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Jun102021

Behind the exhibition, an interview with Warren Grant

exhibitionBy Annabel Elton10th June 2021

THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN WALKING AROUND A GALLERY WHEN THESE ELEMENTS ARE WORKING FOR YOU RATHER THAN AGAINST YOU—IT IS AN AMAZING FEELING.   Talking to the Mall Galleries head technician, Warren Grant, we learned about what goes on behind the scenes of an open exhibition at Mall Galleries and it’s certainly worth sharing.…

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Jun32021

Benjamin Hope Elected to Membership

Artists, NewsBy Annabel Elton3rd June 2021

Benjamin Hope was elected to membership at the 2021 Annual General Meeting. He is one of only two new members of the Society this year. Artists’ work is assessed over a long period by the whole membership of the Society as part of the process of becoming a member of the Royal Society of Portrait…

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Jun32021
Self portrait by Kathryn Kynoch exhibited Royal Society of Portrait Painters 2021

Kathryn Kynoch elected to Membership

Artists, NewsBy Annabel Elton3rd June 2021

Kathryn Kynoch was elected to membership at the 2021 Annual General Meeting. She is one of only two new members elected to the Society this year. To become a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters an artist’s work is assessed over a long period by the whole membership of the Society. This year…

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May62021
self portrait by the artist Frances Bell

Prize & Award Winners from the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2021

Prize, UncategorisedBy Liam Kilby6th May 2021

Apr122021

What portrait painters have been doing during lockdown

NewsBy Annabel Elton12th April 2021

See Emily Kent Smith’s article in the Sunday Times

She looks at different artists’ responses including Alastair Adams, David Cobley and June Mendoza

as well as the effect on this year’s Annual Portrait Exhibition

Image: Alastair Adams ‘Favourite T Shirt’

Mar312021
Alastair Adams 'Sarah Furness' private commission

High Sheriffs in the picture

portrait commission, UncategorisedBy Annabel Elton31st March 2021

Portraits of High Sheriffs; in conversation with three artists   For those who are not familiar with it, the office of High Sheriff dates back to the 10th century with the height of its significance under the Norman kings. Nowadays, the role of High Sheriff is an independent, non-political, Royal appointment. Whilst the High Sheriff’s…

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Mar42021
Tom Phillips 'Professor Peter Goddard' portrait commission

Tom Phillips on painting portraits

UncategorisedBy Annabel Elton4th March 2021

We recently caught up with member Tom Phillips to discuss some of his memorable portraits. Tom has painted many interesting people; from Samuel Beckett to Salman Rushdie. In 1989, Tom became only the second artist to have a retrospective of his portraits at the National Portrait Gallery. Painted portraiture is but one of Tom Phillips’…

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Feb52021
A commissioned portrait painting of a child by her parents

Portraits of Two Children

portrait commission, Artists, How to commission a portraitBy Annabel Elton5th February 2021

Dec152020
Unusual Portrait Commission - a painting of a pair of trainers by Andrew James

The Gift of Giving An Unusual Portrait

portrait commissionBy Annabel Elton15th December 2020

  In the spirit of gift-giving and Christmas, we spoke to Lee Fraser who recently commissioned a portrait for his partner, Sage, ahead of her birthday. The portrait is of a pair of trainers.  Lee commissioned Andrew James to create the piece. It was a wholly collaborative and exciting process; giving someone the gift of…

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Dec102020
Winner of the 2020 Small Portrait Prize

Small Portraits at the RP

Artists, History, PrizeBy Annabel Elton10th December 2020

This year the Royal Society of Portrait Painters awarded a new prize for the best small portrait. This prize attracted a cohort of diverse and intriguing submissions as well as an increased amount of attention from our visitors. Not only did they pause to spend time with this collection of small portraits, but they also…

