Submit Artwork
As part of promoting and supporting Alberta artists and their work, we’re accepting submissions for display in the gallery section of this site. We’re requiring artwork submissions meet some basic standards so we can make the gallery maintenance easy and efficient.
Submit your Artwork
Please read the Submission Guidelines below before submitting any artwork.
Please attach a JPEG or PNG file of your artwork to an email using the button below. Please include the following artwork information:
- Title (use “Untitled” if you don’t have one)
- Medium (oil, watercolour, acrylic, etc.)
- Support (stretched canvas, art panel, paper, etc.)
- Dimensions (inches)
- Location or subject description (location name and/or GPS co-ordinates of where you were standing (taken from Google Maps)
- Artist’s full name
We reserve the right to decline displaying artwork we feel does not meet our site goals and standards, or contains inappropriate or copyrighted material (so no logos or graffiti please)
Submission Guidelines
Types of artwork
This site is attempting to support and grow the plein air or “outdoor” artwork movement. In that regard, any artwork you’d like to submit should be wholly or at least 90% created on location. Although photographs can be a useful resource (for composition, and further studio work), we’re really hoping to keep the gallery focused on on-site artwork only. Minor studio touch-ups can often add a little polish to a field sketch, but we’re looking for those studies and short time-frame pieces that capture natural light and atmosphere, not the highly finished studio works… beautiful as they may be. We are considering adding a section in the gallery for studio works developed from plein air studies, but at a later date.
We’re also hoping to represent as wide a range of mediums and locations as possible. Although part of our goal is to promote the preservation of Alberta’s natural wilderness, outdoor works with some architectural or other man-made elements will also be accepted.
Image dimensions and quality
Here are a few tips on how to photograph your work to maximise image quality:
- All artwork must be in-focus, evenly lit, and photographed with a “good” camera. This could be done with a newer cell phone, but we would recommend a camera with a larger lens so it can keep image noise and distortion to a minimum.
- If you can, brace your camera on a ledge or rail, or better yet, use a tripod
- Submitted images should be at least 1024 pixels along the smallest edge. Please do not submit hi-res (larger than 2500 pixels across) images either as we will have to reduce them for display on the site anyway.
- Artwork can be framed or unframed.
- If you don’t have access to a full lighting setup to photograph your work, we suggest waiting for a bright, but overcast day where you can view the artwork outside in a more diffused lighting environment. Do NOT photograph your work in direct sunlight as this will exaggerate any surface texture by adding shadows and sheen.
- Place the artwork against a neutral and plain backdrop. Try to eliminate as much of the background as possible by making your artwork fill the frame. If you have the tools available, cropped images are ideal.
- Try to view the artwork as directly as you can, so the view angle is perpendicular to the surface of the artwork. Also, don’t stand too close, but use some camera “zoom” (if available) to maximise the artwork in the frame. This will hopefully reduce any image distortion caused by the fish-eye effect small camera lenses have.
- Bracket your exposures (if your camera allows it), and then select the image you feel best represents the most accurate colour and tone for the artwork.