UKCPS Annual General Meeting 2014

Please take the time to read the minutes from the 2014 Annual General Meeting of the UKCPS which are ow available on the UKCPS website - find it under Members' Login. There is a lot of important information regarding your society and it is worth keeping up with all the news. Thank you.

Derwent's People's Choice Award

Congratulations to Suzy for winning the Derwent People's Choice Award at the recent Keswick exhibition held at the Derwent Pencil Museum. You can see all the award winners at our website.

Talking Point

You should have received your Autumn 2014 edition of Talking Point by now. If you have not please go to our website and use the contact form. Tell us your membership number and we will send you a copy. If you can't wait, go to the members section and read it in the archive.

Get Festive!

Calling ALL members,

I am putting together a festive/seasonal issue for the next Talking Point and am needing you to send me your images ASAP. This includes beginners and advanced alike so do not be shy! You should all be proud of your work as we are!

Email me your images to editor@ukcps.co.uk by the 30th November or I shall come looking for you ;)

One of these images will be chosen for cover artist so it is a great opportunity to get your work noticed.

Judith Selcuk - Editor, Talking Point

Talking Point!

Calling ALL members,
I am putting together a festive/seasonal issue for the next Talking Point and am needing you to send me your images ASAP.
This includes beginners and advanced alike so do not be shy! You should all be proud of your work as we are!
Email me your images to editor@... by the 30th November or I shall come looking for you ;)
One of these images will be chosen for cover artist so it is a great opportunity to get your work noticed.

Best Wishes

Judith
Editor UKCPS

Forthcoming Events

Forthcoming Events

Once again we will be having a marquee at Patchings Festival, Nottingham from 4th-7th June 2015.  Once again we would like volunteers to help us run this event.

Also we are delighted to announce that Caran d’Ache have invited us to share their stand at Art in Action near Oxford from 16th-19th July 2015..

Please contact Pauline Longley to express an interest in participating at these events.  We will require, demonstrators, workshop tutors and general helpers.

pauline@paulinelongley.co.uk

UKCPS AGM

UKCPS AGM - Change of Venue

FOR THE URGENT ATTENTION OF ALL MEMBERS ATTENDING THE AGM AND WORKSHOPS ON 19TH OCTOBER 2014


Due to the closure of the roads around the MAC Centre and the difficulty with parking, due to the Birmingham marathon, the Executive Committee have decided to change the venue.  The new venue is:

Holiday Inn Express
St Chads Queensway
Snow Hill
Birmingham
B4 6HY

There is a public car park behind the hotel - marked No. 15 on map which shows road closures and access roads.

The published times and agenda for the AGM and workshops remain the same.

We sincerely apologise for this late change of venue.

AGM Clarification

There seems to be some confusion about the members workshops being held in the afternoon after the AGM.

There are 3 workshops at £25 each. David Lewry - fur, Morryce Maddams - buildings, Malcolm Cudmore - complimentary colours. These are hands on and are NOT demonstrations. For booking and further details check out the members page of our website or contact the tutors direct.

In the morning before the AGM there is a talk and demonstration also by Malcolm Cudmore about 'composition' this is open to all members and is free.

Please do come and support your society, hear what is being planned for the future and if you wish you can have your say too, we don't put you under any pressure. Your Executive Committee will be pleased to meet you and you will have the opportunity to meet other members from beginners to professional artists. You all have one thing in common, a love of coloured pencils.

The MAC centre is an art venue and there is often other things going on. There is plenty of parking and a good cafe.

UKCPS AGM

Indulge in a Day of Coloured Pencil

UKCPS AGM, Talk and Workshops

19th October 2014
MAC, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH

10.30 - 11.30 am
Free talk by Malcolm Cudmore on Composition

11.45-1.45pm
AGM - meet the exec and have your say.

2.30 - 4pm
3 coloured pencil workshops as detailed below. Cost £25 and log in at the members section at the UKCPS website to book your place.

Log in and book your place now

Malcolm Cudmore
Using complimentary colours to add impact!

David Lewry
Fur Techniques
Techniques for rendering very realistic animal fur using coloured pencils

Morryce Maddams
Architectural features in fine detail, coloured pencils give the wow factor.

Voluntary Arts Week

I am in the process of making contact with all art form umbrella bodies to give an update on Voluntary Arts latest plans to celebrate amateur arts activity across the UK & Republic of Ireland and discuss potential partnership working -

Voluntary Arts Week will take place from 15 – 24 May next year, inviting voluntary arts groups from across the country to showcase their work and reach out to new members.  We understand that voluntary arts groups work tirelessly all year round, but in shining a national spotlight on this activity for a week each May, we hope to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the nation’s creative talent, highlighting the many benefits that creative participation can bring and inspiring more people to ‘join in’.

But we can’t do this on our own!

Until now Voluntary Arts has had little funding and staff capacity to effectively involve art form umbrella bodies in the development of Voluntary Arts Week, however a successful application to the Spirit of 2012 Trust at the end of last year has since led to the appointment of 6 Voluntary Arts Development Officers, based across the UK & RoI, in - Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, South West England, Midlands and South East England.  Each Development Officer is responsible for engaging groups with Voluntary Arts Week in their area and I am also responsible for overseeing the week on a national level.

It is great to be able to give Voluntary Arts Week the time and focus it needs and to start taking positive steps to realising our long-term ambition of establishing Voluntary Arts Week as an annual highlight in the cultural calendar - ultimately raising awareness of the voluntary arts sector and recognising the positive impact groups across the country are making towards a healthier and happier society.

