Royal Watercolour Society - FINAL CALL for RWS OPEN

You have until midday on Monday 6th of January 2025 to submit an entry to the RWS Open 2025.

This post covers:

• what is the RWS Open?
• why enter the RWS Open?
• how to enter

What is the RWS Open?

The RWS Open is run by the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS). 

It was formerly known (until recently) as the Contemporary Watercolour Competition.

The RWS chooses to invite open entries for an exhibition at the Bankside Gallery via a SEPARATE open competition rather than, as most art societies do, via an annual open exhibition dominated by artwork by members.

The RWS has FINALLY stopped calling it the "the largest open-submission water-media exhibition in the world". I'm guessing that's because I kept calling them out on this - EVERY SINGLE YEAR - because it simply isn't. My last comment on the topic being.....

I think the RWS would be well advised to read and study carefully The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) which is the rule book for non-broadcast advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing communications (marketing communications).

FACT: In the UK, the annual exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours selects and exhibits far more artists via the open entry to its Annual Exhibition which is way, way bigger than anything held at the Bankside Gallery. It's such a very silly idea to boast about something which it is so easy to disprove.

Around half of the 465 artworks on display in their 2024 (RI) Exhibition ....are by non-members.

Whereas, the RWS Open in 2024 exhibited 144 paintings in total - although it never ever quotes numbers for the actual entries received and the actual number hung. Nothing like numbers to bring some reality to the situation!

Instead this year, the RWS are now saying (my underlining)

the RWS Open is one of the largest open-submission water-media exhibitions in the world, attracting thousands of submissions nationally and internationally each year.

Which is fine. So I'll now stop sniping on this topic and reserve my comments for the calibre of the artwork they select instead. 

See my Review of the RWS Open 2024 for extensive comments on the quality of the artwork.

Frankly, speaking in my best "Emperor's New Clothes" voice, some might be OK in a teenagers school art exhibition - but nothing more than that. "Scrubby" and "scruffy" were two works which came into my head as I looked at some of the artworks.

I am also total dumbfounded at some of the prices people are asking for so little work, effort and/or skill. As I often comment, one can only assume that these are works by people who have no idea what price to put on their work - and what else people can buy for that sum of money.

I'm somewhat puzzled by the calibre of the thousands of entries if the artwork that was selected and exhibited was the best on offer. 

Also if (let's say - because we don't know) 2,000 entries were received, that means that only just over 7% were selected. 

I live in hope that this potentially important open exhibition will turn a corner. 

Maybe 2025 will the year?

Why enter the RWS Open?

The primary benefit of this competition is it acts as a platform for applying for membership of the Royal Watercolour Society. 

Review of the RWS Open 2024

This morning I visited the Bankside Gallery on the South Bank to see the RWS Open Exhibition. 

Entrance to the Bankside Gallery - and the poster for the RWS Open

The RWS Open is run by the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS). It was formerly known (until recently) as the Contemporary Watercolour Competition.

You can see all the 144 artworks in the show online as well as at the Gallery. Each has a page all to itself - if you click the right link!

The RWS chooses to invite open entries for an exhibition at the Bankside Gallery via a separate open competition rather than, as most art societies do, via an annual exhibition dominated by artwork by members. I think, in part, this is determined by the space for an exhibition at the Bankside Gallery which, while excellent as an exhibition space, is not overly large thus limiting the number of works which can be shown.

Despite my comments in previous posts, the RWS are still claiming that 

"the RWS Open is the largest open-submission water-media exhibition in the world, attracting thousands of submissions nationally and internationally each year."

Although, speaking frankly, I simply do not believe that claim. 

• Mostly because of the calibre of the work in the show but also because I've never ever seen any numbers to support this claim. 
• It's also wrong because the RI Annual Open Exhibition has many more artworks and more artworks by non-members. Around half of the 465 artworks on display in their 2024 Exhibition - which opens to the public on 28th March - are by non-members. The RI also had the highest ever number of entries from non-members for this exhibition. (See Presidents Introduction in the RI 2024 e-catalogue)

I think the RWS would be well advised to read and study carefully The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) is the rule book for non-broadcast advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing communications (marketing communications).

(I'd emphasise the same point applies to all other UK art societies inclined to make ambitious claims that they have not validated - I've got a blog post started in draft on this topic!!).

The need to choose

One of the interesting aspects of the two national (in England) watercolour societies 

is that you can only be a member of one - and the route to entry is generally via exhibiting in the open exhibition.

