How to apply to become an associate member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers

For all those printmakers who think they might be ready to move up a stage - and want to add RE after their names.

This post covers

• a very brief history of the Society
• how to apply to become an associate member (ARE) of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers - which is the first step on the pathway to becoming a full member (RE).
• what happens if you are elected an Associate Member 

A brief history of The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers

The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers is a very old art society.

• formed in 1880 - as a reaction to the Royal Academy of Arts' reluctance to exhibit etchings and engravings (ironic considering the contemporary popularity of printmaking at the RA Summer Exhibition!)
• 1888: received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria and became and became the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers
• 1911: full members began using RE after their names
• 1991 changed its name - having formerly been known as the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers - hence the RE acronym.
• It is the foremost society for all printmakers
• Printmaking methods included within the scope of the society:
• 1897: Engraving
• 1920: wood engraving
• 1987: lithography
• 1990: all forms of creative and forward-thinking original printmaking
• eminent past members have included Graham Sutherland, Stanley William Hayter, Edward Bawden, Julian Trevelyan and Michael Rothenstein.

Since its inception, every member has had one piece of work selected, providing a snapshot of the artist's portfolio at the moment of his or her election.

If elected as a full member, your name and the title of your chosen ‘RE Diploma Print’ are entered in a Roll-Book whose entries arch back to 1880.

The Society shares its home at Bankside Gallery, in London, with the Royal Watercolour Society in an association that has lasted more than a hundred years.  Each year there are various opportunities to exhibit:

• RE Members are invited to submit two works for inclusion in the Society’s major annual exhibition at Bankside Gallery 
• there are a number of opportunities to show in joint exhibitions at Bankside Gallery and elsewhere.

Demonstrations and lectures are held as part of the education programme accompanying exhibitions, fulfilling the Society’s status as an educational charity. The RE is run by its Members, all of whom are expected to take an active role in furthering the interests of the Society.

Applications for the Election of Associate Members in 2024

The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) was formed in 1880 to seek recognition for and to promote the value of printmaking as an art in its own right. Membership is open to artist-printmakers of the highest order. To this day it continues to promote original printmaking in all its forms, widen the knowledge and understanding of printmaking as a process, whilst also providing its members with artistic opportunities.

This is the Applications Page on the RE website

This is the ONLINE FORM you need to submit to apply for election as an Associate Member

You can Download the 2024 application guidelines (PDF). Links to online guidance pages are included below 

Timeline for applications and selection:

• Deadline for receipt of applications: Monday 27 November 2023 12 noon
• Notification of Shortlisted Artists: Friday 22 December 2023
• Deadline for submission of actual prints by shortlisted artists: Saturday 3 February 2024, 11am - 6pm (see Information for Shortlisted Candidates - which also outlines the provisions for all Overseas Artists)
• Collection of prints: (see details about collection)
• Sunday 4 February, 4 - 6pm & 
• Monday 5 February 11am – 1pm 
• Results are sent by email by end of Monday 5 February.

TIP Read the Terms of Election and Guidance very carefully and always aim to create a good first impression. THINK CAREFULLY about 

• whether you are ready to apply this year 
• or whether it might be better to spend the next year gathering together all you need for a good quality application which reflects your suitability for election in 2025.

Who is eligible to apply

Review: Chelsea Physic Garden: Celebrating 350 Years in Paint and Print

Yesterday I visited Chelsea Physic Garden: Celebrating 350 Years in Paint and Print at the Bankside Gallery on the South Bank.

Dicotyledon Beds, Chelsea Physic Garden by Claire Denny

collage, gouache & ink

Frame: 45 x 45 cm | Artwork: 29 x 29 cm

SOLD

It's a very good exhibition of the diverse perspectives of different by selected artist members of the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) and Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE).

The exhibition is being held to mark the 350th anniversary of the Chelsea Physic Garden.

