MAKING A MARK: Review: 212th Annual Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours

Wednesday, April 03, 2024

Review: 212th Annual Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours

I visited the 212th Annual Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours twice last week - for the Private View and then, because that was packed, again the next day so as to see the exhibition properly.

View of the RI 2024 Annual Exhibition in the East Gallery

The good thing is that, besides being a very good exhibition, that this exhibition is on for an extra week and finishes on 13th April - so lots of time to see it.

That's because it's taken me some time to wrote this post which I started ages ago. That's because

I decided I wanted to write a blog post about one new artist I liked a lot - check out Miranda Brookes - an exquisite Landscape Artist
Then I loaded all my photos of the exhibition into Facebook albums on my Making A Mark Facebook Page - all now annotated including some detailed comments

NORTH Gallery: RI Annual Exhibition 2024 (40 items)
EAST Gallery: RI Annual Exhibition 2024 (40 items)
WEST Gallery, RI Annual Exhibition 2024 (54 items)

Then Easter and "life" intervened (dentist / blood test / big birthday party / lost voice etc etc)

But finally, I'm trying to finished this review which I started last week. It:

covers features of the exhibition
looks at changes to the exhibition in 2024
comments generally on the standard of the exhibition
highlights some of the individuals whose work is worth highlighting.

Features of the RI 212th Annual Exhibition

the end of the West Gallery
(photo taken just before the gallery closed)

This is the biggest exhibition dedicated to paintings in water colours in the UK.

I highly recommend a visit to the exhibition - I've always enjoyed visiting it and I am sure any genuine fan of watercolour paintings will do too.

Features of the exhibition are:

There are 465 paintings in the show
around 50% of these are from the Open Submission
many of the artworks in the exhibition are of a very high standard and
some are absolutely amazing in terms of the expertise on display
It also displays a wide diversity in approaches to paintings using watercolour media and subject matter - from traditional to the more contemporary.

However, if you want to find "very edgy, fresh, new and very contemporary" you probably need to go the pop-up galleries or do what Charles Saatchi does - and go to the degree shows!

National Art Societies are emphatically not edgy and tend to just look very foolish when they try to be! (I can point you in the direction of one in another place which has made that very silly decision).

Fortunately I found relatively little of what I tend to term the "can't draw, can't paint, won't sell" school of painting which lacks application to both concept and craft. which seems to be regarded by some as legitimate art. But not by me!

Bear in mind, the Mall Galleries does not serve a "high end art, wealthy clientele" who, in any case, typically head to the major Art Fairs!

Instead the Mall Galleries serves what I have very frequently characterised as a very large population of people most easily characterised as "Middle England, Middle Aged, Middle Class with a Middle Income" audience for the most part. They tend to be solid buyers of not overpriced artwork when the economy is not experiencing turmoil and uncertainty. They can even be very spontaneous if you get your pricing right! Bottom line, the sort of people who have bought their homes, had their children and are now indulging themselves from time to time. People who come to London for the day and do an exhibition or two!

Fortunately, I fall into my own characterisation and I enjoyed the show a lot and was tempted by a few paintings - but other buyers got there before me!

You too can see the exhibition:

at the Mall Galleries - every day until 13th April (10am-5pm)
online on the Mall Galleries website
on my Facebook Page Making A Mark https://www.facebook.com/makingamark2/ - where I make more comments about some of the art and the artists
Plus you can also browse the e-catalogue online.

In addition, there's a very extensive events programme taking place up until 13th April.

Unfortunately there's an absolute dearth of public information about the prizewinners.

Although I've received an email notifying me of the prizewinners, when I started this review, the Mall Galleries website had NOT yet been updated re.

the page dedicated to RI prizewinners on the Mall Galleries website - and there are no images at all - which seems very odd)
the News Page re the RI - where you'd expect an announcement of the prizewinners to be posted as soon as the exhibition opens to the public.

But it's now nearly a week after the PV when these prizes are announced and there's nothing!

UPDATE: now posted on Mall Galleries News page a week late Award Winners | RI 212th Exhibition (Just before this post was published. I'd looked everywhere once. I wasn't looking twice.)