We would love you to join us on this journey and be part of Voluntary Arts Week.  Initial conversations with Making Music, the Embroiderers Guild and Museums Galleries Scotland have resulted in some great proposals for Voluntary Arts Week activity, including:


·         The production of a ‘Come and Play / Come and Sing’ toolkit, produced by Making Music, that will be made available to download on the Voluntary Arts Week website, supported by a communications push from Making Music encouraging their members to stage special ‘Come and try’ events during Voluntary Arts Week.



·         Plans for a ‘Big Stitch’ event to be held during Voluntary Arts Week in partnership with one, or several, cultural venues in Scotland.  This will be coordinated by the Embroiderers Guild in partnership with local embroidery groups and Voluntary Arts Scotland.



·         A partnership with Festival of Museums and discussions with Museums at Night which aims to match museum/gallery venues with local voluntary arts groups - encouraging a series of collaborative events during Voluntary Arts Week, supported by Festival of Museum funding.





More info about Voluntary Arts Week…



I have attached an Information Briefing which gives more detail about Voluntary Arts Week, including how groups can get involved, list their events and be part of our CraftBomb / Flashmob campaign.  Please have a read, visit the website and get in touch - I am really keen to hear from art form umbrella bodies who are interested in engaging their members and/or holding special activity during Voluntary Arts Week.  Your involvement could include:



Ø  Helping Voluntary Arts to promote the week through your networks: sharing information with your members (social media / website / newsletter)

Ø  Registering your support on the Voluntary Arts Week partners page (this will be added to the website in September)

Ø  Holding a special event or competition during Voluntary Arts Week to engage your members and highlight their activity

Ø  Creating and distributing guidance tailored to your art form that encourages groups to take part in Voluntary Arts Week (i.e. ‘How to – organise a group exhibition’)

Ø  Commissioning special work to take place during Voluntary Arts Week, for example: a members exhibition or regional showcase event



If you would like to be part of Voluntary Arts Week in any way, please get in touch so we can discuss further, similarly if you would like to get involved but you are not sure how, please pick up the phone or send me an email and I would be more than happy to talk further.



You can keep in touch with Voluntary Arts Week via Twitter, Facebook and also by signing up to the Voluntary Arts Week enews here.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Cassandra Barron  /  Development Officer

The Creative Exchange, 29 Constitution Street, Edinburgh, EH6 7BS
tel  0131 561 7333 

12th 'World of Coloured Pencil Exhibition 2014' Closing date

12th 'World of Coloured Pencil Exhibition 2014'

Sponsored by Derwent

The Cumberland Pencil Museum, Keswick

27th Sptember to 8th November 2014

Closing date for entries 17th August 2014
If you are planning on entering the Keswick Exhibition this year please get your entries in this week as the closing date is midnight, Sunday 17th August - just one week away.

All entries are online so go to our webpage and send your entry now.

The exhibition is open to all members, one entry per member. 24 pictures are chosen by ballot so everyone has a chance to be selected.

South West Society of Botanical Artists

South West Society of Botanical Artists

To all UKCPS artists,
especially those living in the West Country,

Linda Nicholls is organising on behalf of the Society of Botanical Artists, a 3 night visit to the Lake District where they have been invited by Derwent to visit their factory and Pencil Museum, with an optional full day workshop.

This will be in March 2015 (date to be confirmed), staying half board at a 4* hotel with coach travel from Exeter via the M5 and M6. 

The cost will be approximately £280.

If interested please communicate with Linda at this email address:

pelisande@btinternet.com

12th 'World of Coloured Pencil' Exhibition 2014

 
Venue: The Cumberland Pencil Museum, Keswick, CA12 5NG

Saturday 27th September - Saturday 8th November 2014

Free entry open to all UKCPS members only, 24 pictures chosen by ballot. Pure coloured pencil or mixed media with coloured pencil as the main medium.

Closing date for entries 17th August 2014.

Entry is online only. Please ensure you read the rules of entry before completing the entry form.
When completing your entry form you will need your image in jpg format, max size of file 5MB, ready to upload.

 You will also need following info:
Title of Picture
Price including commission
Dimensions: Height x Width in cm - framed and unframed
Information for label - materials used and brief description of why you chose the subject.

Please go to the UKCPS website for Rules of Entry and Submission Process.

Notice of upcoming AGM

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the UK Coloured Pencil Society will take place:--

On:      SUNDAY 19TH OCTOBER 2014
At:       THE MAC CENTRE [MAC Birmingham]
CANNON HILL PARK
BIRMINGHAM
B12 9QH
                        Commencing at:  11.45 am
Location
MAC is located in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, opposite the County Cricket Ground on Edgbaston Road, off Pershore Road (A441) and Bristol Road. (A38). Free parking available in Queens Ride, Cannon Hill Park (owned by Birmingham City Council).  The Centre is served by a number of buses from Birmingham City Centre including 1, 35, 45, 47, 62 and 63.
\
Proposed Agenda (subject to amendment)

Apologies for absence
Minutes of last meeting – 24 November 2013
Matters Arising
President’s Comments
Chair’s report
Secretary’s report
Treasurer’s report
Exhibitions report
Regional exhibitions
Publications
Internet Reports (Web, Blog and Facebook)
Executive Committee – election of members
Any other business

In addition to the AGM, extra events have been arranged which members are welcome to attend.  The full programme for the day is as follows:

10.30 to 11.30             CP demonstration by Malcolm Cudmore
11.45 to 1.45               AGM
1.45 to 2.30                 break for lunch
2.30 Onwards             CP workshop (Artist to be advised)

Any Other Business Items for inclusion in ‘Any Other Business’ should be notified to the Secretary in writing, or by email, to arrive not later than Saturday, 4th October 2014

Election to the Executive Committee The Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Society stand for re-election at each AGM.  In addition, vacancies exist within the Executive Committee to which members can nominate themselves or others (with their consent).  Nomination forms can be obtained from the Secretary on receipt of a stamped & self-addressed envelope, or via email on request, and must be completed and returned by Friday 19 September 2014.

