UKCPS News

UKCPS Demonstrators at Art Materials Live

2009-11-03T12:55:00.000Z

UKCPS demonstrators will be at Art Materials Live - which is at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, from 5th - 8th November 2009. This is How to get to the NEC.

The table below shows you who will be demonstrating each day. The dark space represents days the demonstrators will NOT be there.

Demonstrators		5th Nov.	6th Nov	7th Nov	8th Nov
Peter Woof UKCPS	award winning artist who trained at the Royal Academy Schools
Suzy Herbert UKCPS
Rachel Stirling	working on a portrait using Luminance Pencils
Peter Weatherill UKCPS	using watercolour pencils for a large marine drawing of Polperro harbour
Gayle Mason SOFA	popular feline and wildlife artist; teaching how to do a cat's eye and fur
Jonathan Newey UKCPS	wildlife artist; Presidents Award 2009
Shirley Henderson
Malcolm Cudmore	Highly commended Annual Exhibition 2009; working on large panels primed with acrylic
Diana Connor	demonstrating floral work
Brian Casey	a self-taught artist with a love of motor sport, doing large scale detailed work
Margaret Edwards	Wildlife and feline artist

On Sunday you also have the opportunity to meet Bev Lewis and Pauline Longley on the stand who will be assisting at the show. Various volunteers will also help run the shop, sharpen pencils and generally help keep this major four day event on track.

All of the above simply relates to the UKCPS contribution to the event. If you look at page about the Hobbycrafts and Art Materials Live exhibition on the NEC website you can see the lists of other exhibitors at this event

Kate Clarke wins the People's Vote

2009-11-02T12:00:00.000Z

The final prize awarded for this year's UKCPS Annual Exhibition is the People's Vote. The criteria is simple - it goes to whoever gets the most votes cast by the public at the exhibition.

231 votes in total were received and over 50 of the pictures hung received at least one vote.

This year the winner was Kate Clarke who also took first place overall for her work Old-timers, One, Two, Free! (see right)

Congratulations to all the artists whose artwork achieved 10 or more votes. The names of the artists, the title of the picture and the number of votes they received are listed below.

Links are to the post in which an image of the work is featured. The two works which have not been previously featured on this blog are displayed underneath the list.

Kate Clarke	Old-timers, One, Two, Free!	15
Suzy Herbert	Under a Pear Tree	13
Irina Garmashova-Cawton	The Old Yard	12
Julie Douglas	Dappled son	11
Neil Houghton	Driver of the Great Marquess	11
Irina Garmashova-Cawton	Sun Trapped Under Water	10
John Hurford	Wistman's Wood Revisited	10
Bev Lewis	Red-ruffed Lemur	10

(left) Dappled son by Julie Douglas
(right) The Old Yard by Irina Garmashova-Cawton
copyright - the artists

[Note: Apologies for the late announcement of this Prize - I've been on holiday!]

AGM reminder & Raffle

2009-10-01T08:00:00.003+01:00

A quick reminder that the UKCPS is being held on Saturday 3rd October - see UKCPS Annual General Meeting - 3rd October 2009 for details.

Tickets for a raffle - prizes are two coloured pencil drawings donated by Vera Curnow and Bernard Poulin - are being sold at the gallery amd the tickets for the raffle prizes will be drawn on 3rd October.

A Boy from Cork by Bernard Poulin CIPA

UKCPS Annual Exhibition 2009 - Thanks to......

2009-09-27T08:00:00.000+01:00

First and foremost, thanks are due of course to everyone who entered a picture for the competition - both UKCPS members and non-members. It goes without saying that there is no exhibition without all of you!

After the members the next most important person to thank in terms of making the Exhibition happen is Pat Heffer UKCPS, the Exhibition Scretary, who kindly provided me with the notes for the content of this blog post - but not the next few sentences!

Every art society knows that putting on an Annual Exhibition each year is a massive exercise. Planning for each Annual Exhibition starts before the previous one has been taken down. For Pat it starts with first meetings with a gallery, continues through the creation and dissemination of the call for entries, maintenance of lots of administrative records and provision of support to members and non-members who are trying to get their entries right and in on time. Then images and support need to be provided to the three jurors (plus the webmaster and blogmaster!). Plus a team of people need to be recruited and organised who also make very important contributions to making it all happen - as indicated below. Pat is very committed to the exhibition doing well and spends a lot of time each year endeavouring to make sure it is a success.

Of course, as with most official UKCPS activities, nothing happens or moves without the involvement and support of people who volunteer their help in an official capacity, as a member - and even as a spouse or partner of a member!

This year Pat has been ably supported by a number of members and members' partners and below she provides a summary about those who helped. Plus some photos of what's actually involved with getting an exhibition hung and opened which we thought you might like to see.

(left) Ann Massey and Paul Hipkiss organise the hanging of the 8th Annual Exhibition
(right) Ann Massey opens 8th Annual Exhibition

Paul Hipkiss RBSA the Honorary Curator of the RBSA Gallery, opened the gallery up for us a 8.30am and had cups of coffee ready for all the helpers! He provided advice and helped with the hanging in the morning

UKCPS President Ann Massey SWA, KA, CPSA, UKCPS came all the way from Paris and organised the hanging brilliantly with Paul Hipkiss. Ann also opened the exhibition and gave advice to up and coming artists in the afternoon.

Membership Secretary Will Johnson was superb at putting fixings in frames, putting up the alarm system, unwrapping pictures...I could go on forever!

(left) Will Johnson fixing frames for hanging
(right) Dave Richards hanging a picture

Dave Richards as always provided invaluable support for all the exhibition preparation prior to the hang and designed all the labels and the Private view invitations. On Sunday, Dave and his wife Sylvia Richards set off from mid Wales at 6am. Dave is brilliant at hanging exhibitons as we all know from Keswick, and was a fantastic help hanging this exhibition and also helped out all day. Sylvia checked all Dave's labels, sorted all the wrappping, helped with the hanging, put up labels and sold raffle tickets (£136.00 already taken!) - and took a lot of photographs. We could not have managed without these two.

Janie Pirie SBA is a fantastic botanical artist who is exhibiting with UKCPS for the first time. She was brilliant at putting fixings into the backs of frames. Both Janie and her husband John also provided excellent support serving behind the bar.

Rachel Stirling, Malcolm Cudmore and Janie Pirie fix frames for hanging.

Rachel Stirling helped with the exhibition advertising, organisation of the demonstrators, delivery of pictures, the hanging of the exhibition served behind the bar and generally brought a calming influence to the day which was absolutely invaluable! Her son, Daniel Stirling aged 10, also helped all day and was brilliant at packing up vans!

Suzy Herbert UKCPS drove up from Cambridge with her husband Michael. Suzy is a very experienced UKCPS 'exhibition hanger' and worked tirelessly in support of the hanging. She's an amazing lady who is always there when needed and is always able to provide excellent advice.

