Should Awards Matter?

Yes!

 I added another ribbon to my victory board last night. 

 The Lambeth Art Association show is on at the Lambeth United Church, 4268 Main St Lambeth/London, April 23,24,25, 2015

Obviously I think awards matter. 

Unless they are the rare artist content to hide thier work in the closet, all artists seek validation. Awards are one way to get it. 

When I was starting out I was disappointed to be overlooked show after show, but I knew I had much to learn.  

I would analyze the winning paintings, and talk to the artists, trying to learn as much as I could, making some good friends in the process.

Then, slowly, the awards started to come. Once awards became a regular occurence, sales - the ultimate validation - followed. 

Is one dependent on the other? Not at all, often the awarded painting doesn't sell. Rather the award is an indicator of quality, and ultimately consistant quality is what gets sales. 

Yes, sales are important, art is an expensive habit, and like all addicts artists need to feed thiers, once the addiction becomes all consuming and the artist turns pro.... Well that is a topic for another post. 

Path to the Beach, Robin Baratta, glazed acrylic, 8x10, sold