Thumbnails versus slideshows versus videos

See if you can spot the artist who will make their mark in future years - in the online Graduation Show 2020 by recent graduates of the Heatherley School of Art.

Heatherley's Graduates Exhibition 2020

I was left wishing that the show was a slideshow - because 

• going back and to (due to the lack of a right arrow for the next image of decent size) 
• means inevitably you only look at some artwork as a thumbnail.

I clicked around in vein trying to find the arrow for the next image - and finally realised there wasn't one.

Hence this post

I'd also have liked to see a text document - providing a summary about each artist and links to their websites and social media accounts.  Being an artist is so much more than producing the artwork....

Presentation of art on a website

Presenting art on a website demands some careful thought about what's likely to generate the best response.

The critical issue is to remember people have limited time and need an efficient and effective method of viewing art they might be interested in.

It's really worthwhile thinking about:

• the optimum size of image to display your work to best effect - now that buyers are much more used to buying online
• how best to display a sequence or series of your artworks
• thumbnails only - enlarging to larger image if clicked (and then you have to go back and start again as per the Heatherley's Show)
• slideshow of decent sizes images
• slideshow of decent sizes images - properly annotated with title, media and size (framed and/or unframed as relevant)
• a video of your artwork - with successive static frames - working in the same way as a slideshow - but with a bit more control for the viewer. (I usually put my cursor on the bottom and speed through - and then only come back and watch slowly if I like what I see)
• thumbnails AND slideshow - i.e. give the viewer the choice of how they want to view.
• what's the best thumbnail for your artwork? 
• Not every artwork is created in a standard thumbnail shape (eg not everything is a small square!)
• the critical issue is whether or not the thumbnail "reads well" and tempts the viewer to click it and open up the larger image
• Hence a decision may be required as to how best to format the thumbnail before converting to larger image of the whole work

Thumbnails in the Heatherley's Graduate Show which worked for me are by:

• Sarah Thorneycroft
• Zhouzi Zhang (more than one)
• Jayson Singh (more than one) - who impressed me the most - who has a Twitter account but no website

Jayson Singh is a visual artist based in Battersea and has a fine art degree from Central Saint Martin's. Recently, he has completed a portrait diploma from Heatherley's school of Art and achieved a special commendation from the painter Andrew James RP at the graduating show this year.

Note that I did not open every thumbnail - just the ones that appealed.

Review: Royal Society of Marine Artists Annual Exhibition 2020

I visited the Royal Society of Marine Artists 75th Annual Exhibition (2020) at the Mall Galleries on Monday - and this is a review of that show. The exhibition was well attended and there were a lot of red dots on the walls!

Two of the prizewinning paintings: 

(left) Hebridean Recollections by Richard Dack RSMA RWA won the Winsor & Newton Prize 

(right) Sea Flora V by Gareth Brown RSMA wot The Artist Magazine Award

The common theme is the sea and tidal waters although, within that remit, work is wide and varied. Subjects range from deep water shipping to coastal scenes, competitive sailing to quiet harbours, marine wildlife to still-life. 

First some details of the exhibition:

• it continues until 5pm on Saturday 10th October across all three galleries of the Mall Galleries in London
• there is no catalogue - just the virtual exhibition of digital images which you can find online (just scroll down) 
• you can click any one of those images and 
• see a larger image of the artwork together with details of it and 
• what to do if you're interested in acquiring one of the artworks.
• you can see photos of artwork by members on the RSMA website
• you can see an album of photos I took with the aim of capturing all the works in the exhibition on my Facebook Page. 
• See Royal Society of Marine Artists: Annual Exhibition 2020 which is public irrespective of whether or not you have a Facebook Account - although I guess it might be easier to view if you do. 
• Anybody who has work selected for the exhibition should find their artwork in there somewhere - and where it is hung and in what company.
• I have to say such an exercise is all the better for the very many messages I have had since from people who are unable to get to the exhibition this year - who are so very grateful for being able to see their work AND the exhibition! :) 