View of the exhibition at the Bankside Gallery

There was a previous collaborative exhibition in 2021 - Chelsea Physic Garden: A Year in the Life. This came about as a result of an invitation from the Chelsea Physic Garden for artists to visit the garden and create art as a result

Over the course of the last 18 months, the artists have researched, visited (when possible) and recorded the Garden throughout changing seasons and varying restrictions, documenting perhaps one of the most extraordinary years of the Garden’s life. The result is a compelling and vibrant display of creativity and a wonderful example of what can be achieved in the face of adversity. The exhibition is truly refreshing and uplifting; a reminder of the joys and healing powers of both art and nature.

The initiative which started in 2019 was interrupted by the Pandemic. However at the same time it resulted in a greater understanding of the value of the garden.

You can also read: The Healing Powers of Art and Nature: Chelsea Physic Garden through the eyes of artists

I highly recommend a visit to the exhibition for those who like painting (or printmaking) gardens - or just enjoy Chelsea Physic Garden which is a delightful, historic and informative oasis in Chelsea - next to the river.

The exhibition banner on an external view of the Bankside Gallery

Paintings in the Exhibition - Two Painters

You can see an album of my gallery shots of the exhibition on my Facebook Page - see Chelsea Physic Garden 350th Anniversary - which are receiving some very positive responses from those who have viewed them. Believe me - they're better in real life!

View of the exhibition

I'm a Friend of the Florilegium Society based at Chelsea Physic Garden and am very familiar with the garden. Members of the Florilegium Society all draw and paint the plants rather than the garden.  (READ my page about Florilegium Societies to find out more about what they do). 

It was therefore very interesting to see the different ways in which the RWS and RE artists tackled the subject of the garden.

I'm going to highlight the artists who I thought best captured the look and spirit and history of the garden

Call for Entries: International Original Print Exhibition 2023

The International Original Print Exhibition, established by the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE), is an international open submission exhibition celebrating the best of contemporary printmaking. 

The exhibition is:

• organised by the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers (RE)
• sponsored by Jacksons Art
• held at the Bankside Gallery (next to Tate Modern) in the Autumn 2023.

The deadline for entry is 3rd July 2023

As an art organisation run by artists, the RE is constantly working to create long-term opportunities for artists and promote printmaking to a wider audience.

There are a number of prizes awarded to some of those whose work is selected for exhibition

Education / Studio Time Award

• Thames-Side Print Studio Prize - Annual membership of studio, 50 open access sessions & a place on a print course of choice worth circa £650
• Hole Editions Publishing Award, (Newcastle) - An invitation to collaborate on a lithographic project for three days. Accommodation included, but not travel
• Hot Bed Press Award - One year’s membership at Hot Bed Press, Induction and exclusive time with their technician, 100 hours workshop usage and £50 worth of materials to use at Hot Bed Press

Profile : Exhibition / Publishing Award

• Woolwich Contemporary Print Prize - work exhibited as part of Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair 2024
• GreatArt Award - Solo exhibition in Hoxton Store
• Printmaking Today Award - An editorial feature in the magazine

Art Supplies Award

• Jackson’s Art Supplies Award £250 Jackson’s voucher
• Hawthorn Printmaker Supplies Award - Materials to the value of £150
• Ironbridge Fine Arts Printmaker Prize - A spindle roller to the value of £180
• Intaglio Printmaker Prize - Materials prize of £100
• John Purcell Paper Award - Materials to the value of £150
• St Cuthberts Mill Award - 20 sheets of Somerset 250gsm paper 56 x 76cm

Membership Award

• Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers Prize - One year’s guest RE membership for an outstanding work
• Society of Wood Engravers Prize £100 plus a one-year subscription and free entry for selection process to SWE Annual Exhibition
• East London Printmakers Prize - One year's associate membership

Works from the International Original Print Exhibition 2022

Call for Entries

All the information that you need to know regarding preparing your works for the exhibition and sale of your work is available in 

• the application guidelines which are available as a PDF
• the detailed list of FAQs

Who can enter

• Artists must be 18 or over on 6 March 2023
• Artists from any country may enter - provided they are willing and able to get their work to and from the designated drop off and collection venues at their own cost 

