Q:Do “Digital Photographs” go in the Digital/Computer Art category?
A: No. Photographs taken by a camera of any sort (including digital camera) should be entered in the Photography category – unless the artist has manipulated and digitally altered the image beyond any outcome they could have gotten using a traditional darkroom setting.
Q:Are Watercolor paintings with some ink or pencil used considered Mixed Media?
A: No. Watercolorists have often use pencil or ink drawings as part of their work. These are NOT “Mixed Media” works.
Q: If a sculpture is made from more than one material, is it automatically considered Mixed Media?
A: No. Sculptures are often made from several different media. With few exceptions, most 3-D art object should be entered either in the Sculpture or Craft category.
Q: Are paintings that include small photos or other materials “Mixed Media”?
A: Not necessarily. If a painting is almost entirely created in oils or acrylic, for example – and the artist includes tiny photos, stencils, or small pieces of cloth in a small part of the painting it may still be entered as an Oil or Acrylic Painting, as long as the clear majority (more than 85%) of the piece is painted with oil or acrylic.
Q:What’s the difference between Sculpture and Craft?
A: Traditionally, a beautiful functional object – one designed to be used (like a bowl, vase, quilt) or worn (clothing, jewelry) or is made to showcase mastery in a specific craft field (such as wood-working, needlepoint, leather-work) – is considered a CRAFT. A sculpture is more likely to illustrate or express something, and is generally not designed to be functional. A craft item can often be duplicated, with slight variations. A sculpture is rarely duplicated by the artist unless it is cast and recreated in editions.
Q:Why must artwork be done within the past three years?
A: This Show celebrates current artists who are senior citizens. Requiring work to have been done within the past 3 years ensures that the artist submitting the work is still actively pursuing her or his artistic passion, rather than taking artwork out of storage.
Q: If there are only 1 or 2 pieces in a Category at the County level does that ONE automatically go on to the State Show?
A: If there is only a single entry in a category on the County level, your County Juror/s have the option of selecting that entry as First Place if it is an artwork of High Merit. NOTE: Jurors are not required to advance a solo piece (or one of two pieces) in a category to the State. If the Juror believes a piece (or both pieces) are not sufficiently strong to receive a First or Second Place award, Jurors may decide to award only an Honorable Mention to the solo piece (or top piece, if there are two). In categories with 3 or more entries, the Juror should be required to select a First-Place winner to move on to State.
Q:What if I have more questions?