The images - wherever located - also provide:

• inspiration for those who want to enter next year
• confirmation (either way) for those not sure whether or not their work is good enough
• information about standards for those seeking to be candidates for members

As I indicated last year and in my call for entries post - there are three good reasons to exhibit in this exhibition if you create artwork of anything marine-orientated

• This is an exhibition which:
• ALWAYS attracts a lot of people interested in buying marine artwork - and a LOT of sales.
• ALWAYS has a LOT of decent prizes
• In addition, in the past, prizes have been dominated by strong work by non-members - which is always good to see for those who submit work via the open entry.

This maybe explains why there were some 2.5k entries for this exhibition 

RSMA Annual Exhibition 2020: East Gallery

RSMA Annual Exhibition 2020: Panorama across the West Gallery

part of the North Gallery

This review 

• notes the awards and prizes - with some images of those in the exhibition
• identifies artists whose artwork caught my eye
• comments on some themes which I jotted down while in the exhibition - which I walked around three times - once for the photos and the overall impression, two to take a closer look at those paintings which caught my eye first time around and third time to see if I'd missed anything and to check out my initial impressions. It's amazing the things which you "see" properly on the third 'go round'. 

I have to say I am completely lost without a catalogue - and while I totally understand why it's necessary to contain costs at the present time, I do wish that the Mall Galleries would get on with 

• upgrading the virtual exhibition do that it's possible to find artwork easily i.e. where is the search function for the artist's name? (or more to the point - where is the search function period. I include the Google search function on all my websites - it's not difficult!)
• putting a listing of works online as PDF file. It doesn't need to be printed and it doesn't need to be in colour - but NOT having a catalogue is a big deal for 
• those who are selected, 
• those who want to buy and 
• those who review!
• those who want to submit next year (re. media, pricing etc)

PS I'm going to keep repeating this with every review until something happens!

Sky Artist of the Year (Portrait and Landscape) returns

Series 7 of Portrait Artist of the Year starts at 8pm on Sky Arts on Wednesday 14th October 2020. That's one week from today!

In other words the PAOTY has nabbed the Landscape Artist of the Year slot!
I have more news about Landscape Artist of the Year in the UK - and abroad(!) - at the end!

 The PAOTY Judges: art historian Kate Bryan, artist Tai Shan Schierenberg, independent curator Kathleen Soriano and Stephen Mangan who acts as the host.

The interesting thing about the promotion image above - and what I've read to date is there is no mention of Joan Bakewell. Given Joan's age (age 87) and the Covid-19 Pandemic I'm not surprised as nobody would want to risk a "national treasure"

See my previous blogpost on Making A Mark to see how to watch Sky Arts for FREE in the UK - on Channel 11 on Freeview. I gather from one follower that Freeview is not what Virgin delivers - but this quote from Sky suggests it's a different channel number on different platforms.

Find Sky Arts now on Freeview channel 11, Freesat channel 147 alongside Sky channel 122, Virgin Media Channel 123 and BT channel 348

Some of you will recall we had Portrait Artist of the Week earlier this year during lockdown in the UK. For your information:

• the videos are still available on the Facebook Artist of the Year Facebook Page - so if you missed them at the time, you can watch them now (oe even watch them again)
• I've also discovered an Artists following "Portrait Artist of the Week" (Unofficial Group) - which is a Private Group - so not visible unless you are a member of Facebook AND a member of the Group

I'm not sure whether you can watch the previous series on Channel 11 - but you'll certainly be able to watch all the previous episodes that I've written about by clicking the portrait artist of the year label on this blog

Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year

Usually, this is the time of year when we are all viewing Landscape Artist of the Year - but not this year. Instead two things have happened

Commissioned landscapes

Sky Corporate commissioned 5 artists 

To celebrate Sky Art's free-to-air launch, we commissioned 38 pieces of artwork depicting beautiful and varied constituency landmarks from across the United Kingdom. Working with five finalists from our hit show Landscape Artist of the Year, and each using a different medium, we are delighted to present the collection in the online gallery below. Taken together, the 38 sites represent the diversity of landscapes and buildings across the country, and the power of art to offer new perspectives.

