The Derwent Fine Art Prize - A Discussion

Earlier this yr I wrote this post NEW! The Derwent Art Prize - for pencil art about a novel fine art contest alongside a major prize £5,000 for artists working inwards pencil.  It was groovy to consider pencil fine art existence taken seriously as well as the orbit for some serious prizes for artwork inwards pencil.

The deadline for entries has passed. The judges receive got straight off reviewed the entries (artists were allowed to submit upto six) as well as in that place is straight off a gallery on the website alongside a number of images - some of which are excellent.

Derwent Art Prize - a alternative of the images inwards the Website Gallery

However a number of issues receive got been thrown upward yesteryear the prize as well as I'll endeavor as well as summarise them below.  I'll likewise endure commenting on the selected artists side yesteryear side calendar week - when matters larn somewhat clearer than they are at present.

• Dismay at the Judges Selection. The gallery of selected works are predominantly graphite despite the arrive at of pencils available.  

• The alternative - inwards damage of both dependent champaign affair as well as media - is existence heavily criticised yesteryear some artists inwards populace as well as inwards individual groups.  It's sure enough non impressed a number of pencil artists alongside a presence online - alongside some of the comments existence quite vitriolic!
• It's possible that the alternative says a lot nigh the judges sense of dissimilar types of pencil.  I'm likewise actually surprised that rattling footling function inwards pastel, watercolour or coloured pencils has been selected - specially if i assumes that i of the objectives of the contest is to heighten the profile of pencil fine art inwards all its scope.  
• However my impression is that some of the artists' comments may state to a greater extent than nigh the someone making the comment thence they make nigh the artwork selected for this prize.  My overwhelming impression is of artists who demonstrate footling awareness of the arrive at of contemporary fine art seen inwards major fine art competitions. 
• I make concur that it is disappointing that the alternative shown inwards the gallery does neglect to fulfil what must receive got been i of the primary objectives of this prize - to disclose what tin endure achieved yesteryear the diversity of dissimilar types of pencil which are available today. However "it takes 2 to tango" - as well as alternative is every bit much dependent on what is presented every bit on who gets to create upward one's hear what is selected.

• Utter confusion over The People's Choice Award. For some argue artists believe that all artwork is eligible or at to the lowest degree i icon submitted yesteryear each artist. It's sure enough the representative the plant which receive got non been selected yesteryear the Judges had been loaded to the website as well as had voting buttons side yesteryear side to their lift inwards the final 48 hours. These receive got since been removed. However:

• I can't notice anything inwards the FAQs or the damage as well as weather which suggests that ALL artworks submitted would endure eligible for the People's Choice Awards
• It's sure enough convention of most, if non all, fine art competitions for a People's Choice Award  to endure chosen from artworks selected for exhibition.  Why would it endure otherwise?

Approximately lxxx plant volition endure selected for exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain as well as Northern Ireland of Britain as well as Northern Republic of Ireland on sixteen – 21 September 2013

• Images inwards the gallery are allow downwardly yesteryear website construction as well as presentation:

• no sizes given for the artwork - impossible to tell whether they are large or modest - as well as this matters!  This is absolutely VITAL for whatsoever digital exhibition of artwork - speaking every bit i who has looked at many exhibitions of artwork online as well as thence inwards an exhibition!  It is likewise specially of import for whatsoever fine art contest alongside online voting every bit the icon relative to size should endure an of import role of the assessment process.
• alphabetical listing is yesteryear championship NOT every bit per the mutual convention for all fine art websites ie artist's surname
• no slideshow available or powerfulness to to page through the images. The website requires y'all to buy the farm on returning to the primary page.  This becomes EXTREMELY TEDIOUS if y'all are reviewing all the images on the website - every bit i should earlier casting a vote.  [NOTE: That's assuming you're non casting a vote because y'all know the creative someone as well as they've shown y'all their icon on Facebook on inwards forum or a individual grouping online.  I implemented a strict "no lobbying" dominion for my Making H5N1 Mark Awards having seen what happens when i creative someone posts an icon on a pop website.]
• images receive got been loaded on to the website which receive got non been selected for exhibition.  Why?  Is this because images appeared on the website every bit before long every bit they were uploaded?  I can't function out how anybody could ever access them except via what is obviously the artist's ain link to their function (ie the ones I've seen receive got been via a link provided yesteryear the artist)
• this is a link to the companionship making the website alongside their comments
• Please Federal Reserve notation that the comments I've made are based on NOT having registered for the website.  That's because I don't give out my band number to websites unless absolutely necessary.  I'm non persuaded it's necessary for the purpose of voting - thence won't endure voting.

My ain persuasion - every bit a coloured pencil creative someone - has ever been that if coloured pencil artwork is skillful plenty every bit ART (as opposed to demonstrations of burnishing etc!), thence it volition receive got no difficulty existence selected for fine art competitions as well as exhibitions yesteryear a diversity of national fine art societies (If it's skillful plenty for David Hockney etc....). However the commitment of rattling many pencil as well as coloured pencil artists to realistic as well as hyper-realistic artwork is non i shared yesteryear many judges of fine art competitions. One of the questions which CP artists mightiness usefully address is whether the artistic attributes as well as nature of the artwork existence produced inwards coloured pencil meets the standards of national fine art competitions as well as exhibitions when judged yesteryear people who are non CP artists.  The assessment of the touchstone of ART executed inwards pencil media needs to endure made yesteryear people who are independent of the media - as well as this contest presents a wonderful chance for this to happen.

There are some who mean value there's no such thing every bit bad publicity.  I'm rather to a greater extent than inclined to mean value that the concept behind the Prize is fantabulous but the execution to engagement has been a footling wobbly as well as that hasn't helped Derwent's icon inwards all quarters of the pencil world.

Can I emphasise that it's non at all odd for the start yr of whatsoever contest to receive got a few wobbles. Let's promise all is resolved yesteryear side yesteryear side week.

I'll comment farther on the selected artists when the listing is formally confirmed - which I sympathise volition endure Mon - when the voting volition likewise begin.

However I nevertheless won't endure voting.  I render electronic mail addresses to websites but non band numbers!  I mightiness but state which images print me at this phase though......

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