What you can enter

• Any form of original printmaking is eligible. 
• Reproduction prints are not accepted. 
• All artwork must have been made in the past 3 years, dating from 6 March 2020 
• There are no limitations on style or subject matter 
• The work must have been made by the entrant 
• All work must be for sale 

Do you accept digital prints?
We do absolutely accept digital prints, as long as they are limited edition prints created using digital processes, not digital reproductions of another work. (FAQs)

Number of entries

• Artists may submit up to 6 recent prints - for a non-refundable fee of £16 per picture. 
• Students in full-time education (ID required) can submit up to 6 recent prints - for £10 per picture. 

(Note: Students will be required to show student ID when delivering the work to the drop-off location)

How to enter

• Take a good quality digital photograph or scan of each print. The judges will make their decision based on this photograph. 
• The print should be photographed unglazed and evenly lit, and cropped to the edge of the work. 
• View the photograph on a computer to make sure you are happy with the picture quality on a larger screen. 
• As a guide, the file size should be minimum 1MB and not exceed 3MB
• Go to https://www.re-printmakers.com/competitions/ and follow the onscreen instructions to make your entry. You will be asked to provide:
• An image of each artwork 
• Artist’s name (exactly as you wish to be known on the works list and labels)
• Contact email address for the artist (please be sure to spell this correctly!) 
• Title of the work 
• Framed dimensions in centimetres 
• Medium 
• Framed and unframed price for each print (latter only if applicable) 
• re. Pricing - Remember to take into account 
• framing and transport costs, 
• Bankside Gallery’s commission of 45% should the work sell. 
• If you are registered for VAT, please also include this in your price. 
• No changes to your price(s) will be possible after the competition deadline so please ensure they are correct. 
• Unframed price for each print (only if applicable ie. Do not fill in this field if further prints in the edition are not available or if it is a monoprint / monotype) 
• Availability of further unframed prints in the edition (if applicable)
• When submitting student work online, please also 
• scan your student ID and 
• email a copy to info@re-printmakers.com. 
• Any works found to be falsely submitted as student work will not be hung. 
• Pay the non-refundable entry fee using the secure online payment service. 
• Make sure you click the blue ‘Submit entries’ button. 
• Your entry is not complete until you complete this step. 
• Acknowledgement of your entry and payment will be sent to you

You won't be able to access your entry after the deadline has passed do be sure to make a record of the complete entry (I always print off the entry and then also save it as a pdf file in the folder for the competition on my computer)

Incomplete entries or those made without payment received by the competition deadline, will not be shown to the judges. If you encounter difficulties, you can get in touch at info@re-printmakers.com.

Works from the International Original Print Exhibition 2022

Important Dates

Call for Entries

• Monday 6 March, 12 midday | Competition opens for entries
• Monday 3 July, 11.59 PM | Entry deadline
• Thursday 27 July by 6pm | Results posted on www.re-printmakers.com/competitions and successful artists contacted via email

Delivery

• Friday 15 or Saturday 16 September, 11am-5pm | Delivery of successful entries to 23 Blue Anchor Lane, SE16 3UL

Exhibition

• Wednesday 20 September 6-8pm | Private View & Prizegiving
• Thursday 21 September – Sunday 1 October, 11am-6pm daily | Exhibition of successful entries at Bankside Gallery
• Sunday 1 October, 6 – 8pm, or Monday 2 October 11am – 6pm from Bankside Gallery | Collection of unsold work

Selection & Panel

These digital submissions are assessed by a panel of judges who can select up to a maximum of 3 artworks for any one artist. The judges’ decision is final.

The 2023 Selection Panel comprises:

• Rob Ryan (artist) 
• Dr Mark Golder (collector & academic)
• Sharon Lloyd (co-founder of FACE)
• David Ferry (RE President)
• Michelle Griffiths (RE Vice President)

A list of prints selected for the exhibition will be published on www.reprintmakers.com/competitions by 6pm on Thursday 27 July. 

Artists whose work has been selected will be sent an email confirming arrangements for the exhibition.

