Well, it's been a time of rejections for me. I sent three prints off to the IPCNY New Prints / 2010 Spring and received word last week that they weren't accepted. This morning I received an email notice from the Center for Contemporary Printmaking that my submission for the 2010 Footprint International had been rejected. It's all up to the preferences of the judges and in the art world, you've got to be able to take rejection.
So, it's back to the drawing board (and the printing press!)
"Every rejection is incremental payment on your dues that in some way will be translated back into your work." James Lee Burke
No matter how you rationalize it, rejection is hard to take. Because our work is an expression of ourselves, when it's rejected it's like being told a part of us is not quite acceptable.
ReplyDeleteI think the three images posted are wonderful and the third one I find especially interesting.
It's the pits. I'm sorry. I've gone through a spate of rejections, too. I find I bounce back more quickly if I still have some pending possibilities out there and can be hopeful. Your work is beautiful. Glad you picked up the pieces and are back at it.
ReplyDeleteBad luck! It is very hard to take, but you never know the strength of the field you were up against, or whether you were the next one on the judges list, so you are right not to dwell on it, and move on to whatever is next. Best Wishes!
ReplyDeleteYears ago I was fortunate to be standing at the garden fence of a well-established artist I knew when his mail arrived. He opened an envelope as we were talking, and laughed out loud. "What's so funny?" I asked. "It's a rejection notice!" he chortled. I felt that familiar tug of rejection and couldn't understand his reaction until he showed me what he had submitted: The piece had taken grand prize in a larger exhibition just a few weeks before.
ReplyDeleteIt's a memory I always reach for when "the skinny envelope" arrives instead of "the fat one."
Hi there Melody
ReplyDeleteI have submitted to both of those places, in the past and been rejected - so know how you feel BUT as others here are saying - It really is a lottery scenario and these three prints of yours are perfectly good QUALITY prints.
I mean that's part of the reason I love coming to visit you/your blog. looking at your work and reading from you how you made and developed them. I particularly like the top and bottom images!!
I am currently working on something to submit which will probably be in a highly competitive arena for the selectors so there you go
We - MUST be mad........but the truth is we love the process and getting it realized the way we want it.
BEST WISHES
Aine
Thank you all for your kind words of support. I know we've all felt the sting of rejection but as Aine says, "we love the process" so we go on because we can't help ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAs I write this I have recently found out that one of the rejected pieces was recently accepted into the Washington Printmakers (D.C.) upcoming Small Works exhibition so things are looking up.