On 2 February 2025, I received confirmation of my election into the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers in the UK (known as RE Printmakers), as an Associate Member. This is a huge honour and a milestone in my art career.
This election was made after I submitted an application for election in November last year, and was informed that I had been shortlisted mid December 2024. Each shortlisted artist was invited to present a portfolio of their work in the first weekend of February, in London. Since I am based in Cape Town, and couldn't justify a trip to the UK to present my portfolio, I put together eight woodcuts and a hand stitched journal of process notes on each piece, which I boxed in a custom flat crate and shipped to London in January.
This portfolio was opened up and carefully considered by the Council of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, meeting at Bankside Gallery in London. Based on my work and submission, a decision was made to accept my application, along with 10 other printmakers, predominantly from the UK, but also a few from other countries.
My woodcut “Suspended thoughts” 2022 was selected for inclusion in the historic RE Diploma Collection (which includes a work by almost every RE Member since the Society’s inception in 1880). This public collection is available to view at its home in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford - my first public collection in the UK.
The letters ARE after my name are considered to be a marker of a certain level of skill and excellence in printmaking circles, and although recognised primarily in the UK, it is also understood by galleries and artists specialising in printmaking, worldwide.
This hopefully means I will have more opportunity to exhibit here in South Africa, in the UK and generally abroad, and for all collectors, affirms the value and skill level of my work. Hopefully, it will open some new doors.
Read more about the election of members into the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers here. Their website also provides technical information about printmaking, exhibitions, member artists and the Print Collectors Club.