The artists Alice Boggis-Rolfe, Brian Ramsey, Fujiko Rose (last year's winner),
Gregor Henderson and Titus Agbara 

Today #SkyArts becomes free for everyone to enjoy. To celebrate, five finalists from our hit show Landscape Artist of the Year have depicted beautiful landmarks from across the UK. 🎨

Full gallery 👉 https://t.co/0l752Io15y

A few highlights 🖼️ 👇 pic.twitter.com/V4VGfuG903

— Sky Corporate (@SkyCorporate) September 17, 2020

You can see the landscape paintings they produced on this page. You might want to try and see whether you can work out which artist did which painting without looking at the details - which you can see if you click the pic.

Landscape Artist of the Year - starts January 2021

The Adventurers of Modern Art

 Sky Arts is now free to view and has a new series called The Adventurers of Modern Art.

So first.....

How to watch Sky Arts

I wasn't sure how people who don't have Sky TV or Now TV (I have the latter) access the now "free to view"  Sky Arts - but I asked Google and it told me that  

Sky Arts launched on Freeview from 17 September 2020.

Sky Arts is a new channel dedicated to delivering programming which brings together the best of music, arts and culture in Britain.

Sky Arts is now available on channel 11 and through Freeview Play.

i.e. on Channel 11 - the one after ITV3 on non-HD TV. If your TV did a channel update recently you should have it. Otherwise do the update and refresh your channels.

I now have the first episode playing while I write this. The imagery has an air of Monty Python and the recent film about Vincent Van Gogh i.e. painted versions of what happened - but very simplistic. It also includes relevant film of the age

The Adventurers of Modern Art

The painted image of some of those featuring in the first episode

Apparently - according to this site - The Adventurers of Modern Art

Adapted from Dan Franck's literary trilogy 'Bohemian Paris, Libertad!, Midnight', the story plunges us into Parisian life in the beginning of the 20th century, a hotbed of artistic creation with the blossoming of Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism, and Surrealism. Through original illustrations, animation and archives, the films trace the highs and lows, scandals and celebrations, tragedies and the triumphs that shaped the phenomenal period of Modern Art up until the end of World War II. The infamous protagonists include Picasso, Dali, Apollinaire, Man Ray, Kiki and more… artists, art dealers, poets and muses who left an indelible mark on our time.

Whereas Radio Times describes it thus

Only brief clips of this series were available to preview, but it looks like a quirkily educational take on a key period in art history: the early years of the 20th century in Paris, which must have been one of the great creative moments anywhere, ever.

Le bonheur de vivre by Henri Matisse

Oil on canvas, 176.5 x 240.7 cm (69 1/2 x 94 3/4 in.). 

In the collection of the Barnes Foundation.

The episodes are as follows:

1. Bohemia - This episode focuses on early 20th century Paris, where the likes of Picasso, Dali and Hemingway gave birth to various movements including Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism and Surrealism. D Includes Picasso, Matisse, Apollinaire and Derain plus Gertrude Stein who Picasso attempts to paint.
2. Picasso and His Gang - A look at how Picasso responded to Matisse with Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, a painting that caused a scandal and ushered in the aesthetic of cubism.
3. Paris - Capital of the World - A look at the origins of expressionism and surrealism, and how the reputations of Apollinaire, Soutine and Modigliani grew in the Parisian art world.
4. The Enchanters of Montparnasse - A look at Parisian cultural life after the end of the First World War, when the Dadaist and surrealist revolutions got underway, led by Breton, Aragon and Soupault.
5. Libertad! - A look at how artists responded to the Spanish Civil War, with Malraux and Hemingway covering the Republicans' struggle as journalists, while Picasso created his classic Guernica.
6. Midnight in Paris - Paris emerges from the Second War to find that an astonishing work has been created from within its war-torn midst - Marcel Carné's film Les Enfants du Paradis.

