The Royal Society of Marine Painters Annual Open Exhibition, 2015

Windy towards Polzeath and Padstow in View at the Royal Society of Marine Painters Annual Open Exhibition, 2015 , Mall Galleries
The Royal Society of Marine Painters Annual Open Exhibition
Mall Galleries, London
14-25th October, 2015
My first ever entry into an Open Exhibition in November 2014 left me broadsided. Seemingly, quite by accident, I succeeded in getting a small painting accepted into the New English Art Club Annual Open Exhibition, 2015 at the Mall Galleries.
The evening was overwhelming due to my excitement, nerves and shyness and I failed to take in at the time, every wonderful aspect of the Private view. The NEAC has a admirable membership of lovely very talented artists , so the brilliant evening left me rather puzzled as to how I had managed to get a painting in. Maybe that is normal for a first timer.
So it was with loins girded that I went to the Private View of the RSMA at the Mall Galleries in London again yesterday. This time I was delighted to have two paintings selected and was taken with how warm, friendly and welcoming the atmosphere was. This was partly due to the infectious enthusiasm and generosity of spirit so evident in the President, Elizabeth Smith’s speech. After mentioning that this had been a record year for submissions,she then positively encouraged new exhibitors to accost her afterwards which I duly did. She was so kind and supportive that I left the Mall Galleries as if floating on air. Why wouldn’t you enter an Open Exhibition when you come away feeling so elated?
The Prize winners were a worthy lot with extremely high standard of works that won awards ,congratulations to them all.
It really was a strong show with many paintings stopping me in my tracks to gaze and try to fathom how they had been achieved. At one point during his speech, Sir Robin Knox -Johnston mentioned one painting of a wave that he couldn’t possibly have on his wall as it was so evocative of the real thing, it would have given him nightmares!
The reason I haven’t included loads of pics was due to my overwhelming self consciousness at my overzealous photographing of eveything as it was all of such high quality. Plus the excitement had got to me. I needed to get a grip , so I apologise to those not included as result. Here is a very small selection of those works that took my fancy before I exerted a bit of self control.