An open exhibition is a reflection of the outlook of its members - particularly those who act as jurors for that particular exhibition.  

• You can see the type of artwork produced by member of the Royal Watercolour Society on this webpage. 
• I'd point out and emphasise that:
• The more conventional traditional watercolours are typically by artists who have been members for very many years.
• Those who lean heavily towards what might be called 'contemporary / abstract art" are more recent additions.

I'd always counsel artists who ask me which society they should apply to for membership (as has happened in the past) to look very carefully at the type of artworks hung by members in their exhibitions. It's a big clue as to who they will ask to join in future. Then to look at the number of sales - as that's a clue as to which is most likely to attract serious art collectors and buyers of art.

Review of the RWS Open 2024

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

How to become an Associate Member of the Royal Watercolour Society

Would you like to become an Associate Member of the Royal Watercolour Society? You have until 11.59pm on Friday 2nd June to submit an application.

Membership of the Royal Watercolour Society

Royal Watercolour Society artists are elected on merit by the current Membership - a tradition dating back to the Society's foundation over 200 years ago. Any professional artist working in water-based media may apply. Our Members' work is extremely varied, both in style and subject matter, and includes paintings in gouache, acrylic, pen and ink and watercolour mixed media on paper.

The RWS:

• has a royal charter
• is based at Bankside Gallery in London - which it shares with the RE
• is currently in the soft opening phase of the new RWS Gallery at Whitcomb Street which is a new (old) gallery space near Trafalgar Square.

You need to apply to become an Associate Member first. 

When you become a full member the benefits are:  

• four major group exhibitions at Bankside Gallery each year, 
• other opportunities to exhibit in external exhibitions (recent collaborations have been with the Royal Albert Hall, the RHS and the Globe). 
• Your work will be publicised through the Society's website
• There are opportunities to run courses, have your work used for publicity, on merchandise, and to become involved in Society events.

For this you will be charged a not inconsiderable annual fee. I applaud the RWS for being transparent and upfront about this. It's the first time I've ever seen any of the Societies do this and hopefully this will become the new norm. 

My personal view is that ALL chances to apply for membership by ALL art societies should always be fully aware of the full costs and obligations as well as any benefits. Plus for the sake of transparency and complete compliance with Advertising Regulations it's always best to be up front about these things!

Application Process and Guidelines

You have to be a professional watercolour artist to apply

How does the RWS define a 'professional' artist?
All artists who submit their work for Election should earn their income (partly or wholly) from the sale of their work. They should exhibit regularly and have a clear and coherant practice.

The application process runs as follows:

• You need to apply online 
• a shortlist of applicants will be pre-selected and invited to deliver three framed, glazed paintings and a portfolio of supporting work to be judged by RWS Members. 
• If elected, you will become an Associate Member of the RWS. 
• Full Membership is achieved by Election at an RWS Annual General Meeting, if there is a vacancy.

These are the links to:

• the Election Page https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/election/
• the Application Guidelines
• Election FAQs
• the Application Form

Deadline: 11.59pm Friday 2nd of June

RECOMMENDATIONS: 

You can only be a member of ONE of:

• either the Royal Watercolour Society
• or the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours

but NOT BOTH! 

I strongly recommend that before making an application you make sure you have been to Exhibitions by both art societies as they are very different - and also exhibit in different places. You will know when you've seen the exhibitions which one suits you and your artwork best.

Also this is not a vanity exercise and people tend to remember names, so do not waste people's time if you're just starting out and do not as yet have 

• an established practice as an exhibiting semi-professional or professional artist 
• the significant income generated from the sales of your artwork. 

The RWS has an open competition https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/competition  and separate exhibition where you can exhibit work as a non-member and if you want to get noticed this is the best place to start - and then work towards submitting an application to become an Associate.

If you are an International Artist, please be aware that if you become a member you are expected to exhibit in exhibitions and if you fail to exhibit your membership can be revoked. 

Again - this is not a Vanity Exercise or a way to collect initials after your name - you are expected to become an active participant in exhibitions.

So maybe have a long hard think about the costs of transporting artwork to and from up to four exhibitions a year before you apply. I'd recommend having a think about transporting the artwork only and having it framed in the UK and then delivered to the Gallery. 

History of The Royal Watercolour Society

• In 1804, the Society of Painters in Water-Colours was created.
• In 1881, it changed its name to become the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours 
• In 1905 it became Royal Watercolour Society after it was granted a royal charter. 