Lesley Galton left home at 5.30am to get to the gallery by 8.30! She worked hard all day, helped clear up the gallery at the end of the day and was one of the last to leave before driving herself back home. What a star!

Malcolm Cudmore was another first time helper and had never met any of us before but helped all day with the hanging, serving behind the bar and anything else which needed doing.

(Left) Pat and John Heffer - at the Hanging (with John and Janie Pirie)

Last but not least - my husband John Heffer got up at 4am to load up a hired van with 50 pictures, crates of wine and glasses and loads of other bits and bobs needed for the exhibition. He then worked all morning helping to hang the exhibition and was on hand all afternoon to help wherever it was needed. We eventually arrived back home at about 9.00pm having rattled our way home in a very cranky van which then had to be unpacked and returned to its depot.

We did all retire to the restaurant across the road from the gallery for lunch...just to make sure it was OK for the society lunch!

The Private View of the 8th Annual Exhibition

Thanks also to....

the three jurors who independently reviewed and rated all the entries to the competition.
Vera Curnow and Bernard Poulin who have donated works to be raffled
the Cumberland Pencil Company (Derwent) the 2009 exhibition sponsors who help UKCPS to exhibit at the RBSA Gallery.
all those sponsoring the providing awards - Derwent, Faber-Castell, Lyra, Caran d'Ache, Staedtler, Great Art, Legion paper (Stonehenge), Fisher 400; Ann James Massey (Presidents Award) and ex Chairman Peter Weatherill UKCPS (Best Landscape)
and finally, not forgetting that there would be no exhibition but for the fact that Peter Weatherill UKCPS works miracles getting fantastic sponsorship for the UKCPS exhibition. We would not have been able to use the RBSA without Derwent's sponsorship and the list of awards just get longer every year as Peter persuades yet another manufacturer to come on board!

UKCPS Annual Exhibition 2009 - now online

2009-09-26T12:00:00.010+01:00

You can now see the online exhibition on the UKCPS website.

Each year it's a major task to get all the competition entries posted in the correct position on the UKCPS website! Liz Ridley, the UKCPS webmaster has now published the new website page and

Here also are some pictures taken of the exhibition last Sunday - showing many of the entries hanging on the walls of the gallery.

Exhibition Secretary, Pat Heffer commented" John Hurford had come up from Devon for the exhibition. It was his first cp picture! He is not a member, but let's hope he will become one in the future!"

Derwent are the sponsors of this year's exhibition.

Note to participating artists: Please note that the correct date for the Collection of any unsold work is Saturday 3rd October between 4 and 5pm

UKCPS - new signature members

2009-09-23T15:15:00.000+01:00

A view of part of the UKCPS 8th Annual Exhibition

On the UKCPS website, the initials UKCPS after a member's name indicates that an artist has achieved signature status as a member of the United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society. This means that they have had their artwork exhibited in three exhibitions within a five year period. (Note - the colour is normally only used on the UKCPS website to denote the status of different members exhibiting)

However once you've achieved signature status there are other levels to aspire to!

UKCPS indicate Silver Signature status - pictures accepted in 5 exhibitions in 10 years
UKCPS indicates Gold Signature status - pictures accepted in 10 exhibitions in 15 years.

As UKCPS is now on its eighth exhibition, it now has some silver signature status members - (however obviously nobody has yet achieved Gold signature status)!

This year there are 7 new signature members and 3 members who have achieved silver signature status.

New Signature Members

Part of the exhibition - featuring
Serenity
by Alexandra Bastien UKCPS

UKCPS members who gained signature status with this year's exhibition are as follows:

Alexandra Bastien UKCPS (website)
Tiffany Budd UKCPS (website)
Margaret Edwards UKCPS
Judith Heilbronn-Crown UKCPS
Shirley Henderson UKCPS
Jonathan Newey UKCPS (website)
Katherine Tyrrell UKCPS (website)

Links in members names are to (1) their member's gallery on the UKCPS website and (2) to their personal website where you can see more of their coloured pencil artwork.

Hanging the exhibition
(left) Scarlet Macaws by Jonathan Newey UKCPS
(right) John Heffer and David Richards UKPCS hang artwork

Silver Signature status

UKCPS members who managed to achieve silver signature status when their entries were selected for this year's exhibition are:

You can also see artwork by all the members listed above on the 2009 Annual Exhibition page of the UKCPS website - as from 26th September.

UKCPS Annual Exhibition 2009 - Highly Commended

2009-09-22T12:00:00.003+01:00

Today, UKCPS News features those artists whose work was awarded a Highly Commended Certificate in UKCPS's 8th Annual Open International Exhibition 2008. They are listed in alphabetical order below.

Each artist will receive a pack of Stonehenge paper (sponsored by Legion Paper) and Fisher 400 paper (sponsored by Tim Fisher)

Links are to UKCPS members' galleries on the UKCPS website (where applicable).

Please remember that the copyright to each image belongs to the artist and they should not be downloaded without written permission.

(left) Juvenile by Karen Coulson UKCPS (26 x 20cm coloured pencils)
(right) Reflected 1 by Malcolm Cudmore (60 x 90cm coloured pencils)

(left) Nature's Own Athletes by Margaret Edwards UKCPS (37 x 50cm coloured pencils)
(right) Sun Trapped Under Water by Irina Garmashova (54 x 38cm coloured pencils)

(right) Under a Pear Tree by Suzy Herbert UKCPS (46 x 28cm coloured pencils)
(left) Master of Thurstaston by Ann Holden (26 x 31cm coloured pencils)

(right) Red-ruffed Lemur by Bev Lewis UKCPS (40 x 30cm coloured pencils)
(right) Best Friends by Roger Lewis UKCPS PSGFA (40 x 55cm coloured pencils)

(left) Not all is Black and White by Pauline Longley (37 x 26cm coloured pencils)
(left) My Neighbour Pepe by Ursula Williams (40.5 x 29.5cm coloured pencils)

Demonstrations

UKCPS members demonstrating coloured pencils at the exhibition include:

(today) 22nd September - Peter Weatherill UKCPS
25th and 26th September - Rachel Stirling
2nd October - Rachel Stirling and Pauline Longley

More about UKCPS members and the exhibition

Tomorrow, the blog will be featuring those UKCPS members who, having work included in this year's exhibition, have achieved signature status with UKCPS or a change in their signature status.

Links:

UKCPS Annual exhibition 2009 - Award Winners

2009-09-21T14:00:00.007+01:00

The artists and works winning Awards were formally announced at the Private View for UKCPS's 8th Annual Open International Exhibition 2009 in Birmingham yesterday. You can find images and details of the work below.

Please remember that the copyright to each image belongs to the artist and they should not be downloaded without written permission.

Special mention must be made of Kate Clarke and Janie Pirie who respectively won the Best in Show and Reserve Best in Show. They each also won a second Award.

Links are to members galleries on the UKCPS website or their own websites.

