I just got my rejection email today. I am a traditional painter, i spend 6 months on one painting, i paint through the night and in the early hours of the morning. i go to galleries every weekend, run socities, currently discussing logistics of being exhibted. i have won competitons, i have done more. but hopefully others will find comfort in reading this that succesfull candidates just fit a 'criteria' but are by no means a measure of how succesful you will be or are as an artist, how passionate you are or how much extra you do.
i have learnt the hard way: art schools not only oxford, want conceptual, fighting against establishment trendy artists. the real 'artists' who fight against the establishment are the traditional ones, far too uncool to be recognised.
you have more balls and breaking more conventions, in doing an oil painting than throwing some rubbish on the floor and calling it art.
everyone is willing to call anything art, except, god forbid, something that bares resemblance to any art at all.