Seniors Art Show Deadline Wednesday!

This is a reminder to all of you who intend to show in this year's Mercer County Senior Art Show.

The mail in registration deadline is this Wednesday! Your registration must be received by the Mercer County Office of Aging so they can estimate for exhibit space and volume of visitors.

Please note on your registration form that the artwork dimension requirements and limitations are listed. This is important in order for the show committee to plan for the actual hanging of work.

Last year's show had a good number of stained glass entries. They were hung in long windows and glowed beautifully as the sunbeams shone through. Great care was taken to exhibit them safely and to great advantage.

The number and variety of crafts and ceramics may indicate a trend for senior artisans. The results, from these seniors expressing themselves in a tactile way, were unique, nostalgic, and sometimes thought provoking. The range of ceramics last year was truly impressive and showed a lot of expertise.

One wonders if an artist picked up this ability as a senior hobbyist or is a retired professional craft person. The art work was quite surprising and very beautiful.

The water color painting exhibits covered an entire wall at Meadow Lakes. This is a good medium for both beginners and experts and, depending on your level, is either fun or the artist's most difficult and challenging medium.

I seem to remember the acrylic painting division, based on the number of entries, as one of the most popular. Being able to work quickly and clean up with soap and water has helped to make it a good choice for seniors just starting out with painting techniques.

The oil painting division was well represented but with fewer than the acrylic division. Oils take so much time to dry that it seems traditional artists are leaning to acrylic as a medium. This is truly a shame because oils have a translucent quality and permanence that have made them the choice for artists for hundreds of years. Kudos to those die-hards who labor in this difficult medium with such inspiring results.

Now that digital photography is almost fool proof, one would think that the medium would have a common feel to it. Not so. The photography entries from last year were challenging, well composed, beautifully presented and dreadfully competitive. The judge for that category must have had a hard time picking a winner.

A note for visitors this year: If a painting has a price label on it, this could be the perfect opportunity to get a bargain from a Mercer County artist who just might be the next Grandma Moses!

There are many videos and workshops that get senior artists started and this is a great venue for them to show their progress. This is an opportunity for visitors to pick up an original work of art for the home.

Now it is time for the artist entry form to be mailed in. Think up a super clever title, ("untitled" just does not give a judge a clue), check your size measurements, and please make sure it is framed and ready to hang.

And just one more thing: Your painting may be worth a million bucks but, if you put a price on it over $400, you will have to cover it with private insurance.

So mail in your form today. And circle the drop off date, July 25, (9am to 2pm)for the delivery of your work. Keep your Part 2 label for your records.

If you need more registration forms call the Mercer County Office on Aging at (609)989-6661. You will speak to a real person. Promise.

Good luck and hope to see you at the show reception August 5 at 3:30pm.

Seniors rock!