Review: "Future Ruins" by Michael Landy at the Sir John Soane Museum

It was my very great pleasure yesterday to meet former "Young British Artist" Michael Landy RA. He is an amazing draughtsman who is justly renowned for his meticulous drawings

As I'm a huge fan of drawing, I've always very much enjoyed his series of etchings of weeds titled "Nourishment" - which I've been to see in the Archive of Tate Britain.

This series was created immediately after and maybe in response to possibly his most famous work. His major 2001 installation work Breakdown — saw all 7,227 of his personal possessions being destroyed in the windows of the defunct C&A store on London's Oxford Street - after which he was left with nothing.

In the series Nourishment (2002) the overlooked city weeds were collected from city pavements.

They served as personal metaphors for resilience, survival, and finding life in hostile urban environments. (see also Nourishment (2024) at the Thomas Dane Gallery which includes weeds collected from the streets of Naples).

That's by way of a very long preamble and introduction to his current work....

Future Ruins

His series "Future Ruins" imagines what some iconic buildings might look like in future after an event which left them in ruins. 

For anybody who likes drawing and/or architecture or both, I'd highly recommend you pay a visit ot the Sir John Soane Museum in Lincoln's In Fields.

The exhibition features new and recent work which is shown in the context of the art that first inspired Landy to create the series.

A work from the museum’s collection - Joseph Michael Gandy’s watercolour Architectural Ruins - A Vision (1798) - commissioned by Sir John Soane and depicting the then-Bank of England as a Roman ruin was an inspiration for Landy. Now this work will be displayed alongside the artist’s own imagining of a future filled with overgrown nature and crumbling structures.

The vast majority of the drawings of imaginary future ruins. Some are drawings done of existing ruined buildings.

The scope of buildings includes everything from the Bank of England, to the art shop where he used to buy his art materials and his old home in Ilford to Mar A Largo and Kanye West's house in Malibu at 24844 Malibu Road - which oddly was one of the houses which burned during the bad Californian fires last year.

Imaginary view of The Bank of England in ruins (2023)

after Joseph Michael Gandy
signed titled verso indelible pen
permanent pen on paper
76 x 56.1 cm. 30 x 22 in.

Review: New English Art Club Annual Exhibition 2026

This is a very late review of the 2026 Annual Exhibition of the New England Art Club (NEAC) - which celebrates the 140th Anniversary Exhibition, which also remembered some of its past members.

NEAC 2026: The end of the West Gallery

I particularly liked the way that they included the surnames of past members on the title page of the Catalogue and also had paintings in the show by past member Paul Nash.

Title Page of the NEAC 140th Exhibition Catalogue

The 140th Annual Exhibition has 396 artworks and is on at the Mall Galleries until 20th June.

• the catalogue is available online on Issuu
• you can also view the 396 artworks online on the Mall Galleries "Buy Art" website

For some reason I didn't have the PV in my diary last week and since then my diary has been packed with hospital appointments.

However, on Monday, after the first physio date this week, I got myself to the Mall Galleries early and managed to see the exhibition with very few other people there - which is the way I like it. I can then see the art rather than people looking at art. PVs are a dreadful time to try and take pics of an exhibition!

You can see the results in the three Facebook albums I've created on my Making A Mark Facebook Page

• NEAC West Gallery - Annual Exhibition 2026
• NEAC East Gallery - Annual Exhibition 2026
• NEAC North Gallery - Annual Exhibition 2026

First five photos in the album about the NEAC Exhibition
in the West Gallery

Observations

Overall, I thought this was an exhibition which included some really excellent artwork - but could also have looked better than it did. It impressed - in part.

This is a review which reflects my likes and dislikes. I find I'm repeating myself each year. So this year my review is shorter than usual.

SGFA 105th Annual Exhibition + scope for a VERY BIG exhibition about Drawing at the Mall Galleries

It's interesting to see how many of the national art societies who are not members of the Federation of British Artists are now holding their annual exhibitions at the Mall Galleries.

To date we have:

• SBA - Society of Botanical Artists - regular exhibitor in the whole gallery on a biennial basis (next exhibition in 2027)
• SGFA - Society of Graphic Fine Art - regular exhibitor West and North Gallery (exhibition on at present - until 14 March
• SWA - Society of Women Artists - long term regular exhibitor on annual basis - next exhibition 23-27 June 2026
• UKCPS - UK Colour Pencil Society (for their 25th anniversary show only - next week 17 -25 March 2026

One wonders whether - at some point - some might become additional members of the Federation of British Artists. 

The Society of Graphic Fine Art - currently exhibiting this week - are a case in point.

The Society of Graphic Fine Art

It's other colloquial name is "The Drawing Society"although I think its lost sight of its drawing purpose in the narrative at the beginning of the current exhibition page on the Mall Galleries website (i.e. the word drawing is absent)

The Society of Graphic Fine Art ...exists to promote and exhibit original works of high quality in colour or black or white. This includes both traditional and contemporary media, which includes pencil, pen, watercolour, oils, charcoal, pastel and any of the forms of original printmaking.