It's now the oldest watercolour society in the world. The focus of this Society was to promote the use of watercolour - but also to exhibit only the work of its own members - which is a tradition which continues to this day. 

In the Victoria age, the RWS was referred to as the Old Water-Colour Society (OWCS) so as to distinguish it from the newer society which eventually became the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours (RI). 

See my post about The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours to see the history of the two societies and why they are separate.

Links

• Royal Watercolour Society
• The two Galleries at Bankside and Whitcomb Street

RWS Open Exhibition 2023: Analysis of prices and sales of selected artwork

This is the second in my series of posts about pricing for art society exhibitions relates to the annual RWS Open Exhibition of the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS)

View of the RWS Open from outside the Bankside Gallery on the South Bank

The RWS holds its exhibitions at the Bankside Gallery (next to Tate Modern) which despite being a very decent space for many exhibitions is not actually big enough to hold a combined member and non-member exhibition. It does however have an extremely good footfall outside - if they can be attracted down the steps.....

Consequently, the RWS holds 

• two member exhibitions each year in the Spring and Autumn
• a Christmas small works show
• PLUS an Open Exhibition for non-members and those aspiring to become members of the RWS (see my blog post Call for Entries: Royal Watercolour Society Open 2023)

This post relates to that latter show - the RWS Open held in the Bankside Gallery in March 2023. You can browse the artworks hung in the exhibition here

View of part of the exhibition

In order to produce this post this is what I did

• I visited on the afternoon of the last day (19th March) and went around the Gallery and very carefully identified all the sales and marked these up on the list of artworks with the sames
• I then analysed the sheet which listed all artworks in terms of price ranges
• I then compared the number of sales in each of those price range and produced an excel spreadsheet with the results tabulated and charted... which you can see below.

This chart compares the number of artworks hung to the number of sales. It shows you 

• (light column) the distribution of prices - between price ranges - of the artworks selected to be hung in the RWS Open. 
• (darker column) the distribution of sales in those same ranges.

My observations can be found below

153 artworks were hung. Of these just 17 sold (11% of work hung).  It needs to be remembered that this is an exhibition of artists who are not as well known and many will lack followers and collectors. Hence I would not expect a high percentage of sales. 

In the various price ranges the chart above demonstrates a very pronounced bias towards more affordable art with the £500 and under category accounting for over 70% of the sales. This is the category commonly considered to be one which accounts for a lot of "impulse buys" which is a very important part of any gallery sales.

RWS Open at the Bankside Gallery

If looked at in detail, in terms of percentages:

• £500 and less: 46% of the selected artworks hung and 71% of total sales
• £501-£750: 22% of artwork hung and 12% of total sales
• £751-£1000: 14% of artwork hung and 12% of total sales
• £1001-£1500: 8% of artwork hung; NO SALES
• £1501-£2000: 5% of artwork hung; NO SALES
• £2001-£2500: 1% of artwork hung; 6% of sales (i.e. the one painting in this category sold. This was The Shed by Stewart Smith who also won the Dry Red Press Award)
• £2500-£5000: 4% of artwork hung; NO SALES

This analysis certainly reinforces the importance of having a price range in an open exhibition below £500.

There's a conventional view that watercolours are worth less than paintings in oil. It's certainly true that oil paintings typically sell for more than watercolours. 

Respite & Recommendations

After five very full days of "full on" art gallery visiting, two press views, two private views and photographing five exhibitions, plus a hospital appointment to get my pre-assessment done for more surgery next month, I woke up this morning feeling really very weird, which then turned into feeling really rather ill for most of this morning. I'm unable to eat much of anything.  Basically I'm nearly brain dead and my body is rebelling I think! 

So...... My partner pointed out I'd obviously overdone things (he is apt to do things like that!) - and we've cancelled today's Sunday Roast.

So...... Despite the fact I'd planned to do my review of the annual exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours today I'm going to restrict myself to brief recommendations relating to the exhibitions I've seen this week.

If you like dogs...

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Portraits of Dogs from Gainsborough to Hockney

website: https://www.wallacecollection.org/whats-on/exhibitions-displays/

Two exhibitions are worth seeing - they're a total one off and they've never been done before.

