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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: NATIONAL OPEN ART EXHIBITION

Amanda Kings is the administrator and organiser of the National Open Art Exhibition. In this month’s feature she gives us her top tips for entering not only NOA but all types of Open Exhibitions and Competitions from her years of experience.

Background & History of NOA

The National Open Art Competition (NOA) is now in its 18th year and we are going from strength to strength. This year we will be exhibiting for 5 weeks in Somerset House from 18 September to 26 October. We are delighted that our 2014 Artist Private View will be opened by Antony Gormley and one of our Vice Presidents Gavin Turk will also be with us.

We pride ourselves on the fact that we are very much an ‘Open’ competition, therefore we welcome entrants across a broad spectrum of abilities from the whole of the UK including Northern Ireland. All judging is done completely anonymously and as a consequence work is judged purely on its merit.

We are a not for profit charity so all money raised from entry fees and sales are used for prize monies and putting on the annual Exhibitions at Somerset House, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, The Minerva Festival Theatre and The Works on Paper Fair, London.

We are a small dedicated team and have a very active social media, therefore we work with our artists the whole year round promoting their exhibitions and successes, so once you enter the competition we feel you become part of the NOA community.

5 Top Tips for entering Open Exhibitions

1. Read and follow all of the guidelines stated by the organisers. Every competition has specific restrictions that need to be followed. In the case of NOA – size matters! Work submitted must not exceed 183cm x 183cm x 30cm and we do take most mediums (currently not video art). However, for our competition the work must be designed to be wall hung. Every competition is different and if you read the information fully, it could save you time and money if your art is not appropriate.

2. Often, the 1st round of judging is done digitally in Open Competitions, therefore you will need to upload a photograph of your work. Ensure that the photograph doesn’t include any distracting background paraphernalia, or if it is glazed, you are not reflected in the glass taking the photo! A high resolution photograph (300 dpi) that is no larger than 2MB of your artwork will mean that your artwork can be seen to its fullest potential by the judges.

3. Think about how you sign your work – huge signatures across your work really do put the judges off.

4. It’s always good to have an idea who is judging your work and the previous winners of the competition. You cannot predict a judge’s opinion, however, it might help you to decide what piece you should be entering. Check out the judges on our home page under ‘Competition Info’.

5. Price your work sensibly. If you have presented your work in an IKEA frame you really should price your work accordingly! Also, bear in mind the organisers do want to give you an opportunity for your work to been seen and hopefully to be sold – so the presentation of your art does matter.

The Next Steps?

If you are selected to the 2nd round of judging in an Open Competition you are often required you to send your actual piece of work. If you are remember these points:

1. Ensure your work is properly packaged. We often get a lot of damaged work sent to us due to poor packaging. Don’t worry, often if it is damaged it will still be considered and the judges will know it will be repaired, should it be selected for the exhibition.

2. Present your work in the best way you can possibly afford. Remember, unlike some other open competitions we have some very large prize monies you could win and the opportunity to show your work at some amazing venues. So, the extra bit of expenditure could be worth it!

How to enter

Please visit: National Open Art Competition for details on how to enter. The deadline is Midnight 6 July 2014. I hope that many of you will enter and that I will be meeting you at the Artists Evening.

5 Top Tips from the OE Editor

Sarah gives us her top tips when entering open exhibitions, from her experience running and overseeing Cork Street Open Exhibitions.

1. RESEARCH

Only enter a competition that you have thoroughly researched and is suitable for your work and style. Check out the previous winners and hung artists – is your work the same quality or level, are there examples of artists working in similar mediums, and if not, try to find out why – is it because there just weren’t many good entries or does it just not suit the exhibition? How large is the exhibition space, is your work likely to fit physically?

2. BUDGET

There are many expenses above and beyond the initial entry costs. Photographing, Framing, Mounting and Presentation, Transportation are just a few to name, don’t forget about the extras. Plan around this, when’s payday? Put money aside. Timing is key!

3. PHOTOGRAPHY

The importance of a good photograph of your work is key – I cannot state this enough! It is the way your artwork is initially judged and selected. I’m not saying you need to go out and spend loads on having professional photographs taken, I’m saying invest in a decent digital camera, it’s worth it. It will work wonders for you as a professional artist. Think about Lighting, Backgrounds, Focus and Colours.

