Show Me the Art

Fall Raven-12x12 Oil on Canvas--Available on Daily Paintworks

Today's painting is for this week's Daily Paintworks challenge which is something inspired by fall. About a week ago I was up at our local park working on my Denver Plein Air Arts Festival entry when I took several reference photos of this raven since I wasn't able to paint him from life. I'm a pretty fast painter, but not that fast!

It seems fall is also the season when there are many juried art show deadlines. As an art teacher, I'm often asked about entering shows so I thought I'd share a few tips. First, obviously, you need to find an art show. More specifically, you want to look for an art show that's a good match for you--your style, your subject matter (animals, landscapes, figure, etc), your level, etc. Here are a few ideas to get you started in your area:

• Local galleries--particularly co-ops
• Art organizations and clubs such as your local watercolor or plein air society
• City or county art associations or councils
• Art stores often have a community board with flyers, post cards, etc.announcing shows
• Schools, churches, museums, community centers
• Other non-profit organizations such as zoos, botanical gardens, performing arts
• Also ask other artists (particularly those who know the local scene) 
• Local newspapers and other publications often have "Calls for the Entry"
• Craigslist (Check your Community/Artist section)

You can also Google something like "My city art shows" or "My city calls for entries" etc. There are also many websites that feature art shows and deadlines around the country such as as Artshow and CAFE (Call for Entry). In the upcoming week, I'll post some more tips for entering shows, in the meantime, it's back to the easel. In the meantime, get out there and enter your art!