Showing posts with label bird art.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bird art.. Show all posts

Monday, October 21, 2024

Review: 61st Annual Exhibition of the Society of Wildlife Artists

The Natural Eye 2024
61st Exhibition of the Society of Wildlife Artists
in the East Gallery of the Mall Galleries

I saw the Annual Exhibition 2024 of the Society of Wildlife Artists in two parts last week - however they were mixed up with blood tests, innoculations, the Van Gogh Exhibition and a rather remarkable exhibition of bronze desert plants in Chelsea.  So my brain was a tad overloaded last week! Which is why this review is rather late!

Also, this week, I'm having problems syncing my photos between iPhone and Macbook and then between Macbook and Facebook.  I've managed to get one album on FB so far - but the photos aren't all in the right order and some are missing - which I find intensely irritating. (If you saw my folder and file structures you'd know why - I'm VERY organised when it comes to photos and documents).

So - mega whinge out of the way - what I did think of the exhibition?

View of the West Gallery

First, a reminder of the SWLA aims which include 

seeks to generate an appreciation of and delight in the natural world through all forms of fine art based on or representing the world’s wildlife.

Through exhibitions and publications of fine art, the Society aims to further an awareness of the importance of conservation in order to maintain the variety of the world’s ecosystems and its wildlife.
As usual, the SWLA Annual Exhibition is possibly the most contemporary of ALL the FBA Societies (and others) exhibiting at the Mall Galleries. 

It includes paintings, drawings, collage, sculpture, original prints and animation! (I'm seeing more and more videos and animation in art shows). The work is of a very high quality and I'd highly recommend all those aspiring to be selected from the open entry and exhibit in the show to view a visit to the exhibition as a MUST DO if they are to get the scope and flavour of the exhibition.

Looking towards the end wall of the West Gallery

The 61st annual exhibition of the SWLA, The Natural Eye is open to the public until 27 October 10am-5pm (closes 1pm final day). 
Please note that the gallery is closed Tuesday 22 October for a private event.

I try to show people what it looks like with my photos. These will be going online just as soon as I can browbeat my devices and software to talk to one another!! Links below.....
READ MORE......>>
Posted by Making A Mark on Monday, October 21, 2024 0 comments
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Sunday, November 05, 2023

Review: 60th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Wildlife Artists



I can HIGHLY RECOMMEND this exhibition which is open daily 10am to 5pm and continues until Saturday 11th November. It opened last Thursday at the Mall Galleries  and continues until next Saturday and has events in the gallery next week  on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th November from sketches and linocuts to monprinting and wood carving.
The exhibition has over 430 works in the catalogue plus unframed project work from the Wadden Sea residency.

There are original prints, paintings, drawings, sculptures and animations on show including a hundred works by non members. The SWLA Bursary Scheme awarded 5 places on the John Busby Seabird Drawing Course and work from those artists will be on display. SWLA website
Medium and smaller works, together with smaller sculpture and drawings
tend to be located within the three smaller Galleries in the North Gallery.

You can view 
Below I'm going to comment on 
  • my overall impressions 
  • artwork I liked (to be added tomorrow - my other half wants his dinner!)
  • awards and prizes. 
  • and finally, new members and associates.

The Annual Exhibition is called The Natural Eye. This neatly encapsulates two important aspects of the exhibition:
  • firstly it's about very best of fine art inspired by the natural world
  • secondly, it's also about artwork which has been drawn, painted, printed or sculpted only after encounters with wildlife i.e. it's NEVER ever copied from another artist's photograph of a wild animal - and the members of the Selection Panel can definitely tell!
The latter reason is why you typically won't see a lot of endangered animals or big cats which are much photographed and omnipresent in other wildlife art exhibitions.

It's predominantly about wildlife art seen within the UK and Europe - with some relating to expeditions to other countries. The exhibition is also very popular with international artists and diversity of location of the wildlife is often related to it being local within the country where the artist lives. 

