The
Coloured Pencil Society of America's
21st Annual International Juried Exhibition at the
Brea Art Gallery in California opened on Wednesday 31 July and runs until 13 September 2013.
This is a link to
a set of photos about the CPSA Convention and CPSA Annual Exhibition 2013 by
Gayle Uyehara a member of CPSA. I'm not sure whether this is an "official" set or not but it's certainly been highlighted by CPSA on their official
Facebook Page.
I think this is probably the best set of photos I've ever seen of a CPSA Convention and Exhibition. A lot of people often devote their photos to the people who attended and who they met - but this one recognises:
- the amazing sponsorship CPSA is able to generate from various "name" donors in the art supplies and art publishing worlds
- the artwork!! Yes folks - we actually get to see ALL the artwork selected for exhibition!
You can:
- gasp in absolute awe at the great sponsorship and totally amazing haul of art materials and art books generated by those responsible for getting donations for exhibition prizes and raffle prizes. (I saw this for myself when I attended the convention in Albuquerque in 2006. This society for me sets a benchmark for other art societies who are maybe not aware of what can be achieved if you work hard at generating sponsorship! You only have to ask - the worst thing that can happen is that they say 'No'). I love the idea that the sponsors also get awards as to the level of sponsorship contributed!
- see the mini masterpieces produced for their Silent Auction - which helps generate funds for the art society. Another really brilliant idea and one which any art society can copy. For those not aware of what this is, each artist contributes a small artwork for free and this is then auctioned through a silent auction process at the convention - bidders write down their bids on lists in front of the pictures. The proceeds contribute financial support for CPSA activities.
- review the exhibition of artwork in coloured pencils in the 21st Annual Exhibition at the Brea Art Gallery in Brea, California. I have to say I'm very impressed by the space and the hang is excellent. Gayle is to be congratulated on having done a great job with her photos - I know just how difficult it is trying to get photographs of glazed artwork!
The value of exhibition photos
I cannot emphasise too much how much it means to artists to be able to see their artwork on the wall of an exhibition.
Not everybody is able to travel to an exhibition - even if they have submitted artwork which has been selected. As every artist will know, the one thing on your mind is "What does my artwork look like in the exhibition?". You want to know whether it holds its own alongside other artwork, whether it has been hung well - and what sort of frames everybody else is using this year!
I don't think many art societies appreciate how much value they generate by taking the time to photograph the exhibition and then putting those images online so all can see "what it looked like".
It's seeing images like this which
- allows artists who have never entered before identify what they need to do to make the grade
- enables people to make decisions about how best to present their artwork for exhibition in future
- provides inspiration for a decision by those whose artwork now makes the grade to enter their artwork next year - and maybe win a prize!
I can't tell you how many people have told me they have entered an exhibition or competition in the UK only after seeing photos of what it looks like on my blog.
It's even better when they tell me they they won a prize as a result! :)
I'll be posting about the award winners and selected artists next week - and I will be linking to each artist's website, so long as it's on the CPSA listing of members' websites AND their blogs if they have one and I can find it. Now is the time to tell me if your website has changed or you have a blog as well! Leave a comment below.