Constitution   A copy of the UKCPS Constitution can be obtained from the Secretary on receipt of a stamped & self addressed A4 envelope, or will be sent as a Msoft Word (.docx) file on request.

Contact:          UKCPS Secretary, 32 Noctorum Dell, Prenton, Wirral, CH43 9UL
                        Email: secretary@ukcps.co.uk
__._,_.___

UKCPS Member Exhibition

UKCPS member Graham Brace's exhibition during the next month with seascape artist, Clive Gould) is currently showing at The White Lion Street Gallery until 28th July. If interested, you can view the show online with the following link...

http://www.artmatters.org.uk/artist/shared-vision

12th 'World of Coloured Pencil' Exhibition at Keswick

Venue: The Cumberland Pencil Museum, Keswick, CA12 5NG

Saturday 27th September - Saturday 8th November 2014

Free entry open to all UKCPS members only, 24 pictures chosen by ballot. Pure coloured pencil or mixed media with coloured pencil as the main medium.

Closing date for entries 17th August 2014.

Full details here. 

UKCPS Dales Group Exhibition

The UKCPS Dales Group Debut Exhibition

LAST WEEK OF EXHIBITION

FINISHES FRIDAY 27TH JUNE

The Blue Light Gallery
Little Market Place,
Masham, North Yorshire,
HG4 4DY

The gallery is open Monday to Saturday
from 10:00am - 15:00pm

Lesley Sharman UKCPS; Amy Horton UKCPS; Tony Brown; Maureen Oates; Niki Firmin

Pencil Art Society

Congratulations to Tiffany Budd and Alan Woollet who have been accepted into the inaugural Open Juried Exhibition at the Pencil Art Society!

http://pencilartsociety.com/2014/06/16/pas2014-acceptedartists/

Peoples' Choice Award at Patchings

    There is still time to vote on line for the People's Choice Award for the Patchings Exhibition. Entries were made to either The Leisure Painter category, for beginners and amateurs, and The Artist category, for experienced amateur and professional artists. Seventy selected works from each category were chosen to be exhibited in two separate galleries at Patchings Art Centre, which are open until 20th July. In addition, 50 highly commended works in each category are featured in the on line exhibition. 

               When voting, there are four categories: The Artist, which is for pictures that were selected and hung at the exhibition, and the Artist Highly Commended (on line only); and Leisure Painter and Leisure Painter Highly Commended. You are only allowed one vote for the TA/TAHC category and one vote for the LP/LPHC category. 

UKCPS members in The Artist Highly Commended Gallery are:
Lesley Sharman (Blue Door);
Peter Nelson (After a Long Hot Day);
Sue Clinker (Tamil Nadu Man);
Irina Garmashova-Cawton (Puma)
and Suzy Herbert (Tomatoes).

*************************************************
UKPCS members in The Leisure Painter category are:
Abigail Jones (Autumn);
Alison Perkins (Sweet Dream);
and Lesley Woodhouse (Summer Medley)

Marina Balint (Romanian Easter Eggs) is in the Leisure Painter Highly Commended category.

Anglian Wolf Society

Art & Photography Workshop at the Anglian Wolf Society

on Sunday 13th July 2014

with Wildlife Artist Victoria Parsons

and Photographer Jim Gintner

         As well as tuition in coloured pencil techniques to produce  fur effects and  realistic eyes, photograph tuition will also be given by our photographer Jim Gintner.

          This is a unique day allowing you personal contact with our wolves.

           The cost of the day is £85.00 this also includes all tuition, a picnic lunch and refreshments throughout the day plus a day with the wolves.

All proceeds to Wolf conservation.

For further info please email

victoriaparsons51@hotmail.com

Many thanks
Victoria

UKCPS Regional Exhibition

UKCPS Spring Newsletter

The UK Coloured Pencil Society Newsletter No. 14 is now available in the members section at our website.

UKCPS Members' Success at Patchings!

Congratulations to Abi Jones' whose drawing 'Autumn' has won the Derwent Pencil award at Patchings art festival.

Congratulations to Julie Maguire who also won a prize.

Patchings Success for UKCPS Member

Lesley Woodhouse's coloured pencil drawing 'Summer Medley' has been accepted for the Leisure Painter category at Patchings 2014 competition/exhibition.

Many congratulations!

Patchings Success for UKCPS member and LAC student!

UKCPS Member and London Art College student, Julie Maguire,  enjoys success at Patchings!

Derwent Art Prize 2014

Entries are open for the Derwent Art Prize 2014! The Cumberland Pencil Company are delighted that the UK Coloured Pencil Society are sponsoring the UKCPS Award for Excellence. The winner will be selected from shortlisted entries by members of the UKCPS committee and the prize of £250 will be awarded at a private awards ceremony on 15th September 2014.

Other prizes include; a First Prize of £6,000; Second Prize of £3,500, Third Prize of £1,000, the People’s Choice Award (works in the exhibition) of £700, the Young Artist Award of £500 for artists aged 18 - 25 years, and an additional People’s Choice Award of £700, selected from all 2014 entries and judged by visitors to the website: www.derwent-artprize.com.

The Derwent Art Prize is open to all living British and international artists over the age of 18. Artists can submit up to 6 pieces of work, created with any charcoal, pastel, graphite, water-soluble and coloured pencils on any 2 or 3 dimensional support.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: 9th June 2014
ENTER ONLINE AT: www.derwent-artprize.com.

