I don’t mind admitting I was a bit nervous about this year’s SGFA Open. I’d had two pictures in mind for my entry but one sold in December and the other I couldn’t get finished in time. (It’s still not finished.)
Fortunately I did have some slightly older pictures available. (Older but within the timeframe required for entry!) I entered five and had three selected, a pretty good haul for what’s always a fantastic exhibition.
My successful entries for the 105th Open Exhibition of the Society of Graphic Fine Art.
This annual exhibition is really important to me. I feel so lucky and proud to be a member of this society. When I first had a picture accepted to the open exhibition (in what was to be the cancelled 2020 show) I was convinced they’d made a mistake and, to a large extent despite this now being the sixth year running I’ve been selected, and despite now being a full member of the society, I still worry they’ll suddenly realise they’ve got me mixed up with someone else. In the meantime, though, it always feels like a kind of validation to have work included, especially with it being at Mall Galleries. Like most people I’m full of self-doubt, I never like a picture when I’ve finished in (sometimes it grows on me a little later, but whenever I’ve just finished one it’s never as good as I’d hoped it would be), and I’m always looking at the work of people a thousand times better than me. But once a year I let myself feel like I’ve made it.
The exhibition runs from Monday 9 March until Saturday 14 March at Mall Galleries, just along the road from Buckingham Palace. Entry is free and it’s as good an excuse as any to visit the big smoke and make a day of it. There is an online gallery up already, unfortunately split into two sections, members and non-members.
