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I've just heard from the promoters of Festival for the Eno: my work was accepted again for inclusion in this July 4th weekend show. This will make our 5th consecutive year there, and it's a fun show, made even more so by the fact that it's local--being able to be home and sleep in your own bed after grueling show days is a joy.

I also heard, via email, from the promoters of the new show I'd applied to in Frederick, MD. As with the Boardwalk show, my work was not accepted. Both shows used Zapplication for submission of jury slides, and I'm wondering if my images weren't deemed strong enough, or if there was another issue causing them not to be accepted. Of course, there's really no way to know, since you get nothing but the rejection email. It would be so helpful to get some feedback from the jury, or to even see what work was chosen over your own in your category. Having been in both the juror's position as well as the promoter's, I know it's difficult to provide this feedback to artists. Difficult, but surely not impossible. I know I'm an idealist on this topic, but it seems to me that if an artist asks, it would be possible to provide the jury score and/or any comments about the work or the presentation of the images. Without this, it's like operating in the dark; you have no idea what's causing juries to give your images low scores. And, you have no idea whether to change the images you submit. It's a challenge, to say the least, and a major frustration, to tell the truth. I have now had more rejections than acceptances in the last 6 months, so it seems like I need to change something, but what? Here are two of the slides I've submitted; the often-required booth shot, and one of my leaf clocks.

It'll be what's in the back of my mind (and sometimes in the front!) over the next few weeks. Suggestions are welcome; let me know what you think.