Derwent Award for Best in Show (£400)
UKCPS Annual Open International Exhibition 2009
Old -Timers, One, Two, Free! by Kate Clarke
3x(39x26) cm, coloured pencils (£845)

UKCPS Award for Reserve Best in Show (£300.00)
Beetroot 'Bolthardy' by Janie Pirie
64 x 48cm, coloured pencils (£930)

The Presidents Award (£100)

Scarlet Macaws by Jonathan Newey UKCPS
42 x 85cm, coloured pencils (£1,300)

The Peter Weatherill Award for Best Landscape (£100)
Wistman's Wood Revisited (£2,000) by John Hurford
51 x 63cm, coloured pencils

The Staedtler Award
Challenging Stereotypes - the model family by Kate Clarke
60x 28cm, coloured pencils, (NFS)

The Faber-Castell Award (Wooden box of 120 Polychromos)
Dew on blue Poppies by Janie Pirie
55 x 39cm, coloured pencils (£860)

The Lyra Award (wooden box of rembrandt Professional pencils)
Driver of the Great Marquess by Neil Houghton
30.5 x 46cm, coloured pencils (£1,196)

The Jakar/Caran d'Ache Award (tin of 38 Luminance pencils)
Cherries by Peter Woof UKCPS
15 x 38cm, coloured pencils (£900)

The Great Art Award (cheque or art supplies)
The Full Monty by Suzy Herbert UKCPS
20 x 24cm, coloured pencils (£235)

Peoples Vote: This will be awarded after the exhibition closes on 3rd October. This award is based on the number of votes each work receives from people visiting the exhibition.

Sponsors and judges

UKCPS very much appreciates the support it has received from:

Derwent, the Comberland Pencil Company who have sponsored both this year's Annual Exhibition and the Best in Show Award. Derwent is the brand name of the Cumberland Pencil Company. They have been making pencils since 1832 and manufacture Derwent Artists, Coloursoft and other coloured pencils.
this year's jurors who selected the works to be exhibited in the show - Vera Curnow CPSA (Founder of the Colored Pencil Society of America, author, editor and gallery owner), Paul Hipkiss RBSA Curator of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and Emma Cross, Marketing and Sales Co-ordinator, the Cumberland Pencil Company (Derwent) the sponsors for this year's exhibition

All the Award winners were selected by Paul Hipkiss the Curator of the RBSA, apart from the President's Award and the Peter Weatherill Landscape award which were both judged by the UKCPS President Ann Massey.

Exhibition details

You can visit the exhibition at Gallery Two at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, 4 Brook Street, Birmingham B3 1SA. The exhibition is open from today, Monday 21st September and closes on Saturday 3rd October. The gallery is open 10.30am to 5.30pm (Monday to Friday) and 10.30am to 5.00pm on Saturdays and 1.00pm to 5.00pm on Sundays. Admission is free.

For further details see this post UKCPS - 8th Annual Open International Exhibition 2009. Details of the location, parking and how to get there are available in this post.

Works for sale

All works are for sale unless otherwise indicated. Shipping and associated insurance costs are not included in the purchase price and are the responsibility of the purchaser.

All sales of work in the exhibition are managed by the RBSA Gallery. All enquiries about purchasing without visiting the Gallery must be directed to the RBSA Gallery. If you have any other enquiries please contact Pat Heffer, the Exhibition Director (right click to open the email address in your email application).

Demonstrations

UKCPS members demonstrating coloured pencils at the exhibition include:

22nd September - Peter Weatherill UKCPS
25th and 26th September - Rachel Stirling
2nd October - Rachel Stirling and Pauline Longley

...and there's more to follow

This week I'm highlighting different groups of people in the entries over the next few days:

Tuesday: Highly Commended entries to the exhibition
Wednesday: UKCPS Members awarded signature status as a result of their acceptance into this year's exhibition
Thursday: Thanks to all the people who helped to create this exhibition.

You can also see the List of Works and Artists selected for the exhibition in Artists selected for the 8th Annual UKCPS International Open Exhibition

On Saturday 26th September, the UKCPS website will have a new page displaying all the works in the exhibition. I'll provide a link in this post once the new page has been published.

UKCPS Annual General Meeting - 3rd October 2009

2009-09-19T23:55:00.000+01:00

The UKCPS Annual General Meeting is on Saturday 3rd October 2009 and will follow the Annual Society Lunch.

Annual Society Lunch

The Annual Society Lunch takes place at Pasta di Piazza, 11 Brook Street, St Paul's Square, Birmingham B3 1SA on Saturday 3rd October at 12.15pm. Contact Pat Heffer if you wish to join the annual lunch as all seats need to be booked in advance.

Annual General Meeting

The UKCPS AGM will take place in Birmingham at St Paul's Church, (St Paul's Square, Birmingham B3 1SA) from 2pm until 4pm, after which the exhibition at the RBSA Gallery (4 Brook St Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 1SA) will be taken down.

UKCPS AGM - 3rd October 2009 - Agenda-

The AGM will start at 2.00pm. The agenda is as follows.

Apologies for absence
Minutes of last meeting
President’s report
Chairman’s report
Financial statement
Membership report
Exhibition report
Sponsorship report
Constitution
Report about Yahoo group and future
New members of Exec
Any other business

If you'd like any more details about the Annual General Meeting please contact Carol Bramley, UKCPS Secretary and Postmistress

Locations & directions - car/ rail/ walk

The RBSA website includes a "locate us" page. This provides details of where the gallery is (see RBSA locate map on right). and instructions for those coming by road or rail.

This is a link to a Google Map which indicates the locations of the RBSA Gallery, the restaurant, church and Birmingham New Street station.

You can use Street View to see what the area looks like. You can also use 'Get Directions' to find a suggested route - walking or by car - to St Paul's Square from a location of your choice.

Rail/Walking: Directions are provided on the RBSA Locate us page. The location of Birmingham New Street station is indicated on the Google Map.

Parking: The St Pauls Square area is an area of controlled parking with parking restrictions applying every day between 8am and 5pm. There are some 'pay at the machine' spaces. Local car parks are indicated on the map. Further details are available on the RBSA Locate us page

UKCPS - 8th Annual Open International Exhibition 2009

2009-09-15T06:00:00.003+01:00

UKCPS members are invited to a Private View of the 8th Annual Open International Exhibition 2009 on Sunday 20th September.

The preview is between 3.00 and 5.00pm at the gallery of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, 4 Brook Street, Birmingham B3 1SA

The exhibition opens Monday 21st September and closes on Saturday 3rd October. The gallery is open 10.30am to 5.30pm (Monday to Friday) and 10.30am to 5.00pm on Saturdays and 1.00pm to 5.00pm on Sundays. Admission is free.

The exhibition will also go online on the UKCPS website on Saturday 26th September.

