Art Exhibition
24 March – 1 April 2012
The Orangery, Holland Park

It is that time of year when we start thinking about the next year's Art Exhibition in The Orangery.

In the autumn newsletter reference was made to Andy Walker stepping down as organiser of the exhibition, and Gordon French taking over. This has taken place seamlessly due to Andy's first-class administration.

What an exciting time to take over the Art Exhibition. Next year is its 30th year and I hope the Friends are as excited as I am. What a milestone! All the normal arrangements and conditions will remain the same as in previous years – full details outlined below – but to celebrate the 30th anniversary the committee has agreed to run, in parallel with the main exhibition, a Young Painters Competition.

Young painters in the borough, of ages 10 to 18, will be invited to enter one A4 work per person, in any medium, but the subject must be Holland Park. A separate judging panel will nominate one winner, two runners-up and nine highly-commended works, giving us twelve prize-winners. The twelve paintings will be displayed on a special wall in the Orangery and prizes will be art supplies of various values. The committee believes it is an important development in introducing young painters to Holland Park and we hope that they might become future Friends. Full details and information of this competition will be available soon.

Now to the main exhibition. Conditions of entry remain unchanged. Click for full details. Friends who are artists and artists who become Friends are invited to exhibit up to ten works: two framed works for hanging on the walls and up to eight unframed works for display in the portfolio stands, with a maximum size of 70 x 100cm (including mounts). Friends are also invited to exhibit up to ten three-dimensional objects such as ceramics, glassware and small sculptures. The Mini-Mart of small works on offer at £40 and under, including cards and craft items, will also be repeated. Click for details.

Friends interested in exhibiting in the Art Exhibition, either in the main exhibition or the Mini-Mart, need to register by filling in the order form and pay the £10 entry fee. Please note that artists who have registered for the main exhibition may also include small works in the Mini-Mart at no additional cost. Completed forms should be sent to Rhoddy Wood as soon as possible because space is limited, and when enough artists have registered we cannot accept any more. Further information on the Art Exhibition is available directly from Gordon French at gordon.l.french@gmail.com

The Poster Competition will also be repeated and entries must be with Gordon French by 17 February 2012. The objective of the poster is to publicise the Art Exhibition with something that is both eye-catching and informative. While there is no 'prize' for the chosen poster the design will be reproduced both in colour and in black and white and will benefit from maximum exposure, displayed throughout Holland Park as well as in local shops, cafés and restaurants. It will be printed on the cover of the exhibition catalogue, and copies will be available for sale at the exhibition. Click for a full briefing.

We hope next year will be the biggest and best exhibition to celebrate 30 years. Encourage your friends to come along, it is so worthwhile. We want to raise funds for The Friends of Holland Park, gain favourable publicity and attract new members, but most of all we want your participation as artists and art-lovers, so do register now.

[Winter 2011]

Sunshine and the change of clocks to summer time can only have a positive effect on an exhibition in the Orangery and indeed it went very well this year. We received many interesting and appreciative comments on the works and also on the display, which we could not have achieved without Alison Beckett, helped by Joanna Irvin. Isabel Langtry acted once again as judge for the exhibition and we are extremely grateful to her for considering so carefully the choice of winners of the various prizes and commendations. Thirty-five artists sold works for £5,099 this year, giving The Friends a net profit of about £2,000. We would like to thank all our loyal supporters but most of all, of course, the artists, those who have exhibited with us before and those who have joined us for the first time this year.

We are very grateful to the trustees who acted as stewards, and to all the artist volunteers who assisted them. A big thank you to Nigel Brockmann for organising the stewarding so efficiently, and to all the trustees who helped with the checking in and out on receiving and collecting days. We much appreciate all those who helped in setting up the exhibition, especially our chairman Nicholas Hopkins, and those who climbed ladders and carried out other important tasks.

The mini-market was a great success, not only in sales but also in enticing people into the Orangery to see what was going on. Very many thanks to our secretary Rhoddy Wood for organising this, and to the artists who took part so enthusiastically. As usual we would also like to thank Rhoddy for her work with the artists' cards which so enhance the exhibition. We also appreciate the help we received in displaying posters or flyers in shops, restaurants and other public places. The poster designed by Catherine Bajour received much commendation, and several copies were sold.

Our picture shows a surprise visitor, the Mayor, Councillor James Husband, with (L-R) Tony Walker, Catherine Bajour, Joy Puritz and Andy Walker.

Outstanding portraits, humorous sculpture and stunning landscapes combined with pictures of peacocks and flowers and a wealth of other art work made the exhibition a total delight.

Joan Fiddes Dalley's portrait of "Irene Raphael at 100 years young" was a triumph. Marika Eversfield showed great sensitivity in depicting her sitter George, as did Patrick Killery in painting Anabela Cecelio, while Eugenia Killery's colourful portraits of a Spanish girl and another in a red dress were enchanting. A magnificent painting of African big cats by Jeanette Carr contrasted with the exhibition's more traditional peacocks, among which Dorota Hrycak's example in stained glass was particularly fine. The wild fowl on ice captured on camera by Joan Bovarnick were charming, and Krystyna Dankiewicz's depiction of a bird in a Holland Park snow scene was reminiscent of Monet. Jennifer Bush's pastel "Shadows of London" had a hint of Monet too. Ann Kopka, on the other hand, was inspired to boldness and success by the tropical nature of Kew Gardens, and Manuela Gardner's passion for flowers was the basis for some spectacular jewellery. A black and white photograph of "Spring Blossom" by Isher Dhiman was a joy, and the same exhibitor brought another smile with a snap of nuns going shopping.

