Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2017 - Selected Artists

The names of the 78 artists selected for the Sunday Times Watercolour Exhibition 2017 were formally announced yesterday. Prizewinners will be announced in advance of the exhibition opening - in the Culture section of the Sunday Times magazine on Sunday 27th August.

• 87 paintings and sketchbooks in watercolour media will be exhibited in the 30th Exhibition at the Mall Galleries between 19 - 24 September 2017.  (This compares to 75 paintings selected in 2016 and 90 works in 2015.) 
• They were selected from 1057 submissions - meaning just over 8% of the paintings submitted were selected.

Eligible media includes any water-based media, which includes acrylic, inks and gouache (note it does NOT state that watersoluble oil paint is acceptable!). My own feeling is that it should also state that all works should be on paper - but it doesn't. It would also be nice if the rules made it clear that sketchbooks are also eligible for submission.

Cornish Coastline Sketchbook by Sarah Wimperis - selected for the 2017 STWC Exhibition

This blog post is about the artists whose work was selected. The aim is to give those aspiring to being selected some sort of idea of the range of people who actually achieve selection.

There are 78 artists listed below -with links to their websites in their names and mini bios where info is available online. (See that's why you have a website!).

• 9 artists have got more than one painting in the exhibition and two of them are Lilias August and Camilla Dowse.  
• This year I've indicated which artists selected in 2017 were also selected in previous years.  STWC indicates previous years selected for this competitionAs you can see although there are a very few artists who are regularly selected, there's been a fairly significant 'turnover' and there are artists in the exhibition this year who weren't in last year - and quite a few of those have never been selected before. 
• There are NINE artists marked with an *  who have been selected at least three times prior to 2017. This means just over 11% of this year's artists have been selected more than 3 times - and the vast majority have never been selected before at all - meaning this competition is wide open to future applicants in 2018!

So - as you can tell from the social media posts below there are some pretty pleased artists out there!

I also make a prediction about a future winner in this blog post - see if you can spot which artist I predict will win this prize at some point.

If you'd like your pic included in this post, please send it to me. You can contact me via my "Contact Page" at the top of the blog or the link in the side column.

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• Roger Allen - STWC : Selected in 2016 and 2015. Based in Derbyshire and paints the Derbyshire landscape using a traditional technique of overlaid washes in watercolour. 
• Lillias August RI - One of my favourite watercolour artists - I've rarely seen anything she exhibits that I don't like. Studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, London then did a postgraduate course in The History of Art and Design. Exhibited in STWC (when Singer & Friendlander) in 2001. Elected a member of the RI in 2006 and has been a prizewinner at RI exhibitions in 2002, 05, 06, 10 & 17 - but she's not somebody who normally enters competitions. She has a solo show at The Old Fire Engine House, Ely later this year (3 – 26 November). She has been working on a series of unmade beds. 

The inspiration came from walking round a house that I was renting with my family. It was very quiet. They had all gone out for a walk and there were just these ‘remains of where they had been’ and I found it very moving. The subject matter is naturally evocative – I want the paintings to be dark and still, slightly brooding but peaceful. Technically the method of painting has been rather brooding too with paint being layered on and lifted off in stages to create a muted, soft yet strong, effect.

• Debbie Ayles - Based near Colchester in Essex. Participating in Open Studios in September. Difficult to summarise her work.

Civilisation, Cultures and Collaboration - the BBC Arts Agenda

Civilisation, Cultures and Collaboration seem to be the dominant themes of plans for the arts - and art - on the BBC in 2017/18 - as indicated in the BBC Annual Plan for 2017/18

The BBC’s mission in arts has always been to nurture artists and organisations, create great art and engage the widest possible spectrum of audiences. 

Highlights for Art on the BBC

The Brexit Lesson has been well and truly learned by the chattering classes amongst the London Elite at BBC Centre!

The BBC is determined to rise to the challenge of better reflecting and representing a changing UK. The biggest investment in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for decades has recently been announced and will be implemented over the next three years. BBC publishes Annual Plan for 2017/18

Key points are:

• Culture UK and Collaboration - Recent launch of 
• an ambitious new Culture UK partnership with the British Council, the Arts Councils of England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and Creative Scotland with a view to energising audiences, artists and the creative industries across the UK. You can read more about Culture UK here

Culture UK represents an unprecedented new level of collaboration for the BBC, and it will deliver at least three big landmark moments a year, starting this autumn with poetry.

Culture UK - Looking very white, very middle aged and very middle class!