I suggest the second paragraph needs to come first

A national society based in the UK, the Society of Graphic Fine Art is the only society dedicated to excellence in drawing and draughtsmanship, demonstrated by hand.

This art society was founded over 100 years ago in 1919 and now has 160 elected members who are professional standard artists from all areas of the art world who work in all drawing and printmaking media.  (I used to be one of them until I decided to not belong to any society while writing reviews of exhibitions.)

The Society was formed by students and teachers in the etching class at the London Central School of Arts. They wanted to establish a society that would

‘uphold and maintain the interests of all those forms of art that do not use colour as a form of expression’

which was another way of saying that drawing counts and, in one form or another, always will.

Their first exhibition in 1921 was supported by the RA and their first President was Sir Frank Brangwyn RA RE, the renowned muralist, painter, architect, illustrator and designer,

Current focus

Drawing excellence and draughtsmanship is still the focus of the society and its exhibition

The main criterion of membership, regardless of media discipline, is drawing excellence.

Nowadays, in addition to black and white work and traditional drawing skills, the society encourages the use of colour and non-figurative art.

105th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Graphic Fine Art

The entrance to the exhibition at the Mall Galleries

I visited the annual exhibition on Monday.

SGFA Exhibition: West and North Galleries of the Mall Galleries

Dates: 9 Mar 2026 - 14 Mar 2026 
Hours: 

Admission: FREE

I've uploaded my photographs of the artwork I saw to Facebook Albums

LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES: Jackson's Art Prize 2026

The deadline for entries for Jackson's Art Prize 2026 is 2nd March 2020 (5pm).

This post looks at Jackson’s Painting Prize 2026 and, in summary

• who can enter
• what you can enter
• why enter
• how to enter (registration / timeline / digital images etc)

Call for Entries: Jackson's Art Prize 2026

The intentions behind the Jackson's Art Prize are:

• to bring together a global community of creatives and
• showcase the work of artists of all ages and abilities.

The annual award welcomes 

• entries in all two-dimensional media including painting, drawing, and original printmaking 
• from amateur to professional artists.

There are lots of prizes - which are mainly art materials, although there is a £6,000 cash first prize.

Who can enter

• Open internationally to artists of all ages and abilities

What type of artwork can you enter?

• Artworks created in two-dimensional mediums eg painting, drawing, printmaking
• About any theme or subject matter
• Artworks for the competition must be submitted by the artist who created it. 
• All work must be your own intellectual property. 

This is what the competition does not accept

• Three-dimensional or sculptural work
• Digital, computer manipulated, or AI art
• Pure photography
• Digital prints e.g. giclée
• Artworks of an inappropriate or offensive subject matter will be removed from the competition.
• artworks that directly copy other people’s work (this does not include artistic interpretations) or works that are made from a tutorial.

There will, of course, be some silly idiot who will think it's OK to try and smuggle some AI artwork in. Personally I'd award a "Great Big Wally" Award to anybody who did so and name and shame on social media.

You can see past entries and winners on the Jackson's Art Prize Instagram account 

The quality of the photograph of the artwork

Call for Entries: Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026 is now OPEN for entries

• from artists and drawing practitioners 
• from anywhere in the world
• for a chance to be of the UK’s leading open exhibition dedicated to drawing,
• with a new first prize of £15,000.

This is one way of reading what you need to do ALL ON ONE PAGE!

You are

• you are invited to submit up to three drawings 
• Deadline for entries: Stage 1 digital submissions online must be completed by Tuesday 9 June 2026 at 5pm.

Things you need to know 

(the) exhibition has an established reputation for its commitment to championing excellence and promoting and celebrating current drawing practice in the UK.

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize

....offering artists the opportunity to showcase their drawings in the UK’s leading open exhibition dedicated to contemporary drawing,

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize exhibition and awards are supported by the Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust.

It's a prize which has had many names in its time - see the end for more about its background.

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026 Exhibition

The selected drawings will be included in a high-profile exhibition held as follows

• VENUE:  Buoy Store, Trinity Buoy Wharf, 64 Orchard Place, London E14 0JY from Thursday 
• DATES: 17 September – Sunday 4 October 2026 
• TIME: open daily from 11am to 6pm.

It will also tour to various venues in the UK until 2027.

• The annual open exhibition is led by its Director, artist, curator and educator, Professor Anita Taylor who has held various posts in art education. 
• The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated publication and a programme of educational and engagement activities, including a symposium at Trinity Buoy Wharf.

View of the exhibition in 2024

The Prizes

In 2026, there will be a new prize structure and awards with a total value of £18,000:

• Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026 - £15,000 - open to all artists with drawings shortlisted for the prize
• Trinity Buoy Wharf Student Award - £2,000 - All students registered on a degree programme in the Academic Year 2025/26 who submit an entry
• Three Boroughs Award - £1,000 - open to all those living and/or working in the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Greenwich boroughs 

How to Enter

How to develop large scale hyperrealistic graphite drawings

For all those interested in developing their skills in large scale hyperrealistic drawing with graphite. Which, as it happens, is a pretty niche field.