Humour was to the fore among the sculptures and pottery, not least Elzbieta Stanhope's sprouting head jardinières and John Schetrumpf's "Nude one-legged hermaphrodite tap dancer" in which plumbing was surreally transformed into art. Meanwhile, Hazel Leach's stoneware saki pot had such a wondrous handle that it demanded to be picked up and used.

Hazel Fennell once again led the way in abstract painting with her "Gala memories". The most intriguing architectural picture was Julian St Leger's vision of Penzance Place, and some of the most attractive scenes were "Servies café" by Janet Scott, and Elizabeta Chojak-Mysko's happy watercolour of a beach. A number of landscapes, however, were especially accomplished: Joanna Irvin's "Under the arch" was a masterful view of a river flowing beneath a country bridge; Wendy Mackenzie's "Open road – Route 66", with its vast expanse of sky, shouted freedom to the heavens, and Brenda Sakoui's dark silhouettes of trees at dusk captured a power truly magical.

It was a pleasure to judge this year's art exhibition. The range of media and materials on display gave me a lovely opportunity to have a close look at etchings, photographs, cast and cut glass, carving, painting, mixed media, bronze, ceramics, drawings and decorative jewellery, which formed the rich, varied mix of art works in this year's exhibition.

Those selected for prizes and highly commended reflected this broad range. Bob Barling's work, invites us into a personal vision of a world he lived through in the early 20th century; the work is beautifully executed and thought provoking, combining descriptive rhyme with evocative painting, sharing great humour and huge humility of a world now gone. There was the remarkable energy of Ganbaatar Choimbol, whose horse paintings continue to resonate in my mind, as do the sewn art works made by Marianne Moore. Many others had a special mention at the awards evening. I look forward to seeing your new work alongside new submitters next year.

After studying all the works closely, I make a selection of twenty outstanding pieces, then ten and finally five, from the range of disciplines on offer. This is very difficult and takes time. I was particularly pleased to have such high-quality drawing to choose from, and the Show Prize was awarded to Leigh Glover for a piece sited in the central folders. Drawing is the very essence from which humans begin the unravelling process of their felt response to the world, possibly the most valuable tool at the artist's disposal.

Special thanks go to those of you who buy the works: without you there would be no commercial partnership, and this gives the event a special buzz as well as making an important contribution to the excellent work of The Friends of Holland Park.
Isabel H. Langtry, Art Judge

Show Prize:
Leigh Glover, no. 21.4 "Holland Park woodlands"
Highly Commended in 2D:
Mary Romer Greenfield, no. 67.1 "Arc en ciel"
Highly Commended in 2D:
Joan Fiddes Dalley, no. 19.1 "Irene Raphael at 100 years young"
Highly Commended in 3D:
Patricia Collins, no. 11.3 "Sibling Rivalry"
Highly Commended in 3D:
Hazel Leach no. 37.3 "Bowl with holes"

Isabel H. Langtry is the new principal of Hampstead School of Art.
Her e-mail address: hsanw3@aol.com

Art Exhibition Timetable

Friends who are artists and artists who become Friends are invited to exhibit.

Administration

Fri 17 February. Entries for the poster competition must be with Gordon French

Sat 3 March. Last date for receipt of exhibits details form to allow listing in catalogue
5 free preview tickets sent to each artist if we have been informed of date preference

Fri 23 March 9am-12 noon. Artists deliver work to The Orangery, Holland Park
Artists will be required to sign the catalogue to certify that the details shown are correct

Fri 23 March 12 noon-6pm. Works hung/displayed

Sun 1 April 6.30-7.30pm. Buyers collect sold works/artists collect unsold works

Mon 2 April 9-11am. Buyers collect sold works/artists collect unsold works

Artists are particularly asked
NOT TO COLLECT THEIR WORKS BEFORE 6.30pm ON SUNDAY 1 April
as this would spoil the exhibition for others, and to
ENSURE THAT ALL WORKS ARE COLLECTED BY 11am, MONDAY 2 April

Exhibition Opening Times

Private Views

Sat 24 March    10.30-12.30pm. Private View, entry by ticket at £3
Mon 26 March  7.30 -9.30pm.    Private View, entry by ticket at £3 
Artists are entitled to 5 free tickets between the two private views, to be ordered on the exhibits details form

Open to the Public

Free of Charge

Sat 24 March 1 – 6pm
Sun 25 March– Sun 1 April  10.30am – 6.30pm

The AGM of The Friends of Holland Park will be held on Wednesday 28 March at 7.30pm

Enquiries to: Gordon French, 19 Kensington Court Place, London W8 5BJ
0207 9377222 gordon.l.french@gmail.com