Darren Henley (Chief Executive of Arts Council England), Jenny Niven (Creat)ive Scotland), Tony Hall (Director of the BBC), Jonty Claypole (Director of BBC Arts), Nick Capaldi (Chief Executive, Arts Council of Wales) and Noireen Mckinney (Director of Arts Development, Arts Council of Northern Ireland)

"We’ve come together because we want the UK to be the most culturally engaged and creative country in the world, where everybody, wherever they come from, can take part. There are real challenges that make working together more necessary and more urgent than ever. Culture is one of the things that unites us all and expresses our identity. We ignore that at our peril.” Tony Hall, Director of the BBC

• a £4m Artists First commissioning budget and change to how the BBC commissions arts programming - to enable the BBC to be more open to artists and arts organisations.

• Civilisations – a major season across television, radio and online telling the story of art from the dawn of human history to the present day, for the first time on a global scale. This will 
• A landmark nine-part series on BBC Two - remaking the original version and adding in civilisations from Asia to the Americas, Africa as well as Europe.
• accompanied by programming on BBC Four, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 - as well as digital partnerships with cultural organisations across the UK.

Civilisations will explore the visual culture of societies from around the globe, revealing alongside the magnificent objects made in the West the wealth of treasures created by other cultures, from the landscape scrolls of classical China and the sculpture of the Olmecs to African bronzes, Japanese prints and Mughal miniatures.
Civilisations will have three presenters, each bringing their own skills and perspectives to the series:

• Simon Schama, an art historian with a breadth of experience and authority second to none, will present six programmes, reflecting the wide-ranging nature of his expertise and his extensive knowledge of global art
• Mary Beard, the well-known Cambridge classicist, will present two programmes which put the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome into a much wider context, using early material from China, Iran and Mexico
• Historian and writer David Olusoga, who is also making two programmes, will call upon his expertise in Empire, military history and the relationships between global cultures

David Olusoga, Mary Bear and Simon Schama

• An article in the Radio Times (November 2016) indicates that Landmark BBC series Civilisations “delayed until 2018” 
• PS For those with iPlayer, you can still watch 13 episodes of Civilisation - the first time round, presented by Kenneth Clark
• BBC Two will also celebrate 
• the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy and 
• the art of Picasso. 
• Continuing to showcase Hull as the UK City of Culture 2017 over the coming months, with hundreds of hours of coverage of Hull 2017
• Regular programming
• Saturday nights on BBC Two will be the new focal point for arts built around a key 9pm slot with a landmark documentary or collaboration 
• Topical arts programmes across BBC Radio include Front Row and regular coverage on TV programming through shows like Artsnight. 
• Landmark content includes significant artist-led documentaries or profiles such as Imagine... 
• a further series of the popular Fake or Fortune strand will return to BBC One.

The above comes from Media Packs published by the BBC - explaining its Annual Plan and Culture UK

Personally, it seems to me that the hand of Nicholas Serota - now the NEW CEO of the Arts Council - can be seen all over the plans for Culture UK although he doesn't get a mention in this plan or announcements.

However back in the 2015 Plan he is quoted as follows

This partnership will give audiences, people in this country and an international audience, an unprecedented opportunity to see work by major companies, by emerging companies, and by young artists. It’s a great platform to show what’s vital, exciting and special about what’s happening in the United Kingdom today
Sir Nicholas Serota, (then) Director, Tate

However he was talking about "The Ideas Service" a new UK Arts Platform. I'm just left wondering if this morphed into Culture UK?

National Open Art Competition 2017 - extends deadline to 23rd July

The National Open Art Competition 2017 - for artwork in various media, including digital, photography and the moving image - has extended its deadline to 23rd July. It may well appeal to those who feel that:

• their art doesn't get given a fair review in other competitions 
• art competitions always involve the judges rewarding those they know

See below as to why. There again there are other things one needs to know about the National Open Art competition....

For example, two years ago in National Open Art Competition 2015 - Final Call for Entries i commented that

Other than the fact THEY DO NOT EXPLAIN:

• why the art competition exists!
• what the prizes are!