I've just discovered - via a recommendation from an artist I greatly respect - Jono Dry and his amazing drawings. Not that I'm any sort of fan of the surreal content of his typical subject matter - but I do appreciate somebody who has developed his skills with graphite to this level.

This video has only had nearly 14 million+ views!

Dry has devoted his practice to pushing the medium of graphite. With experimentation as a fundamental aspect of hyperrealism, a sense of play and precision is kept at the core of his practice.

I very much like the educational ethos of a lot of the work he does. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: A lot of artists trying to work out how to teach online will appreciate this video.

I also respect an artist who has worked out how to monetise his drawing practice in terms of:

• limited edition prints of his artwork
• educational videos via YouTube (all those views add up!) - which include lots of practical tips about studio equipment and building a business
• developing a Patreon community

Dry has built a dedicated Youtube channel focused on the output of educational videos showing specific aspects of the drawing process, as well as sharing tools to build a business in the creative industry.

Interesting also that he declines to take on commissions.

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2024 to tour UK

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2024 is currently on show at Trinity Buoy Wharf, London E14 0JY. All the shortlisted and award-winning drawings can be seen at the exhibition - which finishes on Wednesday 16 October 2024 - prior to the exhibition touring to Salisbury, Falmouth, Dundee, and Manchester - until October 2025.

View of The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2024 exhibition
first prize winner on extreme right

The Exhibition

The exhibition at Trinity Buoy Wharf is free to visit from 11am to 6pm. 

Another view of The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2024 exhibition

Future Venues

• The Salisbury Museum (26 October 2024 - 26 January 2025), The Kings House, 65 The Close, Salisbury SP1 2EN
• Falmouth Art Gallery (1 February - 10 May 2025) Municipal Buildings, The Moor, Falmouth TR11 2RT
• Drawing Projects UK (14 May - 10 August 202 Dundee DD1 1EX
• Manchester Waterside Gallery (18 August - 11 October 2025) 1 Waterside, Sale M33 7ZF

From a worldwide submission of contemporary drawings

• 94 drawings by 88 artists were shortlisted for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2024 exhibition.
• 21 drawings by 20 practitioners were shortlisted for the Working Drawing Award. 

The selected artists include an ex-teacher of mine! They are:

Max L Adams / Elisa Alaluusua / Lucy Algar / Thomas Allen / Tim Allen / Allou / Jeanette Barnes / Geoff Bartholomew / Sophie Bartlett / Akash Bhatt / Chris Blackburn /Jane Bottery / Eric Butcher / Ruth Chambers / Sarah Chapman / Sara Choudhrey / Hyeyeon Chung / Sara Clark / Gary Clough / David Conway / Aleksandra Czuja / Gerry Davies / Gary Dennis / Emma Douglas / Sarah Duyshart / Jamie Eade / Roy Eastland / Sian Ellis Tillott / Mark John Evans / Kristian Evju / Jonathan Farr / Nicolas Feldmeyer / Celu Ferreira / Charlie Ford / Todd Fuller / Stefan Gant / Ann Gillies / Adam Gray / Christopher Green / Catherine Greenwood / Richard Gregory / Susie Hamilton / Simon Head / Jessica Heywood / Roland Hicks / Fiona Hingston / Ciaran Hughes / Melinda Hunt / Julia Hutton /Owen Johnson / Janette Kerr / Jen Wei Kuo / Tomasz Lacy / Gary Lawrence / Bridget Lesly / Cheryl Lewis / Jo Lewis / Shihui Li / Edward Liddle / Yutong Liu / Juliette Losq / Peter Matthews / Janet Melrose / Jamie Mills / Jilly Morris / Justine Moss / David Mumby / Hannah Naify / Simon Page / Camilo Parra/ Esteban Peña Para / Ben Platts-Mills / Keira Rathbone / Jane Reid / Abbie Schug / Charlene
Scott / Brian Shields / Ilona Skladzien / Jake Spicer / David Symonds / Emma Tabor / Sally Dee Trewartha / Marika Tyler-Clark / Felicity Warbrick / Lynda Whitehouse / Phill Wilson-Perkin/ Hamish Young / Martha Zmpounou

View of The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2024 exhibition

I personally found the artwork in the exhibition to be of a high quality with a lot of impressive drawings - which varied a lot in terms of media and size and techniques employed. Many of the drawings are large. Many do not employ conventional display methods. The hang is also very good.

It's certainly well worth a visit.

In my opinion it's also better than the one held last year. (see Two Drawing Awards: Winners & Future Exhibitions).

Tomorrow I'll be uploading my photographs of the exhibition to an album on my Making A Mark Facebook Page - and will be highlighting there those artworks which caught my eye.

Awards and Prizes

This 3D work won The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize
(see below for more details)

All the artworks submitted were reviewed by the Judging Panel who then selected the shortlisted drawings and award-winners. The Panel was:

• Mary Evans, Artist & Director of UCL Slade School of Fine Art, 
• Gary Sangster, Curator & Writer, Co-Director of Drawing Projects UK, and 
• Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery in London - reviewed 

The four award winning drawings, collectively received £17,000.  The prizes awarded were as follows...

