Our fourth Commended Entry for Jackson’s Open Painting Prize has been announced! During the JOPP entry period, we will be commending one entry each week that we think is of exceptional quality. All commended entries are automatically added to the longlist meaning they will be considered for the six Category Prizes, the People’s Choice Award, the Shortlist and the Overall Prize. To submit your work, please go to our Jackson’s Open Painting Prize Website.
Commended Entry Winner: Frances Bell
‘Laury’
Oil on canvas, 138 x 46 x 2
Artist Description:
‘Laury has a captivating face as I see it. She looks very regal and I thought a triptych would suit her face and direct mannerisms.’
Jackson’s Judging Panel:
‘Natural tones, soft, painterly marks and a very well considered composition have lifted this traditional triptych to a high and beautiful level of painting. Each piece has a wonderfully gentle aura; the calm, patient face of the subject gazes quietly out of the canvas and away from the light source, drawing a sense of depth and spatial awareness into each piece. The yellow glow is caught in her auburn hair and soaked up by her brown fleece, framing the palpable, slightly Freudian, rendering of her face, focusing the viewer on the minuscule but poignant highlights in her eyes. Overall, a very poetic, contemporary portrait. ‘
View more of Frances’ work on their website.
View our other Commended Entries here.
10 thoughts on “JOPP Commended Entry: Frances Bell”
It’s so good, I am left thinking it’s
waste of time entering the
competiton. If it’s this good – why
bother?!
Hello Aidan, I’m sorry to hear you’re feeling disheartened. Our longlist is made up of approximately 350 works – there’s lots of reason to bother! If you get into that list, you’re considered for the People’s Choice Award and the 6 Category Prizes, plus your work will be showcased to thousands of people. We are looking for works by artists of all abilities, so please don’t be put off because this Commended Entry looks different to your work. If you need support with your entry, please feel free to email me at [email protected]
I still say there should be separate
categories for amateurs on the one
hand and established
professional/multi-prize-winning
artists on the other. Otherwise it
feels like starting a long race where
the professional artists are already
at the finishing line.
Hi Aidan,
We run many competitions throughout the year, the prize winners of which are often self proclaimed amateurs (although we do get some professionals entering and winning prizes at these too). The Jackson’s Open Painting Prize is our big annual competition and is an opportunity for amateurs and professionals alike to enter, and potentially exhibit alongside one another. We hope that those who class themselves as non-professional artists are encouraged to enter for the opportunity to exhibit alongside those who are professional. I really wouldn’t second guess at who would win; in the 2 previous years we have had some surprises and I’ve no doubt this year will be no different!
We do appreciate your comments, and if we find that the shortlist consists entirely of professional artists then we may need to rethink the structure of the competition. But to my mind being an established artist doesn’t necessarily mean you make prize-winning work, in the same way that being a amateur artist doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance of winning this year’s JOPP!
The last thing I would say is that technical brilliance is only one thing our judges will be looking for; if a work is particularly thought-provoking, eye catching or is particularly effective at communicating an intention or idea, it’s likely to go far.
Really hope you give it a go!
Lisa
I tend to agree. In the past the competition seemed to be
open to people of all talents, whereas now it seems to be a
showcase for professional artists. I love art and painting,
but I am just an amateur, and I think it would be good to
encourage all enthusiasts, not just professionals.
Dear Paul, I’m sorry you don’t feel included in our competition. The Jackson’s Judging Panel will be selecting works by amateurs and professional artists to make up the longlist, as we do not feel that formal titles are relevant to the quality of the work. We aim to give the opportunity for all practicing creatives to have a platform to show their work through this competition. We are sharing entries on our social media channels daily that encompass a wide range of styles and backgrounds, alongside our highly commended top piece of the week, however, this being said these are just a few of the pieces that will make up the longlist, so you’ll have to trust us and wait and see the works that’ll be selected– they are guaranteed to cover a wide range of subjects, styles and levels.
Hello,
I would like to know if it’s allowed to enter work
previously exhibited elswere? As this particular
painting was already on show at the mall galleries
Hello Lina – if the work has won many other art prizes, we will not accept it. We are fine with works being exhibited elsewhere though, as long as they are not extensively exhibited.
It just seems a little unfair same work been shown
a number of times. Royal academy or Mall
Galleries anongst many others don’t show works
that has been viewed by public. It’s a lovely
painting but I don’t think it’s fair on other ortists.
Hello Lina – thank you for bringing this to our attention. While we don’t accept works that have won many awards and have been widely exhibited, we do not feel that it is right to stop artists from entering who have had their work shown. I have spoken to Frances Bell and ‘Laury’ has only been exhibited once as part of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. We do not think that this is grounds for her to be disqualified. We aim to support all artists whether they have exhibited or not and do not want to discriminate against artists because of their experience.
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