Virginia Watercolor Society

Rowing on the Potomac
by Jane McElvany Coonce

Once a year, Virginia Watercolor Society has their annual show.  This year is the 40th anniversary of the organization. I enter the show every year, but it's a juried show, so the judge has to pick 80 painting out of hundreds of paintings.  There have been many years that I don't get in. This year I entered and got in. I was happy that my painting was accepted.  I was even more thrilled when I heard I won a a prize.  I was unable to attend the awards ceremony, but it was still exciting just the same. I have often said that entering juried shows is like playing the lottery. Some times you win, some times you don't.  One judge might reject a painting and then you enter the same painting into another juried show, and the judge picks it and gives it a prize. So I never get a swelled head if I get into a show or if I win a prize, nor do I get discouraged if I don't get into a show at all. It's just one person's opinion.  As my dad used to say, "If first you don't succeed, try, try again."