Jerwood Charitable Foundation has announced Francesca Blomfield, Archie Franks and Dale Lewis as the artists selected for its Painting Fellowships 2016, a professional development award scheme designed to provide studio time and critical support to promising painters in the early stages of their professional lives.
The awards support studio time through a £10,000 bursary, while one-to-one critical and practical support is offered by mentors Dan Coombs (working with Dale Lewis), Jane Harris (Archie Franks) and Phoebe Unwin (Francesca Blomfield ). The mentors also acted as selectors for the fellowships.
The selected artists get a chance to gain valuable exposure for their work through a touring exhibition, programmed to open at Jerwood Space, London, in May 2016.
Determination, motivation, dedication
Speaking about the selected artists, Coombs said: “We were impressed by the integrity of their work and excited by the sense of their struggle. The three artists demonstrate a determination to pursue their art despite the inevitable obstacles that are thrown in their way.
“The Jerwood Painting Fellowship will enable them to pursue the adventure of their work and to continue to develop a unique voice as painters.”
Harris added: “They are three very diverse painters who each has an individual take on the practice and subject of painting. I was struck by their motivation and dedication, and their passion for painting’s ongoing possibilities.”
All three selected artists currently live and work in London. Blomfield graduated from Chelsea College of Art in 2012 and has since worked on a number of collaborative projects in Birmingham and Glasgow. Royal Academy Schools’ graduate Franks completed a residency at the British School at Rome in 2014, having been awarded the Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting. Lewis, who graduated with an MA in Fine Art from the University of Brighton, has formerly studied fashion and textiles at Liverpool John Moores University.
The Jerwood Painting Fellowships were launched in 2010 to provide a structured development opportunity for painters within the first five years of beginning their practice. Previous fellows include Anthony Faroux, Clare Mitten, Cara Nahaul, Susan Sluglett, Sophia Starling and Corinna Till. Jerwood Charitable Foundation received over 400 applications for this third round of the awards.