4. DETAILS

It is so easy to fall over simple entry details. Complete and accurate information always helps, don’t leave anything to chance and make sure it is all legible! You are responsible for making sure all parts of your entry is accurate, complete and timely. Don’t get this part wrong!

5. FRAMING AND PRESENTATION

Initial viewings and shortlisting are based on your submitted imagery, but the final selections are mainly chosen with the work ‘in the flesh’. It is crucial at this stage that your work is presented to the highest standard. Don’t cut corners on framing and mounting work, if your work is worth entering, it is worth the best framing and mounting that you can afford. Better framing also puts your artwork at a higher advantage of selling if it is hung.

“Top Tips” from Kathryn Roberts

The 5 most important things to keep in mind when entering any Open Exhibition are…

Only enter an exhibition that you have researched and is suitable for your work.
Don’t create art for the exhibition, make sure that the exhibition will move you forward in regards to the theme or direction of your current work.
Consider all the costs, entry fees are just the beginning. There are also the costs of presentation (mounting, framing), transportation (to and from), attending and marketing to your own list.
Follow the instructions carefully. If you miss a step, or get it wrong there are rarely people available to sort it out for you.
Don’t take it personally, The judging process for any exhibition is highly subjective. Entering is a numbers game, fewer than 1% of the entries taken in to the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition are selected. Even on the other end of the spectrum, it is extremely rare for more than 10% of the work entered to be hung.

“Top Tips” from Lisa Wright

1. Do your research- decide which competitions are most appropriate for your creative practise.

2. Be focused and ambitious about what you enter- (ambitious doesn’t necessarily mean bigger… Scale can be a powerful thing- a small piece can be ‘jewel like’ in a sea of ‘average’ sized work)

3. It is generally better to enter more than one piece as this gives the selectors more of a sense of you as a practitioner and potentially gives them a choice.

4. Making work ‘specifically’ for a competition can over load the odds- better to select something appropriate that is already made ie. Made without the constraints of competition criteria.

5. Keep framing solutions simple and understated.

6. It is usually a big financial investment- however it is worth entering as many competitions as possible. It gets you used to rejection, which is an inevitable part of the process.

7. Positive thoughts on rejection-

You have worked toward a deadline / goal.
You have prepared your work to exhibit ( therefore it is ready to go elsewhere if it doesn’t get accepted)
You have been seen!
Although you may not have been selected this time, your work may well be remembered the next time you apply.
Don’t be put off too easily if you didn’t get in the first time- criteria can change and selectors change.

8. Just keep putting the work out there… You just never know who will see it!

Lisa is represented by the Beardsmore Gallery in London

Framing – don’t cut corners (excuse the pun!)

I’ve worked in the family picture framing and publishing business from the age of 17, some 25 years, and in that time I have always been amazed at the way some artists overlook the importance of framing. Some of the nicest work can often be made to look incredibly ordinary because of a poor choice of frame.

I can relate various stories, but have chosen two that will highlight the both ends of the spectrum. These happened many years ago, and within a few weeks of each other.

One artist came to us and asked if we had any old frames he could take (or buy cheaply). We showed him a selection in our workshop. He promptly disappeared to his car and came back armed with various paintings. Some he actually trimmed down to fit into frames we had, others he asked if we could cut the frames down to fit his paintings. He walked away having spent very little and having framed around a dozen paintings for a local show. His work was actually pretty good.

Another artist came to us with a couple of paintings and said, in a broad Yorkshire accent, “I want these to look a million dollars” (he didn’t actually say that but I can’t repeat his actual words!). He spent a reasonable sum and went away happy.

One of these artists has carved a very successful career, has work in major collections and includes Royalty amongst his collectors. Can you guess which one?

Of course it is the second artist, the one who wanted to finish his work off properly (his words). The first artist was just as good and has sold his work steadily over the years but has never done enough to give up his teaching job. He still won’t pay much for frames, so much so that 2 years ago I took a batch of work unframed and framed it myself – they all sold and all fetched more than he ever had done.

When I take works in for exhibitions I always ask to view framed work months in advance. Sometimes the work is well framed so I am happy to take it as it is, but often it is not well framed, so I generally ask that all work is supplied unframed.

A good frame is a vital piece of the jigsaw when trying to sell art. I’ve had artists leave me work with price tags over £1000 framed in cheap mouldings, or quite often in frames that have clearly seen better days – so once something is nicely framed, keeping it that way is another important issue!

