HOW TO WIN ART OPPORTUNITIES
 
Introduction
 
We cover some key tips to find, attract or create high quality opportunities and raise the chances of winning them, and maximising the benefits.
 
We describe opportunities as something that:
                develops your artistic practice
                builds your audience
                gains sales
                adds to your CV
                gets you commissions
 
In this article, we cover applying to:
                Art Prizes, and other opportunities offered via written applications
                Corporates and Individuals for funding, sponsorship or other
                Grants/funding from charities and institutions
 
However: You need to judge each opportunities' value to you and how real they are.
 
It’s key to search for opportunities but also to attract them and go a bit further by creating your own. It can be tough and time consuming but if you persevere, and learn and improve, then you will find success.
 
Before we go into more detail, the below points will help you win opportunities by making you much more “discoverable”:
                A good, simple website (focused on presenting your artworks). Make it easy to get in touch with you and to visit your social media profiles
                Social media profiles with good, carefully structured content. Your efforts in growing your audience on these will bring you more and more attention, so aim to grow organically, it takes time but they will be more engaged (see our previous talk article here)
                Regular newsletter (as art consultants, we constantly use this to keep in touch with our clients, reminding them of what we do for when they need us and educating our audience), check out Mailchimp (click here for more info) as a good and easy to use platform
 
With the above, you are already in a position to more effectively win art opportunities…
 
 
1.APPLYING FOR ART PRIZES
 
Entering art prizes can significantly add to your CV and provenance as an artist. Researching the correct prizes for you and the application process can be time consuming but the potential return is much greater. Benefits of entering prizes:
Exposure to a dedicated art audience – your work is guaranteed to be seen by the judges, even if not successful you may stay in their mind in the future increasing your chances of future opportunities
Building your network – engaging with the prize, other entrants and events that complement the prize will help boost your reach and exposure. We promote all entrants on our social media profiles and website, so that you have can share with your audience and us easily.
Build your CV – if you are shortlisted or do win then you can add this to your CV and build your profile. You’ll also get a great amount of exposure where you don’t have to do the work – the prize will do that for you which takes a lot of pressure off you keeping up the exposure.
 
THE FOUR STAGES TO CONSIDER IF OPTIMISING YOUR ENTRY
 
Research
 
Selecting prizes:
- Establish what your USPs (Unique Selling Points) are: recent graduate, under or over 40, a photographer or a painter or collage artist, perhaps from a certain part of the world – use this criteria to start building a list of what prizes will suit you.
- Look beyond just Google: what have artists who are further on in their careers got on their CV, You can often find their CV’s on their website or on the gallery’s site that represents them.
- Certain useful websites: www.isendyouthis.com, www.photocontestinsider.com, www.artcompetitions.co.uk, www.artshub.com, https://www.artrabbit.com, http://www.artquest.org.uk
- Document all of the prizes you find in a spreadsheet (if possible), track them for the current year and the next year.
 
Once you’ve selected your prizes:
- Look at the judging panel: what have they done, where they are from, what their career path has been and what they’ve done? But don’t be perturbed if your work doesn’t suit their focus. That doesn’t mean it’s not of interest! It will give you more confidence to know a little about them and have a face to a name – look at their social media presence, you can sometimes gage personality more through social media feeds…
- Look at past winners: go beyond just looking at their work. What point in their career are they at? How do they talk about their work? Again don’t be perturbed if someone with a similar style won the year before, etc. Looking at this research will help you gage the ‘personality’ of the prize.
- Edit your text: adjust your artwork info for each prize to optimise your entry. Highlight things that suit their prize.
 
Applying
 
Submission:
- Check what size and quality JPEGs you need and how the prize wants them named, it will vary for each prize.
- Take good, well-lit photos of work, and note that texture in works needs good lighting! Check T&Cs for details, if you are unsure, submit JPEGSs, medium to low compression if possible, 2 – 5 MBs, use a decent camera and a tripod where possible. No phone cameras!!! Check colours on monitor vs real life but be aware if pieces are being initially judged on a screen the calibration may differ to yours so you can only do so much.  There are professionals who can help you with this.
- Look at whether the prize wants a strong and stylised image selection or do they judge each piece individually. It should affect what you submit.
- Do you need supporting information? CV, biography, artwork background and technical information, artist statement? Check this – send what is needed, not extra. Be succinct and write well, get others to check your writing.
 
After submitting, what next?:
 
- Connect with the people behind the prize, stay in their mind - even if you don't win it may mean your work stays in their mind or you can connect with them again at a quieter time and see if they’d give feedback on your work.
- If you hear from them that you are successful or not: thank them for their reply - have the last email, be attentive.
- If you don't, don’t worry – it will be a busy time for them, perhaps email them at a quieter time in the prize schedule to connect instead.
- Get on their social network profiles and mailing lists, stay up to date, share, engage with the organiser, attend the events offered – meet people!
 
After the results are out:
- Win or lose. Keep building the relationship, promote the shortlist
- Attend their all events, talk to other artists, make a point of talking to the people you emailed if you see them at the events
 
 
2.APPLYING TO A GALLERY
 
Galleries don’t generally list whether they accept portfolios on their websites however some more emerging galleries will and even if they don’t it doesn’t mean you can’t connect with other galleries – networking is important!
 
Even when galleries websites say they will accept submissions they often come with:
- No deadline
- No guidelines
- No process
 
So, what to submit?
 
Artist Statement:
 
This should give an overview of your background, work, influcences and practice:
- Be clear and simple with this,
- No overly flamboyant words or descriptions
- Try to stick to no more than 500 words (the length should be adaptable to different things)
 
 
Images or a PDF portfolio:
- This should be a curated selection, don’t throw everything in! File name should include; title, size, medium, your name.
- Keep it simple, 6 – 8 images to start
- Another option is to put images in a PDF portfolio with the same details listed
 
 
Submitted then what?:
- If you don’t hear anything then follow up! Call them and check in – did they receive it? Would they like you to resend? Is there any feedback? Be aware it may not be a convenient time to call though so ask them how is best to get in touch if they seem busy and want to deflect you
 
If it’s a no:
- Try to get feedback on why, possibly ask if they know of other opportunities out there.
 