Overall Impressions


Part of the West Gallery during the Private View

One of the things which always strikes me, every single time I walk into 'The Natural Eye Exhibition' run annually by the Society of Wildlife Artists, is the sheer diversity of style and media in terms of the artworks selected for the show.

Style and Colour

  • It has a great deal of contemporary approaches to representational art (i.e. NOT hyperrealistic). This, I think, is linked in part to the fact that the SWLA very much encourages direct observation of wildlife and NOT copying from photographs. This is NOT an exhibition where an artwork looking like a photograph is seen as a compliment!
  • While there's a fair amount of realism, this is balanced out by a more gestural approach to artmaking.
  • Colour is accurate where realism is preferred - and palettes are pushed where the artwork is more stylised.

Types of Artwork

  • there's always a lot of very good sculpture - and this exhibition is not different. In part this is because the SWLA has a number of excellent sculptors as members - who make and create in diverse materials from scap metal to cobalt serpentine
Kodiak Brown Bear (Indomitable - head study)
by Nick Bibby SWLA
Bronze (edition of 9) 
I was rather glad I took the photo from this angle - where he looks a sweetie!
  • I always love looking at the fine art prints - and again the sheer diversity of approaches to making prints makes this an excellent show for anybody who loves printmaking (and they're having a number of events related to printmaking this coming week)

Media

  • There's a lot of mixed media - mixing watercolour or gouache with pencils of various kinds seems to be a favourite
  • Probably the most prevalent painting media is oil - but this in turn is painted on a variety of supports in a range of sizes.
There is also a LOT of red dots and sales seem to be going really well. However, given the quality of the artwork that's hardly surprising!

Artwork I liked

I liked:
  • The Young Hare by Tianyin Wang ASWLA (see below) - This eas a really sensitive treatment of this animal and the shape and posture are perfect.
  • Puffins over Coquet Island by Paul Henery SWLA  (see below) - This jumped off the wall at me - because of the flight of puffins coming towards me. Plus the fact it shows puffins in flight as opposed to waddling around on rocks. So impressive! Plus great landscape painting too.
  • Harvest Mouse by Simon Turvey SWLA - A harvest mouse in typical travel mode from one stalk to the next - blending completely into the background. I really appreciate artists who go to the trouble of demonstrating both character and habitat of wildlife.
Oil on board, 20 x 15 cm (32 x 27 cm framed)
  • The collection of Drypoint Prints (see below) by Marco Brodde - a Danish
    Wildlifeartist and naturalist living and working  around the Wadden Sea area, in Denmark. The Wadden Sea project and the artwork by SWLA artists associated with it have been facilitated by Marco. A clear demonstration below of the benefit of making a collection of prints by one artist.


PS. I want to add more - but that will need to wait until later - Sunday dinner is calling!!

Awards and Prizes

READ MORE......>>
Posted by Making A Mark on Sunday, November 05, 2023 0 comments
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Monday, September 04, 2023

FINAL Call for Entries: Society of Wildlife Artists Annual Exhibition 2023

You have until 12 noon on Friday 8th September to get your entries submitted for the Open Annual Exhibition 2023 of the Society of Wildlife Artists.

For some completely unfathomable reason, I've only just realised that I somehow never did the Call for Entries for the Society of Wildlife Artists Annual Exhibition 2023 called "The Natural Eye".

So here's a reminder that the DEADLINE for ONLINE SUBMISSIONS ONLY is noon on Friday 8th September.

