The main Annual Exhibition of Leicester Society of Artists has been held at New Walk Museum & Art Gallery since 1898. In 2010, the celebratory 125th year, the chain of exhibitions has continued from the reign of Queen Victoria. The Society now has 105 members who exhibit in a range of media and styles from traditional to contemporary.
Always a stimulating and creative show, the 125th Annual Exhibition includes many disciplines from sculpture to paintings, embroidered mixed media pieces, artists’ prints, drawings and woodcarvings.
Prizes in 2010 were selected by John Devane, Head of the Department of Visual and Applied Arts at Coventry University, shown below with comments kindly supplied by John Devane.
George Pickard Prize
Henrietta Corbett, 'Straight across the Land'
Henrietta Corbett, 'Straight across the Land', mixed media
"There is a subtle interplay of tone and surface in this work. I am intrigued by the tension between chance and control and by the connection between the ground and the floating, abstract form."
Guy Dixon Prize
Andrew Jackson, The Barber, Lukla
Andrew Jackson, The Barber, Lukla. pencil on paper
"This is perhaps the most intense and ambitious work in the exhibition. The interlocking images - real, reflected, and those which adorn the walls of the shop - work together to produce a memorable and arresting image."
Society Prize
John Lockwood, Bella
John Lockwood, Bella, bronze
"This is a quiet work in some ways, but it is also a beautifully realised form, which works well from many vantage points. The transformation of the body into sculptural mass is very successful."
Ellis Prize
Geoffrey Beasley, Sarah
Geoffrey Beasley, Sarah, pastel on paper
"This is a very arresting image, which has a real sense of connection with the viewer; It is a powerful work."
Henton Prize
Glen Heath, All that Glisters 1 & 2
Glen Heath, All that Glisters 1 & 2, mixed media
"These two paintings have a jewel-like, luminous quality. They invoke vegetation and figuration and are both ambiguous and mysterious."
See more images from LSA Annual Exhibition 2010 below