Does Winning Matter?
I got the year-long loan of this beautiful "O'Keefe Trophy" from the Ottawa Art Association for winning first place in the Acrylics category for "Time Thief", which is still my favourite painting to-date, and almost didn't get sold. But a person must eat. Pay the mortgage. That kind of thing.
My first thought was that it was something else to dust... something else to add clutter to my needs-to-be-decluttered house. The second thought was more introspective: do we, as artists, need recognition for our work or is the simple act of creating something unique a reward in and of itself? What is your preferred recognition - compliments, kudos, sales, ribbons or trophies, or perhaps just the feeling of having completed a piece to your satisfaction?
Personally, I could live without the trophies or wins. To me, the ultimate compliment is when someone wants to have your art in their home. They "get" you (and, by extension, you "get" them) and you have stirred something in them that made them have to have that particular piece.
Don't get me wrong, winning the trophy was pretty nice, as this particular show was judged by a bunch of art professionals - so I feel recognized as a real artist now and it feels pretty cool. But, at the end of the day, the hardware wasn't necessary to me.
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