2023 Associate Members Online Exhibition 

you are right

When you sing a cover song, is it not expressive of your own voice and self? Painters often work from reference photos (that we took ourselves), but we are creating expressive works.

@@maryjohull5579 my point wasn't about that I don't like painting from references. But I don't understand why here are only watercolors that you can't differ from photo. I think that there have to be space for more abstract works. And especially for me I like when artwork gives you feelings and space for thinking not just see how great the author’s technique is.

@margaretsherr6423 I think the exact opposite is true. My experiences are that realists in art usually get overlooked in favor of 'abstract' art when winning placements in these kinds of exhibits. This is what gets me about these type of 'art' award exhibitions. I look at all these amazing pieces and the piece that won 1st place, I see as not even honorable mention compared to some of the other pieces in this video that are far superior technically and are more of a mastery of the watercolor process, which didn't even place. It's all emotionally subjective to whomever is judging and judges usually pick abstract pieces for the top slots. I'm not saying the 1st place winners piece is not good. It's fine, but it is lacking the technical aspects of many of the other entries, even some that are abstract as well. The last one I went to, the judge went on for an hour about how each piece he choose made him feel. None of his feelings matched mine. You could watercolor an entire canvas some abstract blue colors and if it made the judge feel blue, he'd probably choose it for 1st place because it touched him so. So emotionally subjective.