I'd be very miffed if I was a sponsor or a prizewinner to be so totally ignored.
Prizegiving is a big feature of the Private View and should be a priority for online/written communications too. Otherwise it potentially jeopardizes ongoing sponsorship.

TIP:

Somebody at the Mall Galleries very much needs to update the project plan and TO DO LIST re what is supposed to happen when an exhibition opens - or join up the dots better!
At the same time, the webmaster of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours really needs to be rather more proactive at making sure all relevant information about the exhibition is ON THE RI WEBSITE promptly - and that they're not just relying on the Mall Galleries.

Changes at the RI Annual Exhibition in 2024

A popular personality to open the exhibition always helps

The most obvious change I encountered last week was that the RI had invited a very popular person to open the exhibition and present the prizes. The choice of Jon Snow was inspired!

Snow is not only the very well known journalist and former presenter of Channel 4 News but also an amateur watercolour sketcher on his travels - on postcard sized card (of which some are on view in the exhibition. His presence drew an absolutely enormous crowd to the PV and the place was absolutely packed. Most of them lingered quite a while and I saw quite a few red spots appearing on the wall

Here he is after the opening with the President Chris Myers - when I got introduced as a famous art blogger and got to shake hands with Jon Snow!

Jon Snow the the President of the RI, Chris Myers

Let's hope this trend of very popular people who like painting in watercolours continues!

Changes to the artwork

The RI have changed some of their policies for what constitutes "eligible artwork" for the show.

There are five prizewinners on this section of wall
The large artwork is by Juliette Losq (278 x 150cm / 110 inches x 59 inches)

I'm not entirely sure when this happened but the key changes include

larger works can now be shown - which is good. However a member is still limited by the amount of space their artwork can take up on the wall (see below). That said, being big means you also have to be very good - because when you're taking up a lot of wall and size this automatically makes any artwork prominent!

Works should not be larger than 2.4m high and 1.5m wide including the frame

artwork does not have to ALWAYS be on paper any more - it can be any type of support although it must still be created with water-soluble media (excluding water-soluble oils). Different supports also enable larger artworks for some. However I would like to see ALL supports specified on both labels and in the catalogue.

Acceptable media: Watercolour or water-soluble mediums, including watercolour, acrylic, ink or gouache (with the exception of water-soluble oils) painted on any support. Please specify the type of support (for example paper, board, wood, parchment etc) as well as the medium.
As a result:

there are at least three botanical / natural history artworks in the show all painted on vellum. I can now anticipate seeing many more artwork on vellum in future! For those wanting to know more about painting on vellum, you might like to take a look at my page All about Painting on Vellum which I developed on my Botanical Art and Artists website - as a lot of botanical artists now paint on vellum after the demise of the very fine paper that used to be Fabriano Artistico! Maybe next year, the RI could have a workshop about painting on vellum?

Jay by Dianne Sutherland
watercolour on Kelmscott Vellum
(which is ideal for those wanting to paint very precisely on a very smooth surface)

there's one VERY large (and very good) artwork in the show - which clearly demonstrates how big you can go. although the very large artwork in the show is somewhat misleading as it's in fact a tad larger than the stated maximum dimensions!! (I understand that Juliette Losq was asked to show one of her larger artworks for the show, from ones she had available, to demonstrate the impact of a larger artwork in water colour media. You can see more examples of her larger artwork on her Instagram account).

The Megan Fitzoliver Brush Award

Equilibrium by Juliette Losq

Ink and Watercolour

278x150cm

Members Artwork

Most of the members artwork was hung in groups of four or more (depending on how many they'd submitted) and most of it was in the West Gallery.

Groups of members' paintings
on the north wall in the West Gallery

Some smaller works are displayed on the small works wall beneath the Mezzanine entrance level - which is the "hot spot" for more "affordable artwork", not least because it's situated right next to where people sit for their coffee and cake and consequently gets increased exposure to gazes.

When small works by members first started appearing on this wall, they were very frequently outclassed by excellent small works selected from the open. This was enough of an incentive for FBA members to 'up their game" and the standard of "small works" by RI members on this wall has very much improved over the years. My favourites are artists like Lillias August, Ian Sidaway and Paul Talbot-Greaves whose artwork subjects and style can suit smaller works.

