Juror Statement
I am honored and so proud to have had the opportunity to be a juror of awards for the 2015 Salon Show at the Beverly McNeil Gallery in Birmingham, Alabama. I congratulate all of the participating artists for their best work at the show.
Evaluating paintings can be a difficult job because art can be interpreted in so many varying ways. I should keep an open mind when evaluating paintings and it is a difficult job for me to be a juror. The test of evaluating a work of art, such as a painting, requires a combination of objective information and subjective opinion. It’s true that art appreciation is highly subjective, but the aim of evaluating a painting is not simply to ascertain whether you like or dislike a painting. Art evaluators need to generate facts upon such to base their opinions. Once I have the facts, I can then make my assessment. The more information I can glean about the context and the work of art itself, the more reasoned my assessment will be.
I have from time to time looked back to all the paintings to study what the artist wanted to convey. Consider the theme of this painting. Does it have a unique theme, or is it different? I appreciate that the artist is trying to be unique. Consider other artwork the person has done to look for a theme in the paintings. If the painting has a common theme, consider how well it interprets the art work of others. The quality of the painting is very important. The composition is a highly regarded element in the painting process. The ideas behind it can be very creative, but the painting itself has to be up to par. I appreciate quality of color, brushwork, texture, strong shape, and wonderful edges. And the best painting has all of those elements as well as a unity in its visual dialog to connect to the viewer, and it doesn’t matter what kind of subject, and what style it is. I am very happy for all of those with awarded pieces that have high quality and varied voices and I am very appreciative of that.
I sincerely thank all the participating artists, the Oil Painters of America, and Beverly McNeil Gallery for making the show a success!
Winning paintings
“Woods Interior, Point Lobos”
16″ x 20″
$10,500
“Sisters”
18″ x 18″
$3,500
“Venice Nights”
15″ x 12″
$5,200
“Jug with Broken Handle”
18″ x 14″
$5,000
“Having Drinks”
16″ x 20″
$2,400
“Red Suspenders”
20″ x 16″
$2,400
About Calvin Liang
Born in Canton, China, Calvin Liang began painting in high school and completed his art education at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, recognized as one of China’s prestigious and competitive art academies. In China, his skills as a fine artist were applied to the theatrical industry, where he designed and created sets for operas and pusical dramas for the Canton Opera Institute.
In 1987, Liang moved to the United States, where he continued his profession as a full-time artist. He had a long and successful career creating visual art in animation for the entertainment industry, which included the Walt Disney Studios and Nickelodeon Studio, where he worked on The Little Mermaid and Spongebob Squarepants.
Related links
Visit the following links to learn more about the 2015 Salon Show:
George says
I wish there would have been comments on the winners as to what the judge saw in the aspects he noted.