Plein Air Fever

It seems crazy but most of the applications for 2012 plein air competitions are due before the end of the year. Consequently I have been organizing my entries and working on my schedule. Completing the different applications is always a time-consuming, mind numbing affair. Every event has its own list of criteria and different checklists. Some I can enter online while others I need to snail mail a DVD with images; some ask for cover letters; another wants a 500 work bio. And of course, each has their own requirement for the size of the images.

I realize that there is not one way to do this but it sure would make it a lot easier if everyone got together and decided on a standard for this stuff. The only way I can keep it all organized is to create a folder for each event with the size adjusted images, applications and event schedule all together. Some of the plein air organizers are now using websites that are designed specifically for art competitions. I do like this solution but I fear the added cost of this service is passed on to the artist through higher submission fees.

It is impossible to predict which plein air competition I will be juried into for 2012 so I've decided to increase the number of events I am entering. Along with all the paperwork, I will also be incurring a ton of new application fees. I hate to do this at the end of the year, but like I said at the start, deadlines are soon. Deciding which competition to enter is also tricky since predicting which ones will be profitable is another factor. You must be wondering why I go through all this? That's easy. Because I love painting plein air. There is nothing like it to kick start my creativity.