
ANNIE SAMUEL – an EPOK exhibitor – exhibited this summer in London and Margate
Summer 2019 Happenstance Art & Framing Gallery presented the 10th Salon des Refusés: Exhibition of Artworks refused from the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, in the tradition of the 19th century Parisian Salon des Refusés.
Their “annual extravaganza of artworks missed, unappreciated, misunderstood or sacrificed at the last minute by the Royal Academy Selection Committee” exhibited over 100 UK and international creators across a range of art forms first in London in Royal College Street, Camden, in June, then in July at Margate.
We caught up with Annie Samuel just before the London show. Annie exhibited a retrospective of her work at EPOK in our opening week back in September 2016. Since exhibiting at EPOK, Annie has been busy:
-
A finalist in the inaugural Derwent Drawing prize, The Mall Galleries London, 2013
-
Exhibited at the Jerwood drawing prize, Jerwood Space Gallery, London 2017
-
Showcased in the Lincolnshire Life magazine, 2017
-
Had a feature of her work in the national magazine Prima in June 2017
-
A finalist at The Harley Gallery January 2019
-
Currently exhibiting at the Blue Owl Art Gallery, Grantham

Interview with Annie
EPOK
Where did you first get the idea for this piece?
ANNIE
From a series of photographs from an album that Morris had collected of Egypt when Mum and Dad were posted in RAF Fayad.
EPOK
So mum’s pushing the pram and Gerry is in the pram?
ANNIE
Yes, my older sister, Geraldine
EPOK
And who’s holding onto the pram?
ANNIE
Either side is my eldest brother, Morris, and next brother, Edmond
EPOK
What made you not do a faithful reproduction of the picture?
ANNIE
When I was going through the photographs I was aware of the starkness of white, showing the heat. And the reproduction of the photographs were monochromatic and I wanted to show that using a brown background to show the sand element of being in Egypt
Annie at London exhibition
ANNIE
Yes, it’s going to be one of a series of the photographs from Egypt and I’m currently doing a pencil drawing at the moment. Going through that vintage before I was born, that part of the family and feeling the impact that had on all of us, really.
EPOK
The pencil drawing, what’s actually on the painting at the exhibition today? You mentioned the background paper what paints did you use?
ANNIE
White chalk and charcoal
EPOK
Did you spray it with anything to keep it on as I imagine it would rub off quite easily?
ANNIE
Only as a finish to hold the chalk on
EPOK
So it’s still got that matt feel, very sandy
ANNIE
Yea. But that actual framing was important. I wanted to have a real fifties, vintage feel to the frame which would be apparent on the [overall] image
EPOK
Of course, this was the piece you put into the Royal Academy this year. Where you disappointed it didn’t get in?
ANNIE
Gutted. It stung, It was awful. But it was nice to be pre-selected. That’s a first; to be in the first quarter
EPOK
And of course well done on being in the exhibition tonight
Salon des Refusés, Yeah. Taken from the impressionists in the 1850s when they were refused to be in the established salons in Paris and they set up their own salon
EPOK
Fantastic Idea. So it’s in London then Margate and maybe sometime in the future there’ll be one in the Manchester area
ANNIE
That would be nice
EPOK
Thank you very much and lovely meeting you
ANNIE
No problem.
Annie mentioned she is doing a pencil drawing continuing the theme of family and memory and EPOK has a sneak preview for you (picture on the right).
You can see more of Annie’s work at her website http://www.anniesamuelartist.co.uk/
EPOK
So brown paper. What sort of paper is it?
ANNIE
It’s pastel paper but it could have been any wrapping paper, anything really that had that brown effect
EPOK
So that light thing is the stark difference between the black and the white?
ANNIE
It’s the brightness, the whiteness the sun reflected back of the clothing It’s harsh, pure and searing.
EPOK
Was it difficult to know when to stop, because the temptation is to fill in more?
ANNIE
It was difficult to know whether to do the background or not to do the background but the actual people, the representation of the family, I could have worked into that part of the work more intensely
EPOK
Would you have wanted to, in retrospect?
ANNIE
I’m not quite sure
EPOK
It leaves a lot to the imagination which can be quite nice
ANNIE
Yes. I did do one previously that had less, but I decided to do another one which had more
EPOK
So this is the second iteration?

The picture Annie exhibited; Egypt c1952 and the Brothers

