Last week I was shocked to find my name and "Focus," my colored pencil entry into the CPSA International Exhibition in Bethesda MA, mentioned in the lede of an article by Mark Jenkins of the Washington Post.
"In Margaret Hopkins’s “Focus,” a woman wields a large camera while three other women behind her gaze at a smartphone, probably eyeing the product of a built-in camera. If that seems an odd vignette to render in colored pencil, nearly all of the entries in the Colored Pencil Society of America’s 25th-annual exhibition are photorealist."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/in-the-galleries-putting-a-fine-point-on-colored-pencil-drawings/2017/07/13/be2fbf4c-65a8-11e7-8eb5-cbccc2e7bfbf_story.html?utm_term=.378ed2af47a8
The review wasn't overwhelming in its praise, but I was elated! It felt so good to have an individual, who must do this for a living and know something about art, see my work and use it to drive his point. Out of 118 colored pencil pieces, which were chosen from something like 500 entries, Focus caught critical attention.
Here's a different review about the same show by Washington City Paper:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/museums-galleries/blog/20867753/blush-emily-hoxworth-rose-jaffe-and-25th-annual-colored-pencil-society-of-america-international-exhibition
This reviewer was unimpressed. In fact, he was insulting.
"One of the pieces in the show, a colored pencil drawing of pearls and jewels, looks like a gaudy photograph from afar. When you get up close, you can appreciate how well-drawn it is to look so photorealistic. But it’s still a bit tacky."
His words were well thought out. He obviously took time to look at the show. Yet, the fact that he didn't much care for representational art was abundantly clear..
"Viewing the drawings is a little bit like looking at optical illusions. When you stand several feet away from some of them, they really do look like photographs. Only when you move closer do you start to see some of the signs that they were drawn with pencils. Sometimes, you need to hold your face right up to the frame before your brain can really make this connection.
It’s a fun game, but it doesn’t always make for the most interesting art."
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It would be nice if there were clear cut rules: that good is good and bad is bad, no matter the genre. Words committed to paper, even by an anonymous writer, carry much weight if we let them. It's possible that this person has some art background and knows a little art theory. Does it give him the right to tear down hard work with rude comments? Yes. Do we have to agree or believe him? No.
The take-away is to walk away. All artists place their souls on canvas for the world to see. And we learn through these kind of experiences to let praise as well as criticism land briefly on our backs, just long enough to be useful, then roll off like rain drops.