Call for Entries: Royal Society of Marine Artists Annual Exhibition 2020

The Royal Society of Marine Artists wants to see submissions of art inspired by the sea and marine environment for its annual exhibition in October 2020.

You can submit work inspired by the sea and tidal waters - shipping, sailing, harbours, beaches, creeks, coat and marine wildlife.

RSMA Annual Exhibition last October - A corner of the main gallery at the Mall Galleries

I've had a niggle for a while that there was a blog post I intended to do - but could not remember what it was. I'm sure there must be a condition called "lockdown brain" in which your "to do" list gets lost!

It turns out I was right. I've forgotten to do the Call for Entries for the Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Marine Artists - but have remembered just before the deadline for the call for entries!

As I indicated last year - there are three good reasons to consider an entry if you like painting anything marine-orientated

• This is an exhibition which:
• ALWAYS attracts a lot of people interested in buying marine artwork. 
• ALWAYS has a LOT of decent prizes
• In addition, in the past, prizes have been dominated by strong work by non-members - which is always good to see for those who submit work via the open entry.

they'd sold c.10% of their exhibition by the end of the first day it was open to the public my comment when posting photos of the exhibition to Facebook

You can see my photos of last year's exhibition on Facebook. They provide:

• inspiration for those who can produce work in a tight timescale
• confirmation for those not sure whether or not their work is good enough
• information about standards for those seeking to be candidates for members

North Gallery - view of part of the annual exhibition last October

Call for Entries

This is an OPEN EXHIBITION which tends to display paintings, drawings, sculpture and prints.

Below you can find

• a summary of how to enter the next annual exhibition.
• a list of prizes
• an archive of posts about past exhibitions - which contain a lot of images of the type of artwork that gets selected for exhibition.

You can also see two videos of the 2018 Exhibition on my (public) Facebook Page
Royal Society of Marine Artists - Annual Exhibition 2018 - in the Main Gallery (only) at the Mall Galleries.
Another VIDEO of the 73rd Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Marine Artists. - a quick pan around the Threadneedle Space.

What sort of artwork can you submit?

The RSMA seeks submissions of art inspired by the sea and marine environment. It makes two statements about the scope

The RSMA seeks submissions of painting and sculpture that involve the sea and the marine environment, including harbours and shorelines, traditional craft and contemporary shipping, creeks, beaches, wildlife - in short anything that involves tidal water.

and

Subject matter must be essentially marine in nature, relating in some way to tidal waters of the world; topographical, historical, still life, and figure painting are all welcomed. Works relating to non-tidal rivers, inland lakes and waterways etc are not permissible.

In terms of media and size and number of works:

Is "Artist" a non-essential job?

A Chart has been circulating on Facebook suggesting that an "Artist" ranks #1 in the list of Top 5 Non-Essential Jobs.

Queue apoplexy amongst many artists on Facebook!  

Much hurt all round Facebook who now feel people do not appreciate artists!

screendump from Facebook

Some of the more popular comments on my FB Page

Some of the more popular comments on my FB Page when I posted another version of the chart - (which had chopped an essential word from the top text

Considering everything we've been amusing ourselves with that's been keeping us all sane over the last while, I'd say artists should definitely be on the essential list

Considering everything you touch, sit on use has been designed by someone who started out at art school

I’m not trying to be greedy but I have two cleaning jobs and I’m an artist!! I’m an underpaid essential and an underpaid non-essential!! LOL And shouldn’t that read “delivery person”!!

Artists not important...Ha...then just take away all entertainment, go back to using DOS on computers, Burn all museums...all museums, burn most libaries, tear down many historical buildings, and so on...oh and all clothes on style sack and all colours gray. No patterns. The problem with being an artist is that we are so ingrained into part of society we are actually invisible. We are on par with the air you breathe.

Seriously though, like many have already pointed out, what sort of grey world do people want to live in with no film, tv, music, graphics, museums, galleries, clothes, shoes, ....oh I could go on! Who the hell even designed that page of the newspaper? A graphic designer....an artist! I despair!

Let them be for a week without books, radio, streaming music & video, games, telly... They'll kill each other

HOWEVER This is a bit more complicated than that - as I shall explain.

Why you should not get apoplectic too quickly

Stop and read the text at the top of the graphic - as I did when I saw the same poll on another FB account with a long textual explanation - rather than a quick quip

The author - Yan Neng - was one of the people who responded to the poll. 
It generated 179 comments and 788 shares!!

Now for the PUNCHLINE!

1. This survey was of a group of 1,000 (only) people in SINGAPORE and was intended only to relate to Singapore.
2. "The Sunday Times" in the headline is NOT THE Sunday Times (published in London) - rather it is the Sunday edition of The Straits Times - in SINGAPORE.
3. It can only ever have been intended to relate to the current Covid context of SINGAPORE.