First Prize (£8,000) 
Out of Round: An Abbreviated Outline of British Studio Pottery
2024, steel wire, 170 x 100 x 8cm
by Max L Adams

Max L Adams' award-winning drawing references the Studio Pottery Movement, which in art history marked a shift towards fine art within the craft of ceramics, highlighting the tension between artistic freedom and traditional norms. 

‘My drawings, Out of Round, provide an outline of the Studio Pottery Movement and the subsequent flattening of its forms into icons of regional identity, anti-industrial labour, and domesticity,’’ 

Max L Adams was born in 1992 in Michigan, USA, and is now based in London. He holds an MFA in Arts & Humanities from the Royal College of Art (2023-24) and a BFA in Studio Art from Wheaton College, USA (2011-15). His work has been featured in group exhibitions such as Completion in Motion in Peckham, London (2024) and Finding Place in Crawley, West Sussex (2024). 

Second Prize (£5,000) 
(Left above): The 5th Arch, 2023
graffiti markers, drafting pencil on Bristol paper, 145 x 106cm 
by Owen Johnson. 

Owen Johnson’s award-winning drawing, The 5th Arch, represents a repeated gothic cathedral door motif. Taken from a geometric circular checkerboard arrangement, the motif is organised in a diamond structure, with the shadows of a late summer evening employed to create depth. 

‘The 5th Arch” is a drawing about a space created from memory and through repetition. The drawing is part of a series I have been developing for sometime exploring architecture, pattern and colour

Born in Melbourne, Australia in 1976, Owen Johnson has exhibited widely across the globe and has become well known for his glasswork. He holds a BA in Visual Arts from the Australian National University, Honours in Fine Arts from Monash University, Melbourne, and a PhD from the Royal College of Art in London.  He's currently a Professor at Sheridan's Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design (FAAD) which is Canada's largest art school.

Student Award (£2,000)
Window, 2024
ink on linen (diptych), 120 x 15cm
by Hyeyeon Chung. 

Student Award Winner, Hyeyeon Chung was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1992. She holds a BA in Korean traditional painting from Chung-Ang University and an MA in Fine Art: Drawing from the University of the Arts London.

‘I weave monochrome worlds, fusing scenery and memories. My creative process is marked by meticulous, almost compulsive repetition; a ritual of craftsmanship and dedication. Grounded in intuition, it possesses the precision of a printer's hand,’’

Her award-winning drawing is inspired by contemporary landscape and diasporic experiences, with a focus on cultivating awareness and fostering new perspectives with drawing a pivotal aspect of her practice. 

 

Working Drawing Award (£2,000)

Plan for Cato Mural, Year 8, Spa Fields, 2023,

watercolour on watercolour paper, 76 x 58cm

by Emma Douglas

‘‘It represents his 8th Year. Since his death, my work has evolved into a project of recording the marks he made during his life, the places that we visited and the images that linger after someone has left,’’ 

Born in London in 1965, Emma Douglas holds a BA in Fine Art from Middlesex Polytechnic and an MA in Printmaking from the Royal College of Art. She has exhibited in both group and solo shows across the UK including The Jerwood Drawing Prize, Flowers Gallery, Arusha Gallery and Norwich Cathedral. She currently lives in London. 

This drawing is the plan for a mural the artist installed in Spa Fields, Skinner Street, London. It is the 11th work in a series of 22 murals she is doing in memory of her son Cato who died in 2010 aged 21 years. 

Her instagram account records the prolific and various ways in which she records the life of her son Cato Heath. Each of the squares in her coloured square murals is colour coded to represent one activity - such as physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, speech therapy or Doctors appointments.  

Winner of the Working Drawing Award: Emma Douglas

The Working Drawing Award celebrates the role of drawing within architecture, design and making processes and was chosen by 

• Benjamin Derbyshire, Chair of HTA Design LLP, a leading multidisciplinary design practice, 
• Andrew Grant, Landscape Architect, Founder & Director of Grant Associates, and 
• Caroline Grewar, Director of Programme at V&A Dundee.

About the Drawing Prize

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize is supported by the Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust, and widely regarded as the foremost open exhibition dedicated to drawing in the United Kingdom. The 2024 edition marks the 7th year of generous support from the Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust and is the 30th edition of the annual open drawing exhibition.

NOTE The Drawing Prize has had a number of names in its career - usually influenced by whoever its current sponsor is. It was founded founded in 1994 by Anita Taylor and Paul Thomas as the Rexel Derwent Open Drawing Exhibition. From 2001-2017 it became known as the Jerwood Drawing Prize from 2001 to 2017 and was delivered in partnership with Jerwood Charitable Foundation. The present sponsor is the Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust who became the principal benefactor in 2018. The constant throughout is Anita Taylor.

Review of the Society of Graphic Fine Art Annual Exhibition 2024

This morning I visited the Annual Exhibition 2024 of the The Society of Graphic Fine Art (aka The Drawing Society) at the Mall Galleries.

The SGFA have taken over the large West Gallery with 181 artworks demonstrating a wide range of artworks covering diverse subject matter and different media. 