Preparing work for delivery and exhibition

There are detailed instructions for those who need to know in the guidelines about presentation, framing, mirror plates, labels and insurance.

Note that poorly presented prints or works that differ significantly from the photograph that was entered will not be accepted. 

Exhibition 

The exhibition of works selected will take place at the Bankside Gallery from 21st September to 1st October 2023.

Works from the International Original Print Exhibition 2022

2nd International Original Print Exhibition (2022)

I went to see the International Original Print Exhibition 2022 at the Bankside Gallery on the South Bank on Tuesday. It finishes on Sunday 2nd October.

I can certainly highly recommend it as a diverse collection of original fine art prints which demonstrate the diversity in different approaches to print-making

The prints also varied between the very colourful and monochrome.

All the works exhibited are the result of an open submission exhibition established by the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. The aim of the exhibition is to celebrate the best in all forms of contemporary printmaking.

These include

• aquatint etching
• chine collé
• copperplate engraving
• digital 
• drypoint
• etching
• giclee
• hand stencilled screenprint
• high relief carborundum
• intaglio gravure
• laser engraved woodcut
• linocut
• lithograph
• mezzotint
• mokuhanga (water-based woodblock)
• monotype
• photolithography
• photopolymer etching
• risograph
• screenprint
• silkscreen and woodcut
• soft ground
• solar etching
• stone lithography
• woodcut and stencil
• woodblock

and variations on the above.

It's also an exhibition with a wide variety of sponsors of both the exhibition and/or individual awards.

The overall bias of subject matter is either abstracted or landscape oriented with fewer images of people than you might expect. 

Winter / Spring Art Society Exhibitions in 2022 - at the Mall and Bankside Galleries

As a lot of the constraints are removed, I thought I might as well list all the upcoming exhibitions at the Mall and Bankside Galleries which I'll be missing while 100% non-weight bearing on my right leg and mobilising entirely on my leftleg with a very dodgy knee and various aids.

I am of course being masochistic. It's an anxiety diversion tactic about the ankle fusion surgery next Monday. Oddly, the surgery does not bother me - it's the 12 weeks of not being able to walk / staying at home. On the other hand I wonder how long it will be before I can walk to a gallery in London, walk around the exhibition three times and then get myself home again. It's certainly been a long time since I've been able to do that easily and/or not be absolutely wiped out the next day. People keep telling me it takes about a year before you're back to 'normal' except I can't even remember what 'normal' feels like.....

I'm going to have to decide whether I can review from the Virtual / Online exhibitions - which I absolutely HATE doing. The difference between an exhibition online and in the gallery is ENORMOUS!

National Art Society Exhibitions at the Mall Galleries

Venue: Mall Galleries, The Mall, St. James's, London SW1Y 5AS

Admissions: 

• FBA Society Exhibitions: £5
• Concessions for people with disabilities (with free entry for one companion), Students, Registered Unemployed and Group Bookings (over ten in a group): £3
• FREE to Friends of Mall Galleries and Under 25s.

Website: https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk

Below I'm including overviews of some of my photos of the different exhibitions last year which you can find in albums on my Making A Mark Facebook Page - by art society and gallery

FEBRUARY - Pastel Society

• The 123rd Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2022  17 February 2022 to 26 February 2022 - The exhibition has a theme of ‘Fresh Eyes’

some of my photos of the Pastel Society exhibition last year

MARCH - The Royal Society of British Artists

• The Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition 2022 3 March 2022 to 12 March 2022

some of my photos of last year's RBA exhibition

APRIL - Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours

• Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 14 April 2022 to 23 April 2022

MAY - Royal Society of Portrait Painters

• Royal Society of Portrait Painters | Annual Exhibition 2022 5 May 2022 to 14 May 2022

This one I might make - depending on whether or not I'm 100% weight-bearing - and how far I can move....

