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.

A

• 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.

Escalation by Debbie Ayles
acrylic and size (framed) is 70x90cm (framed)

B

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:

Recommendations for a new modem router?

I'm looking for recommendations for a new modem router (which I prefer since it means only one bit of kit to accommodate) for my iMac.

It needs to be

• capable of accessing standard broadband - which I currently use in my study
• capable of accessing fibre broadband should I decide to upgrade
• very reliable connections/performance 
• very secure
• include ethernet
• includes ADSL and an integrated VDSL2 modem

I must confess it's ages since I bought one because last time I bought a very good one and it's lasted me a long time. However it's now time to upgrade (see "the background...." below for why).

Which means I have to get my head round the:

• need to know - re current context and prospects
• what's available
• what's recommended
• what works with normal broadband and fibre - just in case I upgrade the broadband in my study

I'd be very interested to hear recommendations from anybody - particularly if you've updated your set-up recently - about:

• your set-up
• which is the best brand
• which is the best modem router.

I'm also interested in any recommendations as to nifty features that are worth having.

Note: I've currently got a Zyxel P-660R-Tx v2 Series ADSL2+ Access Router which has served me very well for many years!

What my Zyxel modem router does

What's a modem router?

A modem router combines the modem and the router

• the router creates a network between devices in my home
• the modem connects the network to the internet

I prefer this because it means I only have to find space for one bit of kit rather than two.

This article explains it better - What’s the Difference Between a Modem and a Router?

My iMac has an internal modem which means it can connect via wifi to my other (fibre) broadband in another part of my home via the BT Hub - which means when my current set-up is playing up (as mine is at present) that i can still get online - as I am at present!

What's VDSL?

I need to look beyond ADSL2 which is what I've been using so far.  I found this article What’s the difference between ADSL, VDSL and fibre internet?

The background to the current situation

I think I've finally worked out the cause of my current iMac problems - it freezes - except if I disconnect my modem router and my back up hard disc.

After a mammoth session with Applecare Support last week where I did various techie things to try and clear out the source of any software problems, I ended up deciding to try and use the computer by creating a wifi link to my second broadband account - in another part of my home and disconnecting all the hardware. I then worked fine for a week!

So hardware was definitely the source of the problem- but which bit?

I got the answer this morning when having to update some credit card data which I only like doing on an ethernet connection. So I turned my Zyxel back on - and did the transactions and then started to continue as usual - at which point it froze - and I had my answer as to which bit of hardware was causing the problems

So I'm now back on my internal modem and connected to the other broadband.

15th National Students' Art Exhibition - Review

Yesterday I visited the 15th National Students' Art Exhibition. It opened yesterday at the Mall Galleries and continues until 3pm on Saturday 15th July - so quite a short exhibition.

This is a review of what I found - plus some suggestions (at the end) for how next year's exhibition might be made even better, more accessible and more rewarding for school students nationally.

The National Students' Art Exhibition

The exhibition is the only national competition for the display of artwork by secondary school students across the UK.  Artists range in age from 11 to 18 years old and come from schools, colleges and academies.

Students' Artwork in the Threadneedle Space

It has a very basic website and is held under the patronage of the Royal Society of British Artists.

we welcome work from Years 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13, all types of media including sculpture and pure photography

I wasn't entirely sure what I expected to see. However seeing an exhibition fill all the spaces in the Mall Galleries with conviction got me thinking about

• what are its main characteristics and 
• the main differences between this exhibition and the others that I see in these spaces.

This post provides images of the exhibition - and some conclusions about my conclusions as to what were the main similarities and big differences. (You can see more gallery views of the exhibition in an album on its Facebook Page)

Overall, I found the exhibition impressive given the age of the students - and one which might give some other exhibitors some pause for thought in terms of how to get noticed!

Given the exhibits are all by children and young people, the links are to their schools rather than individuals.

This exhibition is......

