Review: Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2026

Apologies for this late review of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2026. 

Post shoulder replacement sirgery, I'm still one finger typing - with the index finger on left hand holding down the shift key periodically - which is frustrating. Plus I ended up very tired from all my necessary outings last week and seem to be having another spate of surgery brain week this week - which makes getting started and writing anything difficult!

So this is going to be a short post. I may add to it later as I remember points I've forgotten!

If you'd like to see this exhibition, it's on at the Mall Galleries until Tuesday 19th May.

It comprises 208 paintings and drawings.

You can see 

• who won the awards in this blog post Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2026 | Award Winners
• my photos of the exhibition in albums on my Facebook Page. I try to snap every portrait in the exhibition - and then split them into albums by location
• East Gallery
• North Gallery

Just the West Gallery to go..... this is what it looked like last Sunday

view of the West Gallery

Key Points of Difference

I'm going to summarise what I saw as being the main differences from previous exhibitions

• It was another diverse and well hung exhibition. However it was only after I left and I started thinking about what was different that I realised the look of most of the exhibition has moved a very, very long way from the "stuffed shirt" main gallery that used to be the norm for very many years i.e. lots of commissioned portraits of eminent people in the government, forces, courts and education in very formal poses.

• there are still formal commissions - but most are so much more relaxed. Particularly as there are so many more women being portrayed in commissions! I particularly liked the two large portraits below - both by Jamie Routley RP

Two large naturalistic portraits by Jamie Routley

(left) Les Soeurs (The Sisters) by Jamie Routley RP 

Oil on linen, 100x110cm (105x115cm framed)

(right) The Winding Stair - Jesse Norman MP by Jamie Routley RP 

Oil on linen, 105x105cm (110x110cm framed)

• In part, I think this might well be because the artists are encouraging their clients to think out of the box rather than repeat "same as the last whoever" type portraits
• it really helps those who potentially want to commission - and make no mistake, this is primarily a marketing exhibition for RP members.
• I highly recommend, if there is no potential client in the commissions room at the back of the north Gallery that you have a look at the Commission Portfolio files if you want to see the range and calibre of artist on offer for potential commissions.

Portfolios for member artists and potential commissions

East Gallery - the Candidates Wall

• The East Gallery is a very high standard - and includes two former BP Portrait Award winners who are not RP members as artists selected from the open entry
• Wim Heldens (2011) - who I never met as I was "painting in Provence" - see Review: BP Portrait Award Exhibition 2011
• Craig Wylie (2008) - see Craig Wylie wins BP Portrait Award 2008 - which I remember very well as it was my first BP Portrait Awards night and the Chinese artist who won Young Artist of the Year beamed at me and said he read my blog before he tried again after missing out on selection the previous year!
  
• There's a fourth in the West Gallery! (see below)
• NOTE: There are three more BP Portrait Award winners in the exhibition - who are all RP members (Now HSF Award)
• Benjamin Sullivan RP (2017)
• Miriam Escofet RP (2018)
• Antony Williams NEAC VPRP (2024)

The two small paintings by the two former BP winners via the open entry are on this wall

• If you want to get noticed paint a very old artist. Which is what Neale Worley NEAC RP did in painting the centenarian figurative painter and multi award winner Anthony Eyton OBE RA RWA RWS - who is 103 next Sunday adnd has been painting for nearly 90 years! Neale won the President's Award for his effort. It's a very good painting - Anthony visits the Mall Galleries periodically and I saw him recently. Neale has also made a film about him.

SHOULDER REPLACEMENT: Half Way

It's now been three weeks since surgery ie HALF WAY through the official recovery period of sling wearing!  Pain has reduced and arm mobility is getting better. My one hand one finger typing is also getting faster! I can manage a left hand index finger on the Shift Key!

Last week was a big week for me as I went out five times on my own:

• Tuesday: Two week checkup with the clinical team at the Royal London:
• x-ray was done - which revealed nothing of concern
• silicon dressing came off, wound was inspected - looked very neat and nicely glued!
• bruises are now reducing and at the yellow stage
• my next appointment in six weeks time was booked
• Walked 2 miles back home from the hospital - along the quiet roads - photographing plants in season as I do most days on my walks

Laburnum tree in the Cemetery Park - as seen on my walk back from the hospital on Monday.
Probably Scottish Laburnum (Laburnum alpinum)

• Wednesday: In the afternoon I visited the extended Private View for the Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. 
• Very civilised! Spreading the PV over several hours means there's more space to see the artwork on the walls. 
• Managed nearly three hours and took some photos.

