JUROR, Barbara Allie: Allie is a Californian figurative artist. For more information about the juror refer to her website: www.barbaraallie.com

Juror's Comments About the Show
- Post Judging

"When giving a critique in any of my classes I always start with my definition of what a critique is, so that there are no mistakes to the meanings of the word. Often the word critique is associated with a negative connotation which implies ­to be critical." My definition is to just point out what might have been missed or overlooked. Every artist is at different stage in their development, and that must also be considered when looking at their artwork. As artists we all need feedback from outside sources. Our blind spots normally keep us from resolving certain issues in our work because we are just too close to it. Overall the quality of the entries was very high, and in particular, the watercolor and pastel groups were exceptional, which says a lot about the group's (LGAA's) strength in these mediums.

Some of the comments elicited by work which was rejected included:

There is nothing pulling the viewer into the image/no focal point.

The composition is strong and the color use great, but this piece is hampered by "cutesy" detail.

Needs more contrast, the values are too close.
Color is really nice but there are no rest areas for the eye.

Presentation doesn't fit (referring to an example of an abstract in gold gilt frame). The presentation should fit the overall mood of the artwork.

Nice potential but not yet finished: the background is done but the foreground needs more development.

This is a serious, good artwork but it doesn't fit with the others to make the collective work
stronger.

In general, I would say that among a lot of the work rejected, there were many artworks that were brought down by poor presentation. You don't want your work to be hurt by poor presentation. It takes exceptional artwork to
overcome bad presentation."

This Year's Winners