• more colourful 
• more emotional 
• more energetic and vibrant (some of the paintings were bouncing off the walls)

View of the Main Gallery

Main Gallery exhibits

It includes:

• artwork exhibiting imaginative approaches to how to treat a subject and how to create artwork. It made me think that it's a great exhibition for demonstrating how staid and safe some artists / exhibitions have become.

Through the Trees by Reece Beech (Astor College)
Mixed media lightbox

A very unusual 3D work using perspex, slides and a lightbox.

At Home with dad by Annabelle Trew (Highworth Grammar School)
oil

I loved the perspective of this one - suggesting keeping an eye on Dad!

• unabashed political statements - providing a commentary of the state of the world today (I wish I saw more of these in the exhibitions typically seen in these galleries) 

Visit the Prints and Drawings Room at Tate Britain

This is an explanation of what you can see at the Prints and Drawings room at Tate Britain and what you need to do if you want to visit. Plus a note about archival storage at the end.

What you can see at the Prints and Drawings Room 

Yesterday Coral Guest and I visited to view the Nourishment Portfolio (2002) of Etchings by Michael Landy. (That's the big white box on the table below)

• You can read about the Nourishment project in Artist Project: Hello Weed 
• You can see online what I saw in person - the 12 etchings of meticulous drawings of weeds 

The Prints and Drawings Room at Tate Britain

The Prints and Drawings Room is the place to see works on paper in the Tate Collection which are not on view in the Galleries. It's situated on the 2nd floor of the Clore Gallery - the extension built to house the Turner Bequest.

(Note: It's not very easy to access at the moment as the entrance is closed ( for works) and you have to work your way across from the main entrance at the first floor level - and then take the lift to the second floor.)

The Clore Gallery at Tate Britain - to the right of the main entrance on Millbank

The Prints and Drawings Collection at Tate Britain includes:

• The Turner Bequest - around 30,000 artworks on paper, offering a unique insight into Turner’s methods and travels. The Bequest includes all Turner's sketchbooks (which you can also see online)
• The Oppé Collection - Over 3,000 artworks on paper, including portraits, figurative drawings, and landscapes from the ‘golden age’ of British watercolour painting (1750–1850) - including watercolours by classic British watercolour painters such as Cozens., Towne, Cotman, Cox and Brabrazon and drawings by a variety of artists
• Historic British art - British School art spanning the 16th to the late 19th centuries
• Modern and contemporary prints - Work by several important British and international printmakers, representing media ranging from monotype to digital - including works by Henry Moore, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, Dame Elisabeth Frink,  Peter Blake, Damien Hirst, the Chapman Brothers, Peter Doig and Patrick Caulfield
• Modern and contemporary drawings - Modern and contemporary British and international drawings covering a wide range of genres, aesthetics and styles - including works by Bonnard, Spencer, Hockney, Bacon, Kokoshka.

Basically plug your favourite artist, art medium or topic into the search facility and see what comes up.

If it is a work on paper and it says "view by appointment" then you can see it in the Prints and Drawings Room.

How to visit and see what you want to see

Key Points

• Anybody can access and view the artworks available to "view by appointment:
• However you do need to make an appointment first. That's because the works have to be brought up to the room from Archive storage.  
• You're best advised to decide first what to see - and whether it is available to view (see above)
• Groups of up to 12 can be accommodated with advance notice. 
• Your appointment will be for a specific time slot.
• To make an appointment contact the Prints and Drawings Room via
  
  • email: studyroom@tate.org.uk 
  • or by phone: +44 (0)20 7887 8042

When you visit for the first time you will be asked to register.

• you will be asked to complete a registration form 
• you need to produce one of the following proofs of identity: a passport/national identity card, a driving license or a student card. (I used my "Boris Oystercard" and it wasn't a problem as it has my photo on it)

Visiting times: The Prints and Drawings Room is open:

• Monday to Friday 10.30–16.30 (but closed for lunch between 13:00 and 14:00)
• on the first Saturday of the month.

and finally......

