APPLICATION CRITERIA, TERMS AND REGULATIONS:
1. Entry is open to all current BFAA members
2. Current BFAA members may submit two original pieces of art for consideration of which
only one may be chosen by the two jurors.
3. Online applications will only be accepted through EntryThingy.
*See details below for entry process and digital image criteria.
4. The nonrefundable $20.00 fee covers 1 or 2 pieces. Payment will be made by PayPal
using a credit card as part of the last step of the Entry Thingy submission process.
Need help with the entry process? Please contact Margaret Dent at
[email protected].
5. Forty pieces will be chosen in total.
6. Artwork must be appropriately wired, either framed, or gallery canvas. Please note: artwork
must be two-dimensional and able to be hung - we do not have facilities to display 3D artwork.
You may complete your artwork on a variety of substrates, but it must be presented
professionally.
7. Canvas must be framed or have finished edges and a clean or solid coloured back.
8. The maximum size is 40' x 40'.
9. Entries must have been completed within the last three years (i.e. completed after January
2022).
10. In addition to The Hub Show, artwork will be featured concurrently in an online show that will
continue until Friday, November 14, 2025.
11. A commission of 20% of all sales will be paid to the Burlington Fine Arts Association during the
physical and online show up to and including Friday, November 14, 2025.
12. All Artwork is eligible to be submitted unless previously exhibited in The Artists Mark.
By entering this juried exhibit, artists confirm that
1. They grant BFAA the right to use their art, if juried into the exhibit, for publicity and website
purposes connected to The Artist's Mark. Full credit will be given to the artist in any such case.
2. They acknowledge and permit their artwork to be captured on video media, such as local news
media and in BFAA-produced virtual tour and event showcase video of The Artist?s Mark 2025.
3. The First-Place winner grants the BFAA permission to make reproduction copies of their
artwork to be used as future gifts and awards for The Artist's Mark, with full credit given to the
artist.
4. The art they submit is 100% the work of their hands using tools to apply the two-dimensional
medium in which they work such as Drawing, Water Media, Pastel, Acrylic, Oil, Egg Tempera,
Encaustic, original hand-pulled Print, Collage, Mixed Media, Batik, Scratchboard, etc.to paper,
canvas, board or other recognized artist substrate material. Please note: artwork must be able
to be hung ? we do not have facilities for 3D artwork to be displayed.
5. Not acceptable mediums include exclusive use of craft, jewelry, fibre, fabric, photography,
video, digital prints, or any work containing computer generated elements of any kind.
6. All work is original, authentic and not a photographic reproduction, e.g. Giclée. No mechanical
or digital devices, including but not limited to colour printers, copiers, or projectors, have been
used to apply an image to canvas, paper, board or other material, the purpose being to use the
image as an underpainting or to paint by hand on top of the printed image.
7. All work has been created by the artist alone and is not the result of classroom, supervised or
workshop work, nor is it a copy of the work of other artists.
8. Ideally, works based on photographic references are from the artist's own original
photography. Work based on photographs taken by someone other than the artist can only
be used if the artist can provide written permission from the original photographer. This
includes any image(s) found on the internet, regardless of whether they are copyright free or
in the public domain. NOTE: The Artist is responsible for obtaining copyright permission.
The BFAA will not be responsible for any misuse of copyrighted material by an artist.
Artwork generated using an artificial intelligence (AI) platform is NOT permitted.
EntryThingy Process and Criteria for Digital Image Files
1. The application will open on EntryThingy vis the BFAA Website as of September 1, 2025 and
close midnight, September 29, 2025
2. Images must be PC compatible in JPEG format, a maximum resolution of larger than .500k
and less than 2 megabytes
3. Label image file as follows: Last Name_Title_Medium_Dimensions unframed (H'xW'), for
example: Dolson_paintingtitle_oil_20X16 NOTE - no spaces are used in this label
information.
4. Jpeg image must be cropped to include only the artwork and DOES NOT include a mat, frame
or any other background.
5. Please indicate in EntryThingy whether the piece is for sale with the price OR NFS
*for more information and Help, please see the links below
RIGHT TO REFUSE ENTRY
1. BFAA retains the right to refuse to exhibit any work received if the conditions of entry are not
met or if the physical work differs greatly from the online submission.
2. Subject matter must be suitable for presentation in a public space, for all ages (i.e., artwork
should not be deemed inappropriate or offensive; not contain profanity, hate speech, graphic
imagery, etc.).
Disclaimer
1. During the live exhibit at The Hub, the BFAA and its representatives will not be responsible for
theft/loss or damage of artwork; however, all reasonable care will be taken while entries are in
Art Gallery of Burlington premises for jurying as well as in the exhibition at The Hub.
2. Artists may consider purchasing insurance coverage for their artwork.
3. Artwork may be used on social media for promotion, advertisement.
2025 Jurors:
Stephanie Schirm SCA, OSA, Portrait Society Of Canada
STEPHANIE SCHIRM is an accomplished, fine artist, apparel designer, and fashion illustrator.
Inspired by the variability and curvaceousness of the human form?and equipped with a fearlessly
vivid palette?Schirm expresses her signature aesthetic through a variety of media, industries,
channels, and contexts. The dynamic tension between how her work looks (bright, sensual, kinetic,
elemental) and feels (soothing, ethereal, meandering, enigmatic) gives it unusually broad appeal,
from churches and galleries to retailers and manufacturers.
In addition to her work as an artist, designer, and illustrator, Schirm is a seasoned creative executive.
As the one-time owner and operator of an apparel line, she quickly learned how to manage vendors
and suppliers, clients and employees, finances and operations, logistics and fulfilment?skills that
quickly and successfully transferred to the worlds of team management, production supervision,
quality assurance, and sales-force training.
Last but not least, Schirm is a passionate, committed, and tireless advocate, educator, and organizer
for the arts. Whether inspiring young children to express themselves through paint and brush? or as
the instructor of a college-level fashion-illustration course? or with theatrical producers on a
historically accurate staging? her ability to explain and demonstrate style, technique, process, and
methodology makes her a valuable asset to art programming offered by charitable, educational,
liturgical, and institutional organisations.
Andrew Sookrah CSPWC, Lifetime Mentor SCA, OSA, Portrait Society Of Canada
ANDREW SOOKRAH is a raw colourist whose free brushwork is confident and powerful. His
strengths can be seen in his strong sense of design, exquisite use of effective composition, confident
presentation of bold colours? and in his figurative and portraiture work, his capturing the essence of
the human spirit.
Andrew Cheddie Sookrah was born in Guyana in 1956. In Georgetown, he attended Queen?s College
where he was recognized for his artistic expression from an early age, having won the school?s art
prize in 1971. At age 16, Sookrah started working as a designer and illustrator at Ace Advertisers
(Georgetown, Guyana) and quickly moved into the role of the company art director.
In 1974, Sookrah immigrated to Canada and attended multidisciplinary continuing education
programs at the Ontario College of Art (OCA), George Brown College and Ryerson University. His
beginnings in design and illustration opened a life of parallel passions. While continuing to paint and
carve out his artistic existence, Sookrah involved himself in advertising and opened Engine Room
Creative, a successful design development studio and advertising & marketing agency in Toronto. As
the Creative Director of Engine Room, he has worked on provincial and national campaigns, as well
as international campaigns in the US and UK. Sookrah?s technical knowledge and might of
communication lead him into fine art instruction. Today, he conducts workshops and teaches painting
techniques in oil, acrylic and watercolour at various institutions including McMichael Canadian Art
Collection, Richmond Hill Art School and The Lodge on Amherst Island.