This is the text that many people did not see

The Sunday Times asks 1,000 respondents which are the jobs which are most crucial in keeping Singapore going, and also how much people will pay for essential services so that workers in the sector may get a wage boost

The purpose of the poll was all about identifying those who people would be willing to pay more to RIGHT NOW - to make sure they got their essential service.  

By including the non-essential jobs, they muddied the water and the reception it got online - as artists became more and more incensed.....

In addition, the author of the FB post I saw provided an explanation of the survey 

I'm not gonna lie. I’ve friends who are artists who are hurt by this survey and I do feel guilty, but I don’t think my answers will change.
We weren’t told the purpose of the survey is a frivolous article; it came off like it was a government survey trying to suss out if they should implement some sort of minimum wage. And come on, when you place people who handles the garbage disposal next to an artist, how could I rank both as equally essential? The former, I need everyday; the latter, I love art and can enjoy the art they’ve already made everyday.
In my mind, there were also a distinction between a pure artist and a designer when I was doing the survey. I thought about performance artists who sat in an exhibit holding people’s hands, or people who painted on an easel. While their work can be amazing (I’ve been touched by such art), I don’t know how essential it is right now in today’s Cov19 context.
With regards to the minimum wage impression, I also didn’t feel inclined to pick workers who were already more appreciated in their day to day as “essential” (HR managers probably earn more than a cleaner).
Keep in mind, these professions were given to us as choices — it wasn’t as if the surveyees spontaneously suggested artists as inessential.
EDIT: after some discussions below, I just wanted to add I also think there's also a difference between "essential" and "valuable". I'm a writer and I'll gladly admit I'm not essential in today's context and climate. However, I do find my work *valuable*. Whether or not my work is essential has no bearing on the value my work brings. The survey asked for "essential" and I did the survey keeping "essential" in mind. This term was defined in the survey: "we mean someone who is engaged in work deemed necessary to meet basic needs of human survival and well-being, such as food, health, safety and cleaning".

 Here are some of the comments he got.

if you are willing to brave the storm of angry people possibly coming at you, post it as a shareable status.
At the end of the day, this is just data. Data of public perception of artists and not the inherent worth of artists. It's feedback lor.
And this feedback means that we/Artists still have a lot of work to do to bridge public perception and sentiments.

There's a difference between essential and important.
For example. Sex is arguably not an essential part for a person's existence. But I don't think people are going to deny it's importance.

I think there's nothing wrong with what you did. Artists are always going to be necassary and important but like many others, not essential. The point of the article was to focus on the underpaid but i feel by adding in the top 5 non essentials, it has really diluted the point of the article.

It's an interesting phenomenon and perspective. 

Artists may be valuable - but in the context of the Pandemic the population at large (in Singapore) did not regard them as "essential" to daily life.

UPDATE: Fine Art Transport Services and Couriers in the UK in 2020

I've spent some time today updating the UK Art Movers & Couriers & Fine Art Transport Services on my Art Business Info for Artists website (Ship Art section).

As part of my review of matters relating to the Recession, I wanted to check the current status of current providers of transport services for fine art.
Changes made include:

• CHECKING on current information provided and revising as required. (I've not quite finished)
• ADDING IN new providers - some new sole traders and private limited companies offering to pack/move art around the UK
• ADDING CAUTION NOTES - in relation to their current trading status and/or compliance with UK ecommerce regulations

I'm also looking for some help in keeping this page updated throughout the year - in order to avoid artists getting caught out by a business in the process of going under.  (please see the end).

Basic data checks and compliance checks re. regulations

I now check each service against a set of criteria - and a number of the services have noticed and have started to address their shortcomings!

National Portrait Gallery not reopening - until 2023

The National Portrait Gallery is now closed for three years - until at least Spring 2023.

However there is some GOOD NEWS - SEE BELOW! - concerning:

• Inspiring People Project
• Collaborations with regional museums and galleries on future displays of key works
• The Really Good News re.
• David Hockney exhibition
• BP Portrait Award

No more portraits on view at NPG Gallery for 3 years

It was always intended that the Gallery would close for its ambitious rebuilding project at the end of June 2020. So the announcement yesterday that the Gallery will not now be reopening for the rest of June came as no surprised - but means no more portraits for three years!

My concern right now is how  the pandemic will affect the length of the building project. 

• It might start on time - and it may not. 
• It might take the original planned length of time - but it may not 

In addition, my career experience (of major building projects taking three years) is that if it's a big project on a major site with major access issues then the project very often slips and is often not finished by the target date. That's not me being negative - that's just me relaying my experience of such projects - and I've known a few!  (I'm also wondering whether the cut through from Cass Arts to the back of the National Gallery will remain open for the duration)

So be aware and prepare for the fact it MAY be more than three years before we can visit the National Portrait Gallery again

Inspiring People Project 

When we do we'll be entering via a different entrance - located on the north side of the building and looking across a more spacious area and up Charing Cross Road.

The new entrance looking north up Charing Cross Road

direction of approach to new entrance to the National Portrait Gallery

You can see more about the building project on the NPG website - see Inspiring People. It will be biggest ever development since the building in St Martin’s Place opened in 1896.