....they've got a well organised website which provides answers to all the "other"  FAQs  - click the link for the full answer. My brief version follows the question

• Who can enter? - amateur and professional artists resident or work based in the UK and Ireland
• How do I enter? - Online - but register for your age group first
• How much does it cost? - £20 per submission (£12 for under 24s)
• What are the deadlines? - midnight on 23rd July 2017
• What can I enter? - unusually includes categories often banned from other exhibitions
• Paintings
• Drawings
• Miniature Drawings, Paintings or Wall Hung Installations
• Original Prints
• Photography
• Wall Hung Installations
• Digital art
• Moving Image
• What's new for 2017? - reduced cost for young artists
• Promotion Codes - I guess you'd have used them by now if you had one!
• Can I enter reproduction prints? - No
• What are the size limitations? - varies by age group and type of art (see detailed response)
• What constitutes a miniature? - an inconsistent explanation ie Surface area should be no more than 100cm squared - but dimensions should be no more than 11.5cm x 15cm for Rectangles and Ovals, 11.5cm x 11.5cm for Square or 11cm in diameter for Circles!
• What information is required for the work? - maximum statement about work ONLY must not exceed 30 words (no personal details) + media, title, price etc
• I’ve made a mistake, how do I correct it? Get it right before you submit as errors cannot be corrected
• Do I have to sell my work? - Yes - unless by children or a moving image - at a sensible and affordable market pri
• Do I have to have a CV? - Preferably - and preferably in pdf format
• I’m having problems registering, who do I contact? Amanda or Anne as per website
• I have a problem with the photo of my work – who do I contact? Amanda or Anne as per website
• How is the judging done? - Anonymously - initially by digital screening followed by selection from c.500 images by judges for 2nd round to produce 150 images for exhibition

They do not know who the artists are, whether you are male or female, how old you are, where in the UK or Ireland you come from or live, your background, your education or your training, if any. We do not brief the judges and we do not dictate any percentage or quota for each category (e.g. painting, photography, drawing or young artists’ work). The only condition we ask of our judges is that if they recognise an artist they know or are familiar with, that they make their position known and withdraw from the selection process of that piece, leaving the decision to the remaining panel. 36 reasons to enter the National Open Art Competition.

• How do I send my work for the second round of judging? - send work in an ArtPakk, via courier if needed
• The important “small print” - as per usual don't skip the small print!  Or don't complain....

Finalists will be announced in late September and the winners revealed at the Private View and Prize Giving this Autumn.

Exhibition

The exhibition will be held in...

A vast, untouched four-storey industrial building will host the 21st National Open Art Exhibition. Bargehouse is an exciting atmospheric space on London’s fast moving South Bank and Bankside areas and sister building to the iconic landmark, Oxo Tower which stands proud on the cultural path between the National Theatre and Tate Modern.

This is a Video of the 2016 Exhibition

NOA Awards 2016 from ProAction Creative on Vimeo.

Reasons to Enter

This is the link to the article which suggests 36 reasons to enter the National Open Art Competition.

Personally I've always felt very ambivalent about it - and that's because the website doesn't address basic questions.

ING Discerning Eye 2017 - Call for Entries

This is about the Call for Entries for the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2017 at the Mall Galleries in November.

Below you can find:

• information about the exhibition
• a note about the judges - with links to their websites
• a summary of information about prizes
• Call for Entries - How to Enter: 
• a summary of the information for artists e.g. who can enter what etc.
• information about the deadlines and dates and where to find information about regional collection points
• links to websites and my blog posts showing images of the art selected and hung in past exhibitions for those unfamiliar with this art competition.

About the exhibition

The ING Discerning Eye Exhibition is a show of small works independently selected by six prominent figures from different areas of the art world: two artists, two collectors and two critics

Michael Glover's exhibition in 2016

The exhibition is unusual for a number of reasons

• it's a very large exhibition with c.600 artworks spread across all three galleries in the Mall Galleries.  In 2016, a record 724 works by 403 artists were exhibited.
• However, the exhibition is actually six small and diverse exhibitions - of small and varied artwork
• one for each selector/curator - who are two artists, two art collectors and two art critics who all operate independently
• each small exhibition (of c.100+ works) represents the individual interests, taste and style of that individual curator
• all works selected are SMALL works - drawings, paintings, fine art prints and sculpture
• In order to get selected you just have to please one selector
• Selectors can also invite artists whose work they like as well as selecting artists from the open entry. This sometimes works to the disadvantage of the open entry if a selector leans very heavily towards artists they know/favour and have invited to exhibit (as has happened on occasion in the past eg one educator selected all her students!)
• This is a rare opportunity for works by lesser-known artists to be hung alongside contributions from better known artists.
• Finally - all works are for sale.

The 2017 ING Discerning Eye Exhibition will be open to the public from Thursday 16 November until Sunday 26 November, between 10am and 5pm daily, at the Mall Galleries.

Admission is free - and it's certainly an exhibition that I recommend people going to see.

