2019 MWS Spring Exhibition

It is with great honor that I accepted the invitation to be the juror for this exhibition. My responsibility is to select the very best works from a collection that fully represents what watermedia, in expert hands, can be. This means that my own preconceived ideas about technique, subject, style, and beauty must be balanced by the knowledge that I do my utmost to view the body of work from a neutral ground. My criteria in judging exhibitions are design, execution, technical proficiency, and finally, how the painting speaks to me. Breaking a painting down into these somewhat clinical categories and judging them is not what makes a painting good. It is only a means to an end and furthers my understanding of each work on a level I can then expand upon. Truly great paintings have something intangible and unique about them that, I feel, cannot fully be expressed in language. They must be viewed to be appreciated.

I take extreme care to make certain that the group of paintings I have selected for consideration of an award are representative of the exhibition as a whole. In that vein, the awards are as balanced as I can determine and do not favor any particular style or methodology. We all know that jurying is, at it’s heart, a subjective process. I have done my very best to give all work equal consideration.
To all of the artists whose works grace these walls I give my most heartfelt congratulations. This is a spectacular exhibition and one that does credit to the society and the artist’s hard work and perseverance. To the award winners, my compliments, from one painter to another, I am grateful to have spent the time I did with your work.

Iain Stewart AWS, NWS