Delivery of pictures to the exhibition

Members whose work has been selected for exhibition and who have still to deliver their work are reminded that all pictures for hanging in the exhibition need to be:

EITHER: delivered to the RBSA Gallery, 4 Brook Street, Birmingham B3 1SA by 9am on Sunday 20th September. Pictures cannot be accepted in advance.
OR: delivered to Rachel Stirling who lives in the Birmingham area AFTER 2pm on Saturday 19th September (see exhibition delivery note with letter of notification of selection for Rachel's home address)
OR: delivered to alternative pick up points (contact Pat Heffer, Exhibition Secretary for details)

All work must be conveniently packed in reusable packing with no hanging fixtures on the back. Please ensure that your work is clearly marked on the back with your name, address and price. The gallery reserves the right to reject any work which is not of the standard shown in the entry submission or which is unsuitably framed.

Any queries please contact Pat Heffer

Next week on this blog:

Monday 21st September - Award Winners
Tuesday 22nd September - Highly commended works
Wednesday 23rd September - new signature members

Call for demonstrators

2009-08-25T07:00:00.003+01:00

Would you like to get involved in a practical way with promoting coloured pencil art? We currently have a couple of opportunities for a number of UKCPS members to provide demonstrations of coloured pencil art this Autumn.

8th Annual Open International Exhibition 2009

We have been allowed to provide demonstrators during the International exhibition at the home of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. This is an important move for the UKCPS into the Fine Art Community and we need to show what "coloured pencil art" is all about.

The Exhibition is running for two weeks at the RBSA's home at 4 Brook Street, Birmingham B3 1SA (see location map which also provides details of car parking and proximity to the railyway station). The dates of the exhibition are as previously advertised Sept 21st - Oct 3rd and the exhibition is open every day.

We are looking for all types of pencil artist to take up this opportunity to demonstrate in this prestigious gallery. A table and chair will be available for demonstrators.

NEC Art Materials Live

Suzy Herbert UKCPS
demonstrating how she works
at a previous Art Materials Live event

We are also starting to book the demonstrators for the NEC Art Materials Live Event at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC). This is held over 4 days between 5th and 8th November 2009.

This is a huge event for the society and we are looking for help on the two UKCPS stands from UKCPS members who can act as:

demonstrators,
workshop tutors / aides
and/or people to deal with enquiries and sales

If you are available to give a day or half a day to the society please consider joining us at the NEC Birmingham.

These are links to the blog posts about last year's event which give you an idea about what it is like:

plus this page provides details of how you can travel to the NEC

Who to contact

If you have any queries or would like to register an interest please contact UKCPS Events Manager Rachel Stirling (You can find her email address below - inserted as a picture to avoid it being spammed!).

Artists selected for the 8th Annual UKCPS International Open Exhibition

2009-08-23T12:01:00.004+01:00

This week coloured pencil artists in different countries have been receiving emails and letters telling them the outcome of the submission of their work to this year's exhibition by UKCPS of 100% coloured pencil artwork by coloured pencil artists. Both members and non-members were eligible to submit work

Artwork by Vera Curnow CPSA
Founder of CPSA and juror for the
8th Annual UKCPS International Open Exhibition
copyright the artist

Everybody should have heard by now and consequently this blog can now publish the list of artists whose work has been accepted into the exhibition for the very first time.

If an artist has got more than one piece into the exhibition this is indicated by the number in brackets after their name in the list below. For example (3) = 3 artworks accepted. Full members could submit up to four works.

List of artists with work accepted into the 8th International Open Annual Exhibition of the United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society

Jose Arcas
Elisabeth Aubury UKCPS (2)
Josephine Barnes
Alexandra Bastien UKCPS
Joan Batty
Robin Borrett UKCPS (3)
Carol Bramley UKCPS
Linda Brand
Tiffany Budd UKCPS (3)
Jean Canter UKCPS (3)
Angela Cater UKCPS
Irina Garmashova (3)
Kate Clarke (3)
Sue Clinker (3)
Karen Coulson UKCPS (2)
Malcolm Cudmore (3)
Lene Daugaard
Jude Delaney
Julie Douglas (4)
Margaret Edwards UKCPS
Lesley Galton UKCPS (2)
Jo Goudie UKCPS (2)
Angela Hammond (2)
Pat Heffer UKCPS (2)
Judith Heilbronn-Crown UKCPS (3)
Shirley Henderson UKCPS (2)
Suzy Herbert UKCPS (3)
Ann Holden
Catherine Holtom (2)
Neil Houghton (3)
John Hurford
Carole Keen UKCPS
Shirley Leslie UKPCS
Bev Lewis UKCPS (2)
Roger Lewis UKCPS (2)
Patsy Lindamood UKCPS (4)
Pauline Longley (3)
Ann James Massey UKCPS
Claire Milligan
Jonathan Newey UKCPS
Janet Pantry (2)
Rachel Pesterfield
Janie Pirie (4)
Anthony Rankin
JS Revill (2)
Dave Richards UKCPS (4)
Ann Roberts (2)
Lesley Sharman
Katherine Tyrrell UKCPS (2)
Ursula Williams
Peter Woof UKCPS (3)

For some full members, acceptance of work into this exhibitions means signature status has been earned. Hence the names of those members are now listed with their signature member initials! There will be a special post on this blog about signature members after the exhibition opens.

The jurors this year were Vera Curnow CPSA (Founder of the Colored Pencil Society of America, author, editor and gallery owner), Paul Hipkiss RBSA of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and Emma Cross from Derwent, the sponsors for this year's exhibition.

The artwork at the top of this post is by Vera Curnow.

Exhibition details

The 8th Annual Open International Exhibition 2009 is being held at the home of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists at 4 Brook Street, Birmingham B3 1SA (see location map which also provides details of car parking and proximity to the railyway station).

The exhibition runs from Monday 21st September to Saturday 3rd October and the exhibition is open every day (Monday to Friday 10:30 to 5:30pm Saturday 10:30am to 5:00pm and Sunday 1:00pm to 5:00pm).

Links to previous posts about this exhibition:

Julie Douglas wins CPSA award

2009-08-03T16:54:00.006+01:00

Jeff George has won the Best in Show at the CPSA 17th International exhibition for the second time - and two years running! His work Life and Death is in an unusual panoramic format ( 8.5” x 32”) but that's not its only surprise which I won't spoil by revealing on this blog. I'll just suggest you look very carefully as it's very difficult to see in the size posted on the exhibition gallery site. You'll get a better view of it on his website.

Interestingly I happen to know that this work got rejected last year - but only because only one work from each member can be successful in going forward to the final exhibition. Which means in 2007 he entered two works both of which have been judged best in show in successive years.

Click this link to see all the works which won awards at the exhibition

Top award for UKCPS member

UKCPS Member Julie Douglas won $1,000 and one of the top awards - the Staedtler Award for Exceptional Merit - for Boy on a Swing.

Boy on a Swing
Julie Douglas (Ireland)
coloured pencils 15.7 x 10.2"
copyright the artist

You can see a bigger version of her work on her website - click the image to see the big version.

