I’ve finally had one of my paintings accepted for a gallery show! It’s a small, afterthought of a painting, and I think the show will be a hodge-podge of little nothings, but I’m pretty happy even so.

It’s nice to have something finally accepted. There are two galleries near me that I have been paying attention to. Whenever they have an “open call” for artwork, I try to get organized and submit something. This little painting of mine that was accepted represents my fifth Open Call submission. I think it’s neat that I will get to finish my first year of painting with a piece on display in an actual art gallery.

The exhibit is “Deck the Halls”, at the Soulard Art Gallery, and the only criteria is that the painting be small (8″ x 10″ or smaller). I’m imagining that they will crowd every possible surface with art of all kinds, the way some people decorate their Christmas trees. We shall see. My painting is framed and ready for hanging, and I’ll be walking it over there this weekend.

Why bother submitting your art to galleries? For me, trying to get stuff accepted by actual, professional, real-deal galleries is a nice arbitrary goal that I get to work towards. I like nice arbitrary goals; they help me stay motivated. Also, these exhibits usually have some sort of theme, which can help inspire ideas for what I want to paint. Sort of like a “homework assignment”, giving me direction for my next project. For example, an upcoming show is titled “Light on the Easel”, and is all about light and shadows. This gives me all sorts of ideas of things to paint that I wouldn’t otherwise think of.

Submitting your art to galleries is a good way to set goals and stay motivated. It’s also an opportunity to explore different themes and get inspired for future projects.

And getting turned down by galleries is a great way to learn. When I first started this whole painting business, I thought my stuff was pretty good. After each rejection, I took a hard look at my work and compared it to the stuff that was accepted. What were these other artists doing that I wasn’t? I’ve learned a ton since then, and now I see that my initial paintings really were pretty amateurish. It’s discouraging to get rejected, but it just means that you get to keep learning. How boring life would be if there were nothing left to learn! Rejections from galleries can be disheartening, but they are a great motivator. Look at the artwork that was accepted and compare it to your own. This can help you identify areas for improvement. It’s a continuous learning process that makes you a better artist.

And speaking of learning new things, the best reason for submitting your work to a gallery is that it’s good to do things you haven’t done before! Have you had your paintings displayed in a gallery? No? Well, why not? Other people do it, therefore it’s possible. And if it’s possible, then you can do it. That’s my approach to life, anyway. Try new experiences and challenge yourself.