My plans for Ferens' Open Art Show
Revised & updated: 14 May 2023
Ferens Art Gallery, Queen Victoria Square, Hull, UK is what a city art gallery should be imho. It hosts many prestigious art exhibitions throughout the year, and still finds time to give unknown artists a platform.
To art show, or not to art show
Should I start submitting to Ferens again (or to any 'open' art exhibitions)? That's the question.
In case you don't know: an open art exhibition is an exhibition that's open to anyone to submit their art for selection, usually by invited committee.
I stopped entering Feren's Open some time ago now. I missed a year or two, and then when I decided to submit again, they closed for an extended period of major refurbishment.
Covid followed, and blah, blah – you know. The result is I've not entered this open art exhibtion for years, as I write.
When I was entering and my art was consistently accepted, the exhibition was regional. I understand it's now national, with anyone working in the UK able to submit art in the hope of having theirs chosen for display.
When it was restricted to residents of Yorkshire, it was hard enough to get art chosen for show. Now it's open nationally it'll be even harder, and I'm a little daunted.
Then there's the cost which looms large, and whether concentrating on solo shows will be a better plan. I am leaning toward focussing on solo exhibitions.
It's all to think about though, including whether I'd make some art specifically with the show in mind (I've not done that before).
When I entered this art exhibition previously, I hankered after painting some of the classical Hull street scenes I saw on the way to the gallery.
Paintings and prints of Hull
I'm starting to paint in Yorkshire cities. My early art career was as a full-time architectural illustrator.
I love the challenge of disorderly, multi-textured natural landscapes, and find buildings easier. After years of 'doing' buildings as an illustrator, I've mostly avoided manmade structures as subjects since.
I always knew I'd return though, and I see no reason to continue ignoring cityscapes now my paintings have become more 'fine art' than 'illustration'.
It's why I'm intending to make Yorkshire seaside town paintings, and Kingston Upon Hull would be a natural city to include.
Hull isn't strictly a 'seaside town'. The city is on the rivers Ouse and Hull where they flow into the North Sea and form the Humber estuary. The city of Hull is classed as a port and contains both a harbour and marina.
Perhaps paintings of Hull would have a good chance of being selected for the show. I've a few viewpoints in mind (yes, I've been reconnoitring)
As I write, I've just missed the submission dates for Hull's art exhibition. So I've a full year to do something, should I decide to.
Perhaps it'll form part of a collection I'm calling 'green spaces' where I paint the parks, commons and strays that enhance our cities.
Artistic success in exhibitions
I've been surprised by how often my art's been selected for open shows
Every single time I submitted art to open exhibitions previously, at least one, often two, and sometimes all three entries were accepted.
And it's not that it was easy to be chosen…
Ferens Open is hard to win a place in
Ferens annual open art show is a juried show, with selection by committee.
It was open to all practicing artists in Yorkshire – and Yorkshire is the biggest county in England. To limit it a little, no more than three artworks could be entered by each artist.
Some stats
Studying the numbers one year, I discovered that only about 10% of artists on show had had all three artworks accepted.
This meant I was among approximately 36 out of 359 artists on display that year to have had all three artworks accepted.
Approximately 47% of artists who submitted their art failed to get anything displayed.
677 artists had submitted over 1,500 artworks, according to the exhibition catalogue. These were not unusual numbers during the years I was entering this art show.
I still think it's amazing I managed to be selected for display every year I entered. It's going to be a hard act to maintain!
Some more stats!
In other years, approximately only 23% (about a fifth) of the art submitted was selected for display.
When the show was smaller, there were only 194 artists on display. I was one of 48 of them to have had two artworks selected (I'd had a painting rejected that year). The calibre of art was exceptionally high that year. They expanded the space in the following years.
Since then, they've opened the show up to everyone in the UK. It'll be even harder to get art accepted.
Artworks exhibited at Ferens
- "Three Bays"
- Linocut
- Exhibit 253
- sold
- "Coast"
- Linocut
- Exhibit 41
- sold
- "Hedges"
- Linocut
- Exhibit 4
- "The Mighty Oak"
- Linocut
- Exhibit No 117
- sold
- "Dark Water Clash"
- Linocut
- Exhibit No 356
- "Voyages"
- Linocut
- Exhibit No: 233
- "Headland"
- Linocut
- Exhibit No: 188
- sold
- "Beach"
- Acrylic painting
- Exhibit No: tbc