It’s a rare opportunity to get a critique by an internationally renowned artist, so I jumped at the chance when it arose. Watercolorist Stan Miller was the juror for the 2022 Tennessee Watercolor Society’s Biennial Exhibition, currently in Chattanooga. I have admired his exquisite paintings for years (see one example from his website shown here) and I was honored that he chose my painting as one of 60 selected for the Exhibition. Mr. Miller extended an invitation to every exhibitor to send him an email for his comments on their painting. I’m a perpetual student of art, knowing there's always more to learn and room for improvement.
As a member, I was allowed to enter two paintings into the show, and no artist could have more than one accepted. I was curious about the thought process behind the one accepted, “Blackberry Blossom,” and the one not accepted (aka rejected!), “The Bearded Fiddler.” Any juror’s opinions are obviously subjective, but Mr. Miller is far more advanced in watercolor than me, and I am open-minded to his suggestions to improve my work. So I emailed him requesting his feedback on both of my submissions, attaching the images to refresh his memory.
Mr. Miller responded quickly, with his ideas for improving each of my paintings. He even took the time to retouch my images to illustrate his suggested alterations. Here I share the critiques and his visuals, which I found very interesting and helpful…. I could have been a contender!
“Hi Judy,
I really enjoyed your Blackberry Blossom. If you had made a few adjustments and improved the cropping of the painting, you would have received an award. Cropping correctly is hugely important in painting.”
“The violin player: composition needs improvement…. I’m giving you just one idea. Hope this helps,” Stan