Read my review of lst year' exhibition to see what to expect https://makingamark.blogspot.com/2021/05/review-130th-annual-exhibition-of-royal-society-portrait-painters.html

National Art Society Exhibitions at the Bankside Galleries

Venue: Bankside Gallery, Thames Riverside, 48 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH (next to Tate Modern)

Admission: FREE

Website: https://www.banksidegallery.com

FEBRUARY - Society of Wood Engravers

• Society of Wood Engravers 1 - 20 February 2022
• Society of Wood Engravers website: https://www.woodengravers.co.uk

The Society exists to promote wood engraving, but also embraces all forms of relief printing, which makes this show a fascinating and affordable collection of images inspired by a wide range of subjects.
This year's featured artist is Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers member, Ian Corfe-Stephens

MARCH - RWS Open

• RWS Open 4 - 20 March 2022
• RWS Open website - https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/competition

Established by the Royal Watercolour Society, this annual open-submission exhibition explores innovation and experimentation in all forms of water-based media. Exhibiting artists range from established art professionals to those completely new to exhibiting.

MARCH - APRIL - RWS Spring Exhibition

• RWS Spring Exhibition 25 March 24 April 2022
• Royal Watercolour Society website - https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk

I've not been a fan of this exhibition in the more recent past - when it seemed to want to become "edgy" ditch traditional watercolour and reinvent itself as a genre for contemporary art - which in my opinion was not very good. It seems to have changed following the very welcome change of President.

This is how they describe it.

Reconsider your ideas about watercolour with the Royal Watercolour Society’s spring show. Expanding from traditional genres of watercolour painting, today members of the RWS explore the boundaries of this medium and use a wide variety of water-based media such as gouache, ink and acrylic. Be prepared to be delighted by modern work that is beautiful, exciting and distinguished.

MAY - JUNE - RE Original Prints

• RE Original Prints - 13 May - 11 June 2022
• Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers website - https://www.re-printmakers.com

This is a society which generates an exhibition which I regard as well worth a visit - except I keep forgetting what the dates are!

"Chelsea Physic Garden: a year in the life" at the Bankside Gallery

I saw the exhibition about the Chelsea Physic Garden: a year in the life at the Bankside Gallery on Friday. This is an exhibition of painting and prints by members of the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE). It was really nice to see such a lot of decent proper watercolour painting on the walls of the Bankside - and a lot of the prints are great.

You can see all the artworks online if you're unable to visit the Gallery before the exhibition closes on 30th August.

• Click an image to see more details and
• then click the image again to see a larger version.

You can also get a much better sense of the size of the different artworks in my Facebook Album of the photos I took on Friday. As always online exhibitions can be very confusing in relation to size. Some of the artworks are much smaller while others are much larger than you might think!

View of the end of the Gallery - with display cases for sketchbooks and postcards

I'm still deep in "getting ready for surgery mode" at the moment, so this is going to be something of a shortcut review, i.e. the pics are on my Facebook Page (in an album) - with a few in this blog post.

The topic was a refreshing change. I've never had a sense of either the RWS or the RE being much interested in either plants of gardens. Maybe they've spotted the popularity of all things 'botanical'? Personally, I'd have timed it to coincide with  COP26 - the United Nations Climate Change Conference due to be held in Glasgow in November 2021. 

COP26 has six major themes and one of these is

Nature - to safeguard and restore natural habitats and ecosystems to preserve the planet’s biodiversity

which - given the Chelsea Physic Garden's perennial focus on plant diversity and plants from around the world - may well probably have garnered a bigger audience for this exhibition.

That said it was interesting to see the approach of the different artists to the exhibition - which was explained on a large information board

I really liked the paintings of the Garden by these painters

• Mychael Barratt PPRE, RWS - has produced a wonderful annotated map of the Garden as a hand coloured silkscreen/etching. He's an artist I would collect if I had more wall space!
• Liz Butler RWS - several small paintings in her inimitable style demonstrating an expert watercolourist's grasp of the full tonal range
• Claire Denny ARWS - five paintings in watercolour and acrylic ink of various very familiar views of the Chelsea Physic Garden
• Wendy Jacob RWS - views of the garden and accurate but stylised portrayals of plants, bushes and trees
• Annie Williams RWS - Annie normally paints very carefully constructed and beautiful still lifes so it's fascinating to see how she approaches painting a garden.