Dan Coombs exhibition in 2016

Prizes

There are more prizes this year and the value of other prizes have changed. The 2017 exhibition prizes are:

• ING Purchase Prize - £5,000
• DE Founder's Purchase Prize - £2,500 - in honour of Michael Reynolds
• DE Chairman's Purchase Prize - £1,000
• Meynell Fenton Prize - £1,000
• Humphreys Purchase Prize - £750
• Wright Purchase Prize - £500
• DE Sculpture and 3D Work Prize - £250
• St Cuthberts Mill Award
• Regional Prizes of £250 each awarded to outstanding entries from the regions

Sacha Craddock's exhibition in 2016

Who are the Selectors/Curators in 2017?

The 2017 Judges/Curators are a curious bunch!

Artists

artwork by one of the judges - Anne Magill

• Elmo Hood - a self-taught artist who creates colourful work using stencils, spray paint and acrylic (pop art meets graffiti!). 
• Anne Magill - born in Ireland; studied at St. Martin’s School of Art. Initially a commercial artist; moved into fine art in 1992. Has an international following

Collectors

• Ellen Bertrams Curator of the ING Collection. Specialised in art policy and management at the University of Amsterdam. 
• Miranda Richardson - acclaimed actress (Golden Globe Awards and Academy Award nominations). Best known to a certain generation for her role of Queenie in Blackadder. Films have included 'Tom & Viv', 'Empire of the Sun', 'The Crying Game', and 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'. 

Critics

• Nicola Coleby - an art historian, with a particular interest in modern and contemporary art. Works at the Royal Pavilion & Museums in Brighton & Hove.
• Simon Tait - a freelance journalist, writer and editor; formerly arts correspondent of 'The Times'. 

Chris Orr's exhibition in 2016

Call for Entries

The really important information is highlighted in red below.

Who can enter?

ONLY artists who were born or are currently resident in the UK.

What kind of artwork is eligible?

• all artwork must be an original creation by the artist. This usually means the artist must be able to assert copyright (i.e. the work is not derivative) and the work has not been copied from another artwork or photograph.
• Painting, prints, drawing, photography and sculpture are all accepted. 
• Maximum size limit: 20 inches / 50 cms INCLUDING THE FRAME. (3D – 20” x 20” x 20” (50 x 50 x 50 cm) including base/stand). Works exceeding these dimension in any direction will be rejected.
• All works must be for sale. This is essential / not optional. 
• Up to six works can be submitted for competition.

What sort of framing is acceptable?

There are very specific requirements as to framing and presentation for hanging. Don't let your work get rejected because you didn't read the small print!

Frames and mounts of unusual colour, size or design may prejudice the selectors’ judgement.

What does it cost?

• Entry fees are £15 per work - payable when works are delivered. However you can reduce or eliminate this by 
• registering and paying online in advance of the deadline - £12 per entry
• becoming a member of Discerning Eye at a cost of £50p.a. (calendar year) - all entries are free
• PLUS a transport fee of £8 per work if you use a regional collection point
• PLUS Commission is charged at 40% + VAT. Price entered on the entry form is the catalogue selling price from which commission and VAT payable is deducted.

The Discerning Eye is a non-profit making organisation and any monies received go towards the next exhibition. Any sales effected by The Discerning Eye will have priority over a sale effected by the artist.

How to enter

• Deadline for entries is 5pm on Monday 4 September 2017.  There are earlier deadlines for those wanting to submit their work via a regional entry. 
• Paperwork: Download the documentation for entries that you need directly using these links: 
• Entry Schedule
• Labels
• Collection schedule
• Complete and sign the entry schedule - making sure each copy is legible 
• Provide a digital image of each work. This is NOT for selection purposes - rather it's for inclusion in the online catalogue. 
• Label each work LEGIBLY in block capitals and attach to work. Include your regional area to become eligible for a regional prize

How to deliver

• All 2D works should be delivered unwrapped, although corner and edge protection on paintings is permissible. Frames must be able to accept a small screw or nail in the back for hanging purposes
• 3D work should be sent in sturdy cardboard boxes. Do NOT bind wrapping materials with tape or string. 
• Make sure your work is insured (see Insurance for Artists)
• Take your labelled artwork and entry schedule to a regional collection point or 17 Carlton House Terrace by the deadline for that location.
• You can submit direct to the Mall Galleries on 2nd OR 4th September 2016 (between 10am and 5pm)
• Alternatively use the Submission by Post service at a cost £8 (inclusive of VAT) per work. Various dates for various places around England, Scotland and Wales between 24 August and 1 September including:
• England: Berwick-Upon-Tweed; Birmingham; Bristol; Doncaster; Exeter; Kendal; Manchester; Newcastle; Norwich; Penzance; Plymouth; 
• Scotland: Edinburgh; Errol, near Perth/Dundee; Glasgow, Stirling
• Wales: Cardiff; 
• Motorways: M74 & M6 Service Areas

For further details or any queries please contact Parker Harris

• Entry forms and further details are available from: www.parkerharris.co.uk
• on 01372 462190
• or de@parkerharris.co.uk
• or Parker Harris, 15 Church Street, Esher, Surrey KT10 8QS

More about the ING Discerning Eye

The Discerning Eye website maintains an archive of:

• 2016 exhibition archive 
• 2015 exhibition archive

The following are all posts on Making A Mark over the last 10 years.