A good framing job needn’t cost a fortune. Nowadays there are some stunning mouldings around that are not as expensive as you may think. If you delve into the ‘non-wood’ market there are some amazing mouldings at excellent prices.

The problem many artists face is that their local framer will almost certainly be charging them retail prices, maybe with some discount. Add this in and it can sometimes push the price of the work up too much. We charge artists trade prices and this can mean savings of between 40% and 70% on standard retail.

At AC Art & Framing, we will soon be offering a service that means we can show you how your work would look in certain frames, without having to make a single frame – all via email! This is part of our developing website, which will also have over 200 mouldings online within a few months.

So, if your work needs a frame don’t cut corners to save money. A few extra pounds is money well spent when you see the finished piece hanging on a wall, and it probably won’t cost as much as you think (especially if you come to us!)
You can learn more about Mike and his framing business at: http://www.acartandframing.co.uk

How to Get a Show Article by Rachel Gibson

As a Gallery Director for more than a decade, I have been asked over and over for “tricks” or “tips” to getting into group and solo shows. Well, your art should be good, or at least promising – that should be the most important fact. But to tell the truth, there’s a gallery out there for most art- the sumptuous, the bland and the sour.

ArtAndArtDeadlines.com is not intended to be used exclusively by the burgeoning artist that needs a place to start. But, a lot of the artists that have been working for years still make the same rookie mistakes, too. So, for the record, I offer you The ART of Cooking: How to Get a Show.

Read the Recipe! 1. Read the Recipe. If you are trying to build your artistic resume, I recommend starting with juried group shows. Most galleries offer an online prospectus that you can download and/or print. Read them carefully from start to finish and follow directions. Make sure you are sending your submissions in the right size, right format, with the right payment and on time.Make sure that you clearly understand the theme, if applicable. If you don’t understand it, don’t submit because you’re wasting your money.

2. A Watched Pot Never Boils. The deadline for notifications on a juried show has passed, and you haven’t received word. Do you call? Do you email? No and No. Artists are often deadline-challenged and so are jurors. Be patient; they’ll get back to you.

3. Research Ingredients. Be careful to always use quality ingredients-canvas, primers, paints. With rare exception, hot glue and craft paint is discouraged. It never fails that the one time you’re goofing around sketching on the back of a napkin-you’ll create a masterpiece. A masterpiece can be copied but never duplicated. Doodles on the back of a Waffle House napkin are not often sought after for gallery shows.

4. Wear Your Chef Whites. Self-taught artists are often treated like the dishwasher in a 5-star restaurant. You have to prove you can cook with the best of them. First, do your research. Understand the gallery’s mission and previous shows. Learn about both the gallery director and the jurors. Google is your friend. Second, package yourself for the show and the gallery. Do not lie on your resume (ever…and I mean it), but learn to present the side of you and your work that they want to see.

5. Spilled Milk. You WILL be rejected regardless of the quality of the work. It is inevitable. Keep records of every entry. Know exactly what you sent and when. Keep all rejection letters. When it is time to send out a submission, you can then figure out what hasn’t worked and where. Don’t send duplicate work to the same gallery. Sometimes you will even get an HONEST rejection letter that will teach you where your recipe went oh so wrong.

6. Cream Only Please. Learn how to self edit. Don’t send all your work to a gallery for review. Only send the cream. An artist does not exist whose hollandaise hasn’t curdled. Allow yourself the freedom to create bad work occasionally…just don’t send it to a gallery, please.

7. No Cheetos. Photoshop is a wonderful thing. Color correction is a wonderful thing. It is amazing what you can do to the photo you took on the grayish wall in your bedroom lit only by the single bulb suspended over your bed. However, if your still-life oil of bananas does not glow like Cheetos in the original, don’t oversaturate it after the fact. If your little banana souflee is juried into a show and fails to rise on arrival, it will be returned to you C.O.D.

Iron the Tablecloth--I beg of you! 8. Iron the Tablecloth. Granted, not all artists are photographers, and not all artists can afford professional photographers. Not being a photographer does not excuse bad backdrops. If I see one more piece of sculpture shot in front of a wrinkled tablecloth, I may lose my appetite-permanently. Iron the tablecloth.

