Review: Royal Society of Miniature Artists, Sculptors and Gravers Annual Exhibition 2025

This week I'm visiting the Royal Society of Miniature Artists, Sculptors and Gravers (RMS) Annual Exhibition 2025 at the Bankside Gallery three times. 

• Monday night: to judge the Gold Memorial Bowl (the top award) with London art critic Tabish Khan 
• Tuesday afternoon: to attend the PV and Awards Ceremony - and meet up with artists and friends
• Sunday afternoon: to collect the artwork I bought on Monday night!

It's always a pleasure to visit this exhibition as this is an art society with some very enthusiastic members who absolutely love meeting people who like miniature art.

View of the entrance to the RMS Annual Exhibition at the Bankside Gallery

The exhibition is:

• AT: The Bankside Gallery Thames Riverside, 48 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH
• UNTIL: Saturday 22nd November 2025
• HOURS: 11am - 6pm

I highly RECOMMEND this exhibition to

• anybody who is interested in miniature art - whether these are paintings, drawings or sculpture in a variety of media
• all those art collectors who, like me, are fast running out of space for new artwork

You can see my photographs of the artwork displayed in the cases in a dedicated album Royal Society of Miniature Painters - Annual Exhibition 2025 (58 items) on my Making A Mark Facebook Page. Taken while the glass cover was still up, these provide a reasonable view of the artwork without compromising copyright.

This year it also includes a memorial exhibit of 12 miniature paintings by the late Bill Mundy RMS HS MAA MASF who died in July this year.

Portraits by the late Bill Mundy (1936-2025)

Demonstrations

The RMS have always been excellent at providing demonstrations at their exhibitions of the materials and techniques used to produce their exquisitely small artworks. The remaining ones will be taking place between 12 and 5pm 

Thursday 20th Nov - Linda Kracht watercolour on vellum & Michael Coe watercolour on vellum
• Friday 21st Nov - Peter Hayton, watercolour on paper & Christina Hopkinson watercolour on Kelmscott vellum
• Saturday 22nd Nov - Claire Russell, Verre églomisé – gold leaf on glass & Jenny Musker VPRMS watercolour on polymin

How to paint miniature portraits - is a post is about the art materials, equipment and set-up used by an experienced miniature artist which I wrote a few years ago after watching one demonstration in an RMS Exhibition! 

The Exhibition

Things I noticed this year included the following

• there seem to be fewer landscapes - particularly those involving the countryside. Which is a pity as I am a great fan of those painted by Roz Pierson.  Maybe I could highlight that other exhibitions where I have analysed sales, I've also noted that landscapes sell extremely well as a subject!

Royal Family Order of King Charles III: Portrait by Elizabeth Meek MBE PPRMS

The New Royal Family Order - created for King Charles III

The new Royal Family Order, which features a miniature portrait of the Monarch, was unveiled recently and this post is about how it came about. I interviewed the Artist who created the miniature portrait the day after it became public knowledge!

This post covers:

• What is a Royal Family Order?
• What does the Order comprise - and who did what
• The Miniature Portrait painted by Elizabeth Meek.

The new King Charles III Royal Family Order was worn for the first time at a reception and State Banquet for the Japanese Emperor and his wife at Buckingham Palace.  HM Queen Camilla wore the Royal Family Orders commissioned by her husband  and the late Queen.

The Royal Family Order

To provide some context - the Royal Family Order is a decoration conferred by the monarch on female members of the British Royal Family.

• They have been created and conferred since 1820. They are usually the first honours given by the new Monarch to the female members of his or her family.
• It's usual for the colour of the ribbon used to attach it to a gown to change as the monarch changes.
• It's typically worn on State Occasions - such as State Banquets for a Visiting Head of State. 

Royal Family Orders have been given since 1820. Usually they are the first Honours awarded by a new Sovereign to Royal Ladies. 

To date, Queen Camilla is the only Royal Lady to receive one. However I think it very likely that we will see both the Princess Royal and the Princess of Wales wearing one in the near future - as both were absent due to ill health at the time of the banquet.

Copies of the miniature portrait are made to create the Royal Family Order worn by female relatives of the King.

Below, The King and Queen with The Emperor and Empress of Japan at the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace.

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)

What does the order comprise?

Creating a Royal Family Order is very much a team effort - although I'm focusing on the miniature painting which sits at the centre of the order in this post.

The Royal Family Order comprises:

• a miniature portrait of the Monarch, typically at the beginning of their reign
• a jewelled encasing which features loose jewels from the Royal Collection
• a ribbon which is used to hang the portrait and its case - and to hide the method used to attach it to the dress worn for the occasion! The colour of the ribbon can vary.