Julie studied graphic design and illustration and worked for 12 years as a successful illustrator working with top advertising agencies and design groups. She has also illustrated books for publishers such as Penguin, MacMillan, Mitchell Beazley etc. She now teaches art in Ireland.

Prior to this award she has also won the Association of Illustrators Award on two occasions and her work on an American Express brochure won a New York Advertising award.

You can read more about Julie on her UKCPS gallery page - but I'll be asking her to reveal more in an interview for this blog in the near future.

10 UKCPS members in South West Pencil Artists Exhibition

2009-07-26T08:00:00.001+01:00

The South West Pencil Artists Exhibition
Karen Coulson discusses artwork with James Brinsford
photo by Pat Heffer

Last weekend four local UKCPS groups in the South and South West of England came together to stage an exhibition at the Old Mill Gallery, Worton, near Devizes.

10 UKCPS members from the local pencil groups based in Somerset, Bath, Romsey (Hampshire) and Devizes (Wiltshire) combined with a number of other pencil artists to hold the first South West Pencil Artists Exhibition comprising pencil art in both coloured pencils and/or graphite on 17th-19th July.

'Tortoiseshell on Pebbles'
10" x 12", Stabilo Original pencils on Fabrianno Classico HP paper,
copyright Bev Lewis

Bev Lewis sold one of her works 'Tortoiseshell on Pebbles' which has previously been exhibited at the very first UKCPS exhibition at Patchings. The exhibition generated a lot of interest and a great many visitors. A number of artists also sold prints and cards.

Members who organised the event enjoyed sharing their enthusiasm for coloured pencils with others. This is an extract from and a link to Pauline Longley's blog post about the exhibition.

The Gallery has lots of atmosphere and good lighting. There are about 100 pictures from 20 artists in a wide range of subjects; botanical, fur and feathers, landscapes, portraits, buildings and more.

Prior to the Private View on the Friday evening, Karen Coulson held a workshop on drawing animal's eyes in Pat Heffer's studio in Devizes, mainly for members of the beginners group run by Pat.

Karen Coulson helping UKCPS member Marion Ramsden
photo by Pat Heffer

This group has booked Karen to do two further workshops - one in September (drawing a pheasant) and later in the year a whole day workshop (drawing a parrot).

Members can see Val Wilson's workshop drawings in her album in the UKCPS Yahoo group.

Pat was especially proud as 5 of her group for beginners also exhibited in the exhibition and one of them was the runner up in the public vote!

Coloured pencil art in Annual SOFA exhibition

2009-07-21T14:09:00.008+01:00

Coloured pencil artwork by a UKCPS member features on the front cover of the ever popular colour brochure/private view invite for the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Feline Artists' (SOFA).

SOFA Exhibition 2009
Colour Brochure/Private View Invite

Two of the works on the cover have been produced using coloured pencil.

Christmas Cat by UKCPS member Irina Garmashova SOFA is the largest work at 14" x 20 and has been produced using a combination of acrylic and coloured pencil on paper. Irina also has other coloured pencil artwork in the show.

The second work Meet the Kittens is by yours truly! It's 12" x 8" and is pure coloured pencils on Arches HP. I was officially flabbergasted yesterday when I was contacted by Gayle Mason who wanted to congratulate me on getting on the front cover! It's "the place to be" if you want to get your work noticed by the many feline art collectors who visit this very popular exhibition every year!

Meet the Kittens
12" x 8", coloured pencils on Arches HP
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Other coloured pencil work in the brochure includes work by fellow UKCPS members:

Moody Blue by Gayle Mason SOFA is mainly coloured pencil with a little bit of acrylic
Margaret Edwards's I Can See You - coloured pencil on paper.

SOFA has a tradition of always giving coloured pencil artwork a prominent place in its exhibition. Founder member Anne Aggett SOFA has been drawing and exhibiting cats in coloured pencils for very many years.

The exhibition

The SOFA Annual Exhibition takes place in central London at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in London (near Waterloo Station/opposite the Old Vic).

The exhibition dates this year are 28th August through to 18th September, (10am - 7.30pm Monday to Saturday).

The exhibition includes works by Full and Associate members of SOFA members. It will include approximately 300 paintings of cats in oil, acrylic, watercolour, pastel, coloured pencil and etchings and is the largest exhibition of feline art in the country. Prices range from £80 to £3,000 with the majority of working being under £750

Submission of artwork

Only Full Members and Associate Members of the Society of Feline Artists can submit artwork to the exhibition. Full membership is by selection only, after completing a year`s Associate Membership. Full members can exhibit up to six works and Associate members can submit up to four works.

Any UKCPS members interested in submitting work to SOFA can find out how to do this by reviewing the Associate Membership page on the SOFA website. You'll need to contact the membership secretary Sara Butt to find out if it's still possible to submit work for this year's exhibition.

The deadline for submitting work suitably framed to the gallery is Thursday 6th August between 10am and 4pm. This is a Gallery Exhibition and the selection of all work is done solely by the Gallery Director Jillian Llewellyn Lloyd. Please note, there is absolutely no guarantee of getting work selected. Also no matter how good the work an unsuitable frame can lead to a work being rejected.

You can read a review of last year's show here.

Gayle and I are very happy to advise any interested UKCPS members on guidelines for matting and framing coloured pencil artwork.

Gayle can also advise on the process of applying to become a full member having achieved this status last year.

National Exhibition of Wildlife Art - selected artists announced

2009-07-14T18:00:00.007+01:00

The organisers of the National Exhibition of Wildlife Art have selected the artists for their annual exhibition which runs from this Friday 17th July until Sunday 2nd August 2009. This is an excellent exhibition of wildlife art which has a very high quality and competitive entry.

This is the list of selected artists and, once again, UKCPS member Gayle Mason (Fur in the Paint) has been selected for this exhibition with two works accepted. I think this makes three years running for Gayle.

Intensity
16" x 12" on colourfix
copyright Gayle Mason

One of the works Intensity is a mixed media drawing of a wolf using acrylic and coloured pencil on blue Art Spectrum Colourfix. For those who like to see a work in progress, you can see how this particular artwork was progressed on her blog in the following posts.

Wolf in acrylic and coloured pencil
Wolf - continued
Mixed Media Wolf- part 3
Wolf Continued
Wolf Finished, Snow Leopard Started
finishing with what it feels like to get that letter of selection... National Exhibition of Wildlife Art - NEWA

The online exhibition for this exhibition is always really excellent. If you would like to think about entering this exhibition next year you can see the nature of the work accepted on Friday when the online exhibition will go live. This is last year's online exhibition and I'll update this post when the 2009 online exhibition goes live.

One of the major advantages for artists who are successful in being selected for this exhibition is that it takes purchase orders online and always achieves very good sales.

The exhibition is in West Cheshire on The Wirral at the Gordale Garden Centre, Chester High Road, Burton, Wirral CH64 8TF - the link provides a map of how to find it.