I also liked the artworks about plants by these artists

• Emiko Aida RE - her etchings of white flowers on a very vivid orange background both echo conventional botanic art and provide a counterpoint to ideas of how flowers should be portayed
• Meg Dutton RE RBA has drawn several ink and watercolour artworks of the profusion of plants in the glasshouses. I'm also familiar with similar drawings she did of the plants in the glasshouses at Kew Gardens.

NOTE: What used to be a quick jaunt for me is now a very painful expedition even using my rollator due to my severe osteoarthritis. Walked way, way more than I should have done n Friday. Exhibition visits between now and surgery are going to be very few and far between - and involve lots of sitting down and long rest periods!

National Art Society Exhibitions in London - after lockdown

I'm very pleased to say that life after lockdown - in terms of visiting the annual art exhibitions of national art societies - is looking brighter as information begins to appear on websites.

Below is a summary of what I've found so far.

Note: Under the UK Government's Roadmap for reopening after lockdown in England:

• STEP 2: Commercial Galleries can reopen (alongside Retail) on 12th April
• STEP 3: Public Museums & Galleries (i.e. primary purpose is NOT retail/trading) can reopen on 17th May

Commercial galleries come under non-essential retail and will therefore be permitted to open from 12 April.

Mall Galleries

Information has started to appear on the Mall Galleries website about when we can expect to start visiting exhibitions in the Galleries again.

the next three exhibitions which can be seen in the Mall Galleries proper

The Mall Galleries is the trading arm of the Federation of British Artists and displays their annual selling exhibitions each year - plus the exhibitions of other national art societies.

Below I'm listing each of the art societies which have details posted on the website plus

• the link to the online exhibition
• start and finish dates of the actual "in the Galleries" exhibition
• note that the hours for ALL exhibitions in the Galleries are 11am to 4pm 

One MAJOR PLUS is that, following a suggestion I made (which I'm sure was something which occurred to others as well), the Mall Galleries website has been changed so that ALL the NON-MEMBER artists who exhibit in an exhibition get their artwork listed under the BUY ART section of the website.

These are the Upcoming Exhibitions.

Bankside Gallery reopens - with a new exhibition

The Bankside Gallery - home of the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) and Royal Society of Painter Printmakers (RE) - has reopened for a new Exhibition and viewings in person - in the gallery.

An exhibition "Summer at the Bankside Gallery" opens today until 27th September 2020.

It comprises artwork - paintings and fine art prints - by members of both the RWS and the RE - although I think the latter has the edge in terms of quantity and quality of content.

While it says on the RE website that the exhibition is full of new work, I'm afraid I recognise a few as works I've seen before and the word "includes" might be more appropriate.

The Bankside Gallery and Exhibition are open daily (during exhibitions) between 11am and 6pm.  There are no indications of visitor controls on the website relating to

• limits on visitor numbers
• the need to pre-book a visit

although I do expect they will need to ask for names and addresses on entry re contact tracing.

However their email says

The safety of our visitors and colleagues is our top priority. We have been working hard to ensure that we can welcome you back to the Gallery safely, so you will notice a few changes and new measures in place on your next visit.

For the record "retail art galleries" come under the Covid-19 government guidance for Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) for retail shops and premises and section 2 indicates the type of provisions expected for "Keeping your customers and visitors safe".

There are no announcements as yet around events - and I'm guessing they might be somewhat more problematical.


Given they're three stops on the Tube for me, I may well break my duck (no public transport since March!) and venture forth to view the exhibition at some point - when I feel a bit more confident about safety arrangements. 

PS Today the Mall Galleries has posted that deferred art society exhibitions will be restarting on 1st September. I'll post more about this tomorrow.

Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers Elections 2017

The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) is holding its elections for membership in February 2017. Membership is NOT limited to those living and/or working in the UK.

The Society seeks practising professional printmakers from the UK and abroad and intends its membership to reflect the best of printmaking as an art form in all its diversity.

