RCA Secret Blog Interview

Well it’s that time of year again and the RCA Secret postcard show is almost upon us. It seems to come round faster every year and as usual I only just made the deadline for getting my cards into the show. This year, because of other mounting arty-farty commitments, I left things a bit late and was working on my six entries (three cards as Wayne Chisnall and three as Chig, the name I used to illustrate under and the one I'm more commonly known by back home) up until 3AM the night before the last handing-in day.

For anyone that fancies finding out what I and a few of the other regular contributors the RCA Secret think about the show please feel free to check out our interviews on the RCA Secret blog.

Here are a couple of my entries from last year’s RCA Secret show.

This one, Werecrow, under the name Chig…

And this one as Wayne Chisnall.

Calling All Artists

If there are any artists out there who would like to put their talents to good use and help out the Oli Bennett Charitable Trust by creating one or more postcard sized pieces of artwork then please check out the details below.

I’ve just started working on my cards and here’s my first one. As you can see this pencil sketch bares a startling resemblance to one of my Orifice Box sculptures – although this one seems to be spawning or something (don’t ask me what it means – I only drew it). I’ll wait until after the sale before I post images of the rest – it supposed to be anonymous after all.

The Oli Bennett Charitable Trust (Registered Charity number: 1090861) is asking for donations of artwork for an anonymous postcard art show which will be held on 20 June 2011.

Oli Bennett was a young man killed in the 9/11 world trade centre attack. The charity is set up in his name to provide funding and grants for young people with business ideas, many of who are from an underprivileged background. It operates in a similar way to the Prince’s Trust. The fund has helped a wide variety of young people in the past set up businesses as wide ranging as wood recycling, sports coaching, fashion designing, jewellery making, ceramics, Car valeting, cake making etc.

The sale will be along very similar lines to the Royal College of Art secret postcard show RCA Secret.

Artists are asked to create postcard sized works of art in any media. They will be exhibited online for a week and then sold on the evening of the event for the sum of £20 each. The twist is that the artist signs the postcard on the back so the buyer doesn't know whose artwork they have got until they buy the card and then turn it over. All proceeds from the sale will go directly to the charity.

Any artists who would like to help by designing one or more postcards for the sale would be much appreciated. Please email your postal address to: olipostcards@btinternet.com

We will then get some cards sent off to you. The deadline for returning the cards is 1 June 2011.

If you would like to come to sale you would be very welcome, it will be on 20 June 2011 at Westminster School in central London. If you’d like to come let us know and we will send you more details. Thank you so much for your help.

RCA Secret Artists Party

Yesterday saw the public opening of RCA Secret 2010, the Royal College of Art’s annual exhibition of thousands of original postcard-sized artworks – the sale of which go to help the college’s students. Every year, as a thank you to all the artists who contribute, the RCA throws an opening party. Here are a few photos from that party.

 

This fantastic character, Peter, has been exhibiting at RCA Secret since it began.

Ooh - I can see one of my cards here.

RCA Secret Time Again

Well it’s that time of year again – the RCA Secret 2010 show is almost upon us. This year I have entered four pieces as Wayne Chisnall and two pieces as Chig (the name that most friends have known me by since I was ten or eleven). To give you a clue as to which ones in the exhibition are mine, I can tell you that four are pencil drawings and two are black biro drawings. What do you mean ‘those are crap clues’? OK then – here’s a big clue. Two of them relate to the latest set of sculptures that I’ve been working on (see earlier posts). And here’s an even bigger clue – one of the drawings relates to last year’s ‘Love Is’ card.

To anyone that doesn’t know about The Royal College of Art’s annual RCA Secret postcard show, here’s the info (lifted direct from their website – cos I’m too slack to type it out myself) –

RCA Secret is a unique annual exhibition and sale of original postcard-sized art, made by professional artists, designers and illustrators, plus current postgraduate students at the Royal College of Art.

THE SECRET
The postcards are displayed anonymously and are signed on the reverse, so that the artist remains a secret until after the cards are purchased and their signature is revealed on the back.

THE ARTISTS
Over 1,000 artists have donated work to RCA Secret this year, including Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, Yoko Ono, Jake Chapman, Olafur Eliasson, Yinka Shonibare, Sir Peter Blake, John Baldessari, fashion designers Manolo Blahnik, Mary Quant and Sir Paul Smith, animator Nick Park, photographer David Bailey, film maker Mike Leigh and designers Ron Arad and James Dyson, as well as up-and-coming students and graduates from the Royal College of Art.

THE EXHIBITION
The exhibition opens on Friday 12 November, then from Sunday 14 November until Friday 19 November, 11am-6pm, with a late opening on Thursday 18 November until 9pm. Please note we are CLOSED on Saturday 13 November due to Government security restrictions for the Festival of Remembrance. Free Admission. The postcards will also be available for viewing on this website from Friday 12 November.

THE SALE
The cards are sold to the public at a one-day sale on Saturday 20 November, from 8am-6pm. Each postcard costs £45 and a maximum of four cards may be purchased per person. Postcards will only be available to purchase in person at the sale. It is recommended that you prepare a list of cards in advance, as the exhibition will not be open for viewing on the day of the sale.
You must have a Collector's Number to purchase a card. Click here to register.

THE RAFFLE
There is a raffle for a chance to win a place in the first fifty people at the front of the sale queue. Raffle tickets will be on sale at the exhibition (with a maximum of 10 tickets per person) until an hour before closing on each day.

WHERE WE ARE
Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU
Tube: South Kensington/High Street Kensington
Buses: 9, 10, 52, 452