The Art League Show - October 2012

The Home Stretch
by Jane McElvany Coonce

The Art League, which is housed at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, has a monthly juried show.  Entering juried shows isn't for the faint of heart.  You have to develop nerves of steel.  Rejection is a big part of an artist's life.  I always equate entering juried shows to playing the lottery.  You hope you'll get into the show, but so do 500 other artists. And there is limited space so the judge can only pick a certain number.   However, today was my lucky day.  My painting, The Home Stretch, was selected by the juror.

This painting is a pastel.  I used to do a lot of pastels, but it's expensive to frame them, much more so than an oil painting.  An in the hierarchy of art, oil reigns supreme, and therefore, sells better.  I'm not sure why since oil and pastel use the exact same pigments.  Some people feel that pastels aren't as stable.  But if they are behind glass, they are just as lasting as an oil painting.

Every once in a while , I miss doing pastel and so I pull out my set of pastels and paint.  For some reason, I love doing horse racing in pastels.  I've done at least 10 horse racing scenes - all in pastels.  I've never done one in oil.  Don't think I'll try either.  I like how the pastels look with the animals fur and with the jockeys' clothing.

If you get a chance, go down to The Art League and see the show.  It's a good one.