The new Royal Family Order commissioned for the female relatives of King Charles III was created by the following individuals and comprises:

• a miniature portrait by leading professional miniature portrait painter Elizabeth Meek MBE PPRMS. 
• This was based on a photograph of the monarch wearing the uniform of Admiral of the Fleet and his array of decorations taken by the official Royal Photographer Hugo Bernard at Windsor Castle in 2023. This depicts the King wearing the ceremonial day uniform of a Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet with the collar of the Order of the Garter, the Royal Victorian Chain, the riband of the Royal Victorian Order, the badges of the Order of the Bath and Order of Merit and various medals.
• A miniature Tudor Crown sits at the top of the jewelled casing that surrounds the portrait. This includes diamonds weighing 10.41 carat - which came from loose jewels in the Royal Collection. This was created by British jewellery designer Fiona Rae Goldsmiths has been designing and making jewellery for over 34 years, after graduating from Central St Martins and receiving a business loan from the Prince's Trust. She was recently granted a Royal Warrant from HM King Charles III. 
• The enamelled reverse of the case depicts the King's cypher in gold. The case and goldwork was engineered by Seth Kennedy, a scholar from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust.
• The casing for the portrait is suspended from a pale blue moiré silk bow created by the leading milliner Philip Treacy who makes lots of hats for the Queen.
• His Majesty personally selected the colour of the ribbon, which is based on the Family Order of his great-grandfather, King George V. 
• This marks a change from the yellow that decorated the late Queen’s Order.
• Those wearing the Royal Family Orders usually arrange them in layers on the left shoulder.

You can see an image of Queen Camilla wearing the new Royal Family Order with that created for HM Queen Elizabeth 11 in this Tatler article Queen Camilla debuts King Charles' new Family Order at Buckingham Palace: everything we know about the honour

The Miniature Portrait - by Elizabeth Meek

Now on to the art involved!

Review: Annual Exhibition 2024 of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters Sculptors and Gravers

The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers (RMS) is back at what now seems to be its NEW home at the Bankside Gallery on the South Bank of the Thames - next to Tate Modern. 

Its "Art in Miniature" Annual Exhibition 2024 opened last week and continues until Saturday 6th July.

As we return to the Bankside Gallery with its extra space and friendly staff, I hope our artists and visitors will also be able embrace the summer weather and popular location again.

I highly RECOMMEND it to anybody who is interested in miniature art - whether these are paintings, drawings or sculpture in a variety of media.

Especially for those collectors who, like me, are fast running out of space for new artwork!

The society is also promoting artwork by Young Artists - and their exhibits included some impressive artwork.

What is Miniature Art

Although miniature art was considerably bigger when the society was first created, the current state of play is highlighted in this introduction to the art form by Anthony Lester (which comes from one of my earlier blog posts).

With a maximum size of 6 x 4 inches (15.24 x 10.16 cm), the painting of miniatures demands self-discipline, for where large pictures give some latitude in composition, miniatures are unforgiving of the least mistake; a tolerance of even a millimetre is hardly permitted. 

 

A Right Royal Connection

The major Royal update since last year is three fold:

Firstly - the continuation of the Royal Patronage of the Royal Miniature Society by His Majesty King Charles III was announced in May 2024. 

That much anticipated letter back in early May this year from Buckingham Palace informing us that his Majesty King Charles lll would be continuing as our Patron was wonderful news. The RMS is deeply honoured and proud to continue its long association with the Royal Family. RMS Catalogue

Secondly - the President Ray Winder and Executive Secretary Claire Hucker attended a Buckingham Palace Garden Party in May to celebrate the Creative Industries. Ray had his interest in miniatures rekindled in 2013 when he visited the Annual Exhibition for the first time and a decade later he is now both the President and the winner of this year's top award.

Ray Winder with his sculpture which won the Gold Memooral Bowl Award

Thirdly - the opening of the RMS exhibition to the public coincided with the announcement that the Honorary President Elizabeth Meek (who was the RMS President from 2004-2013) was responsible for the official miniature portrait of King Charles which now forms part of the brand new Royal Family Order which is worn by female members of the Royal Family on State Occasions. As it had been the previous evening when Queen Camilla wore it for the first time at the reception of the Japanese Royal Family. 

(More about this in a subsequent post)

Elizabeth Meek - pictured with press coverage of the new Royal Family Order
and her miniature portrait of King Charles III
- which she's been keeping very quiet about for the last year!

Review of the Annual Exhibition

• The exhibition is open daily from 11-6pm until 6pm on Saturday 8th July.
• Entry is free and the essential exhibition catalogue is £3.
• Nearest tubes and rail stations are at 
• Blackfriars Railway and Tube Station and - Thameslink, District and Circle Lines
• St Paul's (across the Millenium Bridge) - Central Line

I don't think they'll be moving any time soon. This space suits them perfectly - especially as it's a hop skip and short jump from the very modern Blackfriars Station with its great connections via Thameslink trains to stations north and south of London.

This is a review of the exhibition, however for those who cannot get to London to see it you can see all the artwork

• on the RMS website (grouped by artist):
• Member Submissions  - Miniature Art 1 and Miniature Art 2 and Sculptures
• Non-members (31 artists selected) - page 1 
• Young Miniaturists
• on the Bankside Gallery website - good quality images of all the artwork

You can also download the printed catalogue as a pdf

If I sit and think about what's changed with this exhibition......

Overall this exhibition leans firmly towards more traditional subject matter. 