The Pandemic Recession: Likely Impact on Art Sales and Artists

In this post I'm beginning to set out an overview of what I think are key issues for artists during The Pandemic Recession. It includes some background reading and covers

• the biggest drop in economic history since records began
• the impact on art sales and artists
• lessons for artists from the 2008 recession 

The biggest drop in economic growth since records began

Below is proof positive that we are very definitely going in a recession despite the fact we've not yet got to the actual point of being able to define a recession i.e. a recession is when growth in the economy falls for two quarters in succession. Technically this is when GDP falls for two three-month periods - or quarters - in a row. (NOTE: The recession will have a different profile in different countries. I tend to talk about the UK because that's where I live)

I know of no better way of persuading people that this recession is very serious than this trend line which was published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning (SEE GDP monthly estimate, UK: April 2020 if you want the full story). 

• The trend line for UK GDP goes from January 1997 to the present. 
• The little blip in the middle is the global banking crisis of 2008 and the aftermath. 
• The big vertical line on the right is April - when UK GDP dropped by the biggest ever amount since records began.

There has been nothing like this ever before in economic history! That's how bad this is.  Note also it's bigger then the drop that the economic statisticians NOT employed by the government were predicting!

Source: Office for National Statistics – GDP monthly estimate

The impact on art sales and artists

The major implication for artists of the recession is going to be a BIG REDUCTION in available cash to spend on art - which makes selling art a major challenge i.e.

• No matter what you do you cannot make people spend what they have decided to save - the biggest mistake any professional artist can make is to assume that somehow they have "the magic answer" or are uniquely exempt from either the recession or the constraints within the marketplace.
• People throughout the economy will conserve their cash during a recession - because they don't know whether they will lose their jobs / businesses until we come out the other side of the recession. It's a very sensible strategy - for them. 
• Demand for art - and sales of art - will drop significantly because
• those who budget for art purchases will withhold or reduce the amount they spend on art. 
• middle range buyers disappear - for a long time (this is what happened in 2008). Keep a very close eye on what sells at what prices.
• impulse buys of lower priced art will reduce significantly on the front end of the recession and recover slowly
• Avid art collectors devise means to keep collecting - within their budget
• buyers substitute eg people switch to prints from paintings and/or buy smaller works - or rearrange all the art on their walls so it feels different until they feel like dipping their toe in the market again (guess what I did this week!)
• overall initially lower priced art tends to sell better than middle range art (check out the The Artist Support Pledge with a ceiling of £200 - which has generated has generated an estimated £20 million for professional artists and makers across the globe)
• Specialist genres with a major fan base do much better than generalists - but still typically experience a decline in income i.e. it's not the same for everybody
• specialist art genres cope better because their fans are faithful - and artists already have a following
• generalists tend to get hit hard i.e. those not known for anything in particular and who have no following. A "scattergun" approach to painting lots of different subjects does not create a following.
• professionals with difficult subject matter have limited their market from the outset - and response to their art may be idiosyncratic
• it's time for professional artists to review the type of art they create going forward
• Art galleries will close (forever) - meaning fewer places to exhibit art when the recovery comes - leading to a longer recovery time for artists. Essentially this is because an awful lot of gallerists are people who lack business skills and don't consistently maintain an adequate reserve of working capital.  Check out the back stories of those who move over into art dealing at art fairs etc - if they couldn't manage the money last time, it's more than likely they won't be good at managing money going forward. 

The one exception to the gloom and doom is art sales at the very top end of the market - where art is typically bought and sold by people why people with extreme wealth who are, on the whole, resistant to recession fallout. However those reading this blog are typically not in that league so I will ignore that phenomena.

Lessons for artists from the 2008 Recession

...in my view, artists are also most likely to avoid problems and/or achieve success if they are well-informed about the market they are operating in. Recognising problems that you might be facing is the first step to dealing with them. (Me - commenting back in 2008!)

Back in 2008, I wrote a number of posts writing posts about how artists can meet the challenges presented by the current state of the economy then. 

Some suggested I was being unnecessarily pessimistic at the time - but in the end that did not turn out to be the case. (I have a very good track record in "reading the runes"!)

• Many of the blog posts are as relevant to day as they were then - albeit the circumstances are different
• I'd suggest a bit of reading would do no harm - particularly for those artists who have zero experience of what it's like selling art in a recession.

ESSENTIAL READING What should artists do about marketing their art in a recession? (23 January 2008) 

Diana Armfield Timeline on her 100th Birthday

Diana Armfield RA, HRWS, HRCamA, RWA(Emeritus), HNEAC, HPS, MSIA celebrates her 100th Birthday today. She was born on 11th June 1920.

She is a British artist who is well known for her drawings and paintings of landscapes - particular rural landscapes in Wales and urban landscapes and interiors in Venice. She's also drawn and painted a lot of floral still life as well as portraits.

