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Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Call for Entries: Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour 208th Exhibition in 2020

The Call for Entries for the 208th Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI) at the Mall Galleries in London in April 2020 opened while I was in the USA - hence the very late post on this blog of the call for entries information! For some reason I'd got it into my head I'd already posted it! But I hadn't - so this is it!
The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours seeks the best in contemporary watercolour and watermedia painting
The deadline for entries to this exhibition - which is open to international artists - is 12 noon (in London) on Friday 3 January 2020.
The RI Call for Entries image for 2020


Below you will find:
  • Summary of RI History and key metrics from last year's exhibition  (see Pricing a Watercolour & RI Annual Exhibition Metrics)
    • a brief review of the history of the RI and why it is different to the RWS
    • exhibition metrics for the last exhibition in 2019 - which provides a very solid reason why this is an exhibition worth exhibiting in - and at the same time provides some very clear guidance on pricing
  • Call for Entries 2020 unpicked 
    • about the exhibition
    • terms and conditions
    • who can submit an entry
    • what sort of artwork can be submitted
    • Prizes & Awards - The exhibition includes several prizes and awards, open to all participating artists

About the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours


The RI started as a group, called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, who broke away from the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) in 1807.  The latter had broken away from the Royal Academy of Arts due to its failure to consider watercolour painting as a serious medium.

The RI, under whatever name, has always shown the work of non-members alongside that of members. Unlike the RWS which has a seperate competition and exhibition for non-members (see
Call for Entries: RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition 2020).

This means that from the very first selection of an artwork for the exhibition, it's having to be hung alongside work by members - and hence it needs to be a very good standard!

Website - http://royalinstituteofpaintersinwatercolours.org/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RIwatercolours/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/royal_institute_watercolours/


Exhibition Metrics for the RI Annual Exhibition in 2019


I can do no better than repeat what I said in my blog post when reviewing the metrics and pricing in last year's exhibition (see Pricing a Watercolour & RI Annual Exhibition Metrics)
This is a proper OPEN EXHIBITION - and I recommend it to aspiring artists working in watercolours.......It's an exhibition which had c. 7,000 visitors and hence a huge number of people looking at paintings during the course of the exhibition. Mind you I think a lot aspire to be in this exhibition!
This is a summary of the exhibition metrics for the annual exhibition in 2019.  It's worth bearing in mind when deciding how many works to submit and why it's very important to submit your best work.
  • 411 artworks were exhibited. Of these
    • 249 are by members (61% of artists)
    • 162 are by non-members (39%).
  • 166 artists exhibited. Of these:
    • 50 were members (of the current total of 53 members)
    • 4 were deceased members
    • 112 were non-members selected from the open entry
The average number of paintings hung were as follows
  • Members: 4.9 paintings
  • Deceased members: 1 painting each
  • Non-members: 1.4 paintings
  • Most non-members have just one and sometimes two paintings in the exhibition.
  • Only those who have applied to be a candidate for membership have more than two paintings in the exhibition
BELOW is my chart of how paintings sold last year in the different price ranges. It's my conviction that more would be sold if we could lose the sometimes very silly pricing by people who have not got track record of selling at that price in London


Those submitting paintings for the 2020 exhibition would do well to keep the profile of this chart in mind when filling in their prices on the submission form.
Bottom line:
  • if you're painting small and pricing above £1,000 you better be certain you have a track record
  • if you're painting larger paintings you need to have a jolly good reason to price above £2,000 - and that includes members.
Frankly I only don't expect artists to get silly ideas. I expect to see people pricing at a level which they know their paintings sell at. Otherwise you're depriving wallspace from somebody who could paint an equally good painting and sell it!

You can review my past blog posts about this annual exhibition (2007-2018) at the end of this post.

some smaller works in the Main Gallery

What you can submit 


Acceptable media: Watercolour or water-soluble mediums including watercolour, acrylic, ink or gouache (excluding water-soluble oils) painted on paper or paper based support.
  • Number: You can submit a maximum of six works - of which a maximum of four works selected. Typically it's candidates for membership who submit a large number of paintings. Note the metrics summarised above re the number likely to be chosen from those submitting via the open.
  • Media: Artwork in watercolour or water-soluble mediums, including watercolour, acrylic, ink or gouache (excluding water-soluble oils) are eligible for exhibition.
  • Support: MUST be painted or a paper or paper-based support (I still think they should also include vellum which is a very traditional support for watercolour painting)
  • Size: Works must not be larger than 2.4m high and 1.5m wide. (NOTE: There is no minimum size!)
  • Age: Works must have been completed within the last two years
  • Exhibition: Works should NOT have been previously shown in London.
  • Price: The minimum price is £350 (to include commission @ 45% + VAT).