However, in general, the theme seems to broadly revolving around change from the more traditional subject matter and media of the past to more contemporary themes.

• I think I'm seeing fewer portraits - which in some ways is sad as this is what miniature art is best known for - and also this is what generates most commissions. Older more experienced members are still setting very high standards for the quality of portraiture.
• the subject matter is broadening. There's much less of the "twee" ilk and much more which echoes both ancient and contemporary art. I think this might be in part because 
• more younger artists are getting involved with miniature art
• a greater awareness of the history of miniature art in the past
• the media used to produce miniature 3D artwork is changing and broadening. The sculpture is increasingly becoming more interesting.

Sculpture - mainly by members

A group exhibit of miniature artwork in 3D by Dana Kerr (Young Artist)
won the The Bidder and Borne Sculptors Gravers Award

• I'm seeing novel techniques being used for miniature art - which are rooted in very traditional techniques. For example, the use of gold leaf and verre eglomise techniques - which involves painting artwork backwards from the front backwards (see the article on this topic Technique In Verre Eglomise by Claire Russell RMS MASF MPSGS. Her group of animal portraits using gold leaf was outstanding.

Winner of the Elizabeth Meek Award and the Peter Charles Booth Memorial Award
Images of Geckos, Lizards and Dragons by Claire Russell

I'll pop a link in this post to the awards when they go up on the website. It's very much oriented towards social media site listing at present.

My recommendations for the next exhibition

In general, the display cabinets and artwork are well displayed - but for one thing.

 

I have to confess that I felt like I was fighting more with the lighting this year. Some of the lights were angled straight down rather than set up at an angle. As a result I was getting terrific glare off the glass from some of the lights above the display. That's hard on the eyes and required constant readjustment to avoid the glare and deters lingering long looking at the exhibit.

TIP: Check the positions of all lights above cases to to reduce glare on the glass to a minimum. I think maybe if the light is set at an oblique angle rather than straight down it would reduce glare as some display cabinets were more affected than others and it seemed to relate to the angle of the light.

TIP: Non-members need to think more carefully when naming the images they submit as these carry over into the exhibition online and some of the names which came up on the website when an artwork was clicked were less than helpful!

HOWEVER, I note that the RMS already has a page on its website titled Renaming Art Files and Sending Via Email in order to address this issue. Full marks for prompt attention to detail!

REFERENCE

Website - https://royal-miniature-society.org.uk/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/royalminiature/

Twitter / X - https://x.com/royalminiature

Holbein: Drawing, Painting, Materials & Techniques

The Holbein at the Tudor Court Exhibition at the King's Gallery closes today. I'd spent forever making up my mind about when to go - but not booking - and then realising I need to get a move on. Which is how come I saw it yesterday. You can see some of my pics from it on my Facebook Page

To be absolutely honest, I enjoyed the "Holbein in England" exhibition at Tate Britain in 2007 much more and it remains a vivid memory for me. (see Holbein in England - and at Tate Britain). Mainly because it which contained more portraits by Holebin including my favourite Holbein portrait "A lady with a Squirrel' plus Holbein's portrait of Erasmus

The Kings Gallery exhibition had three parts about artworks by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543)

• mainly paintings from other artists of the same era
• drawings by Holbein and miniature portraits by Holbein
• large paintings and some large portraits and more drawings by Holbein + four miniatures by Holbein

One of the most interesting part of the exhibition came after the exit. A small exhibition in one room at the top of the stairs contained information about Holbein's art materials and the techniques he used for his portrait drawings and also his miniatures.

Holbein: Materials and Techniques

A view of part of "Holbein: Materials and Techniques"

I promptly took photos of all of it and have uploaded them all to an album on Facebook on my Facebook Page called Holbein: Materials and Techniques - so 

• if you missed it or you enjoy finding out about the materials used by artists in the past, you can have a peek and see for yourself.
• I've also added comments about specific materials and techniques where I knew something which wasn't included in the exhibition.

There are also more resources about Holbein on the Royal Collection website - listed below

• Holbein's Portrait Drawings - about how Holbein created his drawings
• Holbein in the Royal Collection
• images of the Holbeing drawings and paintings in the Royal Collection

What I find interesting is that Holbein was a royal artist - he was appointed the King's Painter in 1536.  To all intents and purposes his stay in England related to his contacts within the Royal Family and the Tudor Court. 

I've not yet found an explanation for why so many of the better known paintings by Holbein are NOT in the Royal Collection. For example, 

• the 'cartoon' drawing of King Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger is in the National Portrait Gallery. This was made in preparation for the very large painting which used to hang in Whitehall Palace - but was destroyed in the fire in1698.
• The Ambassadors - which is a very large, important and unique painting - is in the National Gallery.

The other interesting fact about Holbein is just how many portraits there are by artists "after Holbein". He was a much copied artist. There again he is regarded as one of the most important portrait artists ever!

If you look at the collection of Holbein portraits and drawings in the National Portrait Gallery, you'll find that most are "after Holbein"

Review: Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Annual Exhibition 2023

Last week I visited the Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers (RMS) at what looks like becoming their NEW home at the Bankside Gallery on the South bank of the Thames - next to Tate Modern.

