Eloquence
by John Pryce, Sunderland, ON, Canada
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High country
oil painting
artwork by John Pryce

The problem of overworking is one of the hardest things to overcome. It reminds me of what American painter William Merritt Chase once said: "It takes two to paint. One to paint, the other to stand by with an axe to kill him before he spoils it." I feel the best way to describe my goal for a painting is to strive for "eloquence," just as a good speaker gets to the point and keeps the audience's interest without rambling on. If my memory serves me correctly, Winston Churchill rose to speak to a large audience of Ivy League college students. Expecting a typical speech they were surprised when he simply said: "Never give up, never, ever, ever, ever give up." The message was clear and... Continued >

Judgmental heuristics
by Loraine Wellman, Richmond, BC, Canada
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original painting
artwork by Loraine Wellman

Maybe we need "heuristic jurying" too. It seems to me that juries sometimes get hung up on formula-judging. Focal point not in a sweet spot? - out with it! There are ways to make a painting composition work without it being dead-on formula. Also, with what seems to be a current trend in super-realism, we seem to be going backwards to the time when the Salons ruled and Impressionists were a bunch of young upstarts with no respect for tradition. We need to remember that there are many approaches and no "one right way" ... and yes, we need to keep on learning, experimenting and trying new things. That is what art is all about... Continued >