UKCPS at Patchings 2014

Come and visit our marquee. There will be a display of pictures, artists working in coloured pencil, competition, have-a-go table, shop with society publications, art cards and prints.

Daily workshops at 10.30, 11.30, 1.30, 2.30 and 3.30.

A chance to draw a butterfly using the UCKPS colours with Karen Coulson (Thursday, Friday and Sunday) - there will be a charge to cover supply of materials which are yours to keep.

Cat's paw and eye with France Bauduin (Saturday morning only) and Julie Longdon - subject to be announced (Saturday afternoon only)

Start now with the following challenge - send it in now or bring it along with you. We look forward to seeing you.

Lesley Crawford

Founder Member Lesley Crawford will be taking part in Angus Open Studios Thursday 22nd May to Monday 26th May.  There will be coloured pencil work on display at her studio in Carmyllie (including ’Summer Memories’, winner of the Caran d’Ache award), as well as pastels, graphite and watercolour, plus a few textile art pieces.  Although Lesley doesn’t use pencils as much now, she is still keen to chat about pencils and drawing, and still does workshops on the subject. 

The studio will be open from 10-5 each day, and Lesley would welcome any visitors who may be ‘doing the tour’ of the many studios that will be open http://www.angusopenstudios.com

A taster can be seen at www.gaia-art.co.uk and http://lesleycrawford.blogspot.co.uk/

Hope to see some of you over the weekend!

EAC Over 60s Art Awards

EAC Over 60s Art Awards

2014 competition closes 6th June

Just over 2 weeks to submit your entries

For information and help, tel: 01242 527 434 (Rosalind) or 01704 893 251(Marg)

Visit our website and see the 2014 live entries gallery
E-mail: enquiries@eac.org.uk  or  artawardsenquiries@eac.org.uk

Malcolm Cudmore News

"Moments in Time"

Tuesday 20th May to Saturday 14th June

  For the first time ever (despite having been together for almost 40 years!),
Malcom Cudmore and his wife Lorry are having a joint exhibition at
The Fisher Theatre in Bungay.

Starting with an evening opening on Tuesday 20th May it runs through to the end of Saturday 14th June, the exhibition will feature Lorry's ceramics, most of Malcom's large coloured pencil paintings on wooden panels and a few smaller works including the framed
"epic" Bungay Panorama picture
and
Little Toby Dreams of Albrecht Durer
which won the UKCPS President's award
at the UK Coloured Pencil Society 2014 Open International Exhibition.
They would love to see you at the opening evening between
6.00 pm and 8.00 pm on Tuesday 20th May -
where they'll be happy to offer you a drink and a crisp!

If you can't make it to the opening night, the exhibition is open from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm Monday to Saturday and from 6.00 pm on days when there is an event in the theatre. The Fisher Theatre is a well used, multi-use venue and occasionally the gallery is used for meetings and not open for viewing - so it is always worth checking (especially if you are travelling any distance) that the exhibition is fully open before you make a special journey.
www.fishertheatre.org
(01986) 897130

This year, Malcom was accepted as a member of the Harleston and Waveney Art Trail, a collective of 40 independent professional artists all living within roughly a 10 mile radius of the Suffolk town of Harleston on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.

He  shall be hosting his open studio" at home
over the bank holiday weekend of 24th-26th May
and the following weekend 31st May/1st June.

A Trick in the Tale
2 Anchor Cottages
Wainford Road
Bungay, Suffolk NR35 1TA
United Kingdom

   With most of his large coloured pencil work on display at the same time in Bungay, and limited space at home he will be showing smaller plein air landscapes, figure paintings and drawings and a offering a range of giclée prints, greetings cards made from his original works and his "Yes You can Draw" DVD sets and starter kits.

Don't miss it!

RHA Botanical Art Exhibition at Malvern Spring Show

Many congratulations to Janie Pirie who has been awarded a Gold Medal at the RHS Botanical Art Exhibition at the Malvern Spring Show. Janie exhibited six new pieces of work in coloured pencil and received her second Gold medal. Her first was awarded in 2009.

Janie would also like the UKCPS membership to know that there are lots of amazing exhibits of coloured pencil works at the SBA this year.  "The news is spreading that water-colour isn’t the only way to go!!" 

Many congratulations Janie - an amazing achievement!

Jacksons/Strathmore Wonders of Winter Competition

Many congratulations to both France Baudin and Judith Selcuk who placed 1st and 2nd respectively in the Jackson Art Supplies and Strathmore Wonders of Winter Competition!

This is a wonderful achievement for both and a wonderful result for Coloured Pencil Art.

Derwent Art Prize

Just a month left till the deadline for the Derwent Art Prize!

Ilminster Regional Exhibition

Tomorrow is the last chance to enter your pictures for the Members Exhibition at Ilminster.  I will remind you that it is open to all members and the link to the application form can be found here http://www.ukcps.co.uk/ukcps/calendar.php

For your diary - we hope lots of you will join us for drinks and nibbles and to meet the artists on Sunday 22nd June between 2pm and 4pm.

Cadium In Crisis!

It may be worth having a look at the latest blog from Jackson's Art Supplies regarding the possible EU ruling on cadium pigments and share your thoughts.

The Artist and Leisure Painter Butterfly Competition

Many congratulations to Edwin Thornber who was also selected as a winner in The Artist and Leisure Painter Butterfly competition! Edwin also had two pictures accepted into the 13th Open Exhibition.

The Artist and Leisure Painter Butterfly Competition

Many congratulations to Bev Lewis for being selected as a winner in the competition!

You can visit the competition winners here.