RMS Display Cabinets at the Bankside Gallery

Reasons for the move to the Bankside Gallery are at the end. I'd suggest they are worth noting by any other art societies who've previously hired the Mall Galleries for their exhibitions.

For those not familiar with miniature art Anthony Lester provides a good explanation

With a maximum size of 6 x 4 inches (15.24 x 10.16 cm), the painting of miniatures demands self-discipline, for where large pictures give some latitude in composition, miniatures are unforgiving of the least mistake; a tolerance of even a millimetre is hardly permitted. Apart from their quality and beauty, they have much appeal because of their size and, with stunning works available from a few hundred pounds, affordability is an enticement too.

More helpful information and tips are provided on the RMS website 

 

RMS Annual Exhibition

The exhibition is open daily from 11-6pm until 6pm on Saturday 8th July. 

Entry is free and the essential exhibition catalogue is £3.

Nearest tubes and rail stations are at Blackfriars Railway and Tube Station and St Paul's (across the Millenium Bridge)

The RMS Annual Exhibition at the Bankside Gallery

I have to say I think the Bankside Gallery suits the RMS annual exhibition very well.  

• There is ample space for all the cabinets which display the miniatures so very well. 
• The Gallery's own sketchbook display cabinets could also be used for excellent displays of the miniature sculpture. 
• The lighting is very good - plus there is of course lots of clerestory lighting which also improves the look of the exhibition. (The North Galleries at the Mall have become rather cave-like and claustrophobic of late with only a tiny chink of natural light following "improvements" compared to the previous incarnation)

View as you enter the Gallery

Overall, initial impressions were good and the artwork all looked excellent on display. I gather the consensus at the Private View (which I missed due to being at a Press View at Compton Varney - of which more tomorrow) was that there were lots of excellent reasons to make this the Society's "new home" and I have to concur that seems like a very sensible decision.

Hopefully, next year they'll be back at the Bankside Gallery - but maybe not so close to the Annual Exhibition of the Hilliard Society which always takes place in June in Wells, in Somerset. These are the two premier miniature exhibitions in the UK and it would be great to get a bit more space between their exhibition dates. I hope some suitable arrangement can be negotiated with the Bankside Gallery

The last annual exhibition I saw in person was in 2019 - after which there were dislocations due to the pandemic and issues with exhibiting at the Mall Galleries.

To me, the standard of artwork seems to be:

• as good as ever in terms of the quality of the artwork on display, much of which is excellent
• still leaning more towards what I'd call "traditional" subject matter. I liked those that were 'very traditional' and more contemporary.

Sales and Commissions

The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers goes virtual for its 2020 exhibition

The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers (RMS) is an art society which normally exhibits at the Mall Galleries - but this year they've decided to go online.

It appears they won't be exhibiting at the Mall Galleries in 2020 and instead are having an online exhibition in place of their normal 2020 Exhibition.  

I'm not quite sure why this is - but note that of the exhibitions which have been relisted at the Mall Galleries there's no doubling up (i.e. two art societies exhibiting at the same time).  It's also very reliant on its members attending to help with the exhibition in the North Galleries and I'm guessing social distancing requirements and age may well have played a part of the decision to go virtual.

Anyway, for whatever reason, you can see their online exhibition here

• this is the exhibition of miniature paintings (note the dimensions relate to the image and not the frame)
• this is the exhibition of miniature sculpture

Reference

You can find out more about previous exhibitions and previous prizewinners in the posts below

• Review: Annual Exhibition 2019 of the Royal Miniature Society
• Annual Exhibition by the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers
• Review: Annual Exhibition 2015 - Royal Society of Miniature Artists, Sculptors and Gravers
• Review: Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Annual Exhibition 2014
• Review: Annual Exhibition 2013 of The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers
• Review: 2012 Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters
• REVIEW: Miniature Art Society Annual Exhibition 2011
• REVIEW: Miniature Art Society - Annual Exhibition
• The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers - Annual Exhibition 2008
• The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers - Annual Exhibition

Review: Annual Exhibition 2019 of the Royal Miniature Society

Yesterday, I finally got to visit the 2019 Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters Sculptors and Gravers 2019 at the Mall Galleries yesterday. 

As with the ROI Exhibition this was one I had planned to visit more than a week earlier. My ankle had other ideas!

It was good to see the display cases back in the North Gallery and to see old favourites as well as new work.

The display cases for the Miniature Artwork in the North Gallery at the Mall Galleries.

You can:

• find out more about the exhibition venue on the Mall Galleries web page Royal Society of Miniature Painters Sculptors and Gravers 2019. The exhibition is due to close at 1pm on Sunday 8th December but otherwise is open 10am to 5pm.
• see details and photographs of the awards on the Award Winners 2019 page on the RMS website. These give you a really good sense of the wide variety of subject matter and styles that are entered for the exhibition and that win awards.
• see my photos of the exhibition in this Royal Society of Miniature Painters Sculptors and Gravers 2019 album on my (public) Making A Mark Facebook Page

Do also take a look at and/or follow the RMS Twitter and RMS Instagram Accounts

Past and present - old and new

The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers is a very old art society having been founded in 1896. Its Patron is HRH The Prince of Wales - who also awards one of the prizes.

