Watercolourists: Call For Entries 2011

Two "Call for Entries" reminders for watercolourists in the UK - and abroad!

Royal Watercolour Society

First off - Wednesday 12th January 2011 is the deadline for entry form/fee payment.  Work has to be submitted in February.  So if you've forgotten to do your form now is the time to get your skates on - you've still got time to email your entry to them today.

Back in October I did the Call for Entries post which you can find here Call for Entries: Royal Watercolour Society Open Competition 2011.  This includes everything else you need to know.

Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours

The 199th Annual Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours at the Mall Galleries will be held at the Mall Galleries opens on 30th March. You can subit work at the end of this month.

Who can submit artwork?

The competition is "Open" meaning that non-members of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour are allowed to submit work.

What to submit

The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours are uinterested in painting in all watersoluble mediums.  They define a watercolour painting as:

A painting made using water soluble media, on a paper based support.

• Acceptable media:  Watercolour or any water soluble colour, any use of acrylic must be handled as a watercolour. Paintings must be under glass and should not be executed on hardboard. 
• Framing:  The Mall Galleries give full information about their framing requirements in the Registration Pack
• All pictures must be securely framed. 
• Frames should be stout enough to withstand mirror plating for hanging purposes. 
• No hooks are required for hanging purposes and there should be no projections whatsoever from the back of the frames. This is to prevent damage to other works. 
• Metal frames and clip frames are inadmissible. 
• Glazed works with unprotected glass edges are inadmissible. 
• Non reflective glass is unacceptable. 
• Frames and mounts of an unusual colour, size or design may prejudice the chance of hanging.
• The website indicates that it's expected that an image will be isolated from the frame using a mount.  However I'm sure works last year which had no mount and it's certainly the fashion at present of finding other ways of isolating the work from the glazing.
  
• Previous exhibitions:  Paintings entered should be recent work that has not previously been shown in London
• Number of works:  A maximum of six works may be submitted. A maximum of four works will be selected for exhibition
• Size of work:  The Mall Galleries state "We cannot receive pictures taller than 2.4m (8ft), please call in advance if your work exceeds this"
• Availability for Sale:  All works must be for sale. All sales of a work by the Mall galleries - after the registration form has been submitted - take precdence over all private sales.
• Prices:  Minimum price £300.  The price entered on the Entry Form is the catalogue selling price. Prices should include gallery commission (including tax of 45% plus VAT) and VAT if the artist is VAT registered.

You can review my blog posts about previous exhibitions below.  These include gallery shots of works in the exhibition and links to the websites of prizewinning artists.

• Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours Annual Exhibition 2007 
• Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours Annual Exhibition 2008 
• Exhibition: RI Painters in Watercolour (2010)

Awards / Prizes 

There are numerous prizes which include

• The Turner Watercolour Award of £2,500, 
• Winsor & Newton/RI Members’ Group Award, 
• RI/Winsor & Newton Young Artists Award (aged under 30), 
• Worshipful Company of Painter Stainers – Stoke Roberts’ Bursary Award of £1,000, 
• The Debra Manifold Memorial Award presented by the Linda Blackstone Gallery, 
• The Donald Blake Award and The Rowland Hilder Award presented by Lincoln Joyce Fine Art, 
• Frank Herring & Sons Easel Awards, 
• St Cuthberts Mill Award, 
• The Arts Club Award, 
• The Matt Bruce RI Memorial Award, 
• The Ranelagh Press Award, 
• The Buzzacott Award.

Entry Costs and Commission

• The fee for each work submitted is £10 for each painting.
• A commission of 45% (plus VAT) is charged on the price paid for work or copyrights sold during or as a result of the exhibition, or on commissioned work (unless otherwise advised) arranged through the Exhibition Administrators. 

How to submit

• Works plus completed registration form, labels and submission fee have to be delivered unpacked to the Mall Galleries' basement administrative offices at: 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD - or to one of the regional pickup points. Select this link for information on regional handing-in points.
• The Mall Galleries Registration Form must accompany all works. 
• The rules and regulations in the Registration Form and the Mall Galleries Registration Pack are binding. 
• The Form and Registration Pack can be acquired from:  Federation of British Artists, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD (please enclose a stamped, self addressed envelope)
• Receiving Days: Works can only be accepted on the receiving day(s) stated.  Friday 28 January and Saturday 29 January 2011, 10am-5pm. 
• Collection of unaccepted work: Saturday 12 February or Wednesday 16 February, 10am-5pm
• Collection of unsold exhibition work: Thursday 14 April , 10am-5pm    
• Insurance: Artists are strongly advised to insure their own work

Sales

The Exhibition dates 2011 start with the Private View on Tuesday 29 March.  The exhibition then opens to the public: Wednesday 30 March, 10am-5pm including weekends and closes on Sunday 10 April, 3pm

• All sales and payment for exhibited work will be handled by the Mall Galleries.
• A commission of 45% plus VAT will be charged. Don't forget the VAT rate went up to 20% on 4th January 2011) 
• Selling prices quoted on the form must include commission, VAT + framing costs.

If a painting sells for £300, the gallery will get 45% (ie £135) plus VAT on the £135 (ie £27) making a total deduction of £162 leaving the artist with £138.

Will you be submitting work this year?