Huge congratulations to Studio Fridays artists Raina Goran and Emma Chambers, who were both announced as prize winners at this year’s Royal Watercolour Society Open, held at the Bankside Gallery, on London’s South Bank.

Both artists had two paintings selected for the exhibition; a huge achievement considering the competition’s international appeal and over 1500 entries. The RWS Open is the largest Open submission competition for works on paper in water-based media.

This year’s selection committee were Jill Leman PRWS, David Remfry RA, Chloe Fremantle RWS, Wendy Jacobs RWS and Brit Pruiksma from Mothflower Gallery.

Raina Goran won the top award; the David Gluck Memorial Prize for her acrylic and collage painting, ‘The Mall’ and Emma Chambers won the Artist Magazine Award for her watercolour painting, ‘Canopy of Magnolia Leaves’, which was painted ‘plein air’ at Kew Gardens in late September 2020, and forms part of her collection; ‘Leaf Studies’. This prize includes being featured in the Artist Magazine later in the year.

The RWS Open at Bankside Gallery was reviewed as a ‘must-see exhibition, full of stunning, contemporary, meaningful works that will delight and interest viewers.’ The work can still be seen on the Bankside Gallery website.

Instagram: @banksidegallery @royalwatercoloursociety @rainagoran_art @emma.artist.chambers1