Label on the top of a cabinet of drawers in the Prints and Drawings Room

For those interested in museum quality archival storage - the Tate keep prints and drawings (in the room)

• in cabinets with drawers made by Conservation by Design (and I note from the website that they also hold a Royal Warrant from the Queen as suppliers of conservation storage, equipment and display products.)
• in archival boxes made by G. Ryder and Co. Ltd. - also a holder of the Royal Warrant for specialist box makers.

BP Travel Award - Laura Guoke exhibits portraits from a refugee camp

Last year, The BP Travel Award 2016 was won by Lithuanian artist Laura Guoke. This year we can see the results of her efforts in terms of travel and portraiture in the BP Portrait Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London

Laura Guoke with her two portraits of people in the Ritsona Refugee Camp near Athens
(left) Monica - a volunteer from Switzerland
(right) a Syrian mother and her child

About the BP Travel Award

The BP Travel Award is an annual prize that enables  artists to work in a different environment on a project related to portraiture.

The prize of £6,000 is open to applications from any of the current year's BP Portrait Award-exhibited artists, except the prize-winners.

In 2016 the award was won by Laura Guoke

BP Travel Award winner Laura Guoke and her portrait of Petras, a Lithuanian engineer and taxidermist pic.twitter.com/2T013E7FoT

— Portrait Gallery (@NPGLondon) June 22, 2016

There seem to be two strategies used by those who win the Travel Award. They either produce one or two large paintings or a series of smaller paintings. Either way there is a clear theme and story behind the portraits exhibited in the exhibition of the following year's Portrait Award.

About her proposal

Laura's proposal won because she proposed proposal to travel to one of the refugee camps, for those feeling Syria, in Ritsona, Greece (80km from Athens).

Her plan was to use sketches, photographs and filmed material to create large-format portraits of the most vulnerable refugees from Syria and the volunteers helping them.

About the exhibit paintings

Laura's aim was to show migrants as people with names, faces and individual stories, using her work to convey personal themes which may otherwise be difficult to put into words.

Laura has produced two large-format paintings in acrylic for the exhibition - one of a volunteer and one of refugees - based on the material she collected while working in the camp.

You can see them in the BP Portrait Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and on its tour around the UK.

• Monica is a Swiss volunteer. 
• Rima is a Syrian mother of five children. 
• They are a similar age but have very different experiences.

Monica, Rima and Ahmed by Laura Guoke
acrylic on canvas 2016

Monica was volunteering at the camp for a second time, having put her degree in business studies on hold.  Laura has kept in touch with her and Monica is about to return to the camp for a third time.

Laura said

Our society should be proud of these volunteers who have come from all over the world to carry out difficult work for free

Rima is shown with her son Ahmed.  Rima fled Aleppo with her husband and children and her son was born in Athens.  When Laura met them, they had been living at the Ritsona Refugee Camp for several months.  At the time that Laura was visiting, Ritsona was designated a "red camp" by the UN due to inadequate toilets, showers, electricity and medical care.

Laura said of the painting of Rima and Ahmed

I have attempted to reveal the trauma, exile, hopes and fortitude that have marked the lives of the refugees

Rima and her family are currently living in Athens and hoping to be resettled to Ireland.

You can read an interview with Laura on the NPG Blog - it includes photographs of the camp and sketches done by Laura while she was there.

About Laura Guoke

Laura Guoke graduated with a BA in fine arts at Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts in 2008. She followed this up with an MA at Siauliai University (2008-2010). Her work has been seen
in group exhibitions in New York, London and Vienna and in several solo exhibitions in Lithuania and Estonia.

Laura travelled to the Ritsona Refugee Camp and stayed there for two weeks in September 2016. She also worked as a volunteer in the Refugee Camps while she collected material for her portraits.

‘I didn’t think it would be right just to go there to carry out my artistic project; I wanted to be helpful,’ she explains. ‘Meal vouchers are given to each tent in the camp and the food is distributed three times per day, with volunteers working in shifts.’

If you'd like to tell Laura what you think of her portraits you can contact her on

• Twitter @lauraguoke
• Facebook - Laura Guokė