The old.....

The Society's Aims are to Esteem, Protect and Practise the traditional 16th Century art of miniature work, emphasizing the infinite patience needed for its fine techniques.

Miniature painting of course has a very long tradition. The exhibition always pays respects to its history. This time it had images of its founder and also a memorial display by one of its eminent past members.

I was looking at the names of exhibitors and it struck me that some of the artists that I used to view are no longer with us while others are completely new.  Maybe it's just that I'm getting older myself - but I'm not quite sure we ever get really used to seeing art which is not quite what it used to be - and then not seeing any art at all.....

...and the new 

However the other side of the coin is that new miniature artists are emerging all the time - in part because this exhibition encourages artists to try miniature art.

One of the benefits of this exhibition is that it is always very good about having a miniature artist working in the gallery on most days of the exhibition (although there won't be one there on Sunday as it's a half day).  You can see how they work, view stages of a completed work and take a look at the brushes and media they use for their stippling.

Media used by Michael Coe - Schminke watercolours are stippled on vellum

Today at the @mallgalleries #london the @royalminiature has a demonstration by the talented @tommulliner_art The excellent exhibition runs until 8th December pic.twitter.com/ye04qspQW5

— Laura Critchlow (@lauracritchlow) 30 November 2019

One such artist who is new to miniature art is Dorian Radu who this year won The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Gold Memorial Bowl award for his painting of The Cigar Aficianado

The Cigar Aficianado by Doria Radu

Jade (acrylic on board) by Raoof Haghighi 

What's interesting is that both Dorian and Raoof Haghighi are artists I first met in relation to other open art competitions. Dorian participated in Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2019 and Raoof has been selected more than once for the BP Portrait Award.

For those artists who are skilled in working in detail, miniature art can add another dimension to their artistic portfolio.

Why I'm not reviewing the ROI and RMS Exhibitions - yet!

The short answer is that it's very definitely not for the want of wanting to travel into London to see the annual exhibitions of:

• The Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI)
• Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers (RMS)

at the Mall Galleries this week and next - until 1pm on Sunday 8th December.

The longer answer is I've been kiboshed by my duff ankle yet again. Earlier this month a Consultant Radiologist at Barts Hospital gave my ankle an ultrasound and announced I had three bits of bone floating free in my right ankle.  I looked at the picture - they looked rather big and rather sharp to me. They probably account for why I keep suffering from extreme pain and immobility i.e. I have to stop walking. I knew from the last lot of scans in 2016 that I had one bone fragment in my ankle due to my osteoarthritis (it had broken off). It would seem that the increasing rate of problems with my ankle is almost certainly due to the increased number of slivers of bone which are in places they shouldn't be.

Being on my feet for much of the evening at the PV of a new exhibition last week finished off my ankle for this week. Hence why I have not yet visited these two exhibitions which I always love to visit.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. Shopping this morning was OK for the first half and not OK for the second half - which suggests that a trip into the Mall Galleries might have to wait a bit longer still. I hope to get there at some point next week.

More about the 2019 Annual Exhibitions

Mall Galleries pages with details of each exhibition are below

• Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition 2019 27 November 2019 to 8 December 2019
• Royal Society of Miniature Painters Sculptors and Gravers 2019 28 November 2019 to 8 December 2019
• both are open 10am to 5pm (closes 1pm on final day)

Below are some links to those who would like to visit or catch up on who has done will in the prizes and news of demonstrations

Royal Institute of Oil Painters

The Mall Galleries website includes a virtual exhibition of the work in the show. Just scroll down this page to see most of the works in the exhibition.

ROI 2019 prizewinners on the ROI website is a news item about the winners of the prizes at their exhibition - with images of the winning paintings - one of which is pictured above.

White Peonies in a Green Bowl by Linda Alexander ROI SBA
Winner of the The Alan Gourley Memorial Award
Oil on linen, 42cm x 42cm
£2950
(Currently in the ROI Exhibition at the Mall Galleries)

The ROI Art Event Evening will be held on 3 December 2019, 6:00pm to 8:30pm - however the event is now sold out.

Royal Society of Miniature Painters Sculptors and Gravers 2019

This page on the RMS website details the awards made to artists as a result of artwork exhibited in the 2019 Annual Exhibition.

I'm very pleased to see that Dorian Radu, an artist who has been a client of mine is amongst the prizewinners. I thought his painting skills might be well suited to the demands of the RMS - where paintings are limited to not bigger than 4.5" x 6" (11.5 x 15cm) - and recommended their open exhibition to him!



The RMS have member artists demonstrating on the following days.

