(MASTER DEGREE) FINE ART STUDENT SHORTLISTED FOR BATSFORD PRIZE AWARDS 2018 8th May 2018
A prestigious event in the Fine Art worlds calendar, the Batsford Prize Awards recognises work that shows innovative and well-crafted interpretations of colour. The annual competition was supported by Pavilion books a thriving independent London- based publisher specialising in illustrated books for the UK and all international markets, including Batsford. They were founded in London in 1843.
Currently on her Master Degree of the Fine Art course, Megan Priestley appears in the 2018 Fine Art category with 7 other students, with her painting Untitled Nom. 2.
Each category winner received £500 along with a plaque. The 2 runner ups for each category received £50 worth of book vouchers for Batsford books along with a plaque also. The overall competition winner collected an additional £500 supported by Cass Art, Islington, London.
We caught up with Megan Priestley prior to the Awards event to find out how she’s feeling after the nomination, she said;
“I feel very excited to be able to take part in an award in London and feel very grateful that artists out there are interested in my work and want to support me with this opportunity!”
Untitled Nom. 2
“The work I submitted was in response to the theme given Craving Colour, the brief stated it wanted work that shows innovative and well- crafted interpretations of colour, in terms of subject or materials used, or a combination of the two”.
Supporting statement ‘Craving Colour’, Megan Priestley
“The supporting statement I submitted with the work is as follows;
My paintings derive from small drawings which are the beginning of my thought process. They focus on colour relationships and colour forms within a composition. I aim to paint from the unconscious mind and allow the paint to flow freely and naturally without the human consciousness interrupting and influencing decisions. Time spent on the small drawings reflect the time spent on the paintings, they feed and influence each other. I try to mimic the time spent on the drawings in the paintings. The painting includes gestural, bodily marks that suggest movement and travel across the canvas. I’m interested in the surface texture and quality of layering colours and also removing them to reveal the texture and colour beneath. It’s all about the application of mark alongside the placement of neighbouring colours and the acknowledgment of the vibrant, saturated hues on the surface of the canvas. My paintings are ambiguous in their reading and meaning, I want viewers to experience their own personal interpretation”.
This year’s winners were announced at the ceremony inside the Cass Art shop in Islington, London on the 8th May 2018.
For more information;
Batsford prize information page:
https://www.pavilionbooks.com/batsford-prize/
Cass Art news information archives:
https://www.cassart.co.uk/blog/archives
Untitled No.2 Megan Priestley, Masters in Fine Art, Arts University Bournemouth