The Society was originally founded - as the Society of Painter-Etchers - in 1880. Queen Victoria granted it its Royal title in 1888. It changed its name to the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, so as to incorporate all methods of printmaking, in 1989. This is by way of explanation for the accepted shortened form of their name as being RE.

• This is its website http://www.re-printmakers.com
• These are its current members
• Its home is the Bankside Gallery which it shares with the Royal Watercolour Society

The deadline for submitting an application for membership in 2017 is Wednesday 8th February 2017, at 12 noon.

Home page of the website of the The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) 

The Benefits of membership of the RE

Fine art printmakers who are elected to membership enjoy full Membership benefits including:

• three major group exhibitions at Bankside Gallery each year
• other opportunities to exhibit in art fairs. 
• your work will be publicised through the Society’s website
• opportunities to run artist demonstrations
• your work may be used for publicity, on merchandise
• generally become involved in Society events.

In the first instance, an application for membership can result in your election as an Associate Member. The annual subscription fee for an Associate is £190 in advance on 1st January in the second and subsequent years. (It's rebated in the first year to reflect less than a full year).

The Election Process

Artists who work in any printmaking media, including digital, are invited to apply for membership. Successful candidates invariably are those who appear equally outstanding in all aspects of their work as practising professional artist-printmakers.

What you need to know

The next elections are being held in February 2017.

• The actual annual election of Associates (ARE) - in a secret ballot of the RE Council - will be held at Bankside Gallery on Saturday 25th February 2017.
• The vote takes place after the members have reviewed each applicant’s prints, drawings (or other preparation work) and artist statement.

The selection process is thorough and challenging and many of our current members have undergone many elections before being successful. The Society seeks practising professional printmakers from the UK and abroad and intends its membership to reflect the best of printmaking as an art form in all its diversity.

Criteria for election as an Association

The RE Council are looking for certain significant qualities in candidates including:

• A high degree of individuality and commitment in their work. 
• Evidence of maturity and accomplishment in printmaking. 
• Agreement to participate on a regular basis in exhibitions and assist with the Society's work.

Timeline

• Deadline for applications: Wednesday 8th February 2017 | 12 noon 
• Date for sending in portfolio: Friday 24th February 2017 | 11am - 7pm 
• Results / Collection of artwork: Sunday 26th - Monday 27th February 2017 | 11am - 6pm

Who can apply

There are no restrictions of applications for membership.

How to apply

• Obtain the application form and conditions - information and an application pack are available by clicking here.
• Print out the form and complete the form - you need to provide:
• the work you are submitting; 
• your training; 
• details of the most significant shows you have been in and/or 
• any work in public collections and an artist’s statement.
• You can submit up to eight prints
• You can also submit up to six pieces of supporting work eg sketchbooks
• you can list up to five exhibitions of your work
• You need to summarise your artist statement in less than 200 words.

For those who need to have a think about their artist statement you might find this section about How to write an artist statement on my Art Business Info for Artists website to be useful.

• Complete and submit your application by the due date and, unusually these days, MUST ALLOW TIME FOR POSTAGE!
• MUST be by post - there is no digital submission (why not accept PDFs of the completed form via email?)
• MUST be accompanied by a cheque for the fee. (It's a great pity that the RE doesn't provide the opportunity for people to pay via PayPal or a BACs transfer - cheques are rapidly becoming an outmoded means of making payments!)
• You then need to submit your portfolio by the due date. Pay particular attention to the commercial aspects of applications from prospective members

Monoprints and monotypes are permissible in part but candidates should note that the Society seeks Members who are practising printmakers, producing editions of prints that we can exhibit and sell for mutual support

Who selects new members

Those who become new Associate Members are elected by a panel of the RE Council.

The Society draws from a broad range of printmakers with diverse tastes and practices. Changes to the selection committee mean that rejection one year does not preclude selection on another occasion.

A suggestion for the RE

How about making life easier for the printmaker - particularly those living outside the UK, the society and its administrators by transforming this process into one which is suitable for a world where most things are now done - and filed - online?

