You see a call for artists for an upcoming regional exhibition. The theme is highly specific—let’s say, “Blueprints of the Imagination.” Your current portfolio consists of sweeping, traditional landscapes, but you think, “I could probably paint something more abstract and architectural just for this show.”
You convince yourself that the deviation is minor. You might even win a cash prize or an award, which seems like a great resume builder.
As an art gallery owner, I strongly caution artists against this temptation. Deviating from your established style to satisfy a fleeting exhibition theme is a trap that sacrifices your long-term career momentum for a short-term, uncertain payoff.
1. The Reality of the One-Off Win
Let us imagine you spend two weeks creating a brilliant, theme-specific piece. You submit it, you are accepted, and you even take home a ribbon. Then what?
The juror packs up and leaves. The exhibition closes after a few weeks.
You are left with a single, orphaned piece of art that looks entirely out of place next to your core body of work. I cannot easily market a one-off piece in my gallery because it lacks the consistency of a dedicated series. It becomes very challenging to get a lasting payoff from those isolated efforts.
2. The Hidden Cost of Chasing Themes
Every hour you spend trying to decode a specific juror’s taste is an hour stolen from your actual business.
To build lasting gallery relationships, you must systematically repeat and refine a core body of work. Gallery owners rely on predictability. We need to know that if we sell your signature piece on Tuesday, we can get three more in a similar vein by Friday.
When you bounce around to accommodate themed shows, your portfolio becomes a disjointed collection of experiments. “Who is this artist, exactly?” a collector will wonder, seeing a sudden, jarring shift in your presentation.
3. Rules for Submitting to Juried Shows
I am not saying you must abandon juried shows entirely. Heaven knows there are enough events out there that you can find venues perfectly suited for your existing art.
However, you must engage with them on your own terms. Adopt these rules for your art business:
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Submit what you already do: Only apply to exhibitions where your current, core body of work naturally aligns with the call for entries.
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Protect your production pipeline: Never pause your primary studio production to fulfill an external, one-off prompt.
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Evaluate the long-term leverage: Ask yourself if the exposure will lead to ongoing sales. If it pulls you away from building a sellable, unified portfolio, pass on the opportunity.
One Final Takeaway
You might decide to paint outside your wheelhouse simply for the joy of it. If you treat it as a fun exercise and are willing to pay the cost in lost studio time, that is entirely fine.
Just do not confuse a creative detour with a viable business strategy. Your long-term success will always come from the compounding power of a unified, recognizable body of work.
How Do You Handle Themed Shows?
Have you ever painted a specific piece just to fit into a juried exhibition? Did it ultimately help or hinder your long-term portfolio development? Share your experience in the comments below.
I have painted a specific piece just to fit into a juried exhibition. However, I made sure it had my style and narrative. But, for example, I wouldnt do an abstract piece when I paint surrealism. In many instances I end up with random wierd pieces, though.
Don’t we all…smile…
I usually like the articles on the blog, but this one is not really, good of the advice. Maybe you can apply it if you are represented by Jason, exclusively. One off main theme would not hurt anyone. And it might sell as well. Rarely collectors buy cohesive collections, they but pieces that move them! I do myself mostly landscapes, but I don’t want to paint only landscapes to have “cohesive collection”. And for the show once I painted portrait, so out of my comfort zone. It did win 1st place. But it’s not main reason. I painted that bc I’m not just landscape painter, I’m an artist and growing and saying what’s important to me, not just to have 100 landscape paintings painted:)
Artistic voice is more important than fitting into gallery wall
Great advice! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Jason. That’s wonderful advice. I wish I had a read years ago.
I did a painting for horse racing art competition, and unbeknownst to me. I won first prize. I was in complete shock. I couldn’t believe it. That led to seven months. Chasing horse racing, I learned how to photograph horse racing. I even photographed with the Offical horse racing Photographer during the Queen’s plate, which is a really big deal up here in Ontario Canada.
We spent the weekend up in Saratoga, New York in August, chasing more horses only to realize that it was just a great big waste of time. I let it go and have never looked back.
I tried the same thing painting mountains. I don’t live near a mountain. I can’t identify with mountain paintings.
I’m just gonna stick to what I love. It’s so much easier and I don’t have to study for anything. Or take expensive trips.
Unless the show is of the genre I paint in, I don’t bother. I also weigh in the cost of applying and more importantly, the cost of shipping. If the painting is accepted but doesn’t sell, then I’m paying for shipping to and from the gallery which can run in the hundreds. I much prefer to paint what I want to, and it will be a much better painting.
Even for one-time contests, I only submit works that are true to my usual style of naturalistic animal art. It’s important to me that the public can recognize my artistic signature, no matter the event.
Thanks for the timely article. A community gallery I belong to had recently suggested a theme show for Creatures. It sounded like a great theme and as interested as I was, I have been painting landscapes and plein air for quite a while and love it. It inspires and drives me with a real passion. I did go as far as shooting some wonderful goat photos for reference, but in the end I just could not justify painting something just for the sake of participating. I will sit this months show out but go to enjoy the work that other artists have done!
I use paintings that I have already done, perhaps renaming it it to fit the theme. If I don’t have a piece that fits the theme I don’t enter the show.
I certainly have created artwork just to fit a theme. However, I find it a very difficult and daunting task because the theme that may not fit my lifestyle or my art I tried to learn to discipline myself and not apply to as many Theme shows as I used to simply for the reason that I have created a body of work that does not look like it goes together. My bad I’m still learning
Arpad Petrass.
Thank you! This is a timely reminder to the point I am at right now.
I have painted paintings to fit a show theme if I can make the subject matter and my style work to enrich my portfolio. I love painting many different subject matters….but I do not change my style.
Thank you for the advice.
I used to create work for specific shows and my work was all over the place. Now when I hear of a theme and it is a shows that interest me i think of how I can fit what I do in that theme. If I can’t think of anything, I skip it.
I wonder about your take on the marketing. Say I do a series, say six, and sell two. Now I have four non-starters left, not one.
My subjects are usually one-off also. I paint plein air frequently, and work up a studio version later, standard process right? I have a few subjects I have done several times, but mostly I do one final and the subject has moved beyond it’s sell-by date. When I do more, it starts feeling like production for parking lot couch painting sales.