I know I've made a point of photographing her artwork every time I've seen it and have looked back through my archives to see what I'd got to celebrate her birthday.

Diana Armfield at the RA Summer Exhibition 2019
- I didn't even have to look up the catalogue numbers to check!

Back in 2012 I wrote a very detailed appreciation of her - see Diana Armfield RA, RWS - an appreciation.

• First off, she draws wonderfully well - with a very sensitive line.
• Next she's a big user of pastels but uses them with very few strokes and a light touch...
• ...she produces stunning pastel drawings in a sketchy sort of way - which of course is another reason I like her work
• She's the inspiration behind my sketches of interiors with people - often in the middle of a nice meal!
• She's not wedded to one media. I love her painting as well in oils, watercolour and gouache. I like her dabs and dashes and beautiful modulations of colour.
• She draws and paints the bits of Venice that nobody else seems to paint
• I always find her people very believable and love her drawings of women talking. They speak of quiet observation of real people.

Today NEAC published their 'birthday card' to her see Happy 100th Birthday, Diana Armfield!

BELOW you can read a summary about her timeline of 100 years - brought up to date from the one published in 2012.

Timeline: Diana Maxwell Armfield, RA, HRWS, HRCamA, RWA(Emeritus), HNEAC, HPS, MSIA

Her photo portrait on the RA website

Personal

• 11 June 1920: born in Hightown, Ringwood, Hampshire. She was younger of two daughters of Joseph Harold Armfield, a Quaker who was the director of the Vale of Avon Iron Works, and his wife, Gertrude (née Uttley).
• 1949 - married Bernard Dunstan who she met at the Slade School of Art and lived in a studio at the bottom of the garden of her sister's house at 7 Lambolle Road, Belsize Park
• 1950 - birth of their first son - and they moved to the upstairs flat!
• 1952 - birth of their second son - and they moved to Kew (where she has lived ever since)
• her close association with Wales (and her Welsh landscapes) began when her parents gave her the house, Llwyn Hir, in Parc, near Bala, in Gwynedd,
• 20 August 2017 - Widowed when Bernard Dunstan died as the longest serving RA Member (see Bernard Dunstan RA PPRWA NEAC (1920 - 2017) | Making A Mark)

Drawings and Paintings by Bernard Dunstan and Diana Armfield 
hung at the RA Summer Exhibition 2017 two months before Bernard died.
Diane features as Bernard's muse in some of the paintings and drawings

Education

• Bedales School

She attended Bedales, a co-educational independent school in the village of Steep, Hampshire, and there she studied art with the inspiring teacher, Innes Meo.

• Bournemouth School of Art (one year)
• Slade School of Fine Art (during its evacuation from London to Oxford)

In 1942, she left the Slade without taking her diploma in order to undertake war work as a Cultural Activities Organiser for the Ministry of Supply.

• 1947 - took up place at the Central School of Arts and Crafts

Studying under Bernard Adeney and Dora Batty in the textile department, she soon founded her own textile company with fellow student, Roy Passano. They involved themselves in all stages of the process from design to sales, and showcased the results at galleries in South Molton Street (1947 and 1948) and at the Artists’ International Association.

Artistic Activities

She started her career in textile and wallpaper design in partnership with Roy Passano; they contributed to the 1951 Festival of Britain and examples of their work are in the permanent collection at the V&A.

• 1958 - designed wallpaper patterns for Cole & Son, Lightbown Aspinall and Shand Kydd, as well as John Line & Sons.
• 1959 - began teaching at the Byam Shaw School of Art - initially drawing and then painting as well.

Bernard quickly made me an easel box and we went to Arezzo in Tuscany together for two weeks, painting every day. I’ve never looked back!’(quoted in Fairweather 2013).

• 1959 - 1965 - combined designing and teaching
• 1965 - began painting full time and exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
• 1970 - elected a member of the New English Art Club
• 1973 - becoming an Associate Member of the Royal Cambrian Academy 
• 1975 - became a member of the Royal West of England Academy
• 1979 - she became a gallery artist with Browse & Darby in Cork Street - which was at the time the equivalent of mecca for all London Galleries 

Paintings by Diana Armfield at Browse & Darby

• 1985 - Artist in Residence at Perth, Australia
• 1989 - Artist in Residence at Jackson, Wyoming, USA in 1989.
• 1 June 1989 - Elected ARA
• 1989 - she was commissioned by HRH the Prince of Wales to paint the interiors and gardens of Highgrove, his home in Gloucestershire.
• 26 June 1991 - Elected a full member of the Royal Academy of Art 
• 1996 - became a full member of the Royal Cambrian Academy
• 1997 - joined the list of Retired Members of the Royal Cambrian Academy
• 2002 - she was interviewed for posterity and these records now form part of the aural archive at the British Library. (TIP: If you go to https://sounds.bl.uk
  you can go to the Search box directly or after selecting Arts, literature and performance. Entering the keyword Armfield (or Dunstan) takes you at once to her (or his) recordings. She has 54 half-hour recordings)

Pastel sketch of lambs by Diana Armfield

Exhibitions

Since 1965 Diana Armfield began to exhibit regularly at the Royal Academy and subsequently at the Mall Galleries, Bankside Gallery and Albany Gallery (Cardiff), amongst other venues at home and abroad.

