Denver Plein Air Arts Festival Exhibition

"Hot Afternoon", Denver Plein Air Arts Festival


I attended the opening Thursday for the exhibition of the juried paintings from the paint out in Denver's Golden Triangle that was held earlier in the fall. It is a beautiful exhibit overall and there is a variety of styles, subject matter...How do you look at art when you attend an opening? Do you head for the food first?DO you look for artists work who you are familiar with, or do you look at it all?Do awards mean anything to you?

I do look for my work when I go to an exhibition..I want to make sure that it is hung and labelled properly and it is always a nice surprise to see a ribbon sometimes. Then I like to look at the awards to see what the jurors selected. That gives me an idea of what they consider the "top" of the show. It doesn't mean that the pieces they chose are the best...just the ones they liked. I like to then look at the show overall, while of course getting some refreshments...looking at art is hard work...I like to then pick out the pieces that I like. Sometimes I agree with the juror, sometimes not. Art is not meant to speak to everyone in the same way. There are things that are obvious that can weaken a piece...composition, poor values, trite subject matter..

And of course...it is always fun to meet artists...so if you are in the Denver , CO area, stop by the downtown Denver Library..head up to level 7 and tell me what you think about the show.