Note: If any other UKCPS member has been accepted and would like that noted on the blog please contact me and I'll add in your details.

World of Coloured Pencils 2009 - The People's Choice

2009-07-08T07:56:00.006+01:00

All Seeing Eyes (£200) by Edwin Thornber
20 x 15cm
Pencils: Lyra Polycolour, Caran D’Ache Classicolour, Derwent Signature on Bockingford 140lb Watercolour paper
copyright Edwin Thornber

UKCPS is pleased to announce that the winner of the People's Choice Prize at the World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition in Keswick is All Seeing Eyes by Edwin Thornber. Edwin's lovely picture of an owl attracted 19% of the vote although interestingly he did not get an award from the judges.

This is what Edwin had to say about his work.

The image of the owl was the result of a trip to a bird sanctuary for distressed or injured birds. I have wanted to paint a bird of prey for some time but did not have the information, photos etc. This lovely owl was an obvious choice and a few minutes of silence and two good photos resulted in a lovely portrait.

Coloured pencil is a wonderful medium for being so “user friendly” and not much space needed for the completion of works. There is no limit to what can be achieved given a little time and effort and most of all enthusiasm!!

Derwent, who sponsored the exhibition, have donated the prize for the People's Choice award. The prize comprises the following items:

Presentation wooden box 48 Inktense pencils
Tin of 6 Derwent Sketching pencils incl. sharpener
Derwent Journal/Carnet notebook
2 Brush pens [1 fine and 1 broad point]

You can read more about the exhibition which has just finished at the Cumberland Pencil Museum in earlier posts as follows:

UKCPS Annual Exhibition - the entry results!

2009-07-07T11:22:00.006+01:00

No - I don't mean who's got in!

I mean that Pat Heffer, the Exhibition Secretary has now released the figures for the 8th UKCPS Open International Exhibition 2009 - how many people sent how many entries and how these have changed since last year.

So if you want to know what your entry is up against, read on!

	Last Year	This year	Change
No. of entries	153	162	+9
No. of artists	72	72	no change
No. of entries from the UK	55	61	+6
No. of overseas artists	17	11	-6
No. of artists from:
Canada		1
France		2
Ireland		1
Israel		1
Italy		1
Japan		1
Spain		2
USA		2

It's very likely that the credit crunch has had an effect on the number of entries from overseas - due to the cost of shipping work to the exhibition.

The space available in the gallery at Birmingham is, I understand, bigger than that which has previously been available for UKCPS exhibitions. So we can now all wait with baited breath to see if that means more works are going to get hung this year!

DATES: Finally a reminder of the key dates

Notification to entrants: 21st August
Handing in day: Sunday 20th September 2009
Exhibition dates: Monday 21st September to Saturday 3rd October 2009

I'm going to do a reminder about framing once we've got exhibitors have been notified. Please email me if you'd like to send me any tips you have for mats and frames.

FINAL REMINDER: 24th June - deadline for UKCPS exhibition entries

2009-06-21T11:15:00.002+01:00

You have three days left to submit work for the 8th UKCPS Open International Exhibition 2009.

You need to post your entry first class tomorrow to be sure it arrives by Wednesday 24th June which is the final day for accepting entries into the Annual Exhibition of the United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society which this year is being held in Birmingham.

If you post on Tuesday you need to think about paying for Special Delivery (before 12 midday) to make sure it gets to the Exhibition Secretary on time.

Rachel Pesterfeld and Jinny (top)
UKCPS Award for Runner Up - Angels Trumpets (below)
World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition, Keswick
copyright the artist / Photo by Pat Heffer

Below you can find a checklist of things you need to do today and tomorrow if you've not dispatched an entry yet

What you need to do TODAY

Identify your entries

You can enter more than one work!

UKCPS full members: Identify up to 4 WORKS
associate members: identify up to 3 WORKS to submit
non-members: identify up to two works to submit

Here's a brief checklist of questions - with comments on eligibility

Is it 100% coloured pencil? (If not, then it's not eligible - the entry form states which media do and do not count as coloured pencils)
Is it two dimensional? (Collage, montage and three-dimensional work is inadmissable)
Does it demonstrate your own compositional and drawing skills? (You can't copy other people's work in any media)
Did you take the reference photos you used for all or most of your composition/subject? (You can't copy other people's photos - even if you've got permission)
Did you develop and complete your work without help? (work done under instruction or in class or workshops is ineligible)
Did you draw over a digital reproduction? (If you did this renders the work ineligible)
Do you have the permission of your subject if your work is a portrait? (You can't use an individual's image without their specific permission)
Can you provide evidence that your entry is all your own work?
Is your work for sale? (Only one 'not for sale' work allowed)

Number of Exhibition Entries and Entry Fees

Here's table which summarises how many works you can enter and how much each entry costs

	#1 entry	#2 entry	#3 entry	#4 entry
Full member	FREE	£5	£5	£5
Associate member	£10	£10	£10	not applicable
Non-member	£17.50	£17.50	not applicable	not applicable

For future reference if you live overseas, the fees for entering two works is very nearly the same as the annual subscription fee for a full member. It's worth thinking about whether it would be better to pay for a membership subscription!

You need to pay by cheque made payable to UKCPS. To pay online contact the Treasurer (details on the entry form).

Shirley Henderson and (top) Ready when you are
World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition, Keswick
copyright the artist / Photo by Pat Heffer

Complete the paperwork

download the entry form from the UKCPS website
measure your work framed AND unframed

unframed is the size of the image
if not yet framed work out the approximate dimensions it would be when framed - allowing for both mat and frame

complete the paperwork

produce a statement about yourself (this is where artists' statements on websites come in useful!)
produce a short statement about each work being entered. This will be on a card fixed to the wall next to the work if it is selected
make sure you say what materials you used (pencls and support)
work out a price INCLUDING commission for each work
complete your contact details

Create reproductions of the work

scan or photograph the work

crop to exclude any background and frames
adjust to create a faithful image (if you make it look better than it actually is it may get rejected after shipping)
save @ 300 dpi if printing
a TIFF file provides a better print than a JPEG file

make sure each print is clearly identified and labelled on the reverse
if including the work on CD Rom, remember to name each digital file in a way which makes it identifiable as your work! (eg blogmaster#1, blogmaster#2 or use the title of the work)
create a reproduction of each work

produce a colour print (up to A4 in size)
produce a colour photo (up to A4 in size)
use a photographic service to produce a print or photo
save the digital file(s) to a CD Rom

find something suitable to pack your CD Rom or prints in and/or protect them.

What you need to do tomorrow

make sure your package includes:

digital files as reproduction (CD Rom or colour prints)
entry form
cheque for exhibition fees

get your package in the post!

