the digital question

I was glad to get home this afternoon - and had my drink with dinner tonight. Now, back to real life: shopping for a present for my mother's 90th b.d., buying champagne and other goodies for her b.d. brunch on Sunday, etc. etc. And turning in early tonight.

Before I do that, I have to say that there was so much good work submitted that it was a horrendous job making choices (assuming the images did not belong in the murky category I talked about yesterday). There is a lot of talent out there! There were about 300 entries and there was only room to hang 36 pieces -- so if you didn't get in, you're in very good company. But I'd like to address the slide vs. digital issue:

Sharon said: What is the thinking behind slides?

Budget. Plain and simple. The Brush Gallery is non-profit - which means they don't currently have the $$ to buy a digital projector. They expect to have one in time for next year's entries. There are lots of places that are still making the transition, but eventually, as prices for the projectors come down, everybody will probably go digital. I would love to have a digital projector to take with me when I give lectures instead of having to deal with slides and random projectors - but one of those is not in MY budget, either. Hang in there.

I love sending digital entries (when I can get my CD burning software to work, which is a whole 'nother issue). It is much easier and quicker -- and less expensive.

Gerrie said: I have never gotten anything accepted via slides. I have entered the same quilts via slides and jpegs on cd and have had them accepted when it is on a cd. I hope more venues go to the digital format.

Gerrie, this sounds like a coincidence to me. Consider that you entered different shows with different jurors, different parameters for the exhibit, and who knows what other variables. Slides vs jpgs had nothing to do with it, I guarantee.

Because the Brush does not have a digital projector but they said ok at the last minute, we had only about 10 CDs to go through, most of which had 3 full and 3 details. Thank goodness we did not have more! Without a digital projector, this means putting a CD in the drive, waiting for it to boot up, looking at the jpgs, removing the CD, putting it back into the package and repeating the routine. This is a very slow process, believe me. It took us as long to look at 10 CDs as it did for us to go through 2 carousels full of slides.

There were pieces on CD that got into the show and pieces that didn't. Pieces in good slides that got into the show and pieces in good slides that did not. It had nothing to do with digital vs. slides, believe me.

Nevertheless, I agree that I much prefer entering ditigally because it is fast and easy. You can finish a quilt and half-hour later, have the CD in the mail. Easier to meet deadlines. But every transition takes time.