You paint like a child, congrats, you win!

Since when did art start to be rewarded for looking like a child did it? Every show that I go to that gives out awards gives awards to the “artists” that you would have said, “nope, theres absolutely no way that they will ever win or sell anything ever!” It doesn’t even look like you could win a 6^th grade “best in the class” award and low and behold, they always win at these “juried” art shows without fail! There are some artists with well executed pieces that win but I’d say its 2 of them and 8 of bullshit at best.  Of course I feel like I deserve to win awards, because I know that my stuff is hard to do which is why I welcome people taking photos because I know people can’t replicate it.  If I didn’t make art that I thought was awesome, I would stop making art, but there are tons of other artists who should be winning awards too that are losing to these atrocities.  A neighbor of mine at this show had the absolute most epic awesome huge wood work Ive ever seen but of course he won nothing either.

Maybe I should just start to take it as a compliment that the judges don’t like my stuff because clearly they have no taste.  And unless there is a universal movement towards rewarding artists that make art people not only like but admire and is hard to make, I guess the “three lines on a canvas lady” is going to continue to win $15,000 at one of the highest cash reward shows in the country. 

After walking around and seeing the winners I texted my friend this picture – the winner of best in category of my category!!! Which means that that every judge thought that this was not only better than mine, but every single other 2-D artist at the entire show!!! I would not have been proud of this work when I was 10. If I had made these in elementary school, they would have gone in the recycling and I would have tried again. 

So I text my buddy who is also at the show and makes awesome stuff and clearly didn’t win, and his response is “those who cant ‘do’ teach, and those who cant teach judge. Art show judges are the scum of the earth” I think the statement might be a bit harsh and exaggerated, I wouldn’t quite categorize art show judges with pedophiles and rapists, but its bold and hilarious enough to repeat.