She has also had solo shows at Browse and Darby in Cork Street, London since 1979 - and has many faithful collectors.

Recent Solo Exhibitions

Diana Armfield at the Royal Watercolour Society in 2011

• 2015-16 Royal Academy of Art - A joint show was held with Bernard Dunstan 
• 2013 Mall Galleries, London
• 2011 - she was the featured artist in the RWS Spring Show 2011 at the Bankside Gallery
• 2010 Browse & Darby, London - held an exhibition to mark her 90th birthday
• 2006 Albany Gallery, Cardiff
• Browse & Darby, London
• 2005 New Academy Gallery, London
• 2004 Sheen Gallery, London
• 2001 Royal Cambrian Academy, Conwy
• Albany Gallery, Cardiff
• 2000 Browse & Darby, London
• 1999 Bedales Centenary Exhibition, London

Hellebores at Christmas - at the NEAC Annual Exhibition 2019

Selected Collections

• Victoria & Albert Museum, London (Textiles)
• Government Art Collection
• Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
• Yale Centre for British Art
• Contemporary Art Society for Wales
• British Museum (RWS permanent collection)
• Lancaster City Art Gallery
• Faringdon Collection
• Commissions
• Reuters
• National Trust
• HRH Prince of Wales: Paintings of Highgrove
• Contemporary Art Society for Wales

Her paintings can also be found online at Art UK

Selected Publications

My copy of "The Art of Diana Armfield"

I highly recommend the book "The Art of Diana Armfield" to anybody who likes sketchy drawings and paintings which display really good draughtsmanship, life and some beautiful use of colour and tonalities.

• The Art of Diana Armfield, Julian Halsby, David & Charles, 1995
• The Simon and Schuster Pocket Guide to Painting in Oils, Diana Armfield, 1982
• The Simon and Schuster Pocket Guide to Drawing, Diana Armfield, 1982
• Drawing (A Mitchell Beazley handbook), Diana Armfield, 1983
• Painting in Oils: A practical step by step guide (A Mitchell Beazley handbook), Diana Armfield, 1983

It's time to talk recession - and what next!

The Covid-19 Pandemic to date has made economic survival very difficult for a number of artists.  However the coming Global Recession is going to make life difficult for a lot more artists - all around the world.

It's time to take stock and think about what this means - in the short term and the next 2-3 years.

This post focuses on:

• how I'm going to try and help in the coming weeks / months / years
• how you can contact me - with suggestions and queries and ideas
• current predictions about a global recession

The OECD published its Economic Outlook report today.

• This provides forecasts for the scope and size of the recession 
• The last section below deals with those predictions - and the nuance of the one hit or double hit recession.
• It focuses on how long this recession and period of uncertainty will last

OECD Projected REDUCTION in GDP in countries across the world (i.e. national economies contract)

Making A Mark - The Way Forward

I'm proposing to write a number of posts in the coming days and weeks

• focused on how to help artists survive and thrive - for example
• what to cut
• what to improve
• what to build
• creating checklists of things to think about and do - in relation to creating / marketing / selling / being business-like
• as an artist
• as an art teacher
• as an art gallery
• as an art co-operative
• re. art fairs
• re. exhibitions and competitions.

I'm inviting you to SHARE WITH ME:

• the strategies you have used in the past which WORKED (eg 10 years ago re the banking recession). I can certainly remember some of the things which happened then which I'd recommend people do think about or don't repeat!
• the dreadful mistakes you've made in recessions in the past and definitely will NOT be repeating this time around.
• the innovation you want to embrace
• the new initiatives and approaches you're thinking of creating / following
• how you cope with uncertainty

Essentially I want to help in any way I can to share learning from the past - and creativity re. the future.

I'll also be on the lookout for helpful blog posts and articles written by those active in the art economy - whether they are artists, art dealers, art galleries, art fairs or whatever.

You can share contributions - or ask questions you want the answers to - with me via:

• either the Contact Page on Art Business Info for Artists 
• or my Facebook Pages / Messaging re. 
• https://www.facebook.com/artbusinessforartists/ and 
• https://www.facebook.com/makingamark2/)

I'm pondering on setting up a community linked to one of the pages (probably the Art Business Info for Artists FB Page) to enable artists to share what they need help with and what they are doing to address the various challenges.

The Global Recession - cannot be ignored!

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis without precedent in living memory. It has triggered the most severe economic recession in nearly a century and is causing enormous damage to people’s health, jobs and well-being. 
OECD’s latest Economic Outlook

What follows is not a pleasant read. However in order to plan to cope with the recession you need to know what's coming at you.