• Portraits of Dogs from Gainsborough to Hockney (paintings and videos) - lots of really good portraits of dogs only (i.e. no humans in sight - apart from this one photo mural on one wall). I learned a lot - about artists and dogs! You can find this exhibition on the Lower Ground Floor
• The Queen and her corgis (photography) located to left of entrance on ground floor. For real fans of corgis and/or the late monarch.

If you like Paintings in Water Colours 

Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours | 211th Exhibition | Mall Galleries

This RI Annual Exhibition is well worth seeing and can be found in all three galleries at the Mall Galleries until next Saturday.

• It includes 449 artworks on the walls
• It had c.4,000 entries - so those selected from the open entry are mostly very good quality

I've already uploaded a folder of prizewinners and I'm trying today to upload the photos I took as I walked slowly around the exhibition - by Gallery

• Prizewinners
• North Gallery
• East Gallery
• West Gallery

I'll embed a link to the latter two when I've uploaded them.

Royal Watercolour Society | Spring Exhibition | Bankside Gallery

If you're coming to London for the RI Water Colours Annual Exhibition, don't forget that the Royal Watercolour Society also has its Spring Exhibition on at the same time at the Bankside Gallery next to Tate Modern - until 22nd April

I've not seen it - but the artwork which you can see online suggests they continue to pick artworks by painters with different 'contemporary' styles in recent times. 

It's emphatically NOT the exhibition it used to be...... They've still to find halfway adequate replacements for people like Leslie Worth and David Prentice!

If you've only got time to do one, then go to the RI Exhibition.

NEW Exhibitions about Plants

• Plants of the Qu'ran - a series of 25 botanical paintings by Sue Wickison
• The Wonderful World of Water Plants - botanical art and illustrations
• All the Flowers Are for Me - two installations by Anila Quayyum Agha

ALL three Exhibitions are on display at The Shirley Sherwood Gallery | Kew Gardens until Sunday 17 September 2023.

They opened yesterday, while I was there and there were lots of people flooding in...

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Plants of the Qu'ran 

This is a series of 30 large botanical watercolour botanical paintings by Sue Wickison. All of them are scientific botanical illustrations for a ground-breaking book of the same name which will be published next month.

This is the sort of watercolour painting rarely seen in the exhibitions of the RI or RWS. More's the pity. 

This photo, after posting to my Botanical Art and Artists Facebook Page  is currently drawing international admiration from botanical artists from all over the world - and breaking lots of my FB Page records for adulation! It's an exhibition which is going to get a lot of visitors!

I'm also going to be reviewing it next week on my News Blog on Botanical Art and Artists. I'll also be publishing a video interview I did with Sue yesterday morning before the gallery opened.

Sue Wickison with two of her paintings

The Wonderful World of Water Plants - botanical art and illustrations | Gallery 6

This exhibition focuses on plants which are found:

• growing in the water
• on the margins of rivers and ponds
• in damp boggy areas

Call for Entries: Royal Watercolour Society Open 2023

The RWS Open is run by the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS). It was formerly known (until recently) as the Contemporary Watercolour Competition. 

The DEADLINE for entries is Monday 9th January.

The RWS chooses to invite open entries for an exhibition at the Bankside Gallery via a separate open competition rather than in an annual exhibition dominated by artwork by members. Instead they have a Spring and Autumn Exhibition by members and a seperate open art competition for non-members.

the RWS Open is the largest open-submission water-media exhibition in the world, attracting thousands of submissions nationally and internationally each year.

I'd love to know how many the number of artists it has attracted in the past. I've commented in the past on this claim and

• I'd have expected one of the American open entry competitions to have maybe attracted more....
• the RWS needs to be very careful about using claims like that because unless they know the number of entries they attract beats those who submit work to the RI's Annual Open Exhibition - otherwise they could get into trouble with the Advertising Standards people.

Why enter the RWS Open

The primary benefit of this competition is it acts as a platform for applying for membership of the Royal Watercolour Society. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say don't even think about applying unless you have submitted to this competition and been selected and hung!

Other benefits are:

• your selected artwork is hung in the RWS Open exhibition at Bankside Gallery, located next to Tate Modern on the Thames Path
• your selected artwork will appear on the Royal Watercolour Society website for the duration of the exhibition and afterwards
• You can become part of a network of present and past exhibiting artists
• If you come to London for the Private View, you get to meet Members of the RWS for networking and potential Membership proposal. 
• you are eligible to win various prizes and awards (to be announced).

