i do not mind criticism, but have trouble with rejection.....hope to use this as a goal for the future :(

[Harvey Ghesser]

I'm sorry your work was rejected, Charlie. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if it's any consolation to you, I rather liked your work!:D:D

[Roger Chandler]

Charlie,

You were likely breaking new ground with your series..........it was different, so perhaps as you keep presenting your work, there will be someone who will see the merits of it as an artist should...........good luck in the future, and remember this.......

"Success is getting up one more time than you fall down!"

[Jon Lanier]

You may display your pictures that you sent in...her. I'm sure many of us would like to see them.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Charlie... I have been through this multiple times... not easy at first but then you get to understand that the juror had a certain vision for a show they are going to put on. Simply put... not everything fits within their vision. I always figured that it would take at least 100 rejections before I found success... I am getting closer!!

Don't let it get into your head... there is always the next time!

[charlie knighton]

You may display your pictures that you sent in...her. I'm sure many of us would like to see them.

thanks Jon,

[Curt Fuller]

Just a couple comments on your rejection. I personally find your work to be something that has to be understood before it can be appreciated. And I frankly have had trouble understanding most of it unless you've included some sort of description with it. I don't know if your submissions included something to help the juror understand what you were trying to convey or if they would have even been allowed. But in my case once I'm on the same page with what you're expressing it is easier for me to appreciate. Art comes in many forms and is not always obvious to the viewer, even if they are someone educated in art and highly qualified to act as a juror. Although I've not had a lot of experience with juried art shows, the one common experience I've had with all of them is that MOST of the work is not accepted (as in 330 out of 400 submissions in your case) and there is never a word as to why. And with the exception of pieces that win awards, there's usually nothing said about why the pieces that were accepted caught the eye of the juror. So I wouldn't consider the fact that you weren't accepted for the show as a rejection, just that it didn't tickle the fancy of the juror or jury at the particular moment they were looking at all the submissions.

[Richard Allen]

I figure that the 70 entries which made it must be freaking incredible in order for your work to be passed over. You just happened to enter your work when others were also hitting home runs.

Gone with the wind
Mr Smith goes to Washington
Good Bye Mr Chips
Wizard of OZ
Stagecoach
Of Mice and Men

All in one year. Look at this years movies.

This is to say that maybe it was a tough year.

[Scott Hackler]

Charlie, first off don't take the rejection personal. Like Curt meantioned, yours was just one of 330 others that didn't make the cut either.

I haven't commented too much on these pieces. Mostly because they aren't my cut of tea, but I do fully encourage anyone to express themselves artistically. I think a bit of my hang up is that I am drawn towards wood art that is sculpted 80-100% on the lathe and these are bordering on non-turned art. If you burnt your "visions" onto turned platters of even discs... That might do it for me. I, personally, haven't been a big fan of 2D or flat work art so maybe the judge you had had a similar viewpoint. I don't know and unfortunately you don't know either.

Either way, keep on trucking and I would encourage you to evaluate your designs, expand upon them and refine them.

[John Keeton]

Charlie, I think it all comes down to venue and audience. Like Scott and Curt, these pieces just don't do much for me. Neither do I understand them, nor do I have the background to appreciate the research you have obviously put into them. It may well be that you simply need to cautiously choose the jury sessions to which you submit these pieces.

Remember, if you aren't experiencing failure, you simply aren't trying hard enough! Keep on keepin' on!

[Cecil Walborn]

I learned that for me to feel like I had a chance of being excepted in a juried show I need to know something about the juror. The first show I entered I was excepted. I learned that the juror of that show owns two art galleries and showed a lot of world known woodturning arts. The next show I entered at the same gallery I was rejected. Learned later that the juror of this show was a ceramic artist so he was more interested in ceramic art then other types of art. So I learned look at who the juror is and their back ground in art as to if I would have a chance. I have been rejected more times than excepted. But I keep trying. So just keep trying you get except by some rejected by others.

Cecl

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Charlie I think your in good company here at the Creek. If I were to be a betting man I'd bet there's a lot of Creekers here who at one time or another has gotten that dreadful Not Accepted letter. If you enter enough juried shows it's going to happen. I know several Big Name turners who haven been rejected from shows. You have to remember it all boils down to only one persons decision. & we all know you can't always make everyone happy. You have to believe in yourself & keep on trying.

[Sid Matheny]

One never knows what another person thinks or why. Rejection can be heart breaking at times. The only rejection I was happy about was about 44 years ago when uncle Sam sent me one! :)


Sid

[Dan Hintz]

There is a certain amount of woodworking involved in these pieces, and as such, deserve a place in these hallowed halls. Personally, I don't get this type of artwork, but then again I could stand in the Louvre and point to multiple pieces and say to myself "This guy was an artist?" Some may consider Charlie's pieces high art, just as others consider those pieces in the Louvre high art. I can only judge for myself what I like, not what others will...

[Dennis Ford]

Don't worry about "not accepted" letters, pieces that were not accepted in one show can (and sometimes do) win a ribbon in another show. Your work is pretty unusual and it may take several tries to find a show that they fit into.

[Michael E. Thompson]

Sounds like you put your heart and soul into these pieces. To put so much into something and get rejected hurts twice as much. I think we all have been rejected at some point in time with our work. I received a rejection letter last year from a juror and more or less said the same thing everyone else did above. She went on and said, to keep trying. It took her over 100 submissions before she received her first acceptance letter. Not saying that will happen to you, but this is not an easy gig. To get into shows or galleries take a lot of work and guts. Opinions vary, I think is has a lot to do with being lucky as well as good.

Keep at it.

Mike

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Charlie......representations Southwestern native American art is a pretty specialized area of art. It's one of those things that people either love it or hate. Myself having lived in southern Utah I have an appreciation for it. As a 11 and 12 year old, I climbed the cliffs, explored the mokis and saw a lot of the original stuff on the rocks. A few years ago at an annual meeting in Sun Valley, ID during an auction for an organization I bought a sand painting depicting Kokopelli. The painting was tastefully done and framed by a Navajo man. It hung on the wall of our living room until the LOML found a reason to replace it with something else. I know she didn't give it away, sell it or take it to Goodwill but I have not figured out where she hid it. Some people like southwestern Native American art...some don't appreciate it.

As it has been already stated, art...beauty is subjective. What looks beautiful to me....may look uglier than home-made sin to you. It's really a matter of personal opinion and one's work will never appeal to everybody. Subjective.....allows for personal opinion and/or taste and interpretation.

Beyond that.....to be successful in art and life in general, one has to put forth that which often means so much to them and in doing so, take a chance on being rejected or ridiculed. I am sorry you were rejected......better luck next time......don't let this cause you to stop from reaching out through your art.

Chin up Charlie! Prepare for the next one!

[Bill Wyko]

You may consider going to the event to see what the juror's had in mind. Sometimes they look for a theme within the media used or the tools used i.e. the lathe. Look at it as an experience in understanding what an art event looks for. Then put your own flair on a project with their theme in mind. Good luck in the future.