The extra mile: Connecting with a gallery that doesn’t openly accept submissions:
- Go to their events
- Connect – speak to them if you pop in to see a show – it’s not about you, about them!
- Don’t drop in unsolicited with a portfolio
- Avoid asking straight away about representation, see if they can feedback to you on work, build a rapport.
 
 
FINAL THOUGHTS
 
Top tips:
- Stay positive, keep trying.
- Prizes/open calls add weight to your CV - don't be selective based on prizes offered, cover every base!
- Put together a schedule - what opens/closes when. Stay on top of this – update monthly or quarterly.
- Plan your year roll out of prizes to enter where possible and budget for it
- Try and get feedback on any gallery submissions made – drop them a call and see if the feedback is helpful.
- Apply to a range of different prizes. Go for the big ones and the small. You never know what year your work will fit.
- Look wider afield to other strong art markets EXAMPLE: US; NYC, CALIFORNIA. ASIA; HONG KONG, JAPAN. EUROPE; PARIS, BERLIN.  Of course – think about your budget and affording to ship piece if you are successful.
- Dedicate time in your schedule to these things, one afternoon a week or a couple of hours to build.
 
 
3.APPLYING TO CORPORATES AND INDIVIDUALS
 
Interestingly, corporates are not often any good at searching for artists or fulfilling projects. If you do things right, this area can be great for a wide range of opportunities.
 
Research these things for corporates:
- What can they offer? This determines how you might approach them. Sponsorship (send them proposal with budget), an exhibition space (send them a curated idea, make it very visual), commissions (draft ideas and your vision), access to their clients or audience (propose an event idea), buy for corporate collection (create an art catalogue with your CV)
- What are they interested in (themes)? For example, diversity & inclusion, restrictions on controversial themes, and be aware that the audience is less ‘academic’
- What are their Corporate Social Responsibility policies? Could your art get their message out there? For example, they support the disadvantaged and marginalised, promote the highest professional conduct, they commit to ethical and transparent transactions, they want reduced environmental impact
- Who should you contact? Typically the most receptive people are CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) managers and Human Resources managers within the company. It could be corporate art consultants like Oaktree & Tiger Art Advisory (http://www.oaktreeandtiger.com/corporate-art-advisory.html). The best way in is by researching your friends who might work for certain companies whatever their role, and encouraging them to assist you as they can easily find the right person to speak to, get answers to your questions and support a connection with that person. Also, always be ready for any chance encounters (see this article for help in these situations, http://www.artprize.co.uk/blog/how-to-promote-yourself-2). LinkedIn is a very useful tool too.
- It is likely that they are a less academic audience, tailor your application accordingly!
 
Research these things for investors:
Main idea/tip… Pre-sell artworks (and take full payment at start so you can use this money for your project and ask for permission to sell on in your project). The fact of having an exhibition coming up that will show these artworks will gain you more interest. Consider displaying the pre-sold artwork for sale at normal price on behalf of the ‘investor’ and share the profit with the investor.
Increase success by:
Have nicely curated exhibition proposal PDF, email and verbal pitches aimed at investors
                Maybe detailed budget (venue hire, marketing, catalogue, PV event, etc.)
                Promote investors support in catalogue and exhibition and to other potential investors
                Best to approach close friends, family and current clients
                With your exhibition, you can now focus on attracting opportunities and growing your audience, as well as sales and promotion
 
Using Crowdfunding (e.g. Kickstarter, https://www.kickstarter.com/ , and Crowdfunder, http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ ) can be a great idea when done well:
Best tip is to use as a tool to “pre-sell” artworks, i.e. limited edition, signed prints as gifts for investment at a sensible discount to price of artwork at your exhibition
                Unique exhibitions that are different in some way are better, hard to do but consider ‘experiential’ and ‘immersive’ ideas. Or do you have an idea that captures the current zeitgeist.
                Must do video, and should be short and well made
                Succinct text on your idea, sell yourself, your vision, your art and your exhibition
                Show your budget, so investors feel more like they are involved in your project and know where their money is going to
                Have a variety of “rewards” from cheap to high priced, to capture a wider audience (often people offer different levels of gifts/ rewards depending on what people invest. Invest £100 and be mentioned in the exhibition book, invest £500 receive limited edition work, etc., etc.)
Must promote it to your social media network as well as friends and family (listing it on a site gives it more credibility, but you still need to work hard to get it fully funded as majority of investors are well known to creators)
Aim for the least you need, underfunded campaigns do not go through but the sites will allow you to receive more than the requested amount
 
 
4.APPLYING TO GRANTS AND INSTITUTIONS
 
We cover this topic in an interview with Ashurst Emerging Artist Sculpture Prize 2016 winner Maureen Jordan and with top tips from Daisy McMullan, Independent Curator and Camberwell Space Manager.
 
Interview with Maureen Jordan
 
Maureen Jordan won the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize for Sculptors 2016 and was formerly Director of the Arts Council England, an expert in arts administration and now a full time artist.
 
CC (Conrad Carvalho): Tell us a little about your career leading up to winning the Sculpture Prize.
MJ (Maureen Jordan): I have had a long career as an arts administrator, project manager and funder. In 2009 I took voluntary redundancy from the Arts Council. This was a happy decision as I left on a high note having just worked with the Culture Company on Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture and it gave me an opportunity to begin to develop a practice as a visual artist. Since 2009 I have been exhibiting, creating installations for outdoors and indoors and completing an MA at UCA in 2015. As well as applying for multiple ‘opportunities’.
 
CC: Tell us about your experience in applying for opportunities.
MJ: I counted my applications before coming here …there are approximately 45 since last September. I thought I knew my way around application proposals so I decided I would get them out faster than they could be rejected …not a great ‘strategy’ as that level of rejection wears you down eventually. The usual response that so many ‘high quality’ applications have been received is telling me that there are just too many of us chasing too few opportunities.
 
CC: What do you think benefactors like the Arts Council and corporates are looking for in fine artists?
MJ: I really can’t speak for corporates as I have little or no experience of them. When people learn that I have worked for the Arts Council and assessed 1000s of applications they ask me, “so how do you get money from the Arts Council England?”. There is an assumption that there’s a trick or that it’s about ticking the right boxes. As it isn’t an easy process to explain in a sentence….my short answer is “Have a great project that fits their criteria”. It’s that simple….and that difficult.
 