The RWS Open - Call for Entries

You can view the artwork selected for the 2022 RWS Open exhibition on the RWS website. I suggest you also pay attention to which artworks won prizes.

Who can enter

The RWS Open at the Bankside Gallery

The RWS Open is back and on display at the Bankside Gallery between 4th and 20th March. This post reviews what I can see online (while sat on the sofa with my post surgery non weight bearing ankle elevated on my knee scooter!)

Jennifer McRae

David: West End Summer

watercolour on paper

63 x 130cm

£9500

Why the RWS Open is different

The Royal Watercolour Society has a different approach to open exhibitions when compared to most other national art societies. It has 

• a special open competition and 
• an exhibition dedicated ONLY to those who are non-members.

I'm bound to say this is, very probably, because they exhibit at the Bankside Gallery which is smaller than other venues used by national art societies and hence including open entries in a mixed exhibition with members would mean 

• either fewer works by members (which they wouldn't like!)
• or the number of non-members who were exhibited would get squeezed - which would mean they wouldn't attract a lot of entries.

Anyway - after a year's break due to the Pandemic (when all the art galleries were closed a year ago) - the RWS Open can now be seen at the Bankside Gallery - except by me. I'm not back on both feet for at least another three weeks and probably not walking until the end of April.

So - how to review this exhibition? Well all I can do is look at it online - so that's what I'm going to do.

The RWS Open Online

The first things I noticed are that 

• it's changed its name:
• it used to be known as The RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition (see the 2020 competition/exhibition)
• it's now branded as The RWS Open

Formerly known as the Contemporary Watercolour Competition (among many other names during the exhibition's 50+ year history), the RWS Open is the largest open-submission water-media exhibition in the world, attracting thousands of submissions nationally and internationally each year.

• the Online exhibition is NOT on the Bankside website. Instead ALL the images of the artworks are on the RWS website. That means that 
• the RWS website can archive ALL its past exhibitions online. 
• Let us not forget that storage of images is not expensive and it seems crazy to go to all the trouble of putting on an exhibition only to pass up the opportunity to continue selling images from the exhibition or by artists in the exhibition after the exhibition closes! 
• I think this is very sensible strategic marketing move and one which I wish more art societies would copy!

One thing which remains unchanged is that Selection is down to a small group of RWS members. For the 2022 RWS Open, the selectors were the President of the RWS plus three other members and a guest Judge

• Jill Leman PRWS (jillleman.co.uk) President of the RWS
• David Remfry RA RWS (davidremfry.com) He used to be Professor of Drawing at the RA Schools
• Chloe Fremantle RWS (chloefremantle.com) - elected to membership of the RWS in 2021 so a new eye in relation to what's on offer
• Wendy Jacob RWS (wendyjacob.com) - paints in gouache and is a regularly selected for various juried exhibitions 
• Brit Pruiksma (Founder of Mothflower) - the Instagram account @mothflower is a curated account of artwork which now has some 60k followers since its creation in January 2020.

The Online Exhibition

Some comments on how the online exhibition works and then I highlight the artists whose artwork I liked.

Display online

The fairly small thumbnails (compared to some other exhibitions) provide name of the artist and whether the artwork has won a prize.

The display scrolls easily on my iPad Pro (i.e. it's not limited by pages) except for the fact it works better in portrait mode than landscape.

However in my opinion, the RWS website makes THREE BIG MISTAKES 

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!

Royal Watercolour Society OPEN 2022 - deadline for entries is Monday!

The Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) is again running its Annual Open Competition after a break during 2021 due to you know what! 

However the deadline for entries is Monday 10th January 2022!

Formerly known as the Contemporary Watercolour Competition (among many other names during the exhibition's 50+ year history), the RWS Open is the largest open-submission water-media exhibition in the world, attracting thousands of submissions nationally and internationally each year.

To be honest, I think the RWS needs to be very careful about using claims like that because unless they know the number of entries they attract beats those who submit work to the RI's Annual Open Exhibition - otherwise they could get into trouble with the Advertising Standards people. 

I guess they could argue this is the only competition which is ONLY open to submissions from non-members - but the nature of their statement does not say that - and I know how many entries the RI Annual Exhibition gets!

Benefits of this RWS Open 

The primary benefit of this competition is it acts as a platform for applying for membership of the Royal Watercolour Society. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say don't even think about applying unless you have submitted to this competition and been selected and hung!

