The Royal Collection Project will be a body of one hundred contemporary Canadian watercolours housed within The Royal Collection of King Charles III. Along with most of the Royal Collectionʼs works on paper they reside in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle and are under the administrative care of the Royal Librarian.
The 75 paintings currently in the Royal Collection Project comprise the single largest Canadian component within The Royal Collection. It has been compiled in two phases by the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC/SCPA). These phases marked the societyʼs sixtieth and seventy-fifth anniversaries which were celebrated in 1985 and 2000, respectively.
To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the CSPWC, the Society will be gifting the final 25 paintings to the Royal Collection.
Eligibility was open to current Elected Members and Life Members of the CSPWC who are in good standing and not represented in the previous two CSPWC Royal Collection Gifts of 1985 and 2000.
The competition will be adjudicated by a panel of jurors viewing digital images through the online platform ArtCall. The large panel of jurors is comprised of CSPWC members who have work placed in the Royal Collection Trust, through our previous two gifts, plus up to four respected outside jurors.
Dates
The call to enter opens on September 12, 2024 and closes at 4:00 pm ET on October 23, 2024.
Notification of acceptance or non-acceptance will be by email, beginning November 20, 2024.
Accepted work is to be shipped to the CSPWC in early 2025.
Artwork will travel to the Royal Collection Trust in 2026.
Terms and Conditions
Only Elected Members or Life Members in good standing, who are not represented in the previous two phases of the Royal Collection Project are eligible to be included in this final competition. Gifts from previous phases: 1986 – 60 paintings, 2000 – 15 paintings. A list of these artists can be found here Royal Collection Project – Wikipedia. Associates of the CSPWC are not eligible for this project.
The theme and style should reflect the creative output of the individual artist within the CSPWC definition of watercolour. All styles and subject matter are acceptable. Artists may submit one image.
Allowable media: along with transparent watercolours this call allows for water-media as follows – artist’s quality watercolour paint, watercolour ink, watercolour crayon, watercolour pencil and gouache (which can be applied transparently and opaquely). The use of a graphite drawing and India Ink is permitted. Only media listed in this definition are permissible.
Not permitted: egg tempera, casein, acrylic, water-based oils and archival felt pens, wax, fixative, varnish.
Allowable Paint Surface: archival fibre paper, watercolour paper.
Not Permitted: Watercolour paper applied to panel, Yupo, synthetic paper or paper treated with any acrylic medium, canvas, board of any type.
Application: must be by hand, brush or any tool by the artist without digital or mechanical assistance. Airbrush is not allowed.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) and computer generated artwork and/or mechanically printed images will not be accepted.
All paintings must be original, created by the artist who is submitting. Paintings must not be derivative or based on the work of others, under art instruction or in any way an infringement of copyright.
Artists should refrain from cultural appropriation by respecting and refraining from unauthorized adoption of elements from cultures that are not their own.
Size of work for Royal Collection
The Royal Collection uses a specific size for exhibiting artwork collections. The size of the imperial mounts (frame) is exactly 20” x 27”, 50.8 x 68.6cm. The outside measurement of the accepted painting, when presented in a mat, must be 20” x 27”.
With this specific frame size in mind you do have a bit of flexibility in the size of your actual painting that fits into this frame by adjusting the width of the border around the painting.
Allow at least 2.5 inches/6.5cm mat width on all sides.
The maximum window opening is 15” x 22” (38 x 56 cm).
A useful minimum size would be 10” x 14” (25 x 35 cm).
Paintings may be in landscape format (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) format. A square format should be avoided.
Presentation
Selected paintings for the Royal Collection must be supplied with a suitable white mat and backing. No frame or glass/plexi required. Do not varnish or wax paintings. Specific instructions will be sent to accepted artists regarding presentation guidelines.
Shipping
Only works selected for the Royal Collection will be shipped to the CSPWC. Shipping of the selected paintings to the CSPWC is the responsibility of the artist. The CSPWC will arrange for and cover the costs of frames for any exhibitions in Canada and shipping artwork to the Royal Trust at Windsor Castle. The selected work will travel to the RCT with mat and backing, but unframed.
Important Information
Paintings that are selected for the Royal Collection are gifts and the artist does not receive payment. Artists must sign over copyright to the Royal Collection Trust for works that are selected.
Entry Fee
Submission fee: $40.00 CDN
Entry fees are non-refundable
Image requirements:
Minimum of 960 pixels (on longest side)
Maximum of 1920 pixels (on longest side)
300 dpi Maximum, file size of 4MB
Do not include digital watermark signatures on submission image.
To view the 75 paintings previously gifted to the Royal Collection by the CSPWC, visit www.rct.uk/collection then put an inventory number into the search box. 1986 gifts are in the ranges RCIN 926161 to RCIN 926220 and 2000 gifts range RCIN 933762 to RCIN 933776. Patience may be needed as the site may be slow.
It is important to note that the work you submit should reflect your artist ideas, working method and style, rather than match the works already in the collection.