Some of you may know by now that I took competed at Art Battle in London last month--and won the prize!
For those of you who don't know, Art Battle is a speed painting competition held internationally, in which artists must paint a picture within 20 minutes. The winner is chosen by votes from the audience. The works are put up for a silent auction during the event, so whether an artist wins or not, there is always the chance of earning some cash. (50% of the price, in case you're wondering.)
I like a good challenge, and it sounded like fun. I'd always loved watching shows like Iron Chef, (esp. the Japanese one;-) and wondered what it was like to compete in something like that. So I thought I'd give it a try.
First Art Battle - 2023
I first competed at Art Battle last year in September. I remember thinking that 4 hours was short for Landscape Artist of the Year; that now seemed luxurious by comparison with 20 minutes..!
I practised at home with oils, but finally decided that oils weren't going to work in such a short time, so I switched to acrylics.
However, even up to the time I arrived at the venue, I couldn't decide on what to paint, and backstage I got so nervous that my hands were shaking! Finally I decided to go with a familiar subject: a horse.
This relaxed me, and my picture came out pretty well. I didn't make it to the final round, but I sold the painting at the auction, so that was something. And a lot of people came up to me to tell me they liked my work, which was nice.
Take 2
I applied again this year, and again was one of the 12 invited to participate. This time I chose a theme beforehand, so that I wouldn't be so tense! As I had been working on a dancer series lately, I thought I'd do a dancer for the first one, and then a landscape if I made it through to the next round.
In the days leading up to the show, I practised hard, working on finding a halfway point between keeping the composition simple enough to do quickly while still making it interesting. I also had to find ways of cutting down the layers, aiming to get both background and lighting effects done almost at the same time, so that the rest was details. It really requires a change in mindset...!
Competition Time!
The event felt bigger this time. In the run up to the day, we were encouraged to promote ourselves with a short video (scroll down if you want to see it ;-); the venue was bigger, and once it got going, the crowd was certainly bigger than before.
The Setup
It was a great relief to me that we were allowed to prepare our palettes before the clock started, as this saved a lot of time.
I could feel a lot of people around me, though I was too focused on painting to pay much attention. I was glad to have two of my friends there for support.
My hand did shake a little in the first round, but more from adrenaline than nerves!
Of course I could've done more with it (perhaps I shall some other time...) but for 20 minutes, it wasn't bad. Many people came up to tell me that they liked it, which was quite warming. I think that that was the best part: seeing people's reactions to my work, and seeing they enjoyed it. :-)
After the second round of artists competed, the final four, two from each round, were chosen-- and I was one of them!
Despite the pressure, I was more relaxed this round; even making it to the final round was a win, and I was confident in what I was going to do.
If anyone reading this is thinking of giving it a go, I cannot stress enough how important it is to Practise timing and techniques beforehand so you have a feel for what 20 minutes is like. Don't assume you can "wing it"! (Unless of course, you've been practising winging it!)
At last, the countdown to the final seconds ended, we were done, and we had a breather while the final votes were counted.
Hearing my name called out was an amazing moment! It was made more special by the presence of my two friends. While applause is pleasing, it makes a difference when you know at least one person out there (in this case two) is some one you know.
In addition, I won the £200 voucher for AFC Canvases, the company sponsoring the event, and both of my paintings sold in the auction--one, the ballerina, to the mother of the show hostess. It was her first time purchasing a painting.
And it's not over just yet--there will be a final competition at the end of the year, so stay tuned, I will be coming back for more ;-)
That's all for now,
Catch you later!
Dominique Densmore
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