Other benefits are:

• your selected artwork is hung in the RWS Open exhibition at Bankside Gallery, located next to Tate Modern on the Thames Path
• your selected artwork will appear on the Royal Watercolour Society website for the duration of the exhibition and beyond
• You can become part of a network of present and past exhibiting artists
• If you come to London you get to meet Members of the RWS for networking and potential Membership proposal. (I'm not sure whether they make any online forums available to successful artists)
• you are eligible to win awards on this year's prize list, including the RWS Young Artist Award - see below

Royal Watercolour Society Prizes

• David Gluck Memorial Award | £1000 Cash Prize 
• RWS Award | £250 Cash Prize 
• RWS New Graduate Award* | £250 Cash Prize 
• RWS Young Artist Award** | Guest Membership to the RWS for 2 years to an artist under the age of 35, allowing the winner(s) to exhibit in all Society exhibitions at Bankside Gallery for this period 
• RWS Publicity Prize | Your selected work on exhibition publicity material RWS Social Media Prize*** | Feature on @royalwatercoloursociety Instagram

Sponsored Prizes

• The Cass Art Solo Show Award | The opportunity for a solo exhibition of your work in one of the Art Spaces at Cass Art
• The Artist Prize | Feature article in The Artist & Leisure Painter Magazine
• Cotswold Mounts Prize | £125 cash
• Daler Rowney Art Materials Prize | Two watercolour art materials bundles to the value of £800
• Dry Red Press Prize | The opportunity to have your artwork published on a greetings card
• The Heatherley’s Open Studio Prize | Five days worth of studio time at The Heatherley School of Fine Art
• Insight School of Art Prize | £250 cash
• Schmincke Prize | Three sets of Schmincke Horadam Supergranulating watercolours
• Seawhite Art Materials Prize | Seawhite art materials
• St Cuthbert’s Mill Paper Prize | £150 worth of paper
• Winsor & Newton Prize | Art materials

Call for Entries

This is the RWS Open 2022 webpage

These are the RWS Open 2022 Guidelines. Key points are listed below.

Who can enter?

• For 2022 the RWS would like to invite artists of all backgrounds, at any stage of their career

What can you enter?

• Works on paper in any (and all) water-based-media including (but not limited to) watercolour, acrylic, ink, gouache and mixed media pieces featuring non-water-based materials as long as a water-based-media is included.
• All work should be on a paper support i.e. paper, cardboard, etc (not canvas, wood, plastic or any other surface)
• No prints, copies, reproductions or photographs are eligible 

Are there rules about watercolour techniques - should I only send work in that conforms to traditional ideas of watercolour?
The judges will be looking for ideas, competence and integrity - as long as the materials conform to those stipulated in the submission guidelines, they will be interested in how you choose to use them and will be excited by both innovation and expertise in traditional methods in using water-based media.

• No restrictions on style or subject matter
• Painting must have been completed in the previous 4 years (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 i.e. not as suggested in the Guidelines which somebody forgot to update!)
• Artwork for sale. (Note: The Gallery levies a commission of 40% + VAT on picture sales). 
• Framed paintings which do not exceed 200cm x 200cm
• Well presented artwork - poorly presented paintings or works that differ significantly from the photograph that was entered will not be accepted.

For your work to be insured against theft under Bankside Gallery insurance, your paintings must be framed, glazed and fitted with mirror plates. Other display options are welcomed but these are displayed works at your own risk.

Selection

How should I choose which of my paintings to send in?
Remember that the judges are looking at many works in a short time. They will be more likely to be captivated by work(s) with something special to say and with a personal point of view. They are looking for artists with a clear style and identity in all the works that they submit rather than lots of different styles of painting.

• Works for the exhibition are selected from digital images uploaded as part of the online application form.
• The selectors are:
• Brit Pruiksma | Independent Curator & Founder of Mothflower 
• David Remfry RA RWS | Artist 
• Jill Leman PRWS | Artist and President of the Royal Watercolour Society 
• Wendy Jacob RWS | Artist 
• Chloe Fremantle ARWS | Artist Royal Watercolour Society Pri

Delivery and Collection

• If your work is selected for the exhibition, framed paintings should be delivered to Bankside Gallery on Monday 28th February, 11am-5pm.
• Only professional Art Couriers should be used. Artwork delivered by non-insured non-art couriers (eg Royal Mail,. FedEx) is NOT ACCEPTED.

