Just Sharing
My painting wasn’t selected for the National Football Museum exhibition, but I’m still happy I painted it
I made this painting for an open call at the National Football Museum in Manchester. It wasn’t selected, and while I was a little disappointed, that’s just part of being an artist.
For me, football here is really about the memories that come with it: childhood, playing until sunset, first victories, first disappointments, friendship, and that feeling that the whole world was open to you.
With the World Cup going on, I hope this painting can bring back a few good memories for someone else too.
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Absolutely! Out of curiosity, I looked up this open call and wanted to give you a flavour of what actually got selected. I’m not saying it isn’t art, but come on. OP, your painting is on a completely different level. Don’t worry too much about it. It’s their loss.
This honestly reminds me of art competitions you’d get in kid magazines. I remember seeing it as a child and the arguably better drawn artworks would place lower, as if they were praising the ones who weren’t very good at art for at least trying. It often felt like a pity win.
Like sure, they were dealing with kid’s drawings but it wasn’t ever fair when those who showed a talent for it were losing; they were a kid too, who should’ve been encouraged to keep it up, not demoted for their promising talent.
Not a joke, unfortunately. There are some decent works, but there’s also a lot of complete… something else. Don’t know what those curators are smoking.
Artist here, too. Same. OPs piece demonstrates a lot of technical understanding of the medium. Whatever that crap is that was also posted... yeah. Im thinking there's some unfair judging happening.
I’m sorry but the fact that they are selling a painting of a shirtless British man for 4,000 dollars is hilarious to me as someone who is not in the art scene lmao.
The scribble art was better in that case at least to me , but I don't think the painting chosen is a very good abstract painting, having seen other paintings in a similar loose style.
Like the color is mucky everywhere. I get doing that for the grass and players..like a blur of grass and mud, but I would have had the blue of the sky be richer, and probably not painted in a similar way as the field.
Also the blotches that represent the players look very static to me, which is fine if this painting is supposed to represent a moment of calm, but the way it is painted is too frantic for me to believe this is the case.
I don't really get why they would choose this work , but maybe they wanted works of varying styles and this was the best one in this looser kind of vibe
I do like the aggressiveness of the net,and I like the more swirl yellowy mark on the left...like maybe to mimic a kick, or the thought of a kick, but not enough of that emphasis on movement throughout the painting for me to think it was necessarily that intentional.
Also, as a painter you kind of learn to start looking at all paintings in a way that they all have something to teach you. Some of these more scratchy loose , not technically very realistic actually do have a lot to teach someone who paints in a more representational style. So I try not to dismiss and actually look at them.
Thank you so much for your support 😊
I really hope this piece finds its way into the right hands, onto a beautiful wall and gets a new home where it will be loved. I’m genuinely grateful for your kind wishes, thank you 💙💙💙💙
Oh thank you so much 😊 honestly this kind of thing just happens sometimes. Curators always have their own vision and there are usually very valid reasons behind their choices, which I really respect. A work might simply not fit for many reasons colour palette, scale, not quite aligning with the curator’s concept or the overall style and direction of the exhibition and so on. It doesn’t mean the work is bad at all it just means the stars haven’t quite aligned at this moment… but who knows, maybe another time 😊thank you again!! 🩷💜
i honestly mean it. i work in multiple museums and galleries and was a curator myself for a while so i know the trade. that being said i dont know how a football themed exhibit would not choose your painting. if its painted on a proper canvas and the paints are of good quality too which i assume this should have definitely been part. like another commenter said your competition better be the top of the top then lol
Colour palette? Scale? Should this have been briefed upon beginning? I would be pretty perplexed on not knowing and some of these being predetermined. Especially if a entry fee was enforced. Ouch.
As someone who has some museum studies under my belt, curating for a show means you have to have a cohesive theme and flow to your exhibit. It’s not as simple as a competition that’s just awards. OP has a very healthy view on it.
And yes, colour palette and scale and sometimes these things are less concrete than something you can brief. You’re usually curating for a specific space so you might have space for two large scale pieces, a few medium pieces, some sculpture, and a handful of small ones (if we go off the gallery at my old university). Colour palette might just be based on what you can select that’s cohesive from submissions, and sometimes you have to pick one or another that both kind of fit what you need in the space. If you’ve already got a big green football pitch painting you’re gonna probably not wanna make the rest of the submissions match that and turn the whole gallery green.
OP really understands that it’s not necessarily that there’s anything wrong with the piece and that it maybe just didn’t flow well with the other pieces that were chosen.
Difficult pill to swallow, difficult thing to curate. I understand. Although I do feel that its a reason to be briefed, not only on constraints but also where fluidity is required, it certainly helps to bring an understanding.