For me, a quick look at how many red spots are on this wall after the PV and towards the end of first day is a pretty good indicator as to how well sales will go generally during the course of the exhibition. Never ever underestimate the value and impact of a small affordable artwork - or letting people sit and look at red spots....

Small artworks by a number of different members
- there's an art to getting the spacing right!
I prefer a less columnar approach.

Pricing and Sales

I could see quite a few paintings selling - mainly smaller and more reasonably priced but also some larger and more expensive paintings.

The market for art certainly has not yet recovered from the cost of living crisis and may not until after the General Election - which can't come too soon for many artists in terms of recovering from a prolonged period of uncertainty for all those who buy and collect art.

It's been interesting watching how artists have responded to the challenge of the economy. Some changed size and format rather than drop prices. Others did both. Those that stuck to doing the same thing at the same price probably learned something - to their cost.

I did note that there are still artists (including members) who don't understand about hurdle pricing - and are pricing just above a significant hurdle price rather than just below (eg. always just below £1k and never ever just above it).

I may do a post about sales metrics at a later date. In the meantime, here's my post about last year's exhibition RI Annual Exhibition 2023: Analysis of art sales metrics and pricing artwork for the future should you want to find out more about hurdle prices and compare what it said with how artwork is priced in this exhibition. I'm going to be very interested to see if the number of artworks sold by members is more than the number sold by the open entry artists - as last year the open entry did best.

Observations about the Open Entries

The RI never ever forgets that this is an Open Exhibition.

I applaud the RI for being one of the few art societies that every year dedicates around half the space in the exhibition to artworks selected from the open entry. Of the 465 artworks in the show, about half are from the artists who applied to exhibit via the Call for Entries. (see my post Call for Entries: Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours Annual Exhibition 2024) That's a very big deal for all sorts of reasons.

The benefits are:

a much more diverse show - bringing in fresh ideas of what to paint and how to paint
people with new talent being identified who might, in time, apply to become future members
many more artists who get a "leg up" from the provincial level of exhibitions. This has the benefit of filtering back to their artist friends at a local level - and others who will aspire to be selected in future years.
which, in turn, inspires people to tell their friends to visit the show!

It was good to see new people exhibiting as well as well renowned artists who are members of other art societies also exhibiting. I've been encouraging botanical artists to exhibit at this exhibition for some time, and the number of works are slowly increasing.

In general, the work selected was of a typically good quality with some excellent pieces. My favourite pieces were

two paintings - in watercolour and ink on vellum - of the largest tree at Kew and the Great Vine at Hampton Court Palace by Sandra Doyle, a botanical artist who is renowned for her very precise paintings of very old trees! Both sold - very fast. (see NORTH Gallery: RI Annual Exhibition 2024)
two large and very complex paintings by Gary Denny - which I thought were unlucky not to get a prize of some sort.

Wall in the North Gallery featuring two large paintings by Gary Denny

One thing that struck me this year, was that the colours of the paintings selected from the Open Entry were typically quite muted / almost monochrome. There was one bay which had colourful work, but there was much less colour elsewhere in the North Gallery - which seemed to me to be a bit odd.

Back wall of the North Gallery
which made for a very satisfying almost monochromatic arrangement

I know the reason why the open entries were not well mixed with the members this year - across the three galleries - was a logistical one and was not what the RI had planned to do. Hopefully it won't be repeated. It's always good to see good art sitting next to good art which complements it - no matter who made it!

Window Dressing for the North Gallery.....
GRIEF AHEAD! Is that what the painting outside the North Gallery is saying?
Really? Was this a wise idea?

Window Dressing for the North Gallery: I do have some serious niggles about the hang of the North Gallery. Less so inside as the impression created as you look into the North Gallery from the cafe area in the West Gallery.

I think the painting used outside was a serious mistake. See my notes above as to marketing messages....
Also, the wall directly opposite the door benefits greatly from a large "wowser / look at me" painting which bids people to come and look closer.

I learned recently that apart from those members who have membership of more than one FBA art society, that members of FBA societies typically do not tend to go to the exhibitions of other FBA art societies! Big mistake! Looking at what others have done well and what they have done poorly is very educational and really helps improve your exhibition!
If you look at most other exhibitions they almost always have a large eye-catching painting around about where the person is in the photo above. But certainly something colourful which catches the eye helps to create movement into the Gallery.