CC: How have you dealt with people who ask for you to work or give your art for free?
MJ: As I have spent my entire working life trying to ensure that artists get paid properly, I am allergic to requests to work for free, especially if I’m being told that it will be good for my CV….? After all, it’s never free, is it? There are materials to pay for, transport and hours of making. So I do not subscribe to the view that it will be beneficial for me…unless…..if I really want to make a piece of work so that I can test it out or make a small piece that can be scaled up or developed further ….then it just might be worth it….but it’s never free.
 
CC: What are your top 3-5 tips for submitting a decent application?
MJ: Here’s my list:
Have a great project.
Make sure you fully understand the criteria of the funder.
Look at case studies of similar projects that have been funded.
Use it as an exercise to develop a project plan you can use in another context or for another fund.
Get someone you trust to read a draft.
Be really well organised, keep a list, do several drafts, refine your artist’s statements, proposals, CV
 
 
CC: What have you started thinking about for your future in applying for opportunities, what would you like to focus on and what would you stop applying for?
MJ: Here’s my thoughts:
I am planning to be much more strategic.
I am trying to develop meaningful networks and prospective collaborations.
I will not apply to those who didn’t bother to even send a rejection or who clearly don’t treat artists well.
I will fundraise in advance of projects and not do them ‘on spec’.
I’ll think about the value of applying where there is an application fee.
Be true to yourself.
 
Top Tips from Daisy McMullen
 
Daisy McMullen is an Independent Curator and Arts Manager, she has experience in fundraising, project management and marketing. She is currently Manager of Camberwell Space, a public gallery at University of the Arts, Camberwell College. Her top tips are:
               
Keep an eye out for opportunities (good places to find these are Arts Council website, Art Quest, Art Rabbit, etc.), and keep a list of relevant ones and, importantly the deadlines. Put them in your diary or calendar, so they don't pass you by.
               
Read the requirements carefully make sure that you fit them in terms of age or residency restrictions, there's no point in applying if you're not eligible, you can use your time and effort better elsewhere.
 
Write down ideas for projects when they come to you  that way, when an opportunity comes up you'll have ideas to pitch, rather than staring at a blank page and wondering what to do.
               
Keep your artist statements, CV, images up to date and easily accessible digitally. That way, you won't need to write from scratch each time, instead you can edit as required.
               
Make sure statements and CVs are well written and well edited (only include artistic achievements in your CV, and keep statements easy to understand and to the point).
               
Remember that the people reading your application have no idea who you are or what your work is about. You need to explain everything clearly, and without jargon. Try and do this in a logical way. Put your headline ideas e.g. the outcome/s and method first. Back this up with contextual information.
               
Make images count put only the best, and caption them properly with title, date, and where it was taken.
 
If you're asked to put in a budget, make sure it balances and includes a fee for your work.
               
If you need to talk about public impact of your work, or audience engagement, make sure you explain this clearly, with examples, of how this will happen. Perhaps plan a talk, workshop or other way of engaging the public.
               
Get help - ask a trusted friend or colleague to read over your application and give you feedback and criticism. Some people even go to an adviser or coach to help them it’s always good to get help and another point of view.
               
Remember to state the impact of the project in terms of its contribution whether to your own growth as an artist, or contributing to the artistic life of the organisation that is funding the opportunity. Read the requirements and double check you have addressed everything.
               
Treat it like a job application (you are asking for money for your time and labour, after all), and make sure you have addressed all the points in the call out, everything is clear, with correct spelling and grammar, images are organised, you send a short but polite covering letter or email, and get good references, if they are needed. A good reference can often be the deciding factor in a successful application.
 
 
AUTHORS
 
Conrad Carvalho – Prize Director and Art Consultant, Oaktree & Tiger. Works with a wide range of carefully selected emerging artists for corporates, private clients and art projects. Specialising in art rental and art investment. Also does consulting for artists looking to take the next steps and grow their career effectively.
Caitlin Smyth – Marketing & PR Consultant and Artist Agent. Develops the profiles/careers of artists and galleries across online and offline channels, provides marketing support for ongoing and one-off arts projects.
Maureen Jordan – Sculptor. Current winner of the Sculpture Prize 2016, a full time artist following a long career in arts administration and funding.
Daisy McMullan – Independent Curator and Arts Manager. Experienced in fundraising, project management and marketing. She is currently Manager of Camberwell Space, a public gallery at University of the Arts, Camberwell College.
  
The Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2017 is now open for entries until 15 January 2017, with £6,500 of prizes and exhibitions for the shortlisted artists and the winners, in the Ashurst Emerging Artist Gallery space in London, UK. All entries are promoted and seen by the expert judging panel, and there are free informative talks for artists entering the competition.
 
Full details are on www.artprize.co.uk or you can contact us at [email protected]

The Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2016 Judging Panel is a selection of highly respected and renowned individuals in the art world, who cover a wide range of viewpoints and varied tastes for all movements, mediums and types of Fine Art.
 
In the second of a series of interviews, we ask new judge Briony Marshall, the questions many artists have asked us. These including understanding what famous art and artists the judges like, more about the judges' expectations, their involvement in the art world, the exciting projects they are involved in and their own tips to help your career. If you have any new questions, feel free to comment below...

Briony Marshall is a London based sculptor and installation artist, Council Member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors and Head of Professional Development of The Art Academy. She is very involved in both mentoring and peer mentoring of emerging artists, including for the highly competitive Royal British Society of Sculptor’s Bursary award. We welcome her to the judging panel for 2016, to share her knowledge and skills in sculpture and in mentoring emerging artists.
 
 
Q1: Which artworks or media or movements are your favourites?
A1: Sculptures and Installations in all their forms and the Art-Science movement (see here for one of many interesting articles on this).
 
Q2: What do you appreciate or look for in an artwork?
A2: It is something that cannot be defined - a special quality that just touches you and pulls you in. Sometimes it reflects clearly something undefined that you have been trying to grasp. Other times a work is special because it lets you see, understand or enjoy the world in a way you didn’t before.
 
Q3: If realism/traditional is 0 and abstract is 10, what number places your favourite artworks/type?
A3: 8
 
Q4: Which important/renowned artists are you interested by?
A4: As a sculptor my early influences were figurative works by Camille Claudel, Rodin, Michelangelo (particularly his half-finished slaves – you can see more about this here), then more abstracted works by Moore, Giacometti, Hepworth and Frink (read about Elisabeth Frink here ). I’m also keen on immersive and installation work such as Cold Dark Matter by Cornelia Parker (see this excellent page on Tate about it), Gormley’s more ethereal figures and exciting work going on in the Art-Science movement.