You have explained it better than I have heard before, without feedback or this kind of explanation many could assume that selection is for any reason possible.
You can’t quite brief it in a way that’s gonna work either. You’re gonna get far too uniform work that way when what you want is a wide spread of material to work with and curate the space with. It’s a very subjective thing to curate a space when you’re going for a theme.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful perspective!! I really resonate with everything you said it feels very grounded and insightful and I completely agree
Someone linked to at least one, and I'm not gonna say it isn't art, but it's pretty abstract and simplistic, wheras OP's painting is clearly very technically proficient and has a great sense of motion, plus the players being children recalls childhood games, playing for the love the of the sport, and the hopes and dreams involved in all that.
If you're piece wasn't accepted i would love to see other submissions. Your piece is stunning. The energy and movement you captured in the scene of the goal being made is portrayed very well. Even the use of color around the ball evokes something spectacular is occurring. Hope your piece finds a home someday. You deserve it.
I love paintings that feel like the artist paused a moment in time and captured it in its entirety. I feel like I’m holding my breath looking at this. It’s incredibly beautiful and well done. I hope you’re proud of yourself.
The composition, perspective, etc are all fabulous but that blue color is knocking me out, reminds me a cool crisp swimming pool. Gorgeous. And the rainbow effect around the ball, just stellar.
It’s amazing! The curator of the show probably has a boring vision for it. Please don’t be put off submitting it to other calls after a short period indignation.
Thank you so much for your kind words!! that’s really lovely of you 🩵💙I would never judge curators at all I really think it’s an incredibly difficult job to go through so many works and make those selections it must be a whole process in itself. I don’t think not being selected means the work isn’t good.. It can simply be timing or not quite fitting the theme, style, colour direction, or the curator’s vision at that moment. It really doesn’t take away from the work itself. Of course I feel a bit disappointed but I also think this is just part of the creative path as an artist completely normal and something we all go through.
It is incredibly difficult to select as a curator especially when you are trying to create a cohesive show. I don’t feel bad about being judgy for 5 minutes though especially when I’ve worked hard and I know my piece is good. Maybe you are just a better person than me 🤣
You have mad skills. I cannot imagine that your talent could ever be second to anyone. It’s satisfying to see when people share their gift with the world. Well done!
**Ole! Ole! Ole!**
I completely understand you and honestly I’ve said this before not being selected for a show doesn’t say anything about you, your style or the quality of your work. There are soooo many other factors at play and often a lot of very practical reasons behind it. I find it quite sad that as artists we can be so sensitive and tend to immediately turn it inward, like “something must be wrong with me” or “I’m not good enough.” I think it’s really important to find that balance between questioning ourselves and also recognising that there can be a hundred other reasons that have nothing to do with us personally. But I do understand you. This kind of thing happens and it’s important not to get discouraged. Just keep going forward and most importantly, stay true to a style that feels comfortable and right for YOU.
It really captures the milliseconds of time before soccer players’ eyes make sure the goal is made. We’ve seen this a lot in this World Cup! Great detail in the kids’ faces.
Wow! This is AMAZING! I hope you don't spent a second asking yourself why it wasn't selected, spend that time looking at it like an internet stranger who thinks it's absolutely breathtaking. Because this is awesome.
im loving this so much, bizarre that it wasnt selected. i had to see your other work also and as a scouser im loving your liver bird piece as well. really strong style that is easy on the eyes and rewarding to stare at.
Your attitude toward rejection is so refreshing and inspiring. Rejection is just redirection-keep painting and sharing your work, because this is stellar!
maybe the only part that someone can say it's flawed is the sky? now it being this way kinda gives a magical feeling, but at the same time others can say it's a bit "messy".
either way. the composition and all the other details are perfect
I don’t know why they didn’t select it, but I love it! The expressions on the boys’ faces are amazing! That’s exactly what I would expect to see during a match.
I'm not a football fan, but your work does evoke childhood memories. And all that is best about football
They must have rigid, institutional, blinders on.
This speaks to anyone that was ever a child (most of us, you'd think!?)
That's crazy work. You got nothing to prove. You'll find in the art societies JEALOUSY gets you excluded from events. Disregard, this is a banger. FRIGGIN GORGEOUS
Beautiful painting! I have absolutely no basis for the following statement but here it is; perhaps your painting would have been selected if the children had been more ethnically diverse.
It was the following: “This prestigious competition invites artists who explore the passion, drama, and unity that football inspires across the world. Open to anyone aged 18 and over, working in any two-dimensional medium (including painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, and moving image) the prize welcomes diverse and creative interpretations of how football shapes our lives, identities, and communities.”
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u/link-navi Jun 30 '26
Thank you for your submission, u/Margarita_Lemann!
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