You can see the artwork exhibited ONLINE - with links from both the Mall Galleries website and the SGFA website (although you need to wait awhile before the images appear - and only if you accept cookies, which I normally always object too as per GDPR i.e. it shouldn't need cookies to work)

The default position is you can view the artwork as thumbnails

Alternatively you can view by name of the artist 

Or view a large image of each artwork - which provides details about the art and the artist

HOWEVER this only applies to artwork by SGFA members and associates.

I'm also going to be uploading my photos to a Facebook Album - more or less in the order they are hung in the Gallery - and will insert a link here when this has been done

You can also follow the SGFA on https://www.instagram.com/drawingsocietyuk/

NOTE: There is no catalogue.

About the Society of Graphic Fine Art SGFA

What's different about the intended focus of this exhibition is the raison d'etre of the SGFA.

The purpose and objectives of the SGFA

As it states on their explanatory panel which can be found posted around the gallery (see above), the SGFA is all about drawing and draughtsmanship.

Established in 1919, the Society of Graphic Fine Arts is the only national Society which is based in the UK which is dedicated exclusively to drawing. It exists to promote and exhibit original works of high quality in colour or black and white. This includes traditional and contemporary media. The emphasis is on excellence in drawing and draughtsmanship, demonstrated by hand.

I'll come back to that later - as I think a divergence from the intended scope of the exhibition appears to have occurred this year.

Work which is eligible for exhibition is

• Drawings in any medium, monochrome or colour - pencil, coloured pens and pencils, pen and ink, pastels and oil pastels, charcoal, conté, etc. 
• Any original artwork which demonstrates evidence of drawing by hand: - original printmaking, watercolours, acrylics, oils and 3-Dimensional work.
• Any work based on a photograph must have the photographer's permission.

Work which is NOT eligible for exhibition includes

• Digital imagery generated by computer.
• Giclee prints and all other reproductions and facsimiles.
• Work shown previously at the Mall Galleries or hung in an SGFA London exhibition.
• Work that is more than three years old.
• Any work that might infringe on copyright law 
  
  

The Exhibition

In general, the exhibition has a lot of excellent artwork by artists who are clearly accomplished in their design and execution of artwork with an emphasis on drawing skills.

It's not all of a very high standard - but that's the same in most exhibitions.

The exhibition comprises 181 artworks - all of which are for sale - covering 

• drawings, fine art prints (engravings, etchings, linocuts,woodcuts) and paintings
• in a wide range of media: graphite, charcoal, pastels, coloured pencils, metalpoint, ink, watercolour, acrylic, paper collage, stitched media and the ever present "mixed media"

The styles on show for any one medium are diverse. In that sense this is a good exhibition to view what's possible with different media.

Dry media such as pastels and charcoals are used by exhibiting artists in various styles from the very precise to the very painterly. Coloured pencil use is more related to precise drawings.

Graphite and pen and ink are very much favoured by those who like to be very precise.

Speaking personally I'd like to see a lot more fine art prints and rather fewer paintings.

The view of the exhibition at the entrance to the West Gallery

The Artists exhibiting include:

Two Drawing Awards: Winners & Future Exhibitions

This post is about

• The Trinity Buoy Drawing Prize and highlights
• its background
• details about the 2023 Exhibition and Artists
• the award winners in 2023 - plus as much as I can glean from what they've revealed about themselves online!
• future exhibitions around the UK in 2024
• the Biennial Evelyn Williams Drawing Award £10,000 - selected from artists exhibiting as part of the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Exhibition.

First of all - mea culpa. I completely forgot to go down to Trinity Buoy Wharf (not the easiest of places to get to) for the exhibition of the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize.

The exhibition in London closed on Sunday but is now going on tour around the UK in 2024 to:

• The Gallery, Arts University Bournemouth, 16 February to 12 April 2024;
• The Arts Institute, Plymouth University, 4 May to 29 June 2024;
• The Turnpike Gallery, Leigh (run by Wigan Council) 13 July to 14 September 2024.

It's very sad that there's no online exhibition - which is almost standard practice for all art competitions these days. There is apparently a fully illustrated exhibition publication - although I'm not sure how people can get hold of this.

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize

Basically this is a Drawing Prize created in 1994 by Professor Anita Taylor who is currently the Dean of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee and Director of Drawing Projects UK.

Over the years, it has been known by various different names as she has been involved in founding and judging a drawing prizes using various different titles/names over a number of years with various sponsors and held in various places - while she moved around the country in various art academic roles. 

None of the prizes in previous incarnations continue to exist - and yet there's a notion they are all the same prize despite the names of different sponsors. It's not a notion that I've seen previously referenced but there's no doubt that the underlying continuity is essentially that one person invented the prize and is involved with them all.  I've never been quote able to understand why it's not called the Anita Taylor Drawing Prize plus the name of whoever is the current sponsor.  (A bit like the Lynn Painter Stainers Prize operated)

Apparently her listing of research output identifies a number of the drawing exhibitions as just that "non-textual research outputs" - which surprised me - and then it didn't.