Q5: What do you appreciate or look for in an artist with potential?
A5: They are honestly pursuing their own practice without ego, without trying to fit in or be different, being brave and tenacious enough to let it take them where it needs to go.
 
Q6: Do you have one important piece of advice for emerging artists?
A6: Spend long hours doing your work - that is the only way to get better; try to have a plan - but be led by your practice; and be as professional and organised as you can in the business side of your practice.
 
Q7: What has been your favourite art project that you have been involved with?
A7: My most recent project was looking at the neuroscience of memory for a public art award (read about this on her website http://www.briony.com/tag/neuroscience/). At times it was mind-bendingly complex, but I felt I was gaining precious insights into so many aspects of humanity - from models of visual perception to philosophical ideas of consciousness.
 
Q8: What plans and projects have you got for 2016?
A8: I want to develop further my neuroscience research into a body of work - so that is my concentrated studio project for the year. I’m also looking forward to a nice exhibition of my work with Candida Stevens (http://candidastevens.com/) in Chichester where I get to see my large DNA - Helix of life (http://www.briony.com/dna/) sculpture alongside some more recent works I’ve done in the same series: my molecular series in which human figures connect together in the chemical geometries of various substances. I also need to do an overhaul of my website and finish building my studio. Yet another busy year then, and that's before I factor in judging the Ashurst Prize!

Join our newsletter (click here) to be notified of the next issue of interviews with the judges as well as invites to our exclusive events for artists and news on the art prize.
 
Interview by Conrad Carvalho, Prize Director

In this article we answer many of the questions we are specifically getting from previous entrants to the art competition. So if you are thinking about entering again this year, and want to achieve more success, please see below. Feel free to comment or send us new questions (email us at [email protected]) to answer and we will update this article.

QUESTIONS.

What is different about the art prize this year?
Should I enter again with the same artworks?
How is the judging panel different this year?
If I was shortlisted, can I still be shortlisted again in this year?
What tips can you give to help me with my submission?
What tips can you give me to benefit from entering the art prize again?

ANSWERS.
 
What is different about the art prize this year?
                ​Importantly, we have a new judging panel with additional members. You can see the panel here: http://www.artprize.co.uk/the-prize.html/#judges
We are able to give bigger prizes now thanks to the sponsors and the new sponsors, Fujifilm and Genesis Imaging, and there are additional prizes for photography, sculpture and new media.
We also have a continually growing audience to show your entries to, on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram (now over 12k of followers!).
 
Should I enter again with the same artworks?
                We would recommend entering new artworks in addition to including one or two of the same artworks. Many of the entrants weren’t successful last year because of the submission texts (usually not enough content) and quality of the photos, rather than the artworks themselves, so its important to find ways to improve your submission in any case. Also note that the artworks will be seen with new eyes as we have several new judges as well as new prizes. You can now also specify on the entry form which judges you would like your work to be seen by.
 
How is the judging panel different this year?
                We have a rotating panel of new judges, this year we have Tim Sayer, renowned art collector that recently bequeathed his collection to Hepworth Wakefield museum, and Josh McNorton, Head of Programmes at Rich Mix London who has expertise with new media and artists that use technology in their practice.
                When you complete your entry form, check carefully which judges you would like to be seen by, as this can help you get noticed more and also they may want to keep you in mind for their future projects.
 
If I was shortlisted, can I still be shortlisted again in this year?
                Yes you can, though it would have to be with different artworks. Shortlisted artists in previous years' prizes gained great attention with some being approached by galleries (for example, we saw one artist represented at London Art Fair in January 2016), dealers and even other art prizes (several artists made it into shortlists for other prizes or even won a prize).
 
What tips can you give to help me with my submission?
                If you entered in previous years and asked for feedback, you will have got some great tips written by the team and emailed to you, regarding your specific submission. You can read more of our tips in our blog here: http://www.artprize.co.uk/blog/how-to-win-an-art-prize .
We can also recommend an art expert to help you with the prize submission, you can contact us for their details and how much it costs, by emailing us at [email protected]
 
What tips can you give me to benefit from entering the art prize again?
                We will show some of your artworks submitted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow us, then share and like with your friends and family, and encourage them to support you with comments. You should reply to their comments too as this will get a lot of people seeing your art on these channels.
                Attending the free events we are organising is also a great way to learn useful tips and answer questions, while meeting the team, art professionals and other artists to collaborate/learn with.
 
Feel free to comment below or email us with any questions. Good luck!

The Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2016 Judging Panel is a selection of highly respected and renowned individuals in the art world, who cover a wide range of viewpoints and varied tastes for all movements, mediums and types of Fine Art. 

In the first of a series of interviews, we ask each judge the questions many artists have asked us. These including understanding what famous art and artists the judges like, more about the judges' expectations, their involvement in the art world, the exciting projects they are involved in and their own tips to help your career. If you have any new questions, feel free to comment below...

Rosa Sepple is an established artist, member of The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours and a Director of the Society of Women Artists. She has won a variety of awards, exhibited throughout the UK and her artworks are in collections around the world. We are honoured to have Rosa as a returning member of the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize Judging Panel.

Q1: Which artworks or media or movements are your favourites?
A1: One of my favourite artworks is ‘White Crucifixion’ by Marc Chagall which was painted in 1938 and can be seen in the Art Institute of Chicago. There are many early modernist works by Chagall which I adore. Favourite movement has to be Expressionism (learn more about this movement here).

Q2: What do you appreciate or look for in an artwork?
A2: The first thing I look for in any work is originality.

Q3: If realism/traditional is 0 and abstract is 10, what number places your favourite artworks/type?
A3: Somewhere around 7 (my lucky number).

Q4:Which important/renowned artists are you interested by?
A4: Georg Baselitz, for always pushing the boundaries (you can read more at Tate here, White Cube Gallery here and Gagosian Gallery here). He is very controversial, with statements like "if women are ambitious enough to succeed, they can do so... but up until now, they have failed". and "women don't paint very well". He is very successful, his 1983 painting entitled 'Der Bruckechor' sold at Christies in New York for £4.8m in 2014 (see here). But his paintings, in my opinion, are not that good and I would love to challenge his comments on women artists. I feel that Georges Rouault is far more talented (see more at Tate here). Also on my list of favourite artists, John Piper for his amazing linework and interesting colours and Marlene Dumas as top female artist.