For example, the Society could agree to:

• EITHER make the form available as a Word document or a Google Docs document - so it can be completed via email. 
• OR use an online form based on the website for all submissions. It's what typically required of artists when submitting their work to an art competition.
• create a dedicated email for all correspondence, queries and submission of applications - this avoids applications getting 'lost'.
• make arrangements so that people can submit their applications online - (it's not difficult) eg
• send their completed form in Word via email to dedicated email address 
• pay their fee via BACs transfer or Paypal / credit card.

In doing so you will reduce the amount of paperwork produced and enable all applications to be forwarded as online documents to the selectors in advance of the meeting.  This reduces paper wasted and printing costs.

You can still have an arrangement for those who are not digitally literate and allow applications by post and cheque as well.

Call for entries: National Original Print Exhibition

The National Original Print Exhibition is run by the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers which is the UK's premier printmaking society

Call for Entries

Deadline for Entries: 21 June 2016

Who can enter

• The competition is open to international entries - but the entrant is responsible for getting their work to (and from) designated drop off and collection venues

What can you enter

These are the Guidelines

• All forms of original printmaking are eligible for entry. (That means no reproductions of art in other media - digital or otherwise!)
• All artwork must have been made in the past 3 years, dating from Tuesday 1 March 2013.
• There are no size restrictions
• Maximum of 6 prints
• All prints must be framed in wooden frames
• All entries must be handed in unwrapped (i.e. if you do not enter by hand you need a courier service which will unwrap your entry)
• All works selected for exhibition must be for sale. (note that 45% commission will be deducted from the sale value of all works sold during the exhibitions or directly as a result of the exhibition.)

How to enter

• entry is digital - images can be a maximum of 3mb
• entry fee payable is £12.00 per entry (£8.00 for students)
• This is the entry form

Selection Panel

The Judges are

• Mychael Barratt (President of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers)
• Trevor Price (Vice President of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers)
• Julia Beaumont-Jones (Print Historian & Author)
• Bruce McLean (Artist)
• Mike Taylor (Director of Paupers Press)

You'll be notified on Tuesday 19 July 2016 if your entry has been successful.

There's no guarantee that your work will be hung if selected as a final selection is made when the exhibition is hung. (That's also another way of saying if your work is very large it better be very good!)

Handing-in of selected works

Selected works are to be delivered (unwrapped):

• to Ground Floor, 23 Blue Anchor Lane, Bermondsey, London SE16 3UL 
• on Friday 16 or Saturday 17 September 2016 11AM - 6PM

Interestingly this competition seems to have cracked the VAT issue for international entries

INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS

• Please liaise with Picture Post using the contact details below, who will:
• Manage the VAT process.
• Receive artwork from DHL/FedEx/TNT etc.
• Hand In on the due day.
• Store the packaging for use in the event of a return being required.
• Collect unsold or unaccepted artwork.
• Repack.
• Arrange the export service.

Exhibition

The exhibition of selected prints will be held:

• at Bankside Gallery, 48 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH (next to Tate Modern on the South Bank)
• between 21 September – Sunday 2 October 2016

Review: RE Open - contemporary printmaking at the Bankside Gallery

I'm extremely impressed by the quality of work in the brand new Printmaking Open Exhibition of the The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) - the RE Open which continues at the Bankside Gallery in London until Sunday 2nd September.

RE Open at the Bankside Gallery - a variety of 2d and 3D work

I've found that printmaking - as practiced by the RE - is an art form which both stays in touch with its past and at the same time embraces innovation with open arms.  I remember seeing digital prints being exhibited in an RE exhbition a few years ago - when it was very clearly demonstrated that digital art was able to create an entirely new form of printmaking which also demonstrated excellence.

To this end the aim of this exhibition - and its associated open art competition - is to provide:

• a showcase for excellence in printmaking
• a fascinating forum for consideration of current trends and new directions

It would appear that those submitting work to this competition are even more contemporary than maybe the RE!