9. Bread Doesn’t Make the Sandwich. The same sentiment is true of frames. The fastest way to have your slides or CD thrown in the trash is to put a bright brass sectional frame on your work. Either frame your work conservatively or photograph your work unframed. I prefer to crop images tight so as not to distract the juror by framing, edges or backgrounds. Alternately, use gallery wrapped canvas.

These are the tips that pop to mind, but I’ll keep this post updated as a page called The ART of Cooking.

To Submit or Not to Submit – Now there’s the question!

Article by artist, Jo Talbot Bowen

I am an artist (printmaker and painter), somewhere, I would say, between ’emerging’ and ‘established’, living and working in Devon, UK.

Since 2006 when I graduated (BA Fine Art, 1st) I have been forging a pathway for myself in the world of Fine Art. I would like to share some of my recent experiences concerning the issue of submission to open exhibitions.
Some of the open exhibition questions artists rightly ask themselves are:

Which to take and which to say that vital ‘no’ to.
Is the price and the time I will have to put into it worth it?
What are my chances of being selected?
Which of my art should I submit?
If I am selected, will I sell or make further opportunities for myself?

I suggest that all of these are relatively unknown quantities and their answers lie somewhere on the risk/benefit continuum. Since any entry into the commercial art world is somewhat risky, I think the really sensible question behind them all is the one which asks how the benefit of entry can be tipped in the artist’s direction.

Decision making is one of the skills that they don’t necessarily teach you at Art College. Furthermore, if you only have a few opportunities, are short on money and your perseverance (another quality artists need by the bucket load) is fading then you may not be able to take as many risks as you need to. Fortunately there are now lots of pearls of wisdom on sites such as Kathryn’s Your Art Image to help you move the benefits side to be more favourable.

I got selected for the Cork Street Open in 2009 with the painting Calling All Shipping 2. I had submitted 2 works in the series and decided that for the London market in August a sailing theme with a contemporary twist was the best chance I had.

Submitting 2 in the series gave weight to the works and I decided against a third. Submission rules allowed 4 that year, but I was reducing my costs, aware that I had other show costs that month.

I also decided that I liked the charity, Children of Peace and that other people in London that might come to the show also supported such a cause. Then there was the issue that I wanted exposure in London and I had not had any work on display in Cork Street before. So, all in all, I entered.
For me it feels that you are playing a game, all be it one with serious consequence and rationale. To be a player is to give yourself a chance and you can control much more than you think by developing a sensible strategy. But if you can’t take the rejection of course it would be counterproductive to put your work forward.

The work selected was a smallish piece, which I chose mostly for transport reasons, but also because I have found that I sell much more work on the smaller side. To my delight, it sold at the private view. I did not know who had bought it however, in my naivety I assumed it was one of my private view invitees. He assured me it was not, but then told me he liked it so much that he wanted the other in the series. So there it was 2 sales!

Subsequent to the show I received a number of good art contacts via e-mail. A couple of international art fairs contacted me (I’m not sure it was the show but the timing seems to suggest that) and also the buyer of my work who collects seascapes made direct contact. In addition a number of pop up galleries in London try to sign me up.

The anecdote about selling 2 paintings when I had only shown 1 has also served me well at dinner parties and the like. Of course the exhibition website link remains live for a year and offers hits to my sites and further credentials on website engine searches.

Lastly, I want to say something about the non-commercial side of the show and one that can be forgotten when sales is focused on exclusively. I went to the private view with my family (another big cost for someone out of London) and really got a personal uplift from walking though Mayfair to the street where so much of that art world is nested.

To see my work there was quite marvellous for me. To art-loving Londoners it may be just another show, but to a painter from Devon it was a distinct high point in my earlyish art career.

So it is the entry, the selection, the possible sale, the sale, the show experience, the networking and the further opportunity that made it and still makes it a sensible decision for me.
Open shows entered with clear decision making and strategic approaches are a way forward for many artists today. Take as much control first, then go for a few – that is the answer.

You can learn more about Jo Talbot Bowen and her art at:
http://www.jotalbotbowen.com and http://www.vineartdesign.co.uk

What the Judges Have Said…

Having worked with more than a dozen different jurors at the Cork Street Open Exhibition and other art events I thought it would be useful to summarise some of the points they have had in common when it comes to choosing work to be shortlisted and/or hung for any particular show.