I'll talk more in future posts about very specific issues you will need to address in relation to the business of being an artist - based on what we know happened in the last major recession.

Get on and do!

I firmly believe that the most pragmatic way forward is to 

• understand what we are facing and 
• make plans accordingly - for at least the next two years that this Recession will be felt.

I predict that:

• All artists who ignore the coming recession may well not survive it and will also become impoverished in the process
• However, start making realistic plans now and you may well come out the other side intact.

The Nature of the Global Recession

Today the the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published
The world economy on a tightrope

Conclusion #1: The global outlook is highly uncertain

This is the projected decline in real GDP as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic for the seven countries which make up 

The darker colour relates to the additional impact (i.e. additional decline in GDP / deeper recession) if a second peak occurs in a significant way. (i.e. why it so important to prevent that from happening!). The one thing that is certain is that the deeper the decline the longer it takes to climb back out of it.

FOR ARTISTS: the significance of this recession, how deep it is and how long it lasts relates essentially to the buying power of their customers in the marketplace. Sales of art - except at the wealthy end of the market - took a deep dive in the last recession and very many art galleries also closed. There's no reason to suppose the same will not happen this time.

This is the outlook for the G7 countries

BELOW is the outlook for the OECD countries - Spain is the worst affected and Korea is the least effected.

The outlook for countries across the world appears at the top of this blog post.

The projected reduction in GDP in OECD member countries

Those taking the biggest hit are the economies with a significant part of their economy dependent on the service sector. Another way of looking at this is those aspects of the economy which are discretionary as opposed to essential.

Conclusion #2: Amid high uncertainty, two scenarios are possible

The two scenarios are:

• Double-hit scenario: A second wave of infections hits before year-end
• Single-hit scenario: A second wave is avoided

Overall, economise with not return to the level of performance enjoyed in Quarter 4 of 2019 for at least two years.

Conclusion #3: Unemployment is soaring

Many countries have introduced support measures to protect jobs in the near-term in hard-hit sectors, but young workers in particular are vulnerable.

In the second quarter of 2020 (April - June 2020) the predicted unemployment rates - as a percentage of the population are:

• USA - 17.5%
• OECD - 11.4%
• UK - 11.2%

Unemployment is predicted to continue to increase in Q3 (July - September 2020)

If a second peak occurs this is likely to be towards the end of the year and could have very serious implications for unemployment in Q4 (October - December 2020). Assuming a second peak occurs, unemployment rates are predicted to run at:

• USA - 16.9%
• OECD - 12.6%
• UK - 14.8%

Unemployment is predicted to remain high throughout 2021 - and much higher than pre-Pandemic days.

Conclusion #4: Strong fiscal support is warranted but it has consequences

Public debt will increase very significantly - and at some time this had got be paid back - which may have implications for tax rises and cuts in services.

Conclusion #5: OECD and emerging economies face RECESSION and UNCERTAINTY

The global economy is now experiencing the deepest recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s, with GDP declines of more than 20% and a surge in unemployment in many countries. Even in countries where containment measures have been relatively light, early data are already making clear that the economic and social costs of the pandemic will be large. Growth prospects depend on many factors, including how COVID-19 evolves, the duration of any shutdowns, the impact on activity, and the implementation of fiscal and monetary policy support. Uncertainty will likely prevail for an extended period. Given this uncertainty, two scenarios have been developed to reflect the possible evolution of the global economy. In the double-hit scenario, it is assumed that renewed shutdowns are implemented before end of 2020, following another surge of the COVID-19 virus.

The long road to recovery

Just as the Pandemic is not yet OVER, this is not going to be "just a blip" in art sales. 

I believe we're going to be facing a very different art economy over the next two years. 

It's going to be a long road to economic recovery. My take on the nature of that economic recovery to date is that

• It's going to look pretty different - and that 
• We may well see a number of strategic shifts in how the economy - and the art economy - operates in future.
• Artists will need to be nimble in their thinking and on their feet. 

Are you ready to start addressing these very important issues? 

My top seven from The Figurative Art Fair

In the age of Coronavirus, the online art fair becomes the norm.

The Figurative Art Fair

Thus we have a new online art fair in The Figurative Art Fair - which is currently online on the Mall Galleries website.

It comprises

• 248 works for sale 
• by around 100 elected members of the country’s leading national art societies, including:
• The Pastel Society (PS)
• Royal Society of British Artists (RBA)
• Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI)
• Royal Society of Portrait Painters (RP)
• New English Art Club (NEAC)
• Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA)
• Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA)
• Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI)

In the decade of “The Triumphant Return of Figurative Art” (The New York Times, 2015), and at a time of isolation, the societies have come together to celebrate figurative art, contemporary artists, and the spirit of artistic collaboration in their first-ever “figurative” art fair, outside of gallery walls, exclusively online.

All works are for sale and all works are also available for despatch immediately - with FREE delivery!

