Early in 2020, the Dublin Painting and Sketching Club received 134 paintings for the 5th edition of its Open Submission process. 20 were selected to hang with the work of Club members in the 142nd Annual Exhibition, scheduled for March at One Windmill Lane. There, on Opening Day, we would announce the winner of our inaugural Open Submission Award.
However, the Covid virus intervened – and after that, our only possibility of holding an Exhibition was to go online. Happily, thousands of “virtual visitors” have come to see the show – and we hope that thousands more will do so before the close on October 31st.
The DPSC has had a long-standing ambition to present an award for upcoming artists. We always intended to make the prize giving a high-profile event. Now, as an added disappointment, we can only name our prize winner online.
Naoise Sheridan, Sisters.
The Jury was very impressed by the five finalists’ standard of work. In the end, Naoise Sheridan’s painting “Sisters” was selected as the prize winner.
The Judges praised the confidence displayed in the piece. It is an ambitious concept, imaginatively realised, through a strong sense of design and sophisticated skills in drawing and painting.They also remarked that Naoise displays awareness of what is going on in the wider world of Contemporary Art. She confirmed this impression with the second, larger work she submitted.
The DP&SC is pleased and proud that, on the first occasion of presenting our Award, we have found such a bold, exciting image created by a talented young artist at the start of her career.