Not quite time for the formal opening of the exhibition, speeches and awards ceremony
- but filling up

• Thursday: Visit to the Royal London again - this time to see the Physio
• reviewed the situation with me and how I was coping 
• added four more exercises to the my daily seven.
• Walked 2 miles back home from the hospital - along the quiet roads - taking more photos plants in season.  This habit started during Covid when I developed my Plants in Isolation series.
  

Iris foetidissima (Stinking Iris) in one of the parks I walk through

• Friday: Attended the May Meeting / AGM of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society - at the Physic Garden which comprised:
• a wonderful talk about the strategic aims and future development of the garden within the context of a huge number of regulatory practices for a botanic garden by Emily Hazell, Head of Plant Collections
• send off for our Chair and Plant List Organiser
• AGM - at which I presented my Treasurer's report

The CPGFS Committee at the AGM 2026
My seat as Treasurer is on extreme left - but here I'm in unofficial archivist photographer mode

• Sunday: I returned to the Mall Galleries to take more photos of the RSPP Annual Exhibition and to see the exhibition with fewer people around.
• Bumped into Gail Reid, one of the past PAOTY Heat Winners - see Review: Episode 2 Portrait Artist of the Year (Series 10)
• who I've highlighted on this blog for her very useful posts about preparing for PAOTY - READ my blog post about her blog post about Preparing for Portrait Artist of the Year - Gail Reid shares her experience and tips.

A selfie with Gail Reid, Gail operating my phone!

This week is a much quieter week and I'll hopefully get some blogging done.

Next week, on Friday morning, me and my sling will be stewarding at the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society Stand in the Great Pavilion at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. 

My visit to the RSPP Annual Exhibition was by way of a test to see if I could cope!

More travels with my sling (my official “don’t bump into me” sign!) to come....

SHOULDER REPLACEMENT: Two Weeks Later

It feels a bit odd to think two weeks ago, I'd been awake for four hours after completely out for the count for five hours, due to my shoulder replacement surgery having a major hiccup.

Tomorrow I go to see my Consultant at the Royal London who is part of a Barts NHS Trust team which focuses solely on trauma, elective shoulder, elbow, and hand surgery.  It's always nice to know they do these all the time!

What's changed?

• Pain is not quite so bad. I still take painkillers last thing at night - with the hope of a decent night's sleep plus when I need them during the day - but have stopped the routine four times a day.
• The alarming bruising is disappearing fast - from black to dark crimson to light crimson to hardly there
• I don't feel quite so post anaesthetic tired as I did for the first two weeks
• Actual sleep is still very variable but if active I don't get wiped out in the afternoon quite so much.
• The dressing is trying to come off - and my allergic itch is raring to go.
• Bought a second sling so that I can wash the first one. (Both by Willcom). this blue one is better for colder days. The first one I got is better when you need a more lightweight breathable sling for warm/hot days - experienced last week.
• the correct way to wear the sling remains a bit of a mystery after reading the diagrams and watching the videos. 
• Trying this new one with a different set-up.

my new second sling - which has a back strap (like my white one) which distributes weight better. 

• Developed a new wheeze this morning so I could wash my hair. 
• Took the sling off
• Tied my arm to my side using a belt - so I wouldn't make any "brain programmed to do this" movements - and it worked really well
• JR did squeezing shampoo into my hand and the big final rinse plus towelling dry my hair and then shaping a towel turban - and I was able to do everything else.

The Shampoo Belt! 

• Doing exercises pays dividends re movement and pain levels.  I'm not very good at the three times a day regular as clockwork - but I do more twice a day as I get changed to make up. 
• Doing regular walks is also helping - not least because it gets me outside! Not walking as far as normal - only did 15 miles last week - but this was an increase on the previous week! 
• I still cannot centre my bun - but at least it's up.

I walked 15 miles in week 2

This week I'm doing a lot of outings!

• Tuesday - see my consultant at Royal London - plus (I'm guessing I also get an x-ray to check what it looks like inside; plus they take the dressing off to take a look at the wound. I'm pretty sure I've got dissolving hypoallergenic stitches)
• Wednesday - go to Private View of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition at the Mall Galleries
• Thursday - start seeing the therapists re recovery of functionality and yet more exercises to do
• Friday - delivering my Treasurer's report to the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society AGM

I'm hoping I've got the energy for all of this - but will be erring on the side of caution rather than being silly.

I reckon I'll have earned a treat after all that! ;)

SURGERY + 11 Days Summary aka "it's a bit of a struggle!"

LEFT SHOULDER REPLACEMENT SURGERY + 11 Days

SUMMARY

Bottom line - it's a struggle but getting easier to cope with as the days go by. However immobilised on one side is no "walk in the park"!