• Sun. 1st December - Marian Tumelty VPRMS - A composition of natural objects in watercolour on vellum.
• Mon. 2nd December - Paul Eaton VPRMS - Sculpture using investment casting wax to create original sculpture, using low voltage soldering iron and various stainless-steel carving tools
• Tues. 3rd December - Alison Griffin RMS - A Conservatory interior scene in acrylic, on board
• Wed. 4th December - Carole Flanders VPRMS - A Dog in water mixable oils, on paper
• Thurs. 5th December - Michael Coe RMS - Portrait on vellum, in watercolour
• Fri. 6th December - Barbara Valentine RMS - Still Life in watercolour, on ivorine.
• Sat. 7th December - Helen White RMS - Medieval inspired designs in watercolour, on vellum

Annual Exhibition by the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers

The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers was founded in 1896. and its Patron is HRH The Prince of Wales.

The 2017 Annual Exhibition - in the North Gallery at the Mall Galleries - was opened on Thursday afternoon by Dame Patricia Routledge. It closes on 1st October at 1pm.

The exhibition comprises 534 pieces of miniature paintings, sculptures and fine art prints displayed in customised display cabinets which provide an excellent view of the work.

Our warm thanks to Dame Patricia Routledge who presented the awards @royalminiature this afternoon and to the RMS president Rosalind Pierson pic.twitter.com/XkfKoJGlT7

— Royal Miniature Soc' (@royalminiature) September 21, 2017

I was supposed to be going but have been suffering from a bad case of laryngitis all week and was exhausted after my trip to the Galleries the previous day. I'm hoping to get to see it next week.

I did however get to meet up with the RMS President Ros Pierson PRMS CFA(Oxon) PPHS MAA MASF on Wednesday and I gather the exhibition had got off to a very good start in terms of sales.

I guess being on at the same time as the Sunday Times Watercolour exhibition might have helped as a lot of the miniaturists work in watercolour.

So - below are some

• details of the exhibition 
• notes about who won what - and I've borrowed from the RSMP's twitter stream for some of the pics and details of the prizes
• notes about the remaining demonstrations

All set up and ready for judging! pic.twitter.com/XlHvif5mXY

— Royal Miniature Soc' (@royalminiature) September 19, 2017

Prizes

[UPDATE: The RMS website subsequently published the FULL LIST OF PRIZEWINNERS 2017 - not all of whom are highlighted below]

The RMS Gold Memorial Bowl (Best in Show) - Raoof Haghighi for  Linda (acrylic on paper, £3,500)

Raoof Haghighi best In show Gold Memorial Bowl pic.twitter.com/dD8Kp4MWNG

— Royal Miniature Soc' (@royalminiature) September 20, 2017

I'm so upset to have missed this presentation! I've followed Raoof at BP Portrait over the years (including this year) and have met him a number of times. He's a really excellent artist - both large and small. Raoof Haghighi is also a self-taught artist whose work has been seen in group and solo shows in the United Kingdom and Iran/Persia.

National Open Art 2016 - Call for Entries

The National Open Art Competition opened for entries at the beginning of March. The closing date for entries is 10th July 2016.

• The 2015 competition attracted nearly 4000 entries and awarded around £60,000 in prizes and mentoring opportunities to 35 winning artists.
• Th 2016 finalists will be exhibited in NOA’s Winter Exhibition at Mercers’ Hall in October where the prize winners will be announced. 
The 500 long-listed entries from this year’s competition will be for sale through NOA’s website and at various exhibitions.

There are two competitions:

• one for artists living or working in the UK or The Republic of Ireland then you can enter. 
• one for children (aged 14 and under)

I'm going to focus on the adult competition in this blog post.

I have to say I find the website VERY confusing.

• It seems to assume everybody already knows what the competition is about and that they all know who can enter and how to enter!  
• In other words it gets deep into the detail far too quickly - without making the basics upfront and easy to access!
• the main problem is that all the information ABOUT the competition is under the "enter" button and is not included in the section "about the competition"!

I made exactly the same observation last year - but I don't think anybody at the competition read my post. National Open Art Competition 2015 - Final Call for Entries

I'd like to see much more information about

• the sort of artwork the competition is seeking and 
• how the prizes can benefit the artists who might apply
• who should apply

I will try to provide a digest in this post - and will continue to hope they get the website sorted before next year!

Images of some of the winners in 2015

Who can enter

In order to enter you MUST:

• a professional or amateur artist
• live, or be professionally based, in 
• the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) or 
• the Republic of Ireland (Éire).
• be aged 
• 15 years of age by 1 September 2015 to enter the Main Competition
• be 14 years of age or younger by 1 September 2015 to enter for the Children’s competition, must

What sort of artwork can you enter?

You can only enter original work

Review: Annual Exhibition 2015 - Royal Society of Miniature Artists, Sculptors and Gravers

This year's Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Miniature Artists, Sculptors and Gravers has more than 600 works of art - in miniature.  All the works are less than 6" x 4" in size.

The exhibition can be found in the North Gallery of the Mall Galleries and continues until Sunday 25th October. The exhibition is open each day from 10am to 5pm. It closes at 1pm on the final day. Admission is free.