Q5: What do you appreciate or look for in an artist with potential?
A5: Originality, passion and commitment.

Q6: Do you have one important piece of advice for emerging artists?
A6: Work, work, work and accept the disappointments and carry on.

Q7: What has been your favourite art project that you have been involved with?
A7: My favourite project has to be my solo show in London last year.
122 new works and the release of my book entitled ‘Out of the Blue’. You can see more about the book on Amazon here.
I was also thrilled to be involved in the launch of the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize in October 2014 and proud to be involved in it again this year.

Q8: What plans and projects have you got for 2016?
A8: As I am a council member of the RI and hold the position of Press Secretary, I need to attend all the meetings in London and send out press releases regarding members' exhibitions and our own exhibition. This year’s exhibition will be the 204th Exhibition and will be held at the Mall Galleries in London, opening on Wed 5th April 2016 until Sat 16th April 2016. There is further information available at www.royalinstituteofpaintersinwatercolours.org or www.mallgalleries.org.uk. I'm also on the selection panel for this show and we received over 900 paintings from artists worldwide, finally selecting around 250 paintings to see in the next round. The final number of paintings selected to hang in the show with the members work will be approximately 100. Then for the 2 days prior to the opening I will help to hang (and decide) where all the works will go. Then, with my colleagues in the RI, we will decide who to award the prizes to.
In addition, I’m in the early stages of preparing for another solo show in London for 2017 at the Mall Galleries. I’m currently painting and curating the show so at the moment I don’t have much to show you yet.

Here is a special preview of some of the artworks I’m showing at the next RI exhibition…

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Interview by Conrad Carvalho, Prize Director

​In this article we answer many of the questions we are getting from previous entrants, new entrants and those considering entering the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize. Feel free to comment or send us new questions (email us at [email protected]) to answer and we will update this article.
 
QUESTIONS.

I am not based in London, does that matter?
How should I choose artworks to submit and how many?
What are the criteria that you use to pick artworks?
I entered last year and didn’t make it into the shortlist. Should I enter again with the same artworks?
I create sculptures and paintings, what should I enter and am I eligible to win the Sculptor Prize?
What file sizes and formats should I submit?
Are the artist statement and image commentaries important?
I am a sculptor. Am I eligible to win the £3,000 Main Prize?
Does attending your events help with the judging process?
Do you have any restrictions on age?
Are the winning solo exhibitions open to the public?
What tips can you give me to benefit from entering the art prize?
Any tips for filling in the form?
 
ANSWERS.

I am not based in London, does that matter?
                We get entries from around the world including Spain, Brazil, Argentina, China, India, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, Mexico, Denmark, Russia. For example, one of the Shortlisted Artists had their work shipped from Ireland and another from Mexico. Please note that you will have to deliver your artworks to Ashurst’s London office if you are Shortlisted.
 
How should I choose artworks to submit and how many?
                Each artwork entry is treated as a separate entry. So submitting a diverse range of your works is a good idea. For the first stage, to decide the Shortlisted Artists, it is based on an artwork and then after we base it on the artist and possibly their other works. We may contact you to find out more and see more of what you do. So entering more artworks will increase your chances.
 
What are the criteria that you use to pick artworks?
                We are looking for artworks that show skill, an interesting message or concept, and particularly, if we see potential in the artist to develop their ideas and techniques, or haven’t been discovered and deserve to be recognised. Hence, the artwork can be almost anything.
                We have intentionally kept the criteria wide so that we can support creativity rather than just a particular media, theme, background, education, age, etc.
 
I entered last year and didn’t make it into the shortlist. Should I enter again with the same artworks?
                We had many strong entrants and it was hard to shortlist down to 25. Many of you will have received feedback reviews of your submission forms. So we would recommend entering again after improving your submissions based on these comments. We would also recommend submitting additional new artworks or changing the selection slightly, as each is looked at separately.
 
I create sculptures and paintings, what should I enter and am I eligible to win the Sculptor Prize?
                Your entry can be a mixture of types. For example, you could submit 3 paintings and 2 sculptures. In this case all 5 entries will allow you to be considered for the Main Prize and Employee Choice Prize and Ashurst's Rich Mix Prize and 2 of them will additionally allow you to be considered for the Sculptor Prize. As mentioned before, submitting a variety of artworks is recommended.
 
What file sizes and formats should I submit?
                Try to submit the best quality and largest artworks possible, but under 10Mb per file. JPEG is ideal, but we can accept any file format, and at least 1000x1000 pixels is important. The ideal size of image is roughly 2732x2048 pixels. We check each and every artwork photo file so if there are any problems, we will contact you to discuss. Though we can only accept changes before the stated deadline, so early entry is recommended to allow our team time to check your entry carefully and to allow you time to correct issues we email you and send back to us.
 
Are the artist statement and image commentaries important?
                These can be important if the image file isn’t enough to really see the artwork. Also, succinct statements and commentaries can help us more effectively understand the artwork, especially if it is more conceptual. Any clues or ideas to guide us in connecting with the work are useful. You are able to put in weblinks here too, including video links.
 
I am a sculptor. Am I eligible to win the £3,000 Main Prize?
                The Main Prize (£3,500 of prizes and solo exhibition in London, Jul-Sep 2017) and Employee Choice Prize (£1,750 of prizes and solo exhibition in London, Jul-Sep 2017) is open to all entrants including sculptors. The new Ashurst Prize for Rich Mix (£500 cash prize and solo exhibition in the Mezzanine Gallery) is specifically for East London themed artworks or artists living or working in East London, and is open to sculptors too. The additional Sculptor Prize (£1,250 of prizes and solo exhibition in London) is specifically for a sculptor only. It is possible that sculptors win the Main Prize, the Employee Choice Award or the Rich Mix Prize as well as the Sculptor Prize. An entrant can’t win more than one prize.
 
Does attending your events help with the judging process?
                Attending events in person doesn’t affect the judging process with your submission, but will help you a huge amount. They are informative talks to help you in your career, you get to meet other artists to discuss ideas with and collaborate with, you will get to meet some of the judges to ask them any questions and some of my important art professional contacts will be there too (including gallery directors, art advisors and dealers, and collector clients).
 
