The Royal Academy Summer Show...

It's been about 5 weeks since I left my 'proper job', and since then life has been a flurry of business plans, lists of goals and lots of talk about what I'm 'going' to do. In order to sell my work, I need to make some. In order to make some, I need money. In order to get money, I need to sell some work.... It's time to stop thinking and start doing; in the immortal words of Mark from Peepshow, lets strap on the nosebag and eat some serious work.

The first big item on my exciting new agenda is the RA summer show - possibly the best exhibition an emerging artist such as myself can get involved in. Every year the Royal Academy (in London) invite artists and architects  to submit their work for consideration, and the lucky chosen folk get their masterpieces displayed in a beautiful show which runs between June and August. I have always loved the concept of the RA summer show, and admired the shows themselves when I have had a chance to visit, but this is the first year I have decided to apply.

Trying to create the work was far more difficult than expected. I had to submit two pieces, and had about 4 weeks to come up with them. When first sitting down to draw out my ideas, I found myself looking at my creative talents through the eyes of the most critical and cynical judge imaginable. Every idea was scrapped, every skill I thought I had was picked apart by niggling doubts and worries of bored sighs.

Eventually, having changed my mind about sizes, styles and themes I eventually settled on entering a piece I made about a year ago. Although simple in it's construction, it was one of the first works I made using a scalpel (now my artistic tool of choice), and I have always loved it's optimism and springlike colours. 'Dear Florrie', which is named after the recipient of the postcard it is made from, is entry number one.

'Dear Florrie', deconstructed postcard collage, Rosie Scott- Massie 2010.

Submitting an 'old' piece of work had not been part of my original plan, and having made the choice to include 'Florrie', I now felt I definitely needed something new to go with it. I was recently introduced to the beautiful work of Kate Slater - a papercut/collage artist and children's book illustrator, who uses recycled papers to crate unusual textures in her work. Taking inspiration from her work, I spent days layering old envelopes and maps in different ways to achieve a dramatic, stormy sea and sky.

As with much of my work, I wasn't convinced about the success of this one right up until it'd completion, but I have to say that I'm pretty happy with it now.
'Swallowed by the Sea' is entry two...

'Swallowed by the Sea' (with details), maps, envelopes, postcards, paper, gouache. Rosie Scott-Massie 2011.

The application form has been sent, and the pieces are ready to be taken down to london at the end of March. Fingers crossed the RA judging panel will like them too. I'll let you know.

Rosie