It's interesting how some artwork I started out to like - and then the photograph was not up to standard and I switched off straight away.  It really highlights why excellent photography is required if you're going to exhibit online. I hasten to add that most have excellent photographs.

Works which caught my eye include the following.

Quince by Charlotte Sorapore

Oil on gesso panel (framed) 35 x 29 cm

This is the one I liked the best - in part because of a really excellent photograph which revealed the wonderful surface of the painting and the mark-making. The light and the optical mixing are also wonderful. A skilled painting of a very simple subject

I'd buy it if I could afford it.

Quince by Charlotte Sorapore

Shallows by Ruth Stage 

Egg tempera (framed) 73 x 83 cm

I'm a big fan of Ruth Stage's egg tempera painting. I wanted to include two but restricted myself to one.  She has a happy knack of abstracting the real and layering up her paintings with paint and marks that make it intensely interesting such that you want to keep on looking at the surface and not just what it represents.

Shallows by Ruth Stage

Leaning Hawthorns by Sarah Bee

Acrylic on gesso primed mount board (framed) 68 x 68 cm

This is a typical Sarah Bee - acrylic underpainting of old and twisted trees and then developed on top through the use of pastel. Each one always looks fresh.

Bonfire at Akeld by Frances Bell

Oil on board (unframed) 36 x 56 cm

Frances works with a very muted and cool palette - and yet always seems to find light within her subject matter

Bonfire at Akeld by Frances Bell

Moment of Majesty, Mt Elijah above Ano Boularii, Sundown by Toby Wiggins

Oil on canvas (framed) 96 x 144 cm

This is big - and reminds me a lot of paintings of New Mexico by both Georgia O'Keeffe (see Georgia O'Keeffe's landscapes of northern New Mexico) and Lydia Baumann (see Painting Georgia O'Keeffe Country). Desert landscapes as a subject are hugely under-rated.

Moment of Majesty, Mt Elijah above Ano Boularii, Sundown by Toby Wiggins

Alcazar Gardens (Seville) by David Curtis (sold)

Oil(framed) 38 x 38 cm

This reminds me of when I visited the Alcazar Gardens and did a pastel painting plein air.

However this is an oil painting. I want to see the brush strokes in every plein air oil painting - and in this one I can. When I look at the enlarged painting it's as if it's in front of me.

I note it has sold and I'm far from surprised.

Social Distancing on the Trent by Chris Myers 

Watercolour (framed) 54 x 102 cm

The title of this one made me smile - because it provides a record of a particular time - and yet it was painted last year. A neat example of how a change of title suddenly makes a painting very relevant and contemporary.

Social Distancing on the Trent by Chris Myers

Banksy provides symbolic comment on George Floyd + text!

Yesterday Banksy posted a painting on his website. The painting depicts a memorial to a faceless black man. This includes a candle which is beginning to burn the American flag - presumably in relation to the way George Floyd's death has sparked outrage and protest which has spread from Minneapolis across the USA and around the world.

He also posted three images on Instagram. It has three images - of

1. text (see below), 
2. the full size painting (see above) and 
3. the cropped version ( see beneath the text)

The post now has over 2 million "likes" and a LOT of comments

What is less understandable is the nature of some of the comments on his Instagram post

Some of these indicate that there are several who do NOT "get it" that Banksy has been commenting on social issues via visual images for a VERY long time.

OK - so this time he decided to spell it out too. How come they STILL don't get it?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on Jun 6, 2020 at 3:30am PDT

George Floyd died from asphyxiation on 25 May because a policeman with a long history of conduct violations knelt on his throat for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while two others held him down and a fourth did nothing.  They have all been arrested.

His death is viewed by many as a symbol of systemic police brutality against African-Americans - which "the establishment" a.k.a. "the white people' has done nothing to stop.

The protests around the world have not stopped since.  I see some of the latest have taken to hanging the American flag upside down.....

Articles on the Instagram post are as follows:

UK

• Banksy supports Black Lives Matter with latest artwork | The Guardian 
• Britain's Banksy depicts U.S. flag on fire in Floyd tribute | Reuters
• Banksy torches US flag in new artwork in support of Black Lives Matter protests | Daily Mirror
• Banksy shares picture of candle burning US flag | Daily Mail
• Banksy unveils new artwork inspired by death of George Floyd | Evening Standard
• Banksy reveals new Black Lives Matter artwork inspired by ... Metro
• What do we know about the new Banksy painting and where is it?.  | Metro
• George Floyd death: Banksy sets fire to US flag in new artwork inspired by Black Lives Matter | Sky News

USA

• Latest Banksy art shows burning American flag in Floyd tribute | Fox News
• Banksy's New Anti-Racism Artwork Sets Fire To The American Flag | Huffington Post

Black Lives Matter: what art museums did next

This is a record of what you can see on the websites of major art galleries and museums in the USA today - in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd

• starting with the Minnesota Museum of American Art and 
• finishing with the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

They tell an important story. Don't skip the last image.