Do you have any restrictions on age?
                There are no restrictions on age. The ages of the Shortlisted Artists ranged from 18 to 70 in last year’s prize.
 
Are the winning solo exhibitions open to the public?
                The solo exhibitions are viewable by the public by appointment only, and you can contact me on [email protected] to arrange this. There will be numerous talks and events, as well as private events for Ashurst and their clients, which include many global corporations and their employees, a high proportion of which are very interested in art.
 
What tips can you give me to benefit from entering the art prize?
                By entering early, you can benefit from featuring in our social media campaigns and being seen by press following our press campaign drive which starts in mid November. We can potentially promote your upcoming projects too, subject to approval. We are posting on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
                By joining us for our talks, you can gain guidance from experts on building your career with advice on how to get your artwork seen, how to price your art and how to enter art competitions to win. You will also meet art professionals looking for emerging artists and become part of our community.
                By participating in the prize, you will be seen by the judging panel and my art contacts, and hopefully then be invited to work on their projects or be connected better within the art world.
 
Any tips for filling in the form?
                Write a draft for your entry on to a word document and then just copy and paste into form so you have a well checked version spell checked, etc., and if anything goes wrong, you have a copy saved to use again or check for future reference.
                You can put in web links into the Artist Statement and Artwork Commentary boxes, especially if you feel a video link or supporting material would help.
                Keep each commentary succinct and less than 250 words.
                Use great photos, with the artwork clearly photographed (not blurred) and check the colours look correct. If your work is textured then be careful with the lighting.
                More detailed tips can be found in our blog article from a previous talk event… http://www.artprize.co.uk/blog/how-to-win-an-art-prize  
                If you have any problems, you can contact us by email or phone, these are on the entry page here… http://www.artprize.co.uk/entry-form.html
                And lastly, subscribe to our newsletter to get the invites to our exclusive events, receive tips to help your career and keep updated on the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2017.
 
Feel free to comment below or email us with any questions. Good luck!

Part 3 - WRITTEN PROMOTION

1. CORE TEXTS.

3 key texts you need as a constant which you will adapt and change depending on what they are used for.

CV - very simple, sterile and informative:
-    Include: Name, contact info and website, nationality, education, solo and group shows, collections, art prizes - including if you've been shortlisted and add dates to it all.
-    Use bullet points, keep it simple and short.
-    Consider leaving off your artist statement - keep this document to the quantitative.

ARTIST STATEMENT - qualitative text to talk expressively about your practice and the ideas behind it:
-    Personal choice but first person makes it sound more like you're hearing directly from the artist and connecting with them more.
-    Talk about the ideas behind your practice; what influences you, why you work the way you do, what are you interested in exploring.
-    Keep it to a paragraph or two
-    Keep the language simple, writing style concise - the more people that understand it the more they'll engage with your work and you'll reach a bigger audience.
-    Be creative and artistic and let your personality come through. A chance to show the person behind the art.

BIOGRAPHY -  Possibly the most valuable text it's a combination of the CV and artist statement. It's separated from the artist statement because with applications you can often be asked to submit a CV and an artist statement OR a biography:
-    Use prose to outline some CV background then add in artist statement info.
-    Again, keep the language simple
-    Now is the time to use writing in the third person

If you are collaborating:  There is no set formula but if you're whole career and practice is working together then consider using a joint artist statement that explains that and then separate CVs. If it's one project you are collaborating on then keep it all separate and produce exhibition info that describes the project.

HAVE THESE TEXTS TO REFER TO, ADAPT AND SEND ON FOR PROSPECTIVE COLLECTORS, GALLERY DIRECTORS, APPLICATIONS TO ART PRIZES/ EXHIBITIONS

2. TEXT FOR KEY EVENTS, EXHIBITIONS.

-    PRESS RELEASE - sent to inform journalists, bloggers etc of new exhibitions, possibly new collections etc.
-    Write concisely and to the point avoid being flowery - avoid lots of adjectives 'exciting' 'fascinating' 'stunning' etc. It's the journalists job to 'jazz' it up for readers.
-    Try to imbed facts at the top of the release - give the journalist a good idea of what your exhibition/new collection etc is about quickly so they can make the call if they're interested straight away
-    EXAMPLE: Blood in My Eyes exhibition with artworks by Ana Maria Velez Wood, Press Release excerpt:
'Blood in My Eyes features previously unseen photographs of Bob Dylan taken during Eurythmics founder Dave Stewarts filming of the music video Blood in My Eyes in 1993'

First sentence gives all the key exhibition info - unseen photographs, Bob Dylan, Exhibition.
 
A FEW POINTS ON EMAILING JOURNALISTS
-    When emailing journalists try and make sure you have a named contact - if sending to an info@ address then research a contact name, doesn't matter if you are not 100% sure you have the right person it shows attention to detail
-    Avoid blanket email, be selective, email individually and personally - try to search correct names for info@ addresses.
-    Don't simply embed the press release, write a personalised email - shows you've thought about why it's relevant, offer a short explanation and
-    Research print deadlines to make sure you send things at the right time - calling publications will get you this.
-    Don't be deterred if not successful, timing is everything

EXHIBITION INFO - a more qualitative version of your press release, needs to be understandable to an audience that doesn't know your work or the style - what if they wonder in off the street...
-    Now use those adjectives that make your exhibition/ new collection sound exciting.
-    Again simple writing style to engage a wider audience.
-    EXAMPLE: From Blood in my Eyes Exhibition information sheet:
-    'When photographer Ana María Vélez Wood received an early morning phone call from friend and Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart in 1993, she was not expecting the invitation to photograph the filming of Bob Dylan’s video: Blood In My Eyes. This was an opportunity that Ana María could not turn down and the resulting hundred plus images will now, with the kind permission of Dylan, his Personal Manager and Dave Stewart, finally be revealed in a stunning exhibition this October at Testbed1 gallery and project space in Battersea.'

Creates a story, inspires reader, covers all information; artist's work and background plus exhibition explanation.

