Week in Review 2022 – 05/13

Win

Wins and losses come with being an artist. I recently heard allowing yourself to be vulnerable takes courage. Boy, did that resonate with me. I am vulnerable every single time I post on my blog. What will the reaction be? Will there even be a reaction? I am vulnerable when I hit submit on a call for entry. I do submit to calls, approximately one a month. The year began with with rejection after rejection. It takes courage to keep applying after that. The reality is when work isn’t included in an exhibition, it isn’t necessarily about the caliber of the work. Instead it is likely to be about whether the work fits with the other artwork submitted. What fits is subjective.

Sunrise Over the Gulf River

This week does feel like an exoneration. I received back to back wins. First, I was selected as the featured artist in SAQA’s weekly e-newsletter. I had no idea until I saw my quilt, Turmoil. Next the accepted artists, artists working in all media, for the annual Arts Festival in Cohasset, were announced. Yippee! My name was on the list. If that wasn’t excitement enough, I discovered I received Third Prize in the Sculpture/3D/Fiber category. The quilt I entered is Sunrise Over the Gulf River. I’m rather fond of this piece. However, it has been rejected from a handful of calls.

Or Lose

Rows of four orange peel shaped petals forming "x" shaped flowers are laid out on top of a sky blue background. There's a buddha sitting in lotus flower positioned in the lower right corner.
Celestial Nirvana

I made Celestial Nirvana in hopes of it being selected for Harmony, a 2022 call for entry. Works for me. Pity, it didn’t work for the juror(s). Sigh.

Play On

What to do? Keeping working of course. Boy, am I working. Bat Sh*t Crazy just might be the most structurally complex design I have ever challenged myself with. Creating harmony of design, while taking scale into account is proving to be a real struggle. That townhouse on the left in the image below, took multiple tries to get right. This is what makes wins so sweet. When it works the struggles, trauma and angst vaporize and instead it feels like being enveloped in a warm hug.

Two townhouses, side by side, with blue windows and a door, the facade in yellow.
I finished two more of the hilltop townhouses for Bat Sh*t Crazy.

Both winning and losing are emotionally draining. To recharge, I love the excuse to make a few traditional patchwork blocks. The Rainbow Scrap Challenge is perfect for this.

Quilt block consisting of a grid of 5 x 5 square units, some divided into half and quarter square triangles. The dominant color scheme is deep forest green and pale sage. The design is an 8 pointed star superimposed on a churn dash shape.
I never tire of star block variations. This block alternates nicely with another 5 x 5 grid block for my 2022 Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt.

I am linking up with:

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By Gwyned Trefethen

I am an artist who uses fabric, thread and miscellany to create designs gifted to me by my imagination.

10 comments

    1. Julie, thank you for the uplifting and positive feedback on my work. I’m partial to Celestial Nirvana, too. Admittedly, I’m a practitioner of yoga.

    1. Yes, Angela, rejections are tiresome. Miraculously, I also find them energizing in an “I’ll show you” kind of way. Thank you for cheering me on, not just today, but weekly.

  5. Ah, yes I remember those days of rejection and it can be very discouraging. I have been there very often. And then there is the thrill of being accepted and perhaps even winning a prize. Kudos on your wins, great quilts all!

    1. The odds of being rejected are significantly higher than an acceptance. But get a few acceptances and wins it is easy to think they are the norm. It takes tough skin to put yourself out there particularly after a string of rejections. I’m grateful for you and other peers who have shared how they keep going after a rejection. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

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