UKCPS Dales Local Group

UKCPS Dales Local Group are holding a joint exhibition at the Blue Light Gallery, Little Market Place, Masham, North Yorkshire, HG4 4DY, from Saturday 31st May to Friday 27th June, 2014. The members exhibiting are Lesley Sharman UKCPS, Amy Horton UKCPS, Tony Brown, Maureen Oates and Niki Firmin.

There will be around 50 CP/mixed media pictures on show and for sale, as well as some "crafty" items they have produced.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to member Alan Jones whose step-by-step of Lion Cub has a 3 page feature in Ann Kullberg's CP Magazine!

13th UKCPS Open Exhibition Award Winners

A full list of the winners is now available .

Many congratulations to all the winners and many thanks to all the UKCPS volunteers that put together a fabulous exhibition!

South Wales Group

UKCPS Member Steve Evans has set up a new group meeting at his studio in Port Talbot once a month. So far there are 3 members meeting up, including Steve, sharing tips, sharing materials and just feeding off each others' experiences and knowledge, but they would very much love to have others join them. If you are interested in joining them, please email Steve at e-ban@hotmail.co.uk.

If you would like to highlight your own group please don't hesistate to send the blogmaster an email with details. These kind of groups are a wonderful way to work with other artists and expand your knowledge and creativity.

1st Regional UKCPS Members Exhibition

The deadline for the above competition has been extended to the 10th of May 2014.

We hope to see many entries.

Ken Bromley Art Supplies

Ken Bromley Art Supplies are offering online shoppers a £5.00 discount on orders over £50.00 this week using the online code EBH5. Fill your baskets!

EAC Over 60s Competition

The 2014 EAC Over 60s Art Awards are now open for entries. This is the annual competition's 20th year inviting entries from amateur artists over 60 working in all mediums. There are prizes for beginner and more experienced artists in a range of categories. The deadline for entries is 6th June 2014, with a prize-giving ceremony at the House of Lords October 8th 2014.

For full details please visit www.eacartawards.org.uk

 If you would like hard copy A4 posters and/or postal entry forms, please contact -  Margaret Millington - EAC Art Awards volunteer

Birmingham Exhibition Arrangements

Full details on the arrangements for your pictures going to the Birmingham Exhibition -

Delivery -
Delivery is between 10am and 12pm on Sunday 27th April. We will be hanging the exhibition ourselves, so if you are bringing your work, you are welcome to stay on and help with the hanging process. Power screwdrivers would be very useful!  Please attach a label to the back of your picture (s) with your name and the name of the picture to make it easier for us to identify everything during the hanging process. 

Collection -
Collection day and time for unsold pictures has been set by the gallery, so we need to stick to their request. Collection is between 5pm and 6pm on Saturday May 10th.They will close at 6pm, so if you are collecting, please make sure you arrive before that.
I have been told that there is a fee of £40 per day if the pictures are left behind and collected later. I believe a couple of you have been told £10. I am not sure which is the correct amount at present, but you maybe should be prepared to pay £40 if you can't make other arrangements.

Return postage -
This is something we are offering to do this year because of the very narrow collection window.  Returns will be sent by Parcel Force (Royal Mail), so please make sure any packaging you use is robust and sturdy to avoid damage to your picture.
If you are bringing your own picture and then require it posted back, please leave your packaging with one of the volunteers on hanging day. If we have no packaging, we cannot return your work. Please include a large self-addressed label for us to use to return the picture.
I cannot give you a cost for returning your work until we have actually posted them. You will be contacted by Liz, our treasurer for repayment once we have posted the pictures.

Sold pictures -
I will be contacting the gallery two days before the end of the exhibition to find out about any sales. This will enable me to let you know whether you actually need to travel to Birmingham to pick up your work. I am hoping the gallery will let us know of any sales as they happen, but just in case, I will do the above.

Please remember that we are all volunteers and are doing this to help out you, our members. So we are grateful for you taking the time to make sure you read this and follow the instructions. It will make our efforts so much easier - thank you.

Finally - if you don't let UKCPS know what you are doing with your picture and it is still left at the end of the collection hour, it will be left at the gallery. It's your own responsibility to make arrangements to get your picture home.

Good luck everyone with the final push to get your pictures down to Birmingham and thank you to all volunteers for their massive effort in getting everything done.

Great Art Postcard Competition

Design your own postcard and enter here.

You may use your own support cut to the size stated.

Good Luck!

Strathmore Wonders of Winter Competition

The competition has now closed and you can go here to register your vote.

Image Frames

https://www.imageframes.co.uk/

UKCPS members can now get a 15% discount on orders £30.00 and over through the above online framing company. The discount code is UKCPS and can be entered in the voucher code box/promotional code box on the last page of the shopping checkout process before the final order value is confirmed.

Just to put you in the picture.

The National Open Art Competition 2014

National Open Art: Call for Entries

Now in its 18th year, and with an impressive total prize fund of £60,000, the National Open Art Competition is calling for entries of new, original artwork from both amateurs and professionals. Sponsored by Towry, the Wealth Adviser, this annual open competition aims to nurture creative talent from emerging and established artists, and last year saw the highest ever number of entries submitted from across the UK for consideration by the panel of judges.

Mediums including painting, drawing, photography, original prints, wall hung installations and computer generated art may be submitted for the competition. Approximately 100 shortlisted works will be selected for exhibition, presented for the first time at London’s Somerset House from 18 September – 26 October 2014, before touring to the Minerva Theatre, Chichester. The prize winning works will be shown at the award winning Pallant House Gallery, Chichester in November, alongside its extensive collection of Modern British art.