Minnesota Museum of American Art

The statement on the home page of the website

BLACK LIVES MATTER.Demands for justice in the face of George Floyd’s murder are reverberating from the Twin Cities across the world. Museums are not neutral and must actively participate in the dismantling of deeply rooted, systemic racism and racial violence in America. The M stands in solidarity with the Black community and allies showing up in the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul—to protest, clean up, and support the tired, angry, and grieving. The many visionary Black and BIPOC artists in the mix are testifying to the power of art to confront white supremacy, to speak truth to power, to honor and resist forgetting, and to heal. We’re listening and reflecting on how the M can center and help sustain this anti-racist work.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

READ Standing in Solidarity, Committing to the Work Ahead (June 1, 2020)
by Daniel H. Weiss, President and CEO; and Max Hollein, Director

We know that art can be a powerful tool for commenting on contemporary issues, and that museums can play an important role in facilitating important, yet uncomfortable discussions. As the national conversation around racial injustice has heightened in recent days, we have been using our social media channels to highlight works from our collection that invite reflection on our nation's complicated past and present.

National Gallery of Art, Washington

READ Director's Message - PERSPECTIVES
by Kaywin Feldman, Director, National Gallery of Art June 01, 2020

We must remain hopeful, generous, just, and kind now. Our past does not have to be our destiny. We must let the power of art, which is the power of all that we share as human beings, be a power that prevails through this difficult time.

Museum of Fine Art, Boston

READ Director’s Message
BY Matthew Teitelbaum and Ann and Graham Gund Director

It is past time to recognize that the usual commitments to change are not enough, and that we have an obligation to make a difference. Only demonstrable actions will evidence a commitment. We acknowledge that the MFA, like many art and cultural organizations across America, has work to do to become the institution to which we aspire. This is the time for us to determine: “How will the MFA take the lead on bridging and healing the divides that exist among us?”

Art Institute Chicago

READ Our Commitment to Racial Justice and Equity 
BY —James RondeauPresident and Eloise W. Martin Director

.....this cannot simply be a time for words. Museums are contested sites; we are not neutral. We have the ability to play a constructive role in civic discourse. This is a time for self-reflection, a time for us to thoughtfully understand the best ways to advance racial justice. We recognize both the specific limitations of our authority as well as the boundless potential of an art museum to give shape and structure to new narratives. Grief will transform into action.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

READ Black Lives Matter

We stand with our community in rejecting racism, in mourning, and in demanding justice for the deaths of countless African Americans who continue to be targeted by systematic violence. We recognize that museums cannot claim neutrality in addressing the horrific issues that have plagued our society for centuries.

Minneapolis Institute of Art 

READ: Nothing

It's as if nothing happened in the city where George Floyd died.
Check out https://new.artsmia.org/

A non-stop global 24 hour conversation about watercolour!

This is the 

First non-stop 24 hour livestream global watercolour conversation, connecting over 100 of the world's top watercolour artists

I've never ever seen anything like this before - but it looks as if it will be really interesting.

It's a live stream on YouTube and starts at 11am Saturday 6th June in New Zealand (23.30GMT tonight 5th June 2020) - so I guess the aim is to keep going all the way through Saturday and into Sunday!



It's being organised by Szczepan Urbanowicz abd is also listed as an event on Facebook

I've no idea who he is - but I do recognise some of the names so I assume he's got this organised!

This project creates a new global watercolour conversation. It brings together over 100 of the world's leading watercolour artists (in a world first) 24 hour continuous conversation and poses questions relating to the current global conditions of social distancing, self-isolation and the new realities of creativity and expression in our technological world.JOIN with our guests as we roll out this "conversation" over 24 TIME ZONES!...direct to a global audience!...and remember!!!
..........GO WITH THE FLOW!!!!

Society of Botanical Artists - first online virtual exhibition

Today Plantae 2020 should have opened at the Mall Galleries. Instead the SBA's annual open exhibition opened ONLINE. 

• That's 426 artworks by 221 artists!
• It's probably the biggest ever exhibition of botanical art - even if it is online 
• It will probably get the biggest audience of any botanical art exhibition ever!

I've written very many times about the annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists on this blog (see this page for links to the reviews) - until I started my website Botanical Art and Artists and switched to writing about botanical art exhibitions on its news blog.

However every exhibition I've written about has been one I've seen in person and photographed and reviewed.

This year - for the very first time - Plantae 2020 the annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists can only be viewed online

However it can also be viewed three ways! You can

• View by Artwork - it starts a slideshow of all the 426 images in the exhibiton (+ music!)
• View by Thumbnails - you can choose which artwork you want to look at. There are 11 pages of thumbnails on my screen. This is what one page of thumbnails looks like.
• View by Artist - you can see all the entries by one artist.

I'll be reviewing the exhibition on Friday - on my Botanical Art News blog - and looking at the artists who got selected for the exhibition tomorrow.

If you enjoy botanical art, you might like to take a look - and maybe come back for more.