We recommend sending your work (via an arts courier in your country) to either Picture Post (info@picturepostcompany.co.uk / 01302 711011 or 07833450788) or Art Moves of Chelsea (artmoveschelsea@aol.com / 020 7352 7492) who will deliver your work(s) on time on your behalf and make sure all the packaging is taken away.

• Collection of any unsold paintings is from Bankside Gallery on Monday 21st March, 11am – 5pm. Storage fees are charged if you or your representative do not collect on this day. 

The Exhibition

An exhibition of selected paintings will be held at Bankside Gallery from Friday 4th until Sunday 20th March 2022.

You will be invited to attend the private view at the beginning of the exhibition where you can meet your fellow exhibitors and prizes will be announced.

In the event of a UK lockdown or other covid-related restrictions being put in place, the RWS reserves the right to deliver the RWS Open exhibition as an online only event.

Two new Royal Art Society Exhibitions in London

There are two new exhibitions by national art societies opening in London this week. These are:

• RSMA Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Marine Artists at the Mall Galleries 
• RWS Autumn Exhibition of the Royal Watercolour Society at the Bankside Gallery

I'm hoping to visit both of these exhibitions in the near future. 

They both include paintings - but those of the RWS are in water soluble media and the RSMA exhibition at the Mall Galleries includes all media plus sculpture.

You can easily see both exhibitions in one day.

Royal Society of Marine Artists 

The Royal Society of Marine Artists is the focal point for much of Britain's finest contemporary marine art, and many of the country's leading marine artists are elected Members of the Society.
This country is an island nation with a proud maritime heritage. The coastline of Britain and its principal islands measures some 19,400 miles, presenting a wide variety of often spectacular scenery.
The sea is part of who we are as a nation. It is this heritage and this environment that we aim to celebrate.

Title of Exhibition: RSMA Annual Exhibition 2021 

• Venue: Mall Galleries
• Dates: 30 September 2021 to 10 October 2021 - EXCEPT Sunday 3rd October when it is closed all day due to the running of the London Marathon 
• Hours: 10am to 5pm daily (closes 1pm on final day) 
• View artworks online (SCROLL DOWN) (Mall Galleries)
• View Members artwork in the exhibition (RSMA website)
• website: http://www.rsma-web.co.uk 

I actually prefer the online perspective on artwork by members on the RSMA website - mainly because the images are much bigger when scanning through to see which ones you want to take a closer look at. On the other hand, if you click on an image twice on the Mall Galleries website, you get to see an even bigger image. Lots of clicks and navigation though to do this for several exhibits!

The Private View and Awards Ceremony were held yesterday (which I no longer go to as I'm avoiding crowded events). Those artists who have won awards in this exhibition have been announced - and you can see the artworks on the Mall Galleries Facebook Page plus prize details and the artist who won the award.

I just won first prize at Royal Society of Marine Artists @MarineArtists @mallgalleries Murrays Commercial fishing Award.😃 pic.twitter.com/RoKpnxXqxi

— Henrietta Graham (@Henriettagraham) September 29, 2021

It's very interesting, at this stage of the exhibition, to see which artworks sold online prior to the opening of the exhibition and/or sold yesterday the Private View.

Royal Watercolour Society

View of some of the line artwork from this exhibition

Title of Exhibition: RWS Autumn - "Now and Then" 

• Venue: Bankside Gallery 
• Address: 48 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH
• Dates: 1 - 31 October 2021
• Hours: 11am - 6pm during exhibitions (open daily)
• View artworks online
• website: https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk

This exhibition of works by Members of the Royal Watercolour Society showcases paintings created in the very recent present alongside those at the earliest points in their career, and everything in between. The display promises to provide visitors with a rare insight into the development of each artist's creative output, as well as the opportunity to take a piece of work home, whether from now or then.

To my mind RWS has still not recovered from their disastrous attempt to "look contemporary" as opposed to painting for the reason they were chosen to be a member and slowly developing their work over time.

Furthermore, despite the scope and intention of the exhibition, I'm left wondering whether member artists read the brief! That's because, 

• to be perfectly honest, when viewing the works online I can't see very much change in artworks - except for those submitted by a very few artists.
• when I checked the dates on some artwork it's also very evident that the watercolour painting styles of some artists have changed very little in the last 10 years (June Berry), 30 years (Richard Bawden) or 40 years (Dennis Roxby Bott) 

I shall be intrigued to see whether buyers are purchasing old or new work - and will probably wait to visit until I get an answer to that question.

"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!