Putting most of the Open artwork in the North Gallery can also create a problem of too many people in the space from time to time (eg Private View Day) - which makes it more difficult / less enjoyable when trying to view the art. I found I couldn't see the artwork properly at all on PV day and had to wait until the next day to get a proper look.

It's always worth remembering that people have to be able to see the art properly to make a decision as to whether or not to buy.....

RI Membership and "The Candidates Wall"

Interestingly, the RI is one of the smaller societies which form the Federation of British Artists, whose home is the Mall Galleries (i.e. no FBA = no Mall Galleries - a point never made clear enough in my opinion)

The RI only has, I think, 69 members. They are keen to expand the membership because some of the members are now growing older and not exhibiting any more - or at least not as much in terms of the number of artworks they're allowed to submit.

So it's maybe not surprising that this year there are thirteen candidates for membership. Their work is displayed in the East Gallery (to the right as you come down the stairs) on what has become known as "The Candidates Wall" - see below.

The only criterion for applying to join the RI is to have exhibited at the RI Annual Exhibition on at least two previous occasions.

I actually find The Candidates Wall very helpful as you can view everybody who wants to become a new member side by side.

I wonder if it might be helpful to find out what those visiting the exhibition also think of the prospective members? How about a comments card for the public to identify the three you like most and why?

The Candidates Wall

To gain membership of the RI, each candidate has to achieve a vote from at least 50% of the current membership.

Frankly, I hope they are discriminating because I could see some people who, to my mind, were certainly worthy of membership. However I saw others who seemed to me to have submitted either too soon and/or their was not yet universally good enough and/or they were a bit too fixated on one theme.

It was suggested to me that the number of works selected for show are indicative of which way the RI might be leaning - but I think they're maybe being a tad generous. I'm also not sure that they are highlighting what people need to do to join the RI enough.

I'd also suggest before voting, that RI members look beyond sketchbooks as supplementary evidence and also look very closely at websites and social media prior to voting on membership.

(Note: I'm always very surprised about the fact that the the amount of the annual subscription is not mentioned on the page about how to become a member. I have always thought that very many of those electing to apply for membership might very well think twice if they knew how much it is! It makes art societies who don't say what the annual sub is feel a bit like one of those awful "pay to exhibit" sites where they tempt you in first and then you get the big bill for how much it costs after you're through the door!! It's just not good business practice. Good business practice is to say "here's the benefits/here's what it costs you")

Those I liked enough to look more were:

Richard Thorn - a landscape painter. His work suggested to me that he has a well developed eye for a good view and a very practiced hand at rendering what he observes. He's particularly good at depth and distance. I'd personally prefer it if he dialled some of his colours down a notch as he really doesn't need to amp up his art (i.e. this is the UK not the USA!) I noted his website indicates he is well represented by art galleries suggesting his art sells well.

Four rural landscape paintings by Richard Thorn

Harsh Agrawal - the four paintings of urban landscapes selected for the exhibition are very competent paintings. I also got that that strong sense of height and canyon like shade that you can get in some urban situations. However his website suggests to me somebody who still lacks consistency in his work when not working digitally.

Four urban landscapes by Harsh Agrawal

I also liked the sketchy landscapes of the four paintings in watercolour and pigment by Nicky Heenan - but given her breadth of media used I'd like to see more (and larger) from her next year.

Four paintings by Nicky Heenan

The thing is all the ones I liked were landscapes - and the RI already has a lot of good landscape painters. What it needs more of are people who can do well drawn figures (preferably from life rather than photos) and figurative scenes - and I wasn't greatly taken with what I saw.

I also have an issue with paintings in an art society exhibition with very strident colours and/or designs which "kill" whatever paintings are next to them. There was one such on the Candidates wall and I'm not surprised it was in the corner. Painting for a solo exhibition of your work, where you can let your aesthetic have full expression is one thing. However, you soon become very unpopular in a Group Exhibition if your work swamps everybody near by - and it's a virtual guarantee that your work will be positioned somewhere it has least negative impact. As indeed in this instance, where it's in a corner.

Maybe that's what happened to the painting outside the North Gallery too?