SGFA and SOFA - exhibitions in September 2007

Keeping An Eye On Me (for sale)
10" x 8" coloured pencil on Legion Black Cover Paper
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Get ready for some horn tooting!

Fellow Fine Line Artist, Gayle Mason and I will hopefully be making a mark on the exhibition scene in central London during September.

Society of Feline Art - 12th Annual London Exhibition

Both Gayle and I have each had three works selected by Gillian Llewellyn-Lloyd of the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery for the 12th Annual Exhibition by the Society of Feline Artists.

The annual Exhibition for The Society of Feline Artists takes place at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in London. It features the work of Full and Associate members of SOFA members. On show will be approximately 300 paintings of cats in oil, acrylic, watercolour, pastel and etchings - making it the largest exhibition of cat art in the country.

You can see some of the images - including one of Gayle's (top right hand corner) - below and can also preview some more of the works that will be included in the exhibition on the Gallery's website here.

one of 5 pages of colour images from the Society of Feline Artists Private View Invitation
including Shades of Grey by Gayle Mason (top right)
copyright of all images: the artists

Earlier in the year, Gayle Mason was much more organised than me (actually - there's no contest - Gayle is always super-organised!) and submitted a work back in April for inclusion in the Private View Invitation and Full Colour Brochure of the 12th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Feline Artists at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery from 3rd September until 22nd September. As a result of that and her stunning pencil work, Gayle now has a work in the brochure (see image) - which has proved to be a very great incentive to me to start the auditioning process for kitties very soon so I can get started on the images for next year's exhibition

The SOFA exhibition is a very popular and successful event in the cat world. It is always keenly anticipated by collectors with many works selling at the Private View. As the Private View invitation says

Every aspect of the cat's character is painted - beauty, indepedence, individuality, nobility and of course a touch of mischief......From the sophistication of the superior pedigrees such as the Chinchilla, Persian, Burmese, Birman, Siamese and Abyssinian to the charm of the friendly domestic tabby or tom. From the playful kitten to the wild cat - the styles and techniques are as various as the numbers of different breeds.

All the paintings are for sale with a price range from £80 to £2,500 - with the majority being under £750.

Gayle and I will be at the Private View on Tuesday the 4th of September which will be opened by celebrity vet and Hospital Director (of "Animal Hospital") and SOFA Patron David Grant . The private view will have a champagne reception from 12pm - 3pm with the official opening at 2.15.

Society of Graphic Fine Art

Work has now been selected for the Annual Open Exhibition 2007 of the Society of Graphic Fine Art and I'm pleased to announce I've also got three works being shown at the exhibition at the Menier Gallery (behind Tate Modern on the South Bank) from 11-22nd September.

Gerald Scarfe will open the exhibition at 6.00pm on the Private View Day. and Gillian Llewellyn Lloyd will be judging works for the various awards.

This is the third year that the SGFA has held its Annual Open Exhibition at the Menier Gallery [at 51 Southwark Street, behind Tate Modern]. The exhibition opens with the Private View on Tuesday 11th September and will close at 2.30 pm on Saturday 22nd September. The Private View is open between 10.30 am and 8.30 pm.

Interest in the power and graphic qualities of the drawn line is increasingly evident in both prestigious art exhibitions and educational events at national museums and art galleries. Those visiting this exhibition will see a broad spectrum of fine art drawing from both members of the Drawing Society and the best work selected from open submission.

The SGFA is the only national art society to focus entirely on fine art drawing in a variety of media and the annual exhibition provides a showcase for excellence in fine art drawing. Members of the SGFA work in both traditional and contemporary styles but with a clear emphasis on drawing quality. Acceptable media for exhibition include: charcoal, pencil, pen and ink, etchings, wood engraving, egg tempera, pastels, coloured pencils, and watercolour.

Society President Roger Lewis said: “The Society exists as a focus for those artists who consider drawing expertise to be paramount. I am proud that we can display such fine work to emphasise these skills”.

I'm a member of the SGFA Council and participated in the selection process (but obviously had to retire from the room when it came to my pieces!). I'm going to be writing a blog piece about some of the things I learned from the process which might be helpful to people submitting work for exhibitions coupled with some of the things I've learned from other people and other exhibitions. Watch this space!

Private Views

I shall be at both of the Private Views for the above exhibitions - which are aimed at people who collect - and if you'd like to meet me and/or think you might be interested in seeing any of the work on show and maybe even making a purchase please let me know and I'll let you know the details.

Links:

• Society of Feline Art
• SOFA Annual Exhibition
• Llewellyn Alexander Gallery, 124 - 126 The Cut, Waterloo , London SE1 8LN
  Telephone: 020 7620 1322/4
• Society of Graphic Fine Art
• SGFA Annual Exhibition - Private View details
• Menier Gallery, 51 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU
• Gayle Mason Fine Art
• My website - Pastels and Pencils