My paintings are Nature Morte of flora. ‘After Rachel I’ is a response to memories of works by Dutch 17th Century Still Life painter Rachel Ruysch. These memories are translated into a contemporary pictorial language, linked through expressive colour, gesture and form.
I paint from memory, working directly onto the canvas. My desire to respond to the memory is eventually abandoned as intuition and spontaneity take over from linear rational thinking and the work writes its own narrative in the layers of paint and marks. Compositional tensions arise through gestural marks juxtaposed next to carefully painted lines. Evidence of each layer is visible, revealing the painting’s journey. As the painting evolves I add and remove paint and turn the canvas to destabilise my process.
An interest in the passing of time is central to my work. Flowers are Memento Mori, they remind us of the ephemeral, fleeting nature of life. I think of painting as a time based medium, layers of paint are like timelines on a tree, each holding memories of marks and integral to the finished piece. For me painting is an ongoing conversation between past and present, an exploration of new forms from old imagery and narratives.
“My work intends to bring Latinx life into contemporary art by celebrating the culture and highlighting family values. The narrative shows interior domestic scenes surrounding tables. Bright colours and decorative patterns are very characteristic of my works; in my pictures, portraits are always in the foreground and close to the viewer. Intense brushwork provides unique character combined with flat backgrounds to highlights emotion.”

'Cats & Kids on Yellow', Jessica Alazraki, Oil on canvas, 109 x 165 cm
“Living on the coast I see our beaches, littered with plastic and rubbish. Beach cleans and picking up plastic waste goes hand in hand with the sea – yet within our bay, amongst the tangle of seaweed, plastic and detritus there is still beauty as this becomes the new normal. Although we know how bad the situation is, it is astonishing really the amount of plastic – the more you look, the more you see, until it just all becomes a jumble of colour and scrap.”

'Incoming', Sarah Bold, Oil & fluorescent paint on board, 23 x 30 x 3 cm
Portrait/Figure Category Award Winner
Anna McNeil
https://www.annamcneil.com
“In Les amoureux the bright contrasted colours and dynamic brush marks relate to the passionate embrace that is the theme of this painting. The two figures are locked together, the focus of intensity in the painting is on their connection and their bond is enhanced by the blocked in colour of the background that surrounds them and pushes them into one central form in the painting. My paintings consider themes of intimacy, unity, identity and the dynamics in human relationships.”

'Les amoureux', Anna McNeil, Oil on linen, 81 x 65 cm
“In my work, I always try to convey the feeling of the scene I am painting. Light and colour inspire me the most. No matter what subject I’m working on, I strive to capture the unique mood of the scene, keeping the painting as simple as possible so that unnecessary details don’t distract the viewer from absorbing the feeling of the scene.”

'Sleeping Sasha', Lena Rivo, Gouache, 16 x 20 cm
“I began this drawing at the end of 2020, scarred from a year of death, isolation, political divide, and social unrest — but also empowered with strength and hope for a brighter future. I finished the drawing on January 20th, 2021, the same day a new administration was sworn in as America’s new leaders. The image of this anemone is meant to represent the restoration of life and light as we begin to rebuild our health, communities, economies, and well-being in the coming years.”

'Revival', Megan Seiter, Coloured pencil on rising museum board, 38 x 36 cm
“For me, painting is a way of interacting with surroundings, and this is the best way for me than talking. I draw and paint instinctively, every day in any situation. I prefer oil paints for their plasticity and pasty brushstroke. Oil paints also allow you to use them to paint a picture for many sessions, or you can finish it right away depending on your mood. My paintings depict the ordinary life of the people I care about – my family and friends.”

'Purple dialogue', Sayan Baigaliyev, Oil on canvas, 90 x 230 cm
Abstract/Non-representational Category Award Winner
Rhiannon Inman-Simpson
https://rhiannoninmansimpson.com/
“My practice reflects on ideas surrounding bodily perception of place alongside the nature of painting itself. In my work I look at the differences in how we navigate, both physically and imaginatively, three distinct realms: the bodily experience of an environment, the pictorial space of a painting and the space of written language.”

'I cannot find my feet', Rhiannon Inman-Simpson, Oil on canvas, 60 x 70 cm
“I have returned to the pond of my childhood village. At the edge of a 70’s housing estate, surrounded by concrete, it was a place where dramas unfolded and friendships were lost. This large-scale watercolour is the backdrop for a courtship between two trees, animated through the act of painting.”

'Pond', Angelina Davis, Watercolour, ink, and gouache on paper, 154 x 220 cm
“My paintings are detailed and vibrant, often on a large scale they aim to reveal the hidden beauty of botanical subjects, exploring a view that isn’t seen with the naked eye. I find decaying subjects with flaws and imperfections more interesting than a perfect specimen, the process of ageing, wrinkles and fading beauty applied to the botanical world.”