The 2014 judging panel includes: Norman Ackroyd RA, Vanessa Branson, Caroline Irby,Chris Orr RA and David Middleton.

The competition is open to all UK artists aged 15 or over. Applicants will need to submit images of their work, an Artist Statement and a current CV. The entry fee is £20 to register and submit one work. Additional works may be submitted at £20 each, a total of four may be submitted for the competition.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: 6 JULY 2014

ENTER ONLINE AT: WWW.THENATIONALOPENARTCOMPETITION.COM

Tel: 07986 697 693
Email: thesecretary@thenationalopenartcompetition.com

Twitter: @tnoac #NOA14

Framing Requirements for the Open Exhibition

Your picture must arrive with NO fixings at all on the frame. The gallery have their own hanging system and will be attaching their own fixings to the back of your picture. This means that the frame must be capable of accepting screws, so please do not frame your work in metal or flimsy plastic frames.

Please remember that if you do not take notice of this requirement, the gallery may refuse to allow your work to be hung.

Strathmore Wonders of Winter Competition

Due to demand the Strathmore / Jackson's Art Supplies Wonders of Winter Competition deadline has been extended to the 6th April 2014. Full details here.

The Artist/Leisure Painter Competition

The Artist and Leisure Painter magazines have opened a competition with Jackson’s Art Supplies to win:

Leather pencil case which holds up to 48 pencils
Koh-I-Noor Mondeluz Coloured Pencils
Publication of the winning pictures in their summer editions.

All you have to do is create a picture in any medium of the subject ‘butterfly’ and submit it by the 2nd of May 2014. 4 winners will be notified by the 13th of May. They have also provided some reference photos if you need one.

Full details here.

Ken Bromley Cover Art Competition

Ken Bromley Art Supplies have launched the new competition for their Autumn/Winter catalogue. The closing date is the 9th of July. Head over to Ken Bromley for full details!

EAC Art Award 2014

EAC Art Awards 2014 Update
We've experienced a number of problems launching our new Art Awards website. Our apologies for this delay which has been due to circumstances beyond EAC’s control.
However, other aspects of the competition are in place:

These are confirmed as the dates of this year’s competition:

Deadline for Entries – 6th June 2014
Results announced by the end of July 2014
Prize-winners’ Celebratory Event at the House of Lords – 8th October 2014

To Get More Information
We have temporarily re-instated our original website at www.eacartawards.org.uk.
Download and print the 2014 postal entry form here
Download the 2014 poster here
Download a copy of the RULES of entry here

Should you wish to receive a copy of both or either through the post, please phone 01242 527434  or 01704 893251 leaving your name and postal address. Alternatively email your request to: enquiries@eac.org.uk.


Copyright © 2014 Elderly Accommodation Counsel, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Elderly Accommodation Counsel
89 Albert Embankment, London, United Kingdom
London, SE1 7TP
United Kingdom

Posting Artwork

Further to the post detailing submission of your artwork, could we please direct your attention to the packaging. It should have been Stiffybag and not jiffybag.

Details on Stiffybags can be found here.

Picture Delivery for the UKCPS 13th Exhibition

For your information -

Delivery of pictures to the RBSA gallery must be between 10.30 and 12 noon on Sunday 27th April.  Pictures CANNOT be posted to the gallery.

However, for those people who can not make the journey themselves there is an option to send your work via one of several willing volunteers. Pictures in theory can be posted to the volunteers, so you don't necessarily have to live in the same town.  Please make sure the transport volunteer is ok with accepting posted entries.

If you are sending your work with someone, it is usually expected that your picture is wrapped appropriately. The best protection is 'jiffy bags'. It is also usual to agree some kind of transport charge with the person taking your work to cover petrol costs, etc.

There is a list of the volunteers on the yahoo forum. Please contact one of them if you would like their help in delivering your work.

Please attach a label to your pictures, with your name, the picture name and the selling price.

Collection at the end of the exhibition is very tight. They must be collected between 5.15pm and 6pm on Saturday 10th may.
If you cannot be there during that time, please contact one of the volunteers who can collect for you.
The gallery will make a charge for any work left after the specified time.

Please do not contact the gallery direct.

Please do not rely on the volunteers to contact you regarding transport. It is up to you the artists to organise how your picture gets there....

UKCPS Member on LAC

UKCPS Member Julie-Ann Maguire has written a piece about her experience working on drafting film for the London Art College Blog. It can be found here. Thank you for that Julie-Ann and I wonder if any other UKCPS members would like to share their experiences of working on this surface.

2014 Open Exhibition Shortlist Results

The shortlist results for the 2014 Open Exhibition are out. Please check your email to see if you have been accepted. You should receive an email either way to confirm. Good luck!

Winter 2014 Newsletter

The UKCPS Winter 2014 Newsletter is out now. Please check your email boxes or head over to the UKCPS website to download the pdf.

Charity Calender

Over at paintmyphoto.com a member called Cheryl Neilson is looking at submissions for a 2015 Wildlife calender to be sold in aid of BSPCA, Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 

Full details are available here. You may have to be a member of paintmyphoto to get access to the details.

UKCPS Questionnaire

In the recent Talking Point, volume 13, you would have found a questionnaire asking for your thoughts on the UKCPS. A number of these have now been returned but we would love to hear from more of you. So, c'mon, get them filled in and returned - this is your chance to voice your opinions, thoughts and mutterings about the UKCPS. What would you like to see more of? Where do you think we could improve? What do we do well?

Don't miss your opportunity to get involved and have your say! It'll take you 5 minutes and the cost of a stamp but mean a lot more than that to the UKCPS.