A small part of the RMS Annual Exhibition 2015 in its regular home
- the North Gallery of the Mall Galleries
all photographs taken with permission of the RMS | all paintings in this post copyright the artist

The maximum overall sizes for miniatures including picture, frame and mount if any, are:

• Rectangles and Ovals: 4.5" x 6" (11.5 x 15cm)
• Squares: 4.5" x 4.5" (11.5 x 11.5cm)
• Rounds: 4.5" (11.5cm) diameter

RMS - Artist Information for Exhibition Entry

You will see below that the actual paintings are quite a lot smaller than the allowed size including mat and frame.

This year you can also see a slideshow of works in the exhibition online.

The special display cases enable visitors to get a really good view of the miniature artworks
and at the same time make provide excellent security

This is also a Royal Art Society with a difference!  The comprehensive exhibition catalogue includes a signed endorsement from the Prince of Wales who is is a big admirer of the dexterity involved in miniature paintings both their Patron and awards a prize for miniature art (see below).

As always the exhibition is extremely well organised. Many congratulations also to the RMS webmaster on actually having the Society's website updated with everything relevant to the exhibition in the first week!

Miniature art also includes miniature sculpture

Demonstrations

Demonstrations are held in the North Gallery throughout the exhibition. Those for this week are:

• Monday 19th Oct - Paul Eaton (sculptor)
• Tuesday 20th Oct - Helen White
• Wednesday 21st Oct - Rosemary Bentley
• Thursday 22nd Oct - Michael Coe
• Friday 23rd Oct - Graham Lock
• Saturday 24th Oct - Barbara Valentine

Prizewinners

Below are the long list of prizewinners - although as per usual some artists were winning more than one prize!

Review: Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Annual Exhibition 2014

Earlier this week I visited the 2014 Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of  Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers at the Mall Galleries in London.  

The exhibition continues until Sunday 26th October 2014 in the North Gallery of the Mall Galleries. Admission is free.  There are also free daily demonstrations by members in the Gallery - see my listing for the remaining days below

A comprehensive catalogue for the exhibition which comes with a signed endorsement from the Prince of Wales who is a Patron of this Royal ArtSociety!

Annual Exhibition 2014 in the North Gallery

Magnifying glasses are available in the exhibition to view the art

As usual the standard of the exhibition is high with many excellent examples of miniature art as well as some stunning innovations. It's also good to see awards going to new exhibitors who are not members.

The standard of display is also excellent with special stands lined with black velvet onto which the paintings are pinned. Plus lots of magnifying glasses are available. These are essential equipment if you ever want to sell miniature art.

As usual this is an art society which understands well the needs of its collectors. It provides a special private view for those art collectors who have purchased work at previous exhibitions and this had been held earlier in the day. Several works already sported red spots - and more were purchased while I reviewed the exhibition.

Awards and Commendations

Review: Annual Exhibition 2013 of The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers

Philip Nelson won the top prize at the 2013 Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters Sculptors and Gravers - with a wooden duck!

A mallard to be precise - and it is very precise - and it's in 3D.  It is in fact a wood carving which is incredibly faithful in its anatomical correctness.  The wood has then been painted to display the feathers and is very persuasive.  I felt as if I needed to reach out to check it was in fact paint but it's living in a glass case as do all the works do for this exhibition.

Winner of the The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Gold Memorial Bowl Mallard Drake - Philip Nelson
Acrylic on wood - £800 (Sold)

You can find out more about Philip and the history of his wood-carving and prizewinning on his website

This year's exhibition is in the North Gallery of the Mall Galleries and is open every day 10am - 5pm. It closes at 1pm on Sunday 27th October.  They have plenty of magnifying glasses for people to inspect the work.

The exhibition as always maintains a very high standard in terms of the quality of work selected for exhibition.  The exhibition also demonstrates the range and scope of subject matter chosen for miniaturisation - some of which always surprises me each year.  It's absolutely the exhibition to visit if you've ever wanted to commission a miniature portrait.

View of the 2013 Annual Exhibition
of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters Sculptors and Gravers

Hilliard Society of Miniaturists - Annual Exhibition 2013

The Hilliard Society of Miniaturists kindly provided me with all I needed to write a review of the the 30th Annual Exhibition in advance of my surgery on Thursday.

Annual Exhibition 2013

The exhibition - which opened to the public today - is being held at the Town Hall, in Wells Somerset and is open from 10 am until last entry at 4pm each day and closing on Sunday 2nd June at 5pm.  Entrance is free.  This is a map of how to find the exhibition.  Being held in a public building there is good access for people with disabilities.  There is wheelchair access and a lift to the ballroom where the exhibition is held.

I'm unable to travel at the moment so won't be able to get to see the show.  However this doesn't stop me seeing the work that was selected for the exhibition.  That's because they have got a brilliant virtual exhibition online.

You can link the numbers in the photos to the catalogue of who is exhibiting - see Hilliard Society Exhibition Catalogue 2013

Hilliard Society - 2013 Award Winners

You can see all the awards from the 2013 and previous exhibitions on the website.