'Thistledown', Vivienne Rew, Water-based medium on paper, 63 x 89 cm
JUDGES
All six of our expert judges are leading figures in the contemporary art world. Each judge will bring a unique perspective and opinion to the judging which will cultivate a varied selection of work that showcases the very best of the entrants.
Click to view profile


JULIETTE LOSQ
Contemporary Artist
https://www.losq.co.uk/Juliette Losq studied Fine Art at the University of the Arts London (2004-2007) and the Royal Academy Schools (2007-2010), as well as studying English and History of Art at Newnham College, Cambridge (1997-2000) and History of Art at the Courtauld Institute, London (2000-2001).
She won the Jerwood Drawing Prize in 2005, was one of five shortlisted artists for the John Moores Prize in 2014, receiving the Visitor’s Choice Award, and the John Ruskin Prize in 2019. She was elected to the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours in 2020.
Juliette Losq is included in The Newhall Women’s Art Collection, The Newnham College Art Collection, All Visual Arts and The Saatchi Collection and her work is exhibited in the UK and internationally.


KIMBERLY KLAUSS
Contemporary Artist
http://www.kimberlyklauss.com/Kimberly Klauss is an artist based in Munich and London.
In figurative paintings Kimberly questions the universal and specific experience of being a person among people, as well as the reliability of perception and portrayal.
She is particularly interested in misrepresentation of the self and others within figuration. Working from life and photographs and often with a limited palette, her paintings recall the approximation, omission and fabrication all parties bring to the act of viewing and portraying.
Kimberly’s work was introduced to a wider audience in 2017, when she was a finalist in Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year. During this year’s lockdown she revisited the experience, taking part in the virtual and live Portrait of the Week series.
Kimberly has a piece in the ING Discerning Eye annual exhibition, as well as paintings held in the Soho House, Villa Lena and Ruth Borchard Next Generation Collections.


GITA JOSHI
Curator & Art Dealer
https://thecuratorssalon.com/Gita Joshi is an independent curator, an award winning art dealer and the host of The Curator’s Salon – a podcast and website focussing on the art world with advice for early and mid career artists.
She has an art history background and trained in curating at Central St Martins before opening her own gallery, Orso Major, in Central London (2013-2016). Gita has produced artists open studio programs, worked with arts charities, organised open exhibitions, been a juror for art competitions and curated exhibitions in business spaces as well as within the gallery context.
She works as an artist coach supporting artists to establish their careers and paint their own profitable path. She has curated over 30 exhibitions and her first virtual exhibition opened in April 2020. Gita is the author of bestselling book, Show Your Art – How to build an art career without a Gallery.
She says “There are more artists than galleries could ever manage today. And if you are an artist, you are best positioned to show your art and reach an appreciative audience directly. Artists are the best advocates of their work and need to learn to become their own agents. The idea that you must have a gallery for any kind of success is an outdated one. Sadly this idea keeps artists stuck and unseen, when in fact the tools and resources to exhibit and sell their work is available to them right now.”


TABISH KHAN
Art Critic
https://www.instagram.com/londonartcritic/Tabish Khan is an art critic specialising in London’s art scene, covering contemporary and historical exhibitions. He visits and writes about hundreds of exhibitions a year covering everything from the major blockbusters to the emerging art scene.
Tabish has been visual arts editor for Londonist since 2013. Contributions include reviews, previews, news, experiences and opinion pieces.
He is also a regular contributor for FAD with weekly top exhibitions to see in London and a column called ‘What’s wrong with art’.
Tabish is a trustee of ArtCan, a non-profit arts organisation that supports artists through profile raising activities and exhibitions.


RUTH MURRAY
Artist and winner of Jackson’s Painting Prize 2020
https://www.ruthmurray.com/Ruth won the Jackson’s Painting Prize in 2020. Her paintings explore portraiture, identity, and the presence of human concerns in natural settings and the social landscape. The work is about her experience as a woman, and often features young female subjects painted at provocative scales. Alongside these subjects are unsettling elements like voyeurism, enigmatic behaviour, mangled iconography, and the spongy fungibility of matter.
Ruth’s most recent shows include ‘The Blue Hour’ at the Old Bank Residency in Manchester, ‘Second Nature’ at the Portico Library and ‘Good Morning, Midnight!’ at Elysium Gallery in Swansea. Other notable exhibitions and awards include Derek Hill Scholar at the British School at Rome, Northern Stars at the A Foundation, Saatchi’s 4 New Sensations, the BP Portrait Award, the Threadneedle Figurative Art Prize, the Contemporary British Painting Prize, and the Sheldon Bergh Award for her final show at the RCA.


ELIZABETH DELLERT
UK Affordable Art Fair Director
https://affordableartfair.com/Elizabeth’s career spans the full range of the art market. Since relocating from America to complete her masters at Christie’s, she’s helped to run a gallery in Mayfair; launched the art, antiques and design fair Masterpiece London; set up her own art PR consultancy; piloted Frieze Masters; and, most recently, joined the Affordable Art Fair in 2019.