MAIL OUT - sending to your unseen database who have engaged with your work at least once before.
-    Try to mail out monthly or bimonthly - use software like Mailchimp to organise, design and track the effectiveness of your mail out.
-    Keep the content fresh, if you are not producing new artworks every month then can you write a blog and talk about what you have seen or experienced.
-    Use images
-    Avoid lengthy text - if someone is skimming emails they need to be grabbed quickly by what they see, use formatting (bold text, capitals) to highlight key headers so readers can skim to the bits that interest them.
- If you have an event or exhibition coming up then you may want to increase frequency - eg. Two in the last month before an exhibition but don't bombard!

CONCLUSION

Always have key texts on hand to mail out quickly before leads go cold. Try to keep your writing style simple and concise to engage a wider audience and look more confident. Don't be disheartened if you're not picked up by press, it's really hard to achieve! But do use listings sites to boost online foot print. Keep your mail out content fresh and mail outs regular.

Caitlin Smyth - Artist Agent and Marketing/PR Consultant. Develops the profiles/careers of artists and galleries across online and offline channels, provides marketing support for ongoing and one-off arts projects.

Part 2 - IN PERSON / VERBAL PROMOTION

Our goal with these interactions is to get your point across effectively, create a great impression and desire to interact further with you and your work from then on.

There are other things like the personality you portray, your social circles and choosing places relevant to where you want your work to be seen to attend private views and events at, but working on a well worded and natural 'pitch' can have you ready for any scenario.

Pitches - try to work on 3 versions; 1 sentence, 3 sentences, long story:
- 1 sentence - quick and summarising what is integral to you work. 'I am a abstract painter who explores texture and colour'
- 3 sentences - possibly add in a bit more background; is where you are from or where you studied important to your practice? Have you had a recent exhibition?
- Long pitch - The longer pitch will be a two-way conversation (a chance to question them, listen and focus on what they like/connect with when looking at art. Do they like form, colour, certain themes... If they sound interested in your work ask to connect with them over email. DON'T force them to see your artwork there and then, hopefully you describe your art in a way that makes them curious enough to ask...

Pitch's might include:
- Summary of your artist statement/bio (describe your artwork briefly)
- Elements that might connect with a listener (commonalities)
- Examples of our past successes/exhibitions

Example:
“I’m (your name), I’m Italian-Albanian and was raised in Trieste, that creates abstract artworks through layering things like raw pigment and limestone on canvas.

I quite influenced by the processes used by artists like Rothko/Kandinsky/Pollock/Twombly - I like the elements of control and chaos they use.

I had an exhibition recently with Oaktree & Tiger Gallery it was exciting, I collaborated with a violinist.”

Notice details, in the above, that the listener can find reasons to connect with (countries/cities, renowned artists), be open to further questions, don't go overboard and give too much info; aim to create a desire to see your artworks from what you say, try to exchange contact details as much as possible.

Post meeting in person: build those meetings into relationships by keeping up interactions through newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, direct email... Build trust in your work. Make sure you keep your website and social media up to date so that when people look you up they see you as active in the industry. Keep in touch and follow up with a message soon after meeting, this is vital with important interactions as the enthusiasm that they had at the time usually disappears soon after.

Conrad Carvalho - Gallery Director for Oaktree & Tiger Gallery. Works closely with early emerging artists, using his experience in finance and business to help develop their own careers.

Continued Next Week: How to Promote Yourself: Part 3 - WRITTEN PROMOTION

Part 1 - SOCIAL MEDIA AND ON-LINE PROMOTION

Focus on two or three social media platforms. It’s very difficult to manage more than 5 effectively if you are doing it all yourself and finding the time to create work.
 
The best ones for art are, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. (YouTube for multi-media artists)
 
Facebook - Is great for building up the story around your work and what it is you are expressing. Images of your work, articles, and any video clips such as an interview or a behind the scenes work very well. You can also pay to advertise affordably to amplify your promotion.
 
Twitter – Is similar now that it is more visual. You are limited to 140 characters which means you have to be a bit more creative and concise about what you write. If your posting a an image with a link in the copy directing people your online gallery then use a bit.ly link to shorten it. Use a mixture handles (@’s) and hashtags # to communicate directly with people and popular trends that are relevant to your work. For example, @SaatchiGallery, New Exhibition “The Great Unknown”, October 2015, #painting #artexhibition
 
Instagram – although owned by Facebook the platform is more similar to Twitter. Follow other artists, galleries and general people you find interesting and engage with their work by leaving comments and liking and hashtags. Find profiles with large following which share content and @ and # them.

Don’t be disheartened if you don’t hear back from them, just keep trying and people will start to engage more and more with your profile.  


ORGANICALLY GENERATED PROMOTION

This is promotion generated without paying for advertisement. 

•         Increase followers – So that your content gets seen by more people. The best way to start getting new followers is by inviting all of your friends to Like your page on Facebook or Twitter/Insta profile – remember to re-do this again after a while when you ave acquired more friends. You can even send some personal inbox messages asking them to show their support.
 
•         Increase engagement with your posts - Put out content consistently but not too often – between 3 and 7 times a week on average is good. Think about timings – usually evenings when most users are active at about 7:30pm is going to increase your chances of being seen. Catch on to upcoming trends and special days in the year and use them like brands to your advantage, just think M&S Christmas. Asking questions to your audience can encourage interaction; what do they prefer? Do they know where the location it is.
 
•         Vary types of posts – Images of your work, either finished or if it’s a larger piece you can post stages. It makes people feel involved in what you are doing as they see it develop.  Don’t push out the same artwork more than 5 times in a month it looks spammy and Facebook will start to lower it’s impressions – (an impression is every time your image appears on the newsfeed on someone’s screen- desktop or mobile). 
 
•         Interact with other professionals - When you are not posting your own work interact with other artists, galleries or people you admire, share their work, comment on it and support each other. The facebook algorithm works by pushing up content which has more engagements to the top of the newsfeed, so if you and someone else are sharing each others work it is more likely to get seen by a wider audience. It costs nothing but a fraction of your time.  
 
•         Keep the copy short - More than three lines and people start to scroll straight past.  Be informative, and use a call to action when necessary. E.g. Vincent Van Gough, “Self-Portrait” now on show at The Saatchi Gallery. Come and have a look”
 
•         Putting in the price can work very well to encourage sales - Some artists may feel a bit embarrassed to do this but people can feel more embarrassed to ask you directly so tell them and if they like it they will buy it. Regularly upload your artworks. Sometimes adding a call to action can also encourage a viewer to click through to your website like “Check out my new piece, now available from my website - www.... -  for £200


PAID ADVERTISING (AVAILABLE FOR FACEBOOK AND TWITTER) 
 
- Try and work with building organically first. 

