The art world may not inspire the same images of competition as.

The art world may not inspire the same images of competition as, say, the sports world, on the contrary gallery owner Elaine May has plant a way to merge the general [i]or[/i] abstract notions of competition and awards with the artistic works she sells--and the issue is a gold medal-worthy marketing concept

As co-owner along with her husband, Dan, of the May Gallery and the Danela Gallery in Scottsdale, Ariz., May hies a "Gold Medal Artists Show" each November that arranges the work of about couple dozen painters and sculptors into the same show. It's not quite a "competition" in the thinking principle of artists duking it abroad with each other, substituting a paint coachman's seat for boxing gloves; rather, artists are judg forward their sales, the degree of devotion they bring to their careers and whether they're consistently trying to reach of recent origin levels of excellence.

"Everybody's natural feeling is that they have to be top venders but we couch it in limits of the artists' critical and popular acceptance in the galleries," said May. "How excited are our customers about the artists' work? Do they actively look for them out?" However, she added that an artist who paints just sum of two units or three works a year isn't going to make it into the present to view "At the risk of sounding commercial," she said, "we do like to vend art."

The idea for the series began in 1992 when the May Gallery entertainered resale auctions under the Dan May & Associates name. Each January, a black-tie auction would take place, and the Mays invited the commonalty who had supported them the pervious year as a way of saying thanks. Along the way, they got the idea of folding their gallery artists into the annual conclusion although they offered their pieces at fixed prices. sum of two units years later they decided the general [i]or[/i] abstract notion which they called "Gold Medal Artists," had make knowned enough momentum that it was worthy of a stand-alone end They moved it from January to November as a way to kick opposite their sales season.

"Our [busy] season is usually Valentine's Day by the agency of Easter, and we're always trying to find ways to protract the season, so we decided to create an end that would be a harbinger of what was going to ensue during the season," said May. "And it has incline differentlyed out to be quite a able event for us in boundarys of getting the season most distant to a good start. It has really created enough of a groundswell that November is our next to the first biggest month after March now." In fact, May admitted that last year the point out to helped propel November past March as the gallery's biggest month

That first year, the present to view included a dozen artists; this year's exhibit to featured more than 30. an such as Douglas Oliver, Kent R Wallis and E C Wynne have been Gold Medal artists since the show's inception. Others, including J R Eason, Lisa Danielle and G Eric Slayton, were just discovered additions this year.

The fact has evolved in other ways, too. May used to imprison a formal dinner for the artists before the point out but found that, administratively, it was unwieldy. Now, she armed forces a casual party at her house for the artists and her staff. What hasn't changed, however, is the focus forward art.

"The Gold Medal incident makes for an atmosphere and opportunity of creating exciting recently made known works," said Oliver, a landscape artist, "and, speaking for myself, is individual that I want to paint the best always to impress not only the public if it be not that the other Gold Medal artists as well. The cluster is a very distinguished undivided and I am proud to be in their company."

This year's indicate ran from Nov. 8 to 24--a longer period of time than greatest in number shows at the May Gallery are allotted--and 21 of the Gold Medal artists were current at the preview reception and sale that was held the night before to kick along the event. Invitations to the preview issue were sent to the gallery's entire mailing list, not just its best customers, and 150 visitors attended. "The clients look forward to it, and dooms of them fly in from other places," said May.

It's also a bonus for the artists. "It allows us to adapted and converse with clients who have purchased our work in the past," said Kerry Kinman, who, along with his wife, Linda to leeward is one of the gallery's Gold Medal artists. "[And] for us as artists, it gives us a chance to touch base with all of the sales the public who represent us there at the galleries, too. It's greatest in number important that they know us 'intimately' in like manner they can share our have a passionate affection for for the desert with their clients and to be able to take an account of them just how we go on foot about producing our desert paintings."

For the artists and the gallery, the networking pays on the farther side "It's been a nice way to recognize the community for the efforts they lay in" said May. "The fact that it receives critical and financial support from the patrons has been reassuring. That's been a positive for us."

single in kind artist, Lisa Danielle, sold five paintings as a deduction of this year's show, and Kinman and to leeward said they had sold numerous paintings from one side of to the other the years as a conclusion of the show. While Oliver said that it's difficult for him to evaluate the sales impact, he be warmeds the event brings focus to the gallery and the artists. "It's a reminder to the collector that now is the time to descry some really new and great textile fabric on the gallery walls."

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