Judging Process for the UKCPS Exhibition

For your information - 

Selection is anonymous and made by three independent judges. Our President Pat Heffer who based  the selection process on the original method instigated by our founder Bob Ebdon is most concerned that anyone should  for one minute consider the process to be biased in any way, so we are explaining exactly what happens to your entries once they are received by Liz Ridley, to allay any concerns.

The judges this year are:
Ann Kullberg - US Coloured Pencil Artist
Steve Pill - Editor, Artists & Illustrators Magazine
Paul Bartlett RBA RBSA - Artist and Full Member of the RBSA.

 The full process is as follows:
1. All entries are received by Liz Ridley who checks that the correct entry fee has been paid, the work has not previously been hung in one of our exhibitions and the entry form has been completed correctly.

2. All pictures are given a number. The judges are sent a spreadsheet with all the pictures listed, giving the picture number, title and size, together with a link to a slideshow where they can view all the pictures with, once again, just the number, title and size, no artist’s name being provided. Thus the whole process is totally anonymous and no artist can be favoured by the judging panel.

3. The judges score each picture marks out of 100. The scores are added together so a perfect picture would score 300. A decision would have already been made by the executive as to how many pictures can be hung at each gallery so the applicable number with the highest score will be selected for exhibition. For example, this year we received approx. 240 pictures for judging and we will be hanging about 80 pictures (dependent on how many are above the cut off score –( it may be 78 or 79) so about a third will be successful.

4. The successful pictures are then linked back to the artists who will be told of the result.

Most societies have only one judge to select the successful pictures and this can therefore give a rather biased result, but using three judges has been shown to give a much more varied exhibition, although it entails a lot more work for the executive member dealing with the entries.
We hope that this explanation has now satisfied our members that the selection process for our Open International Exhibitions is totally fair and unbiased.

Liz Ridley, Treasurer and Exhibition Assistant
Pat Heffer, President

New Editor over at Talking Point!

Hello all,

I would like to quickly introduce myself as the new Editor :)

I am putting together the next issue of TP. If any of you have anything you would like me to put into TP however small pleases can you let me have it ASAP. Even if it does not go in this issue it will go in further issues as I am stockpiling just incase!

*****MEMBERS GALLERY*******

Please send me your pictures in JPEG format. There is no theme this issue apart from introducing yourself and your art. So send in the image that best represents you and what you like to do. No nudity I am afraid though, even if life drawing. I don't wish to get into trouble by the magazine going on a top shelf ;)

*****CRITIQUE*****

Would anyone like their work critiqued by an established artist? Send in a picture of your work and it's description including what you have used and on what you drew it on. Also what you fought with or was successful on. And importantly about you.

******LETTERS TO BARB*****

Send in your letters to the chair please

****** WHATS ON*******

Please let me know what is going on in your area, maybe it's is an exhibition, craft fair, lessons or a group. Reference gathering opportunities are always useful as are competitions etc

If you can think of anything else please do let me know and forgive my spelling and grammatical errors I am typing this on my iPad in bed before I get up for my first art group/lesson this morning and If I don't turn the heating on early they shall all freeze!

Have a good day

Judith

Editor of TP

Patchings Festival 2014

This year's Patchings Festival is on the 5-8th June 2014. UKCPS will have a marquee where you can meet up with other members, watch some demos, participate in some workshops.

This year there is an exciting artistic challenge which will also help decorate and promote coloured pencil art. You can download a bunting template from the UKCPS site (link below), trace it onto your best paper and decorate it with your best coloured pencil effort. There is no limit on the number of entries you can submit and you could win a prize!

The closing date is the 28th of May 2014.

Full details here.

The Artist & Leisure Painter Butterfly Competition

The Artist and Leisure Painter magazines have opened a competition with Jackson's Art Supplies to win:

Leather pencil case which holds up to 48 pencils
Koh-I-Noor Mondeluz Coloured Pencils
Publication of the winning pictures in their summer editions.

All you have to do is create a picture in any medium of the subject 'butterfly' and submit it by the 2nd of May 2014. 4 winners will be notified by the 13th of May. They have also provided some reference photos if you need one.

Full details here.

Talking Point Volume 13: December 2013

Volume 13 of the Society's quarterly newsletter, Talking Point, is now out. Cover art is by US coloured pencil artist John Smolko with a dedicated feature inside. You will also find a Member Survey inside which we hope you will complete and return as soon as possible.

New Blog Admin!

Following the call for UKCPS members to volunteer for various roles, I am pleased to report that Alan McMahon has been relieved of duty over here at the UKCPS Blog and I have stepped up to the plate. I want to thank Alan for all he has done here and the assistance he has offered to me in taking over.

I have been running my own Coloured Pencil Blog for a few years now and hope that it will stand me in good stead to continue the great job Alan has been doing. Not much will change, unless you want it to and have some great suggestions, and all news, tidbits or matters of interest to the members of UKCPS can be forwarded to myself at:

blogmaster@ukcps.co.uk or ukcps@gmail.com

I would love to hear from you; big news, wee news, any news and hopefully we can build on what is already here.

Hazel Hay

BBC 1 - Seeking amatuer artists!

WANTED AMATEUR ARTISTS! BBC One is on the hunt for the best of Britain’s amateur artists for a new competitive arts series. We're looking for amateur painters from all over the UK who have a passion for painting and drawing. If you are over 16 and like a creative challenge we want to hear from you. Applicants must not be professional artists and will be expected to work in a variety of different figurative forms and media - from landscape, portraiture and still life, to watercolour, oil and charcoal. To apply - please send your name, address, age, occupation and contact number, along with a recent photo, up to three images of your work, and a short paragraph about why you paint to: amateurartist@bbc.co.uk Or by post to: Amateur Artist, MC5 A6, BBC Media Centre, Wood Lane, London, W12 7TQ  (Please DO NOT send originals as these can not be returned to you)

Try Pencils - Wirral, UK

If any members are coming north to escape the floods - why not join us at St Chad's Church Hall, Roslin Road, Irby, Wirral, CH61 3UH, on Saturday 22 February for an afternoon of drawing (cp or Graphite!).


