When the judges met to select the paintings for our annual open competition and exhibition at Patchings Art Centre (from July 13 to August 20), the excitement about the depth of talent and quality of the work of our readers was palpable. For David Curtis the resulting The Artist exhibition was ‘truly stunning’ with artists like Royal Academician Peter Kuhfeld submitting large complex canvases which lent stature and scale to the display of works.
Excellence in technique and examples of an inventive eye were typical, with a few ‘stand-out jewels’ noted by David, such as David Thomas’ expressive and subtle portrait; Claire Bowen’s cameo study of a moored boat… ‘economically produced and retaining all the sense of the work having been produced on location’; Kelv Holtom’s decisively controlled watercolour technique, focusing on lost and found passages to great effect in his still life; and the masterful pure watercolour landscape, ‘loose and direct in approach in the true traditional handling of the medium’ by Jem Bowden. David also noted Terry Ward’s evocative chalk drawing of Michael, Carol Emsley’s He Loves to be a Goalie (page 74) and Kris Mercer’s A Corner of South Kensington (page 74), ‘a most satisfying composition with carefully crafted figure positioning… all shapes clearly defined and simplified, with areas of restful simplicity amid the throng of humanity; a real treat for me.’