The RWS home at Bankside Gallery is sadly temporarily closed due to government restrictions and so this exhibition will take place online. As with all RWS exhibitions all artworks are original paintings and available to browse and buy, and in this particular circumstance, will be delivered by the artist directly to your door.
I have two works in the show. You can find them under Dale Lewis’s selection.
For the first time this year the ING Discerning Eye exhibition is being held online. A virtual gallery of the works selected this year is live online where you can view and buy this year’s works
‘the largest and most prestigious prize for contemporary watercolour painting in the UK. Over the past 33 years it has attracted entries from artists working in abstract, figurative, contemporary or traditional subject matter, with the aim of celebrating and redefining the beauty and diversity of all water-based media.
The 2020 competition received over 1600 entries from artists around the world. Approximately 80 works have been selected by a panel of leading figures from the art world which includes Gill Saunders, Senior Curator at the V&A, artists Ishbel Myerscough and Paul Newland NEAC RWS, Louis Wise, critic and writer for The Sunday Times and Tara McKinney Marinus, Visual Arts Exhibitions Manager at Hampshire Cultural Trust.
The judges look for work that makes the most imaginative or impressive use of a water-based medium. This year saw a number of topical themes and the judges commended artists’ creativity and resourcefulness in finding inspiration in the ordinary and recording the current global challenges in original ways. The exhibition truly celebrates the vibrancy of the contemporary artistic community with something to appeal to everyone.’
‘This latest display of artworks by the Royal Watercolour Society will delve into the challenges encountered by each artist during the Coronavirus lockdown. These extraordinary circumstances have meant that many artists have not been able to create in their usual media, and so for one time only we are excited to deliver an exhibition of Royal Watercolour Society artists, in all media.’
Bather by the River, Bangkok, watercolour 2020.
I have four works in the show. These are from a group of works that were languishing unfinished in my studio. Under a lockdown spring-clean I felt it was time to finish them.
‘Gallagher & Turner was established in Newcastle in 1990, and has since become a staple of the North East’s remarkably vibrant art scene. Previously based in the historic St. Thomas Street workshops, a former stables for the Deuchar’s Breweries, the new gallery on St Mary’s Place was opened in early 2016, directly opposite the famous Civic Centre. This year represents the 30th anniversary of the partnership.’
GALLAGHER & TURNER 30th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION 20th August – 26th September 2020
‘Starting an art collection? Look no further than the Bankside Gallery Summer Exhibition, Summer at Bankside Gallery. All artworks are original pieces by contemporary painters and printmakers of the Royal Watercolour Society and Royal Society of Painter Printmakers. Curate your ideal collection combining a variety of media and styles to complement your living space.’
Above: Rouen Bookshop, 2020. Watercolour on paper.
The 194th Annual Exhibition of the Royal Scottish Academy is online only this year. Find it here.
‘The exhibition is available to view entirely online, with accompanying detailed commentary from exhibiting artists. The RSA Annual Exhibition is the most extensive exhibition of contemporary art and architecture in Scotland. Having been a mainstay of the academy’s calendar since its inception 193 years ago, the Annual Exhibition has evolved over the years, providing a platform for Scottish art alongside international artists, often including topical or political elements, to give an uncensored, independent voice to artists. ‘
The 194th Annual Exhibition of the Royal Scottish Academy is online only this year. 
Peter Quinn RWS 