Gertrude Stein sitting on a sofa in her Paris studio, with a portrait of her by Pablo Picasso, 

and other modern art paintings hanging on the wall behind her
(Wikimedia commons)

British Museum: Prints and Drawings - The Solution!

Yesterday I highlighted the problems with accessing the Virtual Gallery of the Prints and Drawings held in the permanent collection of the British Museum. 

Today I have the solution

This page provides the Collection search guide.  It's one of those guides which provides a lot of information for what is obviously a really big database of images.

Collection online has been completely redeveloped, making it much easier to find what you want. It allows access to almost four and a half million objects in more than two million records. The search is more intuitive and now offers suggestions as you type.

Unfortunately they completely forgot to provide a shorthand version - with links to certain specific types of drawings e.g Drawings or Prints.

It's almost as if 

• they've started off from the perspective of the complexity of their collection 
• rather than 
• EITHER asking people what they'd like to search for 
• OR done any analysis of the search queries that bring people to the British Museum website. 

The latter is the one which keeps me on my toes in terms of me tweaking my own website to make the most popular also the most accessible!

Progressive refinement of key words and filters

However if you start at this Explore the Collection Page and put "drawings" in the search window you get this

• So I then selected "objects" as the filter type on the left - and got a lot of objects some of which clearly were NOT drawings. So I think I'd suggest a quality audit of the referencing by key words!
• Rather annoyingly the feedback link for the individual pages which are not relevant to drawing goes to the "Sorry we can't find that page" - suggesting somebody needs to do a major audit for DEAD LINKS!!

Started again and selected 'paper' as the filter (under 'drawings') and got a rather better set of results

I then added 'flower' as an additional key word - and got an even better set of results - given I'm particularly interested in flower / botanical drawings and came across some 17th century Persian Drawings of flowers that I've never ever seen before.

Artists

I next tried Artists. The trick appears to be quite precise as to what you want to see - and remember/spell names correctly!

Do NOT use quotation marks around the artist's name - I got a nil result when I tried it with one artist.

So for example, if you add in an artist's name e.g. Thomas Rowlandson - you get a great collection of Rowlandson's pen and ink and wash drawings

I added in Ehret and got nine examples of works by or associated with one of my heroes Georg Ehret ( see About Georg Ehret on my website) 

The quality of the digital image is FABULOUS!  But you must first click on the image, go to its individual page and use the plus (+) icons to go in as far as the image will let you.

Drawn by Georg Dionysius Ehret
collection of the British Museum

I tried again and inserted Joseph Mallord William Turner and got some fabulous watercolour sketches and painting which allow you to see his technique up close. 

crop of a Topographic representation of: River Washburn by Joseph William Mallord Turner collection of the British Museum

The total number of items related to Turner exceeds 3,000!  That's because - although he painted a LOT - the search query also picked up people like John Sell Cotman who created drawings "after Turner".

Conclusion

There is undoubtedly lots of wonderful things to see in database of digitized images of items in the Permanent Collection of the British Museum.

For me it'll be one of those links I'll bookmark and try out while having a cup of tea - to see what comes up under different queries and keywords. I think there are lots of surprises.....

Here's a few more I found 

• Hindu and Persian Miniatures and Penmanship
• Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual
• Tempera
• Rembrandt (3,206 objects)

One interesting fact - there are 12,595 objects related to Painting - but only 200 of these are oil paintings - one of which is a very fine paintings of Portrait of: Dr Robert Anderson (Director of the BM) by Tom Phillips RA who has 55 items in the British Museum.

It's the ultimate surfing sinkhole!