I'm not a fan of this individual for a very specific reason relating to a different competition - which some of you may remember - but let's just leave it at that.

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2023

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize is supported by the Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust.

In 2023, there were

• over 3,000 submissions
• from 1,450 candidates
• representing 40 countries.

123 drawings by 111 practitioners were shortlisted for inclusion in the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2023 exhibition were selected for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2023 exhibition

The Awards in 2023 with a total value of £27,000 in 2023 - being in two parts:

• £15,000 for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 
• First Prize of £8,000,
• Second Prize of £5,000,
• Student Award of £2,000
• Judged by:
• Laura Hoptman, Executive Director of The Drawing Center, New York;
• Dennis Scholl AM, Collector, Arts Patron, President & CEO of Oolite Arts;
• Barbara Walker MBE RA, British Artist (and first winner of the Evelyn Williams Drawing Award 2017)

The Trinity Buoy Wharf Prizewinners 2023

Interestingly, three of the four prizewinners drew buildings. The prizewinners were announced at a Launch and Awards Announcement on 28 September 2023
 

First Prize £8,000

Jeanette Barnes won the first Prize of £8,000.

Her drawing, as always, is a charcoal drawing of a buildings which is huge - as both subject and drawing - and is also associated with a major new development in London. In this instance the drawing is related to the development of the new Battersea Tube Station and the surrounding area.

Jeanette Barnes' award-winning work is a dizzyingly immersive and dynamic portrayal of Battersea's development in London, anchored by the new underground station. Battersea power station’s iconic chimneys only just edge into the picture, which focuses on the rise of newer buildings, and the ebb and flow of people. The work’s scale, 1.50 metres by 2.13 metres, invites viewers to step inside the drawing, feeling the vibrant and chaotic energy of the bustling city. The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Announces 2023 Winners

New Battersea Tube Station & Developments (2023) by Jeanette Barnes
Compressed charcoal on paper, 150 x 213cm.

About the SGFA: 102nd Annual Exhibition at Mall Galleries in March

The 102nd Annual Open Exhibition of the Society of Graphic Fine Art is at the Mall Galleries from midday on Monday 13th March until 5pm on Saturday 18th March.

Flyer for the 102nd Exhibition

The SGFA Exhibition focuses on original artwork (paintings, drawings, original prints) which emphasises excellence in drawing and draughtsmanship, demonstrated by hand in various media used for drawing and graphical art.

Established in 1919, the Society of Graphic Fine Art exists to promote and exhibit original works of high quality in colour or black and white, with the emphasis on excellence in drawing and draughtsmanship, demonstrated by hand. This includes all media including pencil, pen, brush, painting, charcoal, conté and any of the forms of original printmaking.

Demonstrations during the Exhibition

Four female members will be giving talks and demonstrations during the exhibition. Note that the middle two are back to back on the same day.

• Tuesday 14 March, 2 to 4pm | Jackie Devereux PPSFGA - Loosen up with Ink and Watercolour - Wild Ones - Floral Impressions
• Wednesday 15 March, 12:30 to 2pm | Louisa Crispin SBA FPS SGFA - Look Closer - Drawing Insects with Louisa Crispin
• Wednesday 15 March, 2 to 4pm | Felicity Flutter RI SGFA - Drawn to the Sea
• Friday 17 March, 12:30 to 2pm | Kaye Hodges SGFA Heads Up - Drawing a Portrait

About the SGFA

These are the links to the official SGFA sites for the:

• Website
• Facebook Page 
• Instagram
• SGFA exhibition page on the Mall Galleries website
• ONLINE website of the artwork selected for the exhibition.

Notes:

• Annual Open: The SGFA used to exhibit regularly at the Menier Gallery but have recently switched to the Mall Galleries. 
• It also has an Annual Members Only exhibition which have been held at various regional locations.

• A regular Bulletin is issued and you can read online copies on the website
• Regular Drawings Days are held on a not quite monthly basis - but these are typically focused on London and the South East. A Facebook post about one of the most recent is shown below.

British Museum: Prints and Drawings - problems with accessing the Virtual Gallery

 Have you checked out the developments the British Museum has made with its digitised Virtual Gallery for its Prints and Drawings?

Their website suggests that it's all very simple to access digital versions of prints and drawings in the collection.

In reality it isn't.

• today the problen
• tomorrow the solution!

Albrecht Durer 'Rhinoceros' at the British Museum

American artist Kara Walker at the British Museum

- who is best known for her panoramic friezes of cut-paper silhouettes

There is this page - Prints and Drawings virtual gallery - which provides a selection of Old Masters and Modern and Contemporary Drawings

BUT NO LINK OR EXPLANATION FOR HOW TO FIND OUT MORE.

These and millions of other works are freely accessible for you to look at via our study room.

so you go to the study room link an what you then see is 

The Museum's Department of Prints and Drawings is devoted to making its collection and specialist knowledge accessible. Most of the Prints and Drawings collection has been catalogued.

You can search for information and images about objects from the collection on Collection online which has information about more than four million objects in the British Museum collection.

Great

So you click the Collection online - and find that it is a completely DEAD LINK

WHAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU CLICK THE DEAD LINK!!