1pm to 4pm, cost £5


 Tea/coffee & biscuits and A4 Cartridge paper provided, bring your own pencils or use the available Coloursoft or Faber-Castells. 


Pay on the day, but please let me know if you are coming: alanmac48@btinternet.com


Alan McMahon

Patchings News

An extract from the last edition of Patchings News - read the full version at: news@patchingsartcentre.co.uk :

 

Our 2014/15 programme of exhibitions contains some popular favourites including the annual open exhibition following this year's competition - further details are below.

In the summer we look forward to a group exhibition which includes work by a long time friend of Patchings, Sue Campion. This is one of a number of significant exhibitions on show over the next twelve months and includes a programme of photographic exhibitions by Pete Bridgwood and Jon Horrocks in the Image Gallery.

 

As mentioned in last month's NEWS the dates for our 21st Festival 5 to 8 June. We hope to publish the full programme of celebrity and guest artists next month. The Exhibition and Events 2014/15 brochure will be available in print within the next few weeks.  [Ed - UKCPS WILL BE THERE!]

 

 

The Artist and Leisure Painter Patchings Art Competition 2014
Entry details for this year’s open competition are on the website and can be found in the current edition of both magazines.  The competition has two categories, The Artist category for professional artists and the Leisure Painter section for amateur and hobby painters. The closing date is  28 March – plenty of time to paint for the competition. Follow this link for further details

Derwent Art Prize

The Call For Entries is out for the 2014 Derwent Art Prize, (closing date 9 June 2014).  Get the details and entry instructions from the website: http://www.derwent-artprize.com/enter-derwent-art-prize

Strathmore Wonders of Winter Art Competition

Strathmore Wonders of Winter Art Competition Looking for one more competition to enter?  We thought you might like to try this one. To enter your depictions of the Wonders of Winter simply purchase a competition pack for £6 from Jackson's Art Supplies (contains Strathmore papers worth £30) and create your work on one of the beautiful papers. Then scan or photograph your artwork, and enter online by the 9th of March using the form below. Strathmore and Jackson's Art Supplies have teamed up to offer £1000 worth of vouchers as prizes to artists working in any media and of all abilities. Prizes 1st Prize - £500 of art materials (£250 Jackson’s vouchers & £250 Strathmore vouchers) 2nd Prize - £300 of art materials (£150 Jackson’s vouchers & £150 Strathmore vouchers) 3rd Prize - £200 of art materials (£100 Jackson’s vouchers & £100 Strathmore vouchers) Competition Dates Entry Period - Competition entries are accepted between the 17th of January 2014 and the 9th of March 2014. Voting Round - Public voting on the shortlisted entries begins on the 11th of March 2014 and ends on the 13th of April 2014. Winners will be announced on the 15th April 2014.   Click here to go to webpage

Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2014 & Talking Point

Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2014

LPS Prize 2014 Deadline for submissions: 29 January 2014 The Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize is open to living artists over the age of 18, who are resident in the British Isles. Prizes range from £1,500 to £15,000. The Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize was created in 2005 by the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers and the Lynn Foundation to encourage the very best creative representational painting and promote the skill of draftsmanship. With prize money of £25,000 the Prize is one of the most prestigious awards to artists in the UK. Click here to go to webpage

Talking Point Just to reassure all members, our December edition has not come out yet but we hope it is not going to be long before you can all enjoy it at home.

International Artist - competition

A belated notification - but not too late to enter!


The International Artist Magazine is running a competition 'Favorite Subjects'.


Closing date 15th January


 entry £5 per picture.


They are also advertising subsequent competitions on their website https://www.internationalartist.com/competitions.


Any 2 dimensional drawing or painting medium is acceptable.  Work must be original, completed less than 2 years ago and not won any previous prize or award.  Entry is by digital image.


(my thanks to Pauline Longley for the above)

Calls for entry - reminders

A Happy New Year  to all our readers!!

Just a timely reminder that you only have until 5th February to get your entry in for this year's UKCPS Open International Exhibition, which will take place at the Royal Birmingham Society of Arts gallery from 28th April to 10th May 2014.  Forms and Rules available on the UKCPS website at: www.ukcps.co.uk

Also, The Society for All Artists [SAA] has a call for entries to its annual 'Artist of the Year' competition.

This from the SAA:-

Open to all ages and abilities, there’s a huge variety of categories to chose from and you can paint or draw in the medium of your choice.

Don’t forget – if you’re an SAA member, you can enter the competition as many times as you like for FREE!

Have you got a passion for painting? Do you like a challenge? Then why not enter the SAA Artist of the Year 2014 competition.

Don't delay - with under 8 weeks left to enter, now is the time to perfect your entry and be in with a chance of winning the £2,000*!

NEW for 2014 - En Plein Air Award
We are proud to announce a new award for Artist of the Year 2014, in memory of Mitch Waite who was passionate about encouraging artists to take painting outside the studio.

The final judging of this award will be by Mitch's wife Hannah. To be eligible entries must have been painted in, or finished from preliminary sketches and paintings done en plein air. Entrants must provide details of how and where they painted their picture.

If you have already entered prior to this announcement, simply return to your Artist of the Year 2014 entry and click 'edit' to include this extra information.

You can find out more at the SAA website: www.saa.co.uk