• Discerning Eye (1990-2016) - which artists have shown the most?

2016

• ING Discerning Eye 2016 - award winners and review
• ING Discerning Eye 2016 - Call for Entries

2015

• ING Discerning Eye 2015 - Call for Entries
• ING Discerning Eye 2015 - Selected Artists
• Prizewinners - ING Discerning Eye 2015
• Review ING Discerning Eye 2015

2014

• ING Discerning Eye 2014 - Call for Entries
• Video of the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2014

2013

• Jeremy Gardiner wins ING Discerning Eye Prize 2013
• ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2013 - a review18 Nov 2013

2012

• ING Discerning Eye 2012 - Selected Artists 01 Oct 2012
• Owen Bullet wins £5000 ING Discerning Eye Prize 21 Nov 2012

2011

• ING Discerning Eye 2011 - Selected Artists 12 Sep 2011
• ING Discerning Eye - selected artists archive published 11 Aug 2011

2010

• ING Discerning Eye 2010 - selected artists 25 Sep 2010
• REVIEW: The ING Discerning Eye exhibition 18 Nov 2010

2009

• Exhibition Review - ING Discerning Eye 2009 16 Nov 2009

2008

• Who's been selected for the ING Discerning Eye 2008? 10 Sep 2008
• ING Discerning Eye 2008 - Prizewinners 15 Nov 2008
• ING Discerning Eye 2008 - a review 13 Nov 2008

2007

• ING Discerning Eye at the Mall Galleries 24 Nov 2007

The Encounter: Drawings from Leonardo to Rembrandt - review

Last week I visited The Encounter: Drawings from Leonardo to Rembrandt  - the first ever exhibition of portrait drawings by European Old Masters at the National Portrait Gallery.

Drawings by Holbein

It shows forty-eight portrait drawings by artists who worked in Europe in the 15 and 16th centuries and shows how they moved away from copying "pattern books" to making drawings from observation.

The exhibition includes some of the hidden treasures of Britain’s finest collections, as the drawings’ sensitivity to light means they cannot be put on regular display.

This is not a blockbuster type of exhibition - but it does fill two rooms and a couple of ante rooms - and it does include some very special drawings.

The exhibition opened to the public on Thursday 13th July and runs until 22 October 2017.

This is my review. You can find links to reviews by others at the end of this post.

(Left) Dr Tarnya Coooper and (right) Dr Charlotte Bolland

The exhibition has been three years in the making and has been co-curated by

• the National Portrait Gallery’s Curatorial Director Dr Tarnya Cooper, and 
• its Collections Curator, 16th Century, Dr Charlotte Bolland.

They gave an excellent tour of the exhibition and, if you're interested in portrait drawings, I suggest you book up for The Encounter: an Exhibition in the Making (on Thursday 27 July, at 7pm. ) in which the co-curators talk about the process of creating an exhibition like this - with loans from all sorts of prestigious collections.

What's interesting about this exhibition?

Drawings were selected to record different types of connections between sitters and artists. Interestingly because they are also drawings and not paintings, they record a wider group of people than we are used to seeing in portraits from the same era.

Some of the people depicted in these portraits can be identified, such as the emperor’s chaplain or the king’s clerk, but many are the faces from the street – the nurse, the shoemaker, and the artist’s friends and pupils in the studio – whose likenesses were rarely captured in paintings during this period. 

Highlights of the exhibition include

• 15 drawings generously lent by Her Majesty The Queen from the Royal Collection, including eight portraits by Hans Holbein the Younger; 
• a group of drawings produced in the Carracci studio from Chatsworth; and 
• the British Museum’s preparatory drawing by Albrecht Dürer for a lost portrait of Henry Parker, Lord Morley, who had been sent to Nuremberg as ambassador by King Henry VIII.

You are greeted by this wonderful Holbein Drawing

John Godsalve
by Hans Holbein the Younger c.1532-4
black and red chalk, ink, bodycolour and white heightening on prepared paper
Copyright: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017 | Royal Collection Trust

The exhibition is constructed around a number of themes which are: