Elated to Exhibit at the SWA 164th Annual Open Exhibition!

What a whirlwind! I’m absolutely over the moon to have exhibited (as a non-member!) at the Society of Women Artist's 164th Annual Open Exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London this July. It’s such a prestigious event, and being a part of it felt like a dream come true. Especially when I found out there were over 3,000 submissions and only around 450 artworks were selected! It’s often said that artists aren’t accepted on their first go, so to have made it in this year—my first try—left me completely gobsmacked!

One artist who completely stole my admiration was Anne Blankson-Hemans—her work is powerful, emotive and stunning. (Seriously, check her out on Facebook—you won’t regret it!). Another artist I adored was Laura Arenson, a portrait artist whose entry had my daughter and me totally captivated. As we stood admiring her piece, she turned to us and asked if we’d take a photo of her with her artwork! Such a lovely, down-to-earth moment, and a real honour to meet her. Her style and brilliance is something I truly aspire to recreate in my own work. Check out her work www.lauraarenson.com

I was a little disappointed that HRH Princess Michael of Kent, the Society’s patron, wasn’t able to attend—especially as I’d been looking forward to the possibility of seeing her. But we were in the middle of a heatwave, and she wasn’t feeling her best, so totally understandable. That said, she did send her lady-in-waiting in her place, which added a real touch of elegance to the occasion—so all was not lost!

One of the highlights was attending the awards ceremony. It was a fantastic, rewarding experience to meet and chat with some incredible women artists.

The whole experience has left me totally inspired—I’ll definitely be submitting again next year. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for reading,

Mo x