The Woodward News

Local News

March 10, 2010

Originality key for art judge

Jenah Kastelic Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — It’s hard work, picking art for a juried show- and Bob Palmer takes it very seriously. 

On Tuesday, Palmer, an Oklahoma art professor, served as judge for this year’s Paul Laune High School Art Competition at the Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum.  Once a resident of Woodward, Palmer said he has judged the competition two or three other times, and he appreciated being asked back.

Palmer tries to be fair, and keep the overall criteria in mind, but he said for him originality is what separates the winners.

“I’m probably not going to rate a piece too high if it’s trite,” Palmer said.  “I look for something that shows creativity and is a little different; I also look for art that shows experimentation with design and composition.”

In his work as an fine photography and art professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, Palmer fosters fresh imagination in his students by leaving their assignments open ended.  He said originality does not mean thinking of something that was never thought before; it means putting old ideas together in new ways.

“Often times artists reference a photo, and that’s OK.  But I want them to make it different in some way- change it, add something, or take something away,” said Palmer noting that the piece then becomes “their own work they can take pride in.”

Palmer said it would be a brutal process to choose around 50 pieces out of 368 entries to appear in the Paul Laune exhibit that will be featured in the museum’s art gallery this month.  From watercolor portraits and paintings to the black and white landscape drawings, the professor said he can see area art teachers are instilling good basics.

“College teachers like to see strong drawing and basic composition skills because that’s what we can build on.  I hope some of these artists come to UCO, and I see them in my class,” Palmer said.

The winners of the high school art competition will be announced in an upcoming edition of The News.

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