FINAL Call for Entries: Society of Wildlife Artists Annual Exhibition 2022

You have until 12 noon on Friday 19th August to get your entries in for the Open Annual Exhibition 2022 of the Society of Wildlife Artists.

The Society of Wildlife Artists seeks to generate appreciation and delight in the natural world through all forms of fine art inspired by the world’s wildlife.

This is a very popular exhibition with a lot of art collectors who visit every year. It regularly achieves good sales from the display of c.350 original artworks from both members and non-members including paintings, drawings, original prints and sculptures.

The Natural Eye Exhibition 2021- part of the East Gallery

The Annual Exhibition is called The Natural Eye and I've always thought this neatly encapsulates two important aspects of the exhibition

• firstly it's about very best of fine art inspired by the natural world
• secondly, it's also about artwork which has been drawn, painted, printed or sculpted only after encounters with wildlife i.e. it's NEVER ever copied from another artist's photograph of a wild animal - and the members of the Selection Panel can tell!

The latter reason is why you won't see a lot of endangered animals or big cats which are much photographed and omnipresent in other wildlife art exhibitions.

Although art is submitted by members and artists who live all over the world, most of the artwork is typically much more focused on the wildlife in their own localities - whether on the land, in the sky or in the water - or in places they've travelled to in order to see the birds or animals.

Birds is another aspect you need to know about. This exhibition is BIG ON BIRDS!  Those who enter open wildlife art competitions will know there is a very large subset of fanatical birders who create art - and this exhibition is no exception.

View of part of the The Natural Eye 2021 in the West Gallery

Call for Entries 

Below is the "what you need to know" to send in an entry. 

ARTISTS: Who can enter

• Any artist over 18 may submit.
• It's is NOT restricted to artists who live/work in the UK. 
• If you're an international artist you can submit artwork to this exhibition - but first make sure you understand that involves.

ARTWORK: What can you enter

• Work should be 
• based on representing the world’s wildlife and 
• should have beencompleted within the last three years.
• A maximum of six artworks - and if you are successful, all six will be hung!
• All artwork must be for sale.
• Acceptable media: 
• Work may be in any medium including drawing, painting, sculpture and original prints (if prints, please detail edition and how many are available). 
• The SWLA is keen to embrace new and innovative mediums and will accept computer-generated images as ‘original prints’. However, a digital print is only considered an original print if it was created by the artist to be realised specifically as a print. 
• Ineligible media
• Reproductions of paintings or photographs will not be accepted. 
• Photographic reproductions or mechanical prints, giclée prints, etc., that are often promoted as ‘limited edition prints’ are not acceptable.
• Inadmissible artwork
• Work exhibited previously at Mall Galleries is not admissible.
• Artwork which is about botanical subjects, pets and domestic animals, or decorative wares (such as vessels or tiles).
• Artwork which will NOT be hung
• Artworks that are poorly presented 
• or differ significantly from the photograph entered will not be exhibited.

Some of the fine art prints in the 2021 Natural Eye Exhibition - North Gallery

ENTRIES: Deadline

• The deadline for all online entries is 12 noon on Friday 19th August 2022
• you need to
• complete the online form
• pay your submission fee
• upload your digital image(s)

MONEY: How much does it cost to submit an entry and how should I price my art?

• The submission fee is £20 per work (or £14 per work for artists aged 35 or under).

Pricing your artwork: 

I've written many times about pricing for exhibitions at the Mall Galleries. While the Own Art option (of paying in instalments) is available, it's not obvious or well advertised and hence the 'nuts and bolts' are these

• While undoubtedly wealthy people visit the gallery, I tend to characterise most of the Buyers of Art at the Mall Galleries as mostly being "Middle England on Middle Income". You will have noted that there is a lot of concern and uncertainty at present about the cost of living and an imminent recession. My advice is to submit your best work - because people will still be buying (just less than usual) / adding to their collections but do NOT be silly about prices. Do your research!
• Commission is charged at a rate of 45%+VAT (except re foundry fees for sculpture - see detailed notes on the website)
• Do not price above £2,500 UNLESS 
• EITHER you're either a well established artist with a very good following of active collectors (which applies to quite a few of the members) 
• OR it's an excellent artwork and you've sold at this price before
• OR you don't mind insuring and shipping expensive artwork to the exhibition and then back to your studio if it doesn't sell
• most art sells for less than £1,500
• small works priced between £200 and £500 sell well 
• The most popular price range is £501-£1,000
• the base price for prints are: framed £120, unframed £95 - but note that buyers are NOT charged for postage and packaging of unframed prints and your pricing for unframed prints needs to take this into account

SELECTION

• The Selection Committee is formed of artist members of the Society.
• Your notification of whether you've been successful and been selected to hang in the exhibition is Friday 26 August
• The selectors' decisions are final and no feedback is provided.
  

DELIVERY & COLLECTION

• You MUST 
• get the artwork to the Mall Galleries by the Receiving Day - Saturday 24 September, 10am to 5pm
• take away all the packaging
• If you live in the UK or are sending an artwork from abroad, or are unable to deliver or collect a work in person, please refer to 
• the list of couriers mallgalleries.org.uk/call-for-entries/art-couriers who regularly visit the gallery.
• my list of Art Movers & Couriers https://www.artbusinessinfo.com/uk-fine-art-movers-couriers-shippers.html
• Works are available to collect from the first Thursday after an exhibition closes i.e. Thursday 27 October, 10am to 5pm

EXHIBITION at the Mall Galleries

• OPENS TO THE PUBLIC: Thursday 13 October, 10am to 5pm
• CLOSES: Saturday 22 October, 5pm
• You can see the artwork which was selected / hung last year (and how it was priced and whether it sold) on this link

PS This post has been on my "to do" list for far too long / since June - for which apologies to SWLA! The last few weeks have been a bit different to usual....