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Following on from yesterday's post we delve even f Following on from yesterday's post we delve even further into Ellie Lachs @ellielachs_ interesting article. Today we look at what Warren Grant, our Head Technician, says about 'Receiving Day': An exhibition that is showing more than one artist’s work such as an open show will have an assigned ‘Receiving Day’; it is essential that artists diarise delivery and collection dates to ensure that this runs according to schedule. On this day, all the exhibiting artists who are available to visit the gallery in person—we will get to those who cannot visit in person shortly—will drop their work off. Warren noted that there can be up to 200 pieces delivered in one day and the technician team is responsible for organising all of these works. Read the full article at https://therp.co.uk/behind-the-exhibition-an-interview-with-warren-grant/ and follow for more tips on exhibition to do's. Following our announcement about one of next years theme's at our Annual Exhibition as 'Self', this is a particularly good moment to get thinking about what preparation goes into a submission beyond painting. Artists... take note!
Following on from yesterday's post we delve deeper Following on from yesterday's post we delve deeper into Ellie Lachs @ellielachs_ interesting article. Today we look at what Warren says on 'Good Wrapping': 'Mall Galleries generally only accepts works by hand unwrapped, however, their safe arrival often relies on good wrapping. Warren explained that packaging your work is all about protecting its corners so that when the works are moved around, they are less likely to incur any damage. But, you don’t need to destroy the environment with rolls and rolls of plastic wrapping paper to ensure this. If you can be a little inventive and dexterous with the way you use cardboard and biodegradable tape, this can be equally effective. There need not be any elitism around framing and packaging— excellent framing and packaging can easily be achieved in an affordable way.' Read the full article at https://therp.co.uk/behind-the-exhibition-an-interview-with-warren-grant/ and follow for more helpful tips about exhibition how to's.
Andrew James NEAC, RP Three Day Masterclass: the o Andrew James NEAC, RP Three Day Masterclass: the opportunity to explore in depth the relationship between structural colour use and expressive portraiture. There is 1 place left!
Do you ever walk around an exhibition and wonder w Do you ever walk around an exhibition and wonder what goes on behind the scenes? We certainly do, so we sent Ellie Lachs @ellielachs_ deep into the corridors behind the Mall to talk to our Head Technician, Warren Grant about what goes in to planning an Open Exhibition. Following our announcement about one of next years theme's at our Annual Exhibition as 'Self', this is a particularly good moment to get thinking about what preparation goes into a submission beyond painting. Artists... take note! "With a background in acting, circus production, venue management, and art transportation, Warren has a wealth of experience in this field; dealing with people, and art is his forte. So, for the aspiring curator, for the up-and-coming artist, or for those interested in what goes on behind the gallery’s front of house, now is the time to take notes. Art exhibitions are made up of more than the images we see on their walls. The ways that the space has been used, the frames that surround the images, and the way the light falls on each piece, are all extensions of the artworks present. Such logistics and arrangements are easy to forget about, especially when, on arrival, the exhibition is already perfectly assembled, to the point where a visitor may not be able to remember a time when it didn’t grace the walls of the gallery. These inner workings of an exhibition are, however, crucial, and yet they are rarely discussed. Warren explained that his team is in charge of getting the artists’ works, from the doorstep of the gallery, onto its walls, as well as all the steps in between, but the art needs to arrive without damage." Ellie and Warren discussed good wrapping, receiving day, the back of a painting, and cataloguing and hanging. Stay tuned over the next few days to learn more about how to be the perfect exhibitor including Warren's top tips for successful preparation and read the full article here at https://therp.co.uk/behind-the-exhibition-an-interview-with-warren-grant/
We are very pleased to announce the theme for one We are very pleased to announce the theme for one prize at next year's Annual Exhibition will be 'SELF'. A number of prizes are available at our Annual Exhibition. Stay tuned and follow @rsportraitpainters for more updates regarding prizes, themes, call for entries and much, much more. Let's spread the word: tag your artist friends in the comments, re-post to your stories and get the word out. Most importantly, get painting!
Tune in live tomorrow to watch Andrew James' Portr Tune in live tomorrow to watch Andrew James' Portrait Painting demonstration. This image is of 'Paul', painted by Andrew last year. Live on Facebook, direct from his studio (available afterwards to watch at your leisure) Andrew James RP NEAC will lay out his fundamental method of painting whilst copying a portrait photograph. Here the viewer can see in close detail the step-by-step approach. "I primarily use brushes and knives to apply oils on canvas. I usually paint isolated objects: a tree, a paperclip, a face. This heightens the sense of our connection and isolation with the world around us. I continuously add and subtract until a satisfactory outcome is achieved in my painting. I work from photographs, life and memory: All are equal. A work’s outcome is all that matters. My artwork can take from one hour through to many weeks, some remain unfinished." - Andrew James RP NEAC
Benjamin Hope was also elected to membership at th Benjamin Hope was also elected to membership at the 2021 Annual General Meeting. He is one of only two new members of the Society this year. This year, Ben exhibited two works at our annual exhibition including this self-portrait. Ben is also a member of The New English Art Club, The Pastel Society, and The Royal Society of Marine Artists (Associate).