- Start by considering paid advertisement to build your follower/fan base – this will mean your posts get seen by more people. You will be charged per 'like' achieved but you can set a top budget. A greater number of followers can add provenance but remember they also need to be engaging with your posts.
  
- You can also pay to promote individual posts, this can mean you engage a more specific audience, they like and share it with their own audiences spreading your post further. 

- More visually engaging posts are more cost effective as Facebook will charge less. Visually interesting posts are easier for viewers to engage with and therefore more successful.

 - Handling Negative Comment: Even if you get negative comments you can use these as a potent force to put across who you are and acquire new fans and followers, by politely turning them around. Respond politely addressing it, perhaps provide further explanation or offer to answer any further questions over email. Anything not productive - swearing etc - just delete or block the person leaving it. 
 

CONCLUSION
 
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and self promote – it’s never been so easy ( it can be hard to put something you’ve created out to the public and for it to be rejected, but it is harder for your career if don’t – remember all established artists have their critics, from Dali to Tracey Emin and Banksy
 
Work at it regularly, this does take time and effort but the rewards can definitely be worth it if you get it right. During those times when you are not actually creating anything or waiting around do a few posts, interact with others socially, it only takes a few seconds and you can schedule posts in advance for ease.
 
The important thing is that they feel connected to you and your work and that they are involved in what you are doing. It is a great way to reach out without having to leave the comfort of your own home.

Alexis Jourrou - Social Media Consultant. Works with Saatchi Gallery Magazine, MTV, Warner Brothers, Canon and various London galleries and artists.

Continued Next Week: How to Promote Yourself: Part 2 - IN PERSON/VERBAL PROMOTION

Winning an art prize is a great trophy to add to your CV along with the awareness the whole process can bring. But, it is easy to think that you will win something just by entering as many as possible and hoping for the best. In practice, it is very difficult to get any success and the competition is very hard to beat. Entering and not getting any feedback apart from a one sentence rejection can be demoralising.... but it is important to realise that its often because of the quality of the applications rather than the art itself. Importantly, you don't always have to win to benefit greatly from entering.

Caitlin Smyth gives her tips and advice on getting the best out of entering art prizes, vital for artists that want to increase their chances of winning and, in any case, to benefit from the great exposure that the most interesting prizes can provide. Study the below and remember to use these when entering the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2015...

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WHY ENTER AN ART PRIZE

Entering art prizes can significantly add to your CV and provenance as an artist. Researching the correct prizes for you and the application process can be time consuming but the potential return is much greater. Benefits of entering prizes:
- Exposure to a dedicated art audience – your work is guaranteed to be seen by the judges, even if not successful you may stay in their mind in the future increasing your chances of future opportunities
- Building your network – engaging with the prize, other entrants, events that complement the prize will help boost your reach and exposure.
- Build your CV – if you are short-listed or do win then you can add this to your CV and build your profile. You’ll also get a great amount of exposure where you don’t have to do the work – the prize will do that for you which takes a lot of pressure off you keeping up the exposure.

THE FOUR STAGES TO CONSIDER IF OPTIMISING YOUR ENTRY

RESEARCH:
- Establish what your USPs are; are you a recent graduate? Under or over 40, a photographer or a painter, perhaps from a certain part of the world – use this criteria to start building a list of what prizes will suit you.
- Look beyond just google: what have artists who are further on in their careers got on their CV? You can often find their CV’s on their website or on the gallery’s site that represents them.
- Certain useful websites: isendyouthis.com, ideastap.com, photocontestinsider.com, artcompetitions.co.uk, artshub.com.
- Document all of the prizes you find in a spreadsheet (if possible), track them for the current year and the next year.

Once you’ve selected your prizes:
- Look at the judging panel - what have they done and where are they from? Look at what their career path has been and what they’ve done but don’t be perturbed if your work doesn’t suit their focus. That doesn’t mean it’s not of interest! It will give you more confidence to know a little about them and have a face to a name – look at their social media presence, you can sometimes gauge personality more through feeds…
- Look at past winners - go beyond just looking at their work. What point in their career are they at? How do they talk about their work? Again don’t be perturbed if someone with a similar style won the year before, etc. Look at this research helping you gauge the ‘personality’ of the prize.
- Edit your text - artwork info - for each prize to optimise entry. Highlight things that suit their prize.

APPLYING:
- Check what size and quality jpegs you need and how the prize wants them named – it will vary for each prize.
- Take good, well lit photos of work – texture in works needs good lighting! There are professionals who can help you with this.
- Look at whether the prize wants a strong and stylised image selection, not too many styles or if they judge each piece individually. It should affect what you submit.
- Do you need extra information? CV, biography, artwork background and technical information, artist statement? Check this – send what is needed not extra.

YOU'VE SUBMITTED - NOW WHAT?:
- Leave it a week or so then follow up - did you receive my entry? Do you need anything else?
- Connect with the people behind the prize, stay in their mind - even if you don't win it may mean your work stays in their mind or you can connect with them again at a quieter time and see if they’d give feedback on your work.
- If you hear from them: thank them for their reply - have the last email, be attentive.
- If you don't, don’t worry – it will be a busy time for them, perhaps email them at a quieter time in the prize schedule to connect instead.
- Get on their social network profiles and mailing lists, stay up to date, share, engage with the organiser, attend the events offered – meet people!

THE RESULT:
- Win or lose. Keep building the relationship, promote the shortlist.
- Attend their all events, talk to other artists, make a point of talking to the people you emailed if you see them at the events

OUTRO:
- Stay positive, keep trying.
- Prizes add weight to your CV - don't be selective based on prizes offered, cover every base!
- Put together a schedule - what opens/closes when. Stay on top of this – update weekly. Plan your year roll out of prizes to enter where possible and budget for it
- Try and get feedback on any entries made – email the organisers. Learn what works.
- Apply to a range of different prizes. Go for the big ones and the small. You never know what year your work will fit.
- Look wider afield to other strong art markets EXAMPLE: US; NYC, CALIFORNIA. ASIA; HONG KONG, JAPAN. EUROPE; PARIS, BERLIN.  Of course – think about your budget and affording to ship piece if you are successful.