• pain under control, so long as I remember/take meds on time! (plus logged on my medication record on Apple Health - to avoid not remembering what I've taken. Surgery was complicated.  From "going under" to "waking up back in recovery" took five hours so my brain is not great on memory right now
• my large haematoma above elbow crease much improved - gone from dense black to pale crimson. Icing works!
• discovered that the whole of the back of arm plus half left under boob is yet another big bruise - which oddly does not hurt! 
• doing my 7 exercises every day
• walking locally once a day.
• I am still getting/am VERY tired most of the time - and getting used to operating at about half normal speed
• took a week for me to get a decent night’s sleep - in my riser recliner so I’m immobilised (can’t roll on surgery arm) plus much much easier to get into sleep position and get up
• am managing - at a stretch - to get my hair up each day, but it involves neck contortions, head between my knees and one handed grip application. I now specialise in the slightly off centre bun!
• getting better at getting dressed and undressed - but it’s very, very, very slow (and tedious). no point in rushing. 
• Tank tops with built in boob support are a godsend! 
• Only very thin layers fit inside the immobilisation sling.
• Do NOT need/do shoulder surgery in winter - because you cannot get a coat on!

not the most flattering selfie I've ever taken!
just finished getting dressed / doing hair - hence grumpy face after long struggle
this is about as thick as the clothing layers can get
note the hair!

• No idea what I’m going to do if it rains (dump the stick so I can hold umbrella? Dump immobiliser so I can get in raincoat? Buy a waterproof poncho? Get very wet?). At the moment, any indication of rain means I cannot go out.
• getting better at cooking one handed - helped by fact left hand works (but doesn’t move so everything needs to be brought to it). Food has to be “eating with a fork or spoon” standard. Other than microwave (pasta / curries), my hot food is limited to frying two fried eggs with two buttermilk pancakes in film of butter - both of which I can cut up (sort of). When JR cooks for me, my plate arrives with all food cut up to fork sized pieces. 

four minute lunch

Next week I'll be back at art exhibitions - starting with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2026 at the Mall Galleries.  

• I'll be at the PV on Wednesday
• although earlier in the day and will be avoiding crowds at speeches/awards ceremony.

I can just about use a computer one handed - so I'll be trying to do some posts. Probably short.

my first tube ride - one stop only!

UPDATE: Artist of the Year 2026 Heat 2

A few updates following my visit to the afternoon session of the second heat of Portrait Artist of the Year 2026 at Battersea Arts Centre yesterday.

• numbers attending have increased a LOT since I last went to a heat. 
• I have lots of photos of the heat - which will NOT be posted until this episode is televised - except for a couple which are nothing to do with the art (see below). 
• They will enable all those applying for 2027 to see what it's really like when in terms of the other people on the set in the three "cheeses" (ie segments of the set)
• IMPORTANT NOTE: All those attending are welcome to take photos but are asked not to post them until after the episodes aired - so as not to spoil the episodes for viewers.
• I spotted one post on X yesterday by somebody who attended Heat 1 - who obviously hadn't got the message. I showed it to the Sky Arts people who will be contacting her.
• The era of long flowery dresses appears to be well and truly over. Yesterday we had short and very short pant suits and short socks (re The NEW Portrait Artist of the Year Judges)

front to back: The JUDGES: Katy Hessel, Eva Langret, Jonathan Yeo

• I will be making lengthy comments on colour and tone re this heat.
• I am surprised to report that Jonathan Yeo makes some very sound points.
• The Judges are generally quietly spoken and it's very difficult to hear what they say - so if you're going to future heats, I recommend you get as close as possible to where they stand to hear their comments when judging.
• Heat 2 will cause a major controversy when televised as whatever episode (they never broadcast in the order filmed) 
• the two people operating the Sky Big Boom Rig (the one that does the overhead and perspective shots) are two small women called Rachel and Capri! I was very seriously impressed with their control and navigation.
• This is the Smallrig Phone Rig (this one??) used by the chap taking pics for the Artist of the Year social media pages. 

Smallrig iPhone Rig for video and image capture while holding a mobile phone

• Ferne Cotton will be the Presenter for Landscape Artist of the Year 2027 (and won't appear in Portrait Artist of the Year at all)

the seating area in the very nice cafe

• Practical munching TIP: The ravenous hordes attending the morning session eliminated virtually all food in the very nice cafe at the Battersea Arts Centre. You would be well advised to bring your own lunch if travelling for an afternoon session

That's your lot of the edited highlights of Heat 2!