Kathryn Kynoch was elected to membership at the 20 Kathryn Kynoch was elected to membership at the 2021 Annual General Meeting. She is one of only two new members elected to the Society this year. This year she exhibited two portraits at our Annual Exhibition including this self-portrait. Kathryn is a distinguished Scottish artist. Her work hangs in various public collections including Glasgow Art Galleries and Museum, Kelvingrove Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow University Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Strathclyde, and Leicester Universities Royal Scottish Conservatoire Dick Institute, Kilmarnock Dover House, Whitehall, London.
@markdraiseyportraits tells us about his piece 'Th @markdraiseyportraits tells us about his piece 'The Wine Merchant': 'This was a commission I received last September when we first came out of lockdown. The gentleman in the portrait is a successful wine merchant based in London, but the painting was set in his Oxfordshire cottage. It took a fair bit of furniture repositioning and even the painting of that blue wall to add depth and colour interest to the scene. I describe myself as a bit of a detail freak so I was delighted that a Persian rug was featured along with the bottles and glasses of wine. The portrait, being 1m x 0.7 was painted on a Poplar panel, took around 3 months to complete and now hangs in the client's office.' This piece was part of our annual exhibition. If you were not able to attend this year's exhibition in person, you can still view it virtually on our website. Link in Bio.
@bayscaroline tells us about her self portrait 'Re @bayscaroline tells us about her self portrait 'Reflection with Postcards': 'Reflection with Postcards' is a self portrait painted from life during the first lockdown last summer. I set myself up with a mirror by a north facing window in my studio & added a spotlight to increase the effects of light & shade. I was particularly interested in the way the spotlight added a sense of drama & emphasised the warm & cool tones in my face. The hat was included because the cream colour complimented the skin colouring; I also liked the dynamic shape & the way it interacted with the postcards behind. The postcards were chosen because they are portraits & Cezanne & Gauguin are two of my favourite artists. The look of apprehension on my face was probably due to the family traumas unfolding during the lockdown.' This piece was part of our annual exhibition. If you were not able to attend this year's exhibition in person, you can still view it virtually on our website. Link in Bio.
Wednesday 9th June, 2pm Portrait Painting Demonstr Wednesday 9th June, 2pm Portrait Painting Demonstration with Andrew James RP NEAC Live on Facebook, direct from his studio (available afterwards to watch at your leisure) Andrew James RP NEAC will lay out his fundamental method of painting whilst copying a portrait photograph. Here the viewer can see in close detail the step-by-step approach. This is the photograph that Andrew will be painting from, if you would like to paint along, we would love to see the results of your work. Share them with us on Facebook @RoyalSocietyofPortraitPainters or Instagram @rsportraitpainters "I primarily use brushes and knives to apply oils on canvas. I usually paint isolated objects: a tree, a paperclip, a face. This heightens the sense of our connection and isolation with the world around us. I continuously add and subtract until a satisfactory outcome is achieved in my painting. I work from photographs, life and memory: All are equal. A work’s outcome is all that matters. My artwork can take from one hour through to many weeks, some remain unfinished." - Andrew James RP NEAC
@naimaaouni tells us about 'Wabi-sabi': 'The model @naimaaouni tells us about 'Wabi-sabi': 'The model I used for the painting is the son of a good friend of mine, I knew I had to paint him when I first laid my eyes on him. His looks completely transported me to 19th century. He has a timeless beauty to him and also a melancholic aura. The helmet he wears is a pilot helmet during WWll, I bought it years ago, just waiting to be used for the perfect pairing. They just go together like a fitted glove! As far the paint application in the background goes, it was a spontaneous decision. The idea just came to me to layer the paint instead painting it with a brush, I was just looking for ways to expand my painting vocabulary. Had no idea if it would work but I just went for it. Glad that it did work out in the end. Also the unfinished state, non-finito look is something that I picked up from Michelangelo years ago. There’s a different kind of beauty in a unfinished painting that sometimes goes lost in a finished piece.' This piece was part of our annual exhibition. If you were not able to attend this year's exhibition in person, you can still view it virtually on our website. Link in Bio.
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Following on from yesterday's post we delve even further into Ellie Lachs @ellielachs_ interesting article. Today we look at what Warren Grant, our Head Technician, says about 'Receiving Day':An exhibition that is showing more than one artist’s work such as an open show will have an assigned ‘Receiving Day’; it is essential that artists diarise delivery and collection dates to ensure that this runs according to schedule. On this day, all the exhibiting artists who are available to visit the gallery in person—we will get to those who cannot visit in person shortly—will drop their work off. Warren noted that there can be up to 200 pieces delivered in one day and the technician team is responsible for organising all of these works.Read the full article at therp.co.uk/behind-the-exhibition-an-interview-with-warren-grant/ and follow for more tips on exhibition to do's. Following our announcement about one of next years theme's at our Annual Exhibition as 'Self', this is a particularly good moment to get thinking about what preparation goes into a submission beyond painting. Artists... take note! ... See MoreSee Less

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