Winner of Sue Burton Memorial Best in Show Award
Sepia Series ( Acrylic) by Peter Sheppard
£375 each

SUE BURTON MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST IN SHOW - Sepia Series ( Acrylic) by Peter Sheppard (Peter Sheppard Art & Design - on Facebook)  Peter is a professional artist and the 1st Vice President of the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago.

I thought all three sepia paintings of the landscape of Trinidad and Tobago were very impressive and an absolute bargain!

Winner of President's Choice Award
Bocca Baciata ( Oil) by David Lawton
£795

THE PRESIDENT’S CHOICE AWARD Bocca Baciata ( Oil) by David Lawton.  David Lawton paints immaculate portraits and has featured a number of times on this blog.  In 2007 he was the runner up and second prize winner in the BP Portrait Award.  As always, his portraits speak to me in a way quite unlike other portraits - there's something almost spiritual about them.

Winner of the Bell Award
Marjory (Oil on Polymin) by Rosemary Bentley
£NFS (similar size £800)

THE BELL AWARD Marjory (Oil on Polymin) by Rosemary Bentley.  This one had a pretty frame - but personally I would have preferred something a little less shiny as I thought it drew attention away from the fine portrait.

Winner of the Mary Scott-Kestin Award Animals and Wildlife
Two Lambs (Pencil) by Kathleen Nelson
£125

Kathleen Nelson HSF RMS won two awards

• THE MARY SCOTT-KESTIN AWARD ANIMALS AND WILDLIFE Two Lambs (Pencil) - a very fine, sensitive drawing
• THE LLEWELLYN ALEXANDER GALLERY AWARD by Poultry in Winter (Watercolour on Lumitex) - which comes across as natural and unforced in terms of composition

Winner of the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery Award
Poultry in Winter (Watercolour on Lumitex) by Kathleen Nelson
£195

Winner of the Sue Lee awardI've Got my Eye on You (Watercolour) by Claudia Haesen

SUE LEE AWARD  I've Got my Eye on You (Watercolour) by Claudia Haesen

Two more awards are to be announced later.

My personal favourites

For the essence of a good miniature painting or sculpture is one which would be great whatever size it was - but is all the more impressive when created in miniature.

My personal favourites included

• the netsuke boxwood figures (11 - 13) by Pamela Stewart-Pearson HS RMS.  Netsuke is a form of miniature sculpture which developed in Japan over a period of more than three hundred years.
• Bow Practice (watercolour on vellum) (47) by Michael W. Coe HS RMS.  Michael is a self-taught, full-time artist who started painting watercolor miniatures in 1991. He became a member of the Hilliard Society of Miniaturists in 1992, was elected a full member of the RMS in 1996 and is an invited member of the Miniature Artists of America, the Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society of Washington D.C., and a member of the Miniature Arts Society of Florida.  He exhibits internationally and has won numerous top awards for his portraiture.
• Robin (58) by Sara C. Lee HS NAPA 
• the very sensitive portraits of children on enamel and silver (77 - 80) by Polish artist Ewa Buksa-Klinowska 
• the landscape paintings (84, 85, 88, 89) of Rosalind Pierson PPHS RMS MAA MASF which always make my jaw drop no matter where I see them
• You Looking at Me?  (oil) (165) by Pam Wilmot HS - I'm very fond of a decent painting of a llama!
• the group of watercolour paintings of animals and nature (171 - 177) by Tracy Hall HS RMS Tracy is an elected signature member of the Hilliard Society, the Royal Miniature Society (RMS) and the Miniature Artists of America (MAA) 2013 and has been much followed by this blog!
• the plumbago and graphite portrait drawings (179 - 183) of Jenny Brooks HS RMS Dip SBA(Dist). See MAKING A MARK: How to paint miniature portraits
• the technique of miniature portrait painter Bill Mundy HS RMS MAA MASF SLm always impresses (188 - 191).  I particularly liked the portrait of Michael Eavis (188) - the founder and host of the Glastonbury Festival.  Fans of Bill's work should read the latest post on his blog - The ups and downs of life!
• I love the gouache on calfskin vellum paintings (259 - 264) of Debby Faulkner-Stevens HS RMS SWA
• the animal paintings (265-271) of Gina Morton HS RMS SLm exhibit a standard for naturalness which is worth studying if you like painting animals

Note: For those who'd like to know, my personal aversions are anything I regard as "twee" or contrived.

Sales of miniature artwork

In my experience miniature art sells really well.  There are a lot of collectors - and they're very keen on high quality artwork and excellent presentation.

You can buy art from the website from Tuesday 4th June 2013 until Tuesday 18th June 2013.  If you want to make a purchase you just have to contact the Hilliard Office - either telephone 01749 674472 or email hilliardsociety [at] aol.com.

More about Miniature Art

If this has wetted your appetite or you are intrigued by some of the surfaces being used as supports for the miniature paintings you might like to visit my website Miniature Art - Resources for Artists. This site has resources covering:

• the definition of miniature art - including mughal miniatures and netsuke
• museum and private collections of miniature art - and tips for collectors
• information about miniature art socities, exhibitions and competitions
• information about contemporary miniature artists
• resources for those wanting to learn how to paint miniature and/or needing speciliast art supplies