So then you try Study Room instead and get another dead end

Our study room remains closed to the public until further notice. Please delay any requests for object study as we are not currently able to accommodate these. We look forward to welcoming you back when our study room reopens in 2021.

Still no access to the Digital Collection of Drawings!

Tomorrow I'll show you how to access the digital collection!

The Best of The Drawing Year

On Friday morning I went to a preview of The Best of the Drawing Year 2018/19 in the Duke Street Gallery - a selling exhibition of over 100 drawings and wrks on paper by contemporary artists and teachers from the Royal Drawing School - at Christies

I've put an album of my photos of the exhibition on my Making A Mark Facebook Page 

preview of the exhibition

Venue: Duke Street Gallery, Christies, 5 King Street in London
Dates: 8 – 12 November 2019
Hours: Monday to Friday 9am–4.30pm, Saturday & Sunday 12pm–5pm
Admission: no appointment necessary / free admission

It's an exhibition which I commend to those interested in

• contemporary drawing 
• and/or interested in the courses held by the Royal Drawing School and in particular their postgraduate level course of The Drawing Year.

Every time I visit it is different - reflecting both the participants on the course that year and who has been teaching them.

This year I saw rather more artworks which were leaning hard towards painting, which I understand are works created as part of the individual's practice outside the course.

I felt on the whole I'd rather see:

• MORE works in the exhibition which are much more about the drawings produced during the year - and which are a reflection of the studies during the course of the year
• their personal practice diverted to other exhibitions - where I frequently see them - given the number of Drawing Year alumni who pop up as selected artists in various art competitions and open exhibitions in London. 

After all there's lots of places to see the work of an artist as they continue on their journey but only a couple of opportunities to see work produced during the drawing year. 

Below you can find out about

• the purpose of the exhibition - and see some images from the exhibition (but see also the album of my photos)
• profiles of three graduates in 2019
• details of The Drawing Year - notably the fact it a year of drawing is offered for free - no tuition fees and studio space for free
• the NEW BOOK "Ways of Drawing: Artists Perspectives and Practices" by the Royal Drawing School.

Purpose of the Exhibition

The exhibition comprises over 100 paintings, drawings, prints and works on paper by the 30 students of The Drawing Year 2019 at The Royal Drawing School - on the Shoreditch/Hoxton boundary - who graduated in 2019.

The Drawing Year is the equivalent of an MA Course of postgraduate study.  These are the best of the over 300 drawings by The Drawing Year which will be on show at the Royal Drawing School in Hoxton between 29 November 2019 and 15 January 2020.

sketchbooks

Three graduates in 2019

I met three of the graduates from the 2019 Year.

Bert Dodson - a man who spent his life inspiring people to draw

"Anyone who can hold a pencil can learn to draw with some degree of proficiency"
Bert Dodson

Bert Dodson is a man who has a made a lot of difference to the lives of very many people who like to draw.

My birthday wishes timeline on Facebook tells me that he turned 81 yesterday - and I'd like to wish him belatedly a very happy birthday.  

Reading his iconic art instruction book "Keys to Drawing" was one of those "lightbulb" moments for me and I've been recommending it to people ever since.

Decades later, in an era when you go to the "Drawing"category of Amazon and all you can see are books about mindfulness, mandalas and colouring books (I despair - it makes me want to cry !!!) Keys for Drawing is still like a oasis in a desert of so-called art books by publishers who are more concerned with profit than providing decent learning opportunities.

• Keys to Drawing has now had over 250 reviews on Amazon 
• it continues to maintain a very high average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars 
• 72% have given it 5 stars
• AND it continue to be have a lot of excellent tips on "how to draw"!

Bert wrote to tell me that he really appreciated my book review of "Keys to Drawing" 

" Keys to Drawing" by Bert Dodson is one of the first drawing books that I bought after I got back to doing art after a break of over 15 years. It opened my eyes, stimulated my enthusiasm for drawing again and provided me with some really excellent guidelines about what to think about when drawing.  Keys to Drawing | Making A Mark | 18th May 2006

I gather it generated a bit of a surge in sales afterwards! 

When I was in New England in September 2006 I wrote and asked if I could visit him which is how come I came to be in his studio in Bradford, Vermont in 2006  to take this photo of him with his page proofs of his next book Drawing with Imagination - about the keys to creativity in drawing

Bert Dodson in his studio with page proofs of Drawing with Imagination (September 2006)

He now walks with an aid - and so do I - and that's because it's about twelve and half years since we last met and we now both wobble a bit from time to time!

He spent a lifetime illustrating children's books. One of the last books he illustrated was one he wrote himself.  Very sadly his website is no longer on line - but his inspiring words about drawing will live on for a very long time....

Long may people read his very sound advice on how to draw!

Bio Note:

Bert Dodson is a painter, teacher, author and illustrator. He has illustrated over 80 books for children.

• He has authored two books on drawing; Keys to Drawing (North Light, 1985), and Keys to Drawing with Imagination (North Light, 2006).