Contact Pat Heffer, the Exhibition Secretary if you have any queries - her email address and telephone number are on the entry form

Peter Woof in the 110th Annual Exhibition of The Pastel Society

2009-06-17T12:55:00.004+01:00

Topiary Levens by Peter Woof UKCPS
coloured pencil

in the current exhibition by the Pastel Society at the Mall Galleries
copyright the artist / photo Katherine Tyrrell

Former UKCPS prizewinner Peter Woof ASGFA UKCPS has one of his works - Topiary Levens - currently on display in the 108th Annual Exhibition of The Pastel Society at the Mall Galleries in central London.

The exhibition continues until 3pm on Sunday 21st June 2009.

Coloured pencil artists and UKCPS members might like to note that the The Pastel Society accepts entries in: pastels, including oil pastels, charcoal, pencil, conté, sanguine or any dry media. Further details about the annual exhibition are available on the Pastel Society website and the Mall Galleries website

Art Education

Peter trained at the City & Guilds of London Art School then went on to a Postgraduate Course at the Royal Academy Schools, gaining his Royal Academy Certificate in 1981. He was awarded a prize in the 1980 Royal Academy Student show. He won the prize for Best Picture in Show at the Society of Graphic Fine Art annual exhibition in 2004.
Peter has exhibited at the Royal Academy, Mall Galleries and many other galleries in England and abroad. He now lives and works in Leamington Spa and is married with a son and a daughter.

His work today is definitely in the realist tradition. However from his earliest days he has been interested in abstract art particularly looking at the work of the American and St Ives schools and this way of thinking still informs his work today. He wants the picture as a whole to have an abstract strength and presence but also to be particular in detail.

Influences

One of the main influences of his work is Japanese art, Hiroshige and Hokusai to name just two of the many great artists. Their use of flat space, pattern and above all their sense of design. He sees picture making as much about design as looking.

Materials

He uses a mixture of Karisma and Derwent Artist pencils on 300lb NOT surface watercolour paper. He particularly likes the intense colour that can be acheived with the Karisma pencils.
extract from the UKCPS gallery page for Peter Woof

Links:

UKCPS member Janie Pirie wins an RHS Gold Medal!

2009-06-16T09:00:00.001+01:00

PEACH Prunus persica 'Springtime'
Janie Pirie SBA GM
coloured pencils
copyright the artist

I had an excited email from Janie Pirie SBA UKCPS yesterday telling me that she has won:

A Gold Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society. This was awarded at the RHS Botanical Art Exhibition at BBC Gardener’s World at the NEC in Birmingham last week.
a crystal vase for ‘Best Botanical Artist in Show 2009’.

I’ve just got an RHS GOLD MEDAL!!!!!!! I’m so thrilled as you can imagine! All the work was done in coloured pencil – and the general public were totally amazed at the results one can get with them. We’re spreading the word!!

Securing a gold medal means a lot of hard work. For those who are interested - and to understand better what it is that Janie has achieved - here are the Royal Horticultural guidelines for exhibiting botanical artwork

Consideration will only be given to works that are primarily of botanical interest, and paintings and drawings should be at least life-size. Miniatures are unsuitable for the Society’s RHS shows. To be considered at least eight pieces of work must be displayed.

Particular credit is given for botanical accuracy, exact colour reproduction and attention to detail. Higher awards tend to be given to larger, comprehensive exhibits illustrating a particular theme or plant family. Pictures are judged as a complete exhibit so that, if one or two works are of a lower standard than the others with which they are shown, the level of award will be affected. Gold Medals are only awarded to exhibits of outstanding and consistent excellence.

As far as exhibits are concerned choice of subject is left to the artist. The main emphasis is on botanical interest, and the exhibit should have a coherent theme. Paintings and drawings can be of any dimension (within reason) but, where possible, subjects should be depicted at least life-size. Where the subject is depicted more than life-size a scale must be indicated.
Exhibition of botanical art at RHS Shows - Regulations for Botanical Artwork (Paintings & Drawings)

Earlier this month Janie was also awarded the Runner-Up Best In Show at the UKCPS 7th 'World of Coloured Pencils' Annual Exhibitio n in Keswick.

You can read more about Janie Pirie in Janie Pirie UKCPS is Highly Commended which focused on the work she exhibited in the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists in April 2009.

UKCPS member Janie Pirie at the SBA Exhibition
with five of her coloured pencil botanical drawings.

______________________

REMINDER: You have nine days left to submit work for the 8th UKCPS Open International Exhibition 2009

10 days left to submit your UKCPS Annual Exhibition entry

2009-06-15T11:41:00.007+01:00

There are just ten days left until the deadline for all entries to the 8th UKCPS Open International Exhibition 2009

All entries need to reach Pat Heffer, the Exhibition Secretary by Wednesday 24th June 2009.

Suzy Herbert with her drawing Cherry Blossom
World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition, Keswick
copyright the artist / Photo by Pat Heffer

Exhibition entries can be submitted by members and non members located anywhere in the world. So if you use coloured pencils for your artwork why not have a go at entering?

No original work is accepted. All exhibition entries need to be POSTED with the submission form and can be:

EITHER good prints or photos (maximum size A4 8.25" x 11.7")
OR high resolution scans on a CD

Details of where to post the entry is on the submission form which can be downloaded from the UKCPS website

All entries need to detail

the artist's name
title of the work
price
framed and unframed sizes in centimetres
brief details about the work - including type of pencils and support used and reasons for choosing the subject.

All entries are viewed anonymously by the jury who only know the title and size of the work.

You can find more details about what work is eligible and how to enter:

in this blog post - 8th UKCPS Open International Exhibition - Call for Entries
on the UKCPS website - 8th UKCPS Open International Exhibition 2009

You've still got time to enter if you get started today!

Note: Images are of UKCPS members and their artwork in the current "World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition" at the Pencil Museum in Keswick will feature in reminders about the deadline for the Annual Exhibition over the next 7 days.

Karen Coulson in final of the BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year

2009-06-08T13:30:00.003+01:00

Siberian Eagle Owl
33cm width x 24cms depth unframed; Caran d'Ache Prismalo coloured pencils on mountboard
copyright Karen Coulson

Karen Coulson has had her drawing in coloured pencils of a Siberian Eagle Owl accepted in the competition to find the BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year.

We asked Karen for an interview and this is what she had to say.

What's your approach to wildlife art? Why are you interested in it?

I love the detail and challenge of drawing fur or feathers. I try to capture the essence of the animal in the eye. I prefer to draw a portrait rather than the whole animal or a scene. I do a lot of domestic animal portraits for commission. I enjoy human life drawing aswell but have no desire to complete a human portrait.

How do you generate your reference photos?

I like to go on photographic days with other artists. This year I have been to Port Lympne Zoo in Kent with the Marwell International Wildlife Art Society (MIWAS) and to the British Wildlife Centre in Sussex with a fellow artist. Although these days cost a bit more than normal zoo entry fees you can spend more time up close with the animals and hopefully get better quality pictures.

What's the story behind your piece and why did you choose to enter this one?