You can see images of the artwork in past exhibitions in my reviews listed at the end of this blog post

Sculptures and paintings from last year's exhibition

Call for Entries

"The focus of the Society’s year is the annual exhibition, The Natural Eye, featuring all art media. This is an open exhibition, held every autumn at the prestigious Mall Galleries in London. It is a showcase for the very best of art inspired by the natural world and is considered the foremost event in the British wildlife art calendar." - Harriet Mead, President

Below is the "what you need to know" to send in an entry.
See also https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/open-calls/society-wildlife-artists-open-now


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

  • Work should be 
    • based on representing the world’s wildlife and
    • should have been completed within the last three years.
  • A maximum of six artworks - and if you are successful, all six will be hung!
  • All artwork must be for sale.
  • Acceptable media: 
    • Work may be in any medium including drawing, painting, sculpture and original prints (if prints, please detail edition and how many are available).
    • The SWLA is keen to embrace new and innovative mediums and will accept computer-generated images as ‘original prints’. However, a digital print is only considered an original print if it was created by the artist to be realised specifically 
      as a print.
  • Ineligible media
    • Reproductions of paintings or photographs will not be accepted.
    • Photographic reproductions or mechanical prints, giclée prints, etc., that are often promoted as ‘limited edition prints’ are not acceptable.
  • Inadmissible artwork
    • Work exhibited previously at Mall Galleries is not admissible.
    • botanical subjects, pets and domestic animals, 
    • art on decorative wares (such as vessels or tiles). 
    • Works depicting wildlife divorced from its environment or without place, setting or context are rejected in many cases. 
  • Artwork which will NOT be hung
    • Artworks that are poorly presented
    • or differ significantly from the photograph entered will not be exhibited.
ENTRIES: Deadline 


The deadline for all ONLINE SUBMISSIONS ONLY is 12 noon on Friday 8th September 2022 you need to 

  • complete the online form 
  • pay your submission fee 
  • upload your digital image(s) Images must be in JPEG format and under 5MB

MONEY: How much does it cost to submit an entry?

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

KEY POINTS ON PRICING - how should I price my art?

I've written many times about pricing for exhibitions at the Mall Galleries. While the Own Art option (of paying in instalments) is available, it's not obvious or well advertised and hence the 'nuts and bolts' are these
  • Most of the people who buy art at the Mall Galleries are characterised by me as being "Middle Class Middle England on Middle Income". You will have noted that they are just as concerned about the cost of living as everybody else. 
  • My advice is to submit your best work - because people will still be buying (just less than usual) / adding to their collections but do NOT be silly about prices. Do your research!
  • Commission is charged at a rate of 45%+VAT (except re foundry fees for sculpture - see detailed notes on the website)
  • Do not price above £2,500 UNLESS
    • EITHER you're either a well established artist with a very good following of active collectors (which applies to quite a few of the members)
    • OR it's an excellent artwork and you've sold at this price before
    • OR you don't mind insuring and shipping expensive artwork to the exhibition and then back to your studio if it doesn't sell
  • NOTE that:
    • most art sells for less than £1,500
    • the most popular price range is £501-£1,000
    • small works priced between £200 and £500 sell well
    • the minimum price is £200
    • EXCEPT for Prints: framed £120, unframed £95 - but note that buyers are NOT charged for postage and packaging of unframed prints and your pricing for unframed prints needs to take this into account
SELECTION

  • The Selection Committee is formed of artist members of the Society.
  • Your notification of whether you've been successful and been selected to hang in the exhibition is Friday 22 September
  • The selectors' decisions are final and no feedback is provided.

DELIVERY & COLLECTION

EXHIBITION at the Mall Galleries


Why enter this exhibition


Sculptures and paintings from last year's exhibition

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

The Annual Exhibition is called The Natural Eye and I've always thought this neatly encapsulates two important aspects of the exhibition
  • firstly it's about very best of fine art inspired by the natural world
  • secondly, it's also about artwork which has been drawn, painted, printed or sculpted only after encounters with wildlife i.e. it's NEVER ever copied from another artist's photograph of a wild animal - and the members of the Selection Panel can tell!
The latter reason is why you won't see a lot of endangered animals or big cats which are much photographed and omnipresent in other wildlife art exhibitions.

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

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



My blog posts include images of artwork in the annual exhibitions:

2022
Posted by Making A Mark on Monday, September 04, 2023 0 comments
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