How to Submit



The process works as follows
  • READ the general terms and conditions
  • READ the specific entry requirements
  • REGISTER for digital submission - if you have never entered before
  • SUBMIT: Login to the Open Exhibition Entry website
    • Pre-selection is based on online entries and associated digital images
    • You need to complete the form, pay the fee and upload images of work and submit your entry ONLINE prior to the deadline (3 January 2020 - 12 noon).
    • [Note: Images must be in JPEG format and under 5MB]
  • IF PRE-SELECTED: 
    • Notification of Pre-selection - Friday 10 January, 12 noon (Log in to http://mallgalleries.oess.uk to see if your work has been pre-selected)
    • Deliver pre-selected entries to Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD for final selection on Saturday 8th February 2020, 10am to 5pm
    • take away all your packaging (the Gallery cannot pack and send back)
  • FINAL SELECTION: 
    • actual work viewed by a Panel of Artist Members of the RI
    • Notification of Acceptance Tuesday 11 February 2020, 12 noon- via checking this page to see if your entry number is listed
    • Collect work not accepted for exhibition from Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD on Thursday 13 February, 10am – 5pm
    • The selectors' decisions are final and no feedback is offered.

Timeline for Open Entries - Summary of Key Dates


These are the key dates for all those wishing to submit work to this open exhibition.
  • Submission opens: Monday 1 October 2019, 12 noon 
  • Submission closes: Friday 3 January 2020, 12 noon
  • Pre-selection notification: Friday 10 January 2020, 12 noon [Log in to see if your work has been pre-selected]
  • Receiving Day (if pre-selected only): Saturday 8 February 2020, 10am - 5pm
  • Acceptance notification: Tuesday 11 February 2020, 12 noon
  • Collection of unaccepted work: Thursday 13 February 2020, 10am - 5pm
  • Exhibition open: Thursday 2 April, 10am to 5pm (however the exhibition is closed all day on Easter Sunday, 12 April)
  • Exhibition closes: Friday 17 April, 1pm
  • Collection of unsold work: Thursday 23 April, 10am to 5pm

International Entrants



Artists from outside the UK may need to register for VAT, please check with HM Revenue and Customs: https://www.gov.uk
Artists sending work from abroad should use a picture carrier. Many artists use Picture Post as they offer a packing and delivery service for our exhibitions (we do not accept any liability for their services). Picture Post - Tel: 0044 (0)1302 711011 / Mobile: 07833 450788 / Email: info@picturepostcompany.co.uk
Candidates Wall in the Threadneedle Space

Prizes & Awards (subject to final confirmation)


This is an organisation that has worked hard to generate sponsorship for the very many prizes. So if you want your CV to include an award from an exhibition take a look at the ones below.

There are many prizes and awards available to win, including the following - split between cash prizes, awards of art materials and other prizes.

Cash Prizes

  • The Winsor & Newton Award: £3,000
  • The Winsor & Newton Product Prize: £1,000 worth of Winsor & Newton art materials
  • The Leathersellers' Prize: £1,000 awarded by The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers to an artist aged between 18 and 30 years old
  • NEW The President’s Choice Award: An award of £750 for the most deserving work in the exhibition, donated by a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI) and judged by the President of the RI, Rosa Sepple
  • The Matt Bruce RI Memorial Award: An award of £500 for what is considered the most outstanding use of light and colour in a watercolour
  • The Baohong Artists' Watercolour Paper Prizes: Two prizes of £250 each, awarded to a member and non-member for excellence
  • The Chaoshan Watercolour Award: £250 awarded by Chinese artist, Professor Li Xiaocheng, for the best classically inspired watercolour
  • The Neil Meacher RI Watercolour Award: An award of £250 for an outstanding watercolour
  • The Richard Plincke RI Prize for Colour: An award of £250 for creative use of colour

Art Supplies Prizes

  • The Cass Art Prize: A prize of £200 of art supplies from Cass Art, awarded to a work demonstrating the most innovative use of colour
  • The Escoda Barcelona Award: A set of Escoda's finest brushes for an outstanding landscape painting
  • The Frank Herring Easel Award: An easel presented for an outstanding work in the exhibition by Frank Herring & Sons
  • The James Fletcher-Watson RI Memorial Award: £500 for the best use of watercolour in the exhibition
  • The John Purcell Paper Prize: Paper to the value of £100 awarded to a work chosen by John Purcell
  • The Schmincke Prize: A Horadam Aquarell Artists’ Watercolours set to an outstanding exhibitor.

Other Prizes

  • The Anthony J Lester Art Critic Award: A certificate of commendation for an outstanding work chosen by the art critic and broadcaster Anthony J Lester
  • The Debra Manifold RI Memorial Award: Presented by the Linda Blackstone Gallery, an award for the most innovative work in the exhibition
  • The Dry Red Press Award: The winning work will be published as a greeting card in the Dry Red Press 'Prize Winners' range, with royalties from the sale of the cards going to the artist
  • The Megan Fitzoliver Brush Award: A trophy, named The Pipe Fish, awarded for a work that most inspires a connection with the natural world.

ARCHIVE: RI Annual Exhibition 2007-2018



2019 
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
The purpose of this video isn't to give you an in-depth view of all the paintings so much as to give you:an idea of the overall size of the exhibitiona notion of how big the paintings are that get selected via the open entrya view of the paintings that were selected this year
2013

This exhibition has always been very popular with the provincial art societies whose members arrive in droves - on coaches!
2012 

2011

2010

2008
2007
on

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