Membership
Membership Selection
The Folio Selection Committee usually meets each year (except no new selections will take place in 2024). Provisional bookings for selection will resume from October 2024 for the Folio Selection meeting in January 2025.
If you wish to have more information or you are unsure about whether your artwork would fit within the Society, please get in touch for advice before confirming your application.
Pre-selection guidance is below.
Portfolio Guidelines
Applications for membership will be considered on the basis of the work submitted.
Applicants may include an Artist’s Statement if they feel that there are aspects of their approach or their use of medium which they particularly want to emphasise.
They may also include sketch books or working notes where they feel these help to show how their final work develops.
Applications may be in any medium.
4-6 pieces of finished work.
2-4 of the pieces should be framed or presented as you would present for an exhibition. Failure to do this may preclude your work from assessment.
Artists may also submit a C.V. However it must be emphasised that this will not form part of the application and will not be taken into account by the Selection Committee in making a decision. It is intended only to help the Committee understand the background of artists once a selection decision has been made.
The Selection Committee look to see if the work is technically assured, demonstrates confidence in the way the chosen medium has been used and if the work offers distinctiveness and originality.
3D Work
Small pieces of 3D may accompany the portfolio submission or, if too difficult to transport, we suggest that the original
submission be in the form of photographs with accompanying drawings or maquettes.
Submission Procedure
Portfolio and work should be delivered to the venue (varies) at 10am on the viewing date and collected on the same day between 1 and 2pm. Delivery and collection will be the responsibility of the Candidate. The day may be split into two sessions for a large number of applicants.
The portfolio and all contents must be adequately labelled with your name, telephone number, email and postal addresses.
Insurance for any loss or damage must be the Candidates responsibility.
Candidates will be notified of the result by email or post as soon as possible afterwards. A brief feedback guidance will be in the letter but any further formal feedback or criticism cannot be undertaken later by the selection committee. Candidates are advised to consider before applying if their artwork fits within the Society before making a definite booking.
Next Available Date
The January 2023 portfolio selection provisional bookings have now closed and 2024 will be a gap year. Applications will resume in 2025.
Preliminary enquiries regarding the submission process are welcome beforehand by emailing the Membership Secretary.
We will do our best to guide you before you make a definite commitment to submit your portfolio. However, the Selection Committee will make a decision on the day.
Please remember, any application granted Membership does not automatically include your artwork in an LAS Exhibition. Each Exhibition has a submission and selection process for every Member.
Membership Secretary
Karin Christensen
Pre-selection guidance…
These notes are about helping you to prepare and present your Portfolio.
Volunteers on the LAS selection committee treat all applications respectfully, each one is thoroughly reviewed and discussed. The process is about assessing and locating sound professional qualities. The guidelines clearly state these qualities.
The selection committee look to see if the work is technically assured, demonstrates confidence in the way the chosen medium has been used and if the work offers distinctiveness and originality.
Below are three aspects of preparing your LAS membership application portfolio…
1/Presentation. 4-6 pieces of finished work.
Two pieces should be framed or presented as you would for an exhibition.
It is important that you demonstrate your own powers of selection. The application portfolio may show several items, but the ones that you’ve chosen which you feel reflect exhibition quality are key. You are making an important distinction. What did you choose?
The supporting work is useful, it provides insight, in terms of ideas management and artistic development. It also shows how you filter your interests, sources of inspiration and methods.
The thought and attention you have given to the mode of display and finish counts too. The portfolio represents your creative agenda, where you are now, but also your potential. How do you feel about the finish of your work?
2/Language
Work that is technically assured and demonstrates confidence in the way the chosen medium has been used. How long have you been using your current visual language – is it something recent or more established?
It can take some time to ‘marry’ your intentions with your medium. Your command of your chosen language is key. How confident do you feel about your skills? What stage are you at with the aforementioned, in terms of resolution?
Do you experiment enough and then take time to evaluate and refine before more work?
Do you make samples and try different approaches – then make really informed choices? The random can be useful, but at some point you still have to think about it and what might happen next. Some of this work shouldn’t necessarily be ‘in’ your application although many applicants include some of it, but it can certainly inform your major pieces.
3/Subject matter and content
The work offers distinctiveness and originality. What is your artwork about?
Is your chosen imagery/form revealing what your work is about – what is it communicating?
Sometimes there can be gap here. It is a challenge which is central to good quality art practice. Are you doing your aims/ideas justice?
How well do you understand your motivation and sense of identity and agency as an artist? Have a think…
Now, explore the following..
What does calling yourself an artist mean to you?
What does further development mean to you?
How do you usually improve your practice and solve a problem? Are there problems? How do you gauge successful resolution – when is something finished for you?
How much time are you spending on your work and on the different stages it involves?
If you are self taught how are you managing this learning process?
If you have been formally taught, what was most useful to take forward, in terms of artistic progress? What did you learn about your creative self?
Final thoughts...
Look at your work as though it isn’t yours. It’s challenging – creative practice is very personal. Artists frequently use instinctive and intuitive impulses in their endeavours.
But, trying to be really objective about something that is very subjective can also, on occasion be incredibly useful too.
Seek feedback where you can from others – artists, viewers, friends, individuals that show and sell art. Visit exhibitions and read/view artists interviews – a contextual file or notebook can be handy.
Most of all, be yourself. Let it show in your work.
Jane Wright
Beauty, discovery, serendipity, signs that something’s happened; all these things are important to me. I like my pictures to ask questions of the viewer, as they do of me.