Of course it’s easy to feel disheartened when work is “rejected”, but it’s important to keep things in perspective. First and foremost is the fact that judges have a wide range of experience and taste, both of which colour and affect their choices. Even if you are familiar with work they have selected in the past, know their area of expertise or preferences and think they will like your work – selecting art is a very subjective process and there will always be arbitrary influences at play.

There will also be external factors that affect the selection process such as the size of the exhibition, the number of entries and the physical limitations of the venue. You must also remember organizers and curators need to insist on some leeway between the number of works shortlisted and the number to be hung in order to allow for a cohesive and visually attractive presentation of the work.

None of these factors have anything to do with whether your work is any good or should have been selected for a particular exhibition, they’re just “the way it is”.

Aside from the above there are some subjective choices you can make to improve your chances of being selected, and some very objective points to consider as well. They are listed below in the order of importance – those points at the top off list have been mentioned either unanimously by every judge I have worked with or spoken to or have been greatly emphasized by judges.

What to Submit

Multiple, related submissions from an artist are more likely to be noticed by the judges than single entries. Make sure that your entries are representative of your larger body of work. Don’t enter: one portrait, one still life and an abstract piece trying to find something for everyone. The judges want to see that your work is consistent and you are committed to your own distinctive style.

“You really want to see an artist whose found an identity, knows what they’re good at, has something they are trying to project, there’s something that they want to say…” L. Singh

Most major exhibitions are highly competitive. Make sure that your work is developed to the point where it is unique and/or distinctively your own. Then submit only the best examples of your work.

“I want it to be obvious that the artist is skilled technically. When they seem to be using “creative techniques” to disguise a lack of skill, I loose interest” J. Hurt

“A successful artist ultimately needs to be talented and good at what they do, but far more important is originality. Obviously originality is hard in this very reportorial world we live in these days, everything’s been done, but there’s always a new way of doing something, whether its materials, the creative process or how you’re getting to a place. Some art makes people look a different way, makes you learn about how you look at things, makes you learn about yourself or how other people see things, there’s all kind of ways.” L. Singh

Digital or Photographic Submissions

When the selection process involves a digital submission, do everything possible to ensure that the photo is of the highest possible standard. The file should be the largest size allowed. When submitting online compressing the image for the web will often keep the websites programme from compressing the work further, often poorly.

Other common problems with digital images include: warped or distorted images from using a camera’s zoom, angled images, uncropped or poorly cropped images with visible backgrounds, or inappropriate backgrounds – sculpture should be shown against a plain background from an appropriate eye-level angle, hotspots or glare from glass, dark or glossy surfaces.

When submitting printed photographs the paper should be of a high photographic quality. If you are printing the photos yourself, be certain that you use the photo or “best” setting of the printer and that your printer is colour calibrated so that the photos accurately represent the original artwork.

Frames

Unless the frame is inherent to the work keep it simple, which is not the same as cheap! When selecting a framer use one that has worked with professional galleries or artists and buy the best that you can afford.

“Artists need to visit art fairs, exhibitions, museums and galleries and spend time looking at the framing and presentation of the work. I’ve never chosen a work for the frame, but I have certainly rejected some after I’ve seen the frame.” L Sharpe

Title Your Work

What constituted a “good” title is often controversial among the judges. What they all seem to agree on was that a title is important. The title can often put the work in context and help the viewer relate to or understand the subject on another level.

Pricing

Make sure the price of your work is justified. Prices develop over time based on the skill and reputation of the artist as well as how much work they have sold, by who they are represented and availability of their work. Prices are not determined by how long the work took to finish, the size of the piece or how good others have said the piece is.

Notes from the Judges of the Cork Street Open Exhibition

This year after the jurors finished the second round of judging I asked them what tips or advice they could offer artists entering their work. Below are the answers they all strongly agreed on.

Make sure that your entries are representative of your larger body of work. Don’t enter: one portrait, one still life and an abstract piece trying to find something for everyone. We want to see that your work is consistent and you are committed to your own distinctive style.

Unless the frame is inherent to the work keep it simple, which is not the same as cheap! When you visit art fairs, exhibitions, museums and galleries spend time looking at the framing and presentation of the work. When selecting a framer use one that has worked with professional galleries or artists and buy the best that you can afford.

What constituted a “good” title was an unresolved discussion among the judges. What they all agreed was important was for the piece to have a title. The title can often put the work in context and help the viewer relate to or understand the subject on another level.