• In the 1980’s he created the political comic strip, Nuke, which was published in two volumes, as Nuke; A Book of Cartoons (McFarland and Company, Jeffersonville, NC, 1988 ), and Nuke II; Another Book of Cartoons (1990).

• He co-authored, with the biologist, Mahlon Hoagland, The Way Life Works ( Times Books, 1995), and Intimate Strangers; The Story of Unseen Life on Earth (ASM Press, 1999).

• He was animation designer for the four part PBS television series, Intimate Strangers (1998).

• He regularly exhibits his watercolors and drawings. 

I am an Amazon affiliate and all links to books include an affiliate link to my personal affiliate account. This means that if you buy a book as a result of clicking on one of these links I might earn a very small sum.

Two new art fairs in London plus goodbye to a popular old one

There have been some major changes in independent art fairs in London in 2019. 

There are two new fairs:

• Connect – The Independent Art Fair is a brand new art fair - run by art dealers - being held at the Mall Galleries next week 
• The Draw Art Fair London will be held at the Saatchi Art Gallery in Chelsea, in May.

Both NEW Art Fairs suggest a rethinking of the approach to dealing art and making sales.

Sadly the Works on Paper Art Fair which I used to go to every February - and recommended is sadly no more.

Connect – The Independent Art Fair

Home Page of the The Connect Independent Art Fair

This is a NEW art fair at the Mall Galleries organised by an art dealer led co-operative - and it opens on Tuesday 29th January.

I've been saying for ages - to anybody who will listen to me - that the Mall Galleries provides an excellent venue for anybody wanting to host a small niche art fair in London - and such activities seem a very appropriate related income stream for the FBA Trust and the Galleries.

Seems like somebody else has had the same idea as me!

Apparently it's being run by a co-operative of art dealers (i.e. typically people without B&M galleries) who aim to cut out the event organiser as a cost of the fair.

An opportunity to view and purchase from the genuine #notonthehighstreet#galleries offering outstanding quality art at affordable prices.

Very oddly, the website does NOT actually says what it's about its USP (i.e what makes it different) and why it's worth visiting! 

• Maybe they've been focused on using press releases and social media - which is where the above comes from. 
• However, they're reposting Instagram to Twitter and losing the images in the process - so maybe they're not too social media savvy! (Shortcuts never pay off - do it properly and get images in a feed and it always pays off!)
• My take on it is that this reflects inexperience. The company that runs it is very new, was only incorporated last year and is months old (see details). I think it lacks social media marketing savvy. I'm almost inclined to send a note to my art business website page which stipulates what traders need on a website page when marketing online!

However, the Mall Galleries website is rather more experienced and a bit more forthcoming about what this inaugural art fair is about

Welcome to the inaugural staging of Connect - The Independent Art Fair. Our friendly dealers and well-known gallerists are bringing together a wide range of early, modern and contemporary work from London and well beyond, and will showcase a dazzling array of schools and styles, media and type. The accent will be on quality and accessibility; organised by a new co-operative of dealers, this Fair will ensure that there is every opportunity for the average collector to indulge their collecting whims, with something to suit most pockets.

Interestingly a couple of articles in the Antique Trades Gazette are a little more forthcoming (see below for links)

the independent event cuts out the ‘middleman’ of an external organiser – aiming at competitive prices for exhibitors and their buyers in turn – and focuses on works ranging in price from the low hundreds to five figures at the top end.

I'll be going. Probably not on Tuesday as I hate crowded events where you can't see the artwork. Probably on Wednesday - and I'll let you know what it's like.

Note that it's open late on Thursday, opens to 7 on Friday and is open all day on Saturday (remembering that "all day" in art fairs starts at 11am!)

You can find details of the fair and its various webs and social media accounts below.

Evening openings at the Mall Galleries for the Connect Art Fair

Venue: Mall Galleries

Admission: £10 (£25 for Tuesday 29 January). Free Entry to Friends of Mall Galleries and those booking in advance at connectartfair.co.uk
Dates: 29 January - 2 February 2019

• Tuesday 29 January 3.30pm -9pm Opening Preview
• Wednesday 30 January 11am – 7pm Fair open
• Thursday 31 January 11am – 9pm Fair open (late night)
• Friday 1 February 11am –7pm Fair open
• Saturday 2 February 11am –5pm Fair open

Website: https://connectartfair.co.uk/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/connectartfair/ (Nothing much happening do far - which is unsurprising given the other marketing deficits)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/connectartfair
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connectartfair/
Venue: https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/connect-independent-art-fair
Articles: 

• Dealer-led art fair to launch at Mall Galleries  | Antiques Trade Gazette (July 2018) - ‘Affordable mid-point fair’ will open in January to encourage face-to-face trade
• New independent art fair in London targets younger customers with competitive prices | Antiques Trade Gazette (January 2019) - New independent art fair targets younger and fresh customers with competitive prices

Draw Art Fair London 

Draw Art Fair website

This NEW art fair for modern and contemporary drawing will be held at the Saatchi Gallery in May 2019.

This is what is about according to the website. It sounds as if it offers a comprehensive approach to drawing and at the same time is VERY BIG!