I photographed this Siberian Eagle Owl, called Sugarpuff, at Liberty's Rapture and Reptile C entre in Ringwood, Hampshire.

I originally drew him to exhibit at MIWAS Exhibition 08. I entered him into the World Birds behaviour and portrait category because I felt he fitted into the portrait section rather well. I thought his bright orange eye would make an impact. Sometimes you can draw a fabulous picture for a competition, but if it does meet the requirements of what they are looking for, it will not get into the next round regardless of how good it is.

What pencils and support did you use for your artwork and why did you choose them?

I used Caran D’ache Prismalo pencils. They are very hard and sharpen to a fine point. They are also water soluble.To get the intense black feathers I added water to an initial layer of dark brown. Then I applied black over the top. Also, I used a fine brush to pick up some colour to apply some of the feather textures in the body and to define the fluffy feathers around the beak. For my support I used mount board. It will take small quantities of water without sustaining any damage.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background as an artist

I've always enjoyed art and crafts and went to Art College to study fashion and design. Marriage and three sons followed. As the boys have got older - they're now teenagers - I've been able to return to my art and recently was able to give up my part time job to concentrate solely on my artwork.

I've just qualified to be a tutor in adult education through gaining my Level 4 Certificate in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector.

I will be demonstrating Derwent products for 2 days and then running a 1 day workshop at the Cumberland Pencil Museum Keswick in July, plus I will be running one day workshops at my local secondary school.

Note: BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year Competition
The competition is new this year, is open to both professional and amateur artists and is free to enter. It has 14 different categories. Each category will have a winner chosen by our panel of expert judges, and their artwork will be displayed with the annual exhibition of the Marwell International Wildlife Art Society and published in BBC Wildlife in August 2009. Plus, the overall winner will be awarded the title ‘BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009’ and will win a place on the 2010 Festival of Wildlife in Brazil (see far right).

World of Coloured Pencils 2009 - The Artists

2009-06-06T10:30:00.000+01:00

The World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition - various works #1
copyright - the artists; photograph - Dave Richards

We also need to thank all the artists who contributed work to the exhibition this year - including all those who missed out on having their work exhibited - and there's a tip at the end of this post for next year!

The artists who are exhibiting this at The World of Coloured Pencils Annual Exhibition 2009 at The Cumberland Pencil Museum Keswick this year are (in alphabetical order):

Joan Batty
Linda Brand
James Brinsford
Sue Clinker
Sheila Fielder
Angela Hammond
Judith Heilbronn-Crown
Shirley Henderson
Suzy Herbert
Jane Holford Atkin
Patricia Hunt
Bev Lewis
Pauline Longley
Frances Lowe
Alan McMahon
Alison Perkins
Rachel Pesterfield
Janie Pirie
Lesley Sharman
Sue Smith
Rachel Stirling
Edwin Thornber
Ursula Williams
Glynis Wilson

Links are to the members individual galleries on the UKCPS website. On each page you can learn more about the artists and also find links to their own personal websites and/or blogs.

The World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition - various works #2
copyright - the artists; photograph - Dave Richards

Dave Richards had this comment for all those members who entered work

Finally I would very much thank all those who entered and was very sorry we cannot hang them all. The space regretably is very limited, and we took the chance to reassess this whilst at Keswick and feel 24 is the maximum. It is again an exhibition of very high standard, the numbers participating in cp is growing and standards are rising. It was great to have 7 newcomers included and sign that the society is catering for the needs of all abilities.

The World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition - various works #3
copyright - the artists; photograph - Dave Richards

Tip for next year - do NOT send your work before the first date for posting. Some entries were eliminated this year because they arrived too soon! The works accepted from UKCPS members only are literally the first 24 entries received AFTER the specified date.

Links:

Keswick - exhibition opens and awards announced
World of Coloured Pencils 2009 - Other Award Winners
Keswick: Thanks to Derwent and the volunteers
7th 'A World of Coloured Pencil' Mixed Media Competition 2009 - 31st May - 27th June 2009 - Venue: The Cumberland Pencil Museum, Keswick, CA12 5NG
UKCPS Website - online exhibition

Keswick: Thanks to Derwent and the volunteers

2009-06-04T08:00:00.002+01:00

The volunteers

Left to right: Dave and Sylvia Richards, John Heffer, Suzy Herbert, Tricia Hunt, Pat Heffer, Shirley and Eric Henderson, Eileen and Eric Armstrong

Thanks are due to a number of people who help make the 2009 World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition in Keswick a success.

First of all, I'd like to offer my own personal thanks to Dave Richards who organised the exhibition this year for providing me very promptly with the details for this post and the two previous posts on this blog this week:

Derwent

Derwent kindly host the Annual 'World of Coloured Pencils' exhibition at the The Cumberland Pencil Museum in Keswick each year and the exhibition is judged by Derwent staff at the Museum. UKCPS would specially like to thank Alex Spencer, the Museum Manager and Kath Thompson who led on judging this year's entries.

Dave commented

I would like to include a thank you to the judges and staff for their hospitality, as we always receive such a warm welcome from all the staff at the museum. We're also very pleased to highlight Derwent's continued help and generosity in hosting the event every year and providing such super prizes.

There's lots to see at the Museum besides the Exhibition - you can see what's on at the museum events page for June.

The exhibition is turning out to be a real talking point with the customers visiting the Museum.
Alex Spencer

Leisure Painters Magazine

UKCPS would also like to thank the Leisure Painters Magazine for providing the prize of two years subscription to the magazine for our Best Newcomer.

The volunteers

An exhibition always takes a long time to organise and then often has to move very fast at the end in terms of transporting work, getting it hung and communicating about it. As with all UKCPS activities, nothing happens or moves without the involvement of the people who volunteer their help in an official capacity, as a member - and even as a spouse or partner of a member!

The two principal people who are involved in organising the show are Pat Heffer, the UKCPS Exhibitions Secretary and Dave Richards whose principal responsibility is organising this show. They are both supported by a number of members and members' partners.

Here's what Dave had to tell me about the contribution made by the volunteers.

The helpers were wonderful as always and we could not manage without them, in collecting pictures and transporting them to Keswick, unwrapping and hanging. It is wonderful to have so many experienced eyes to settle on the final arrangement, although it does mean numerous picture movements which can very often be reversed and changed again. This can get a bit fraught but we always have great fun and it is a good social occasion for all including those members who join in on the day.

I would add my congratulations to all the winners. I have never come near getting an award personally but it is always a thrill to have a picture in this exhibition.

It should be noted that Dave didn't enter a picture this year as there were so many entries for this exhibition!

Finally a special mention for Liz Ridley, the UKCPS webmaster who remained wonderfully unflappable when a serious power failure near her home meant she lost all access to broadband for an unknown length of time while they dug up the road - just as she was about start posting all the competition entries to the UKCPS website!

If you've not already checked it, you can now see the online exhibition on the UKCPS website.