rejection, acceptance

I had some challenges with my latest piece -- it is a different version of the work I did for my friend Cathie, based on her photo of a Utah beautyscape.

Problems: I made a mistake in size when I ordered the cotton print -- consequently, the sky area contained no clouds and was too small in relation to the mountain. The width was off, necessitating piecing, and due to operator error (that would be me), the seams came around to the front a bit (this is indicated in the photo with the blue arrows.)

Note to self: quilting shrinks dimensions, and you should always correct sizing for that! Duh.

The piece was rejected by the folks who are putting together the latest show of Fibervision work. Of course I have no idea why it was rejected, and these are the problems I see with the work. Don't worry, I have stopped crying today.

I just ordered another cotton print from Spoonflower.com
and this size will allow for the image to wrap around all sides. I will try again. I was delighted with the recycled glass clouds, so I will use those in the new version.

But, thankfully, I did have another work of art accepted into a show recently, so I feel wholly balanced. Our local Buenaventura Art Association had a juried photography show and this piece was accepted:



I named it "Timberline" -- the line above which no trees grow -- the "line" here is delineated by the three power wires.

At the opening reception, I was privileged to be able to get a critique from the juror, who teaches at the Brooks Institute of Photography. It felt like a mini art lesson and was stupendous. He liked the composition and line, but felt the values were too similar. Good point.

It's good to take risks and get work out there for review, no matter who rejects and who accepts. So it goes, Yossarian said.