Oh and I should have said it IS the status of the artist that matters, not which magazine they read. The Artist category is for Quote "For professionals, semi-professionals, art students, art tutors and experienced amateur painters". The Leisure Painter Category is for "For beginners, hobby painters and less experienced amateur painters" So you have to choose which category best describes you and enter all your paintings in that category. So as a Hobby artist I have no choice. I may have been painting for a long time but I have no "experience " or teaching.

Thank you I found your answer in the forum. It was not very clear on the entry form...It is also a little bit off-putting...enter three but only one gets selected...or enter all three and they could all [heaven forbid, the framing costs] be selected....this somehow seems more cost-effective...but scary.

For Phil. Just to clarify I have just spoken to Patchings and to the Artist publishing company and it is not possible to enter paintings in both classes (ie one in Leisure Painter and two in the Artist but is IS possible to enter 3 paintings in the Leisure Painter Class although only one of the three may be chosen whereas an entrant in the Artist class may have all three chosen for exhibition.

Hi Diana I can't understand you not being allowed to touch a sculpture to me that makes the whole experience...and for blind people I have been told go to the gallery to touch and envision the stone and it's shapes it's all about the tactile experience...I was so disappointed yesterday with our gallery the whole place stunk of political correctness with very busy trendy women bustling about you know the ones that look at you as if you had just fallen out of a cheese...they can keep it we see better work here on LP...here we are at the mercy of the big suppliers and what they decide we should haveand pay fortunately we have Atelier Interactives...Jacksons is so expensive here I havn't been in there since I took up painting again it must be very frustrating for you not having a good shop near by...good luck with Patchings

I'm afraid Phil I don't have the luxury of being able to get out to get any photos professionally printed so I have no choice other than the email entry which I've already done for just one painting. I shall see what I can sort out on the phone tomorrow. Patsy how strange you should mention sculptures. Our local country house has an exhibition on just now and i thought of getting someone to take me to see it but touching is not allowed and some of them just cry out for it don't they? I am also in somewhat of a cultural wilderness locally; oh I could travel 20 or 30 miles to some lovely galleries but I can't do it alone. We have just one small art shop which sells mostly student quality paints; gift sets and over priced canvas.

Hi Diana sorry to hear that you are expecting more snow I love the stuff but I know for you it makes life very difficult...I think I would recognise your work if I saw it...you are so right about the camaraderie here it's wonderful I have had wonderful useful advice on the Forum all do-able...I picked up a wonderful book today on Chinese Brush Painting recommended and I can't remember by whom...been right through the Forum but I think I'll put a thanks here and hope it is seen...it's hard here in Oz everything is fashion driven and I'm afraid the work I want to paint would not even be looked at except for friends and family...we went to our Art Gallery today to buy a couple of prints...what a mess the shop crammed into a little corner and the same for what used to be a lovely coffee shop...an exhibition with more security guards than people...I didn't even go upstairs to see the sculptures which I love to close my eyes and run my hands over but I was afraid they wouldn't be their...for us the exhibition was rubbish art for the masses or what they want at the moment...a cultural wasteland...so it was good to at least see a couple of lovely new works that came up on the right side of the gallery...the prints we bought were Mark Rothko Earth and Green and Number 12 1951...we watched a show on him by Simon Shama on BBC Knowledge and we were transfixed...usually modern art does not do a lot for me but this fellow painted with his soul and it shows...we bought 2 prints and bartered down from $130 to $95 that's how bad it is there but as we had already rang up about them and were assured they would be on offer because they had been in storage for nearly 10 years I think the price is fair...try Phil's way Diana I hate to give him a big head but he's usually right and as he would say burger...keep warm and well and don't shovel any snow let the fit 40 year old do it...LOL X patsy

Perhaps?...Fill in two entry forms & one postal payment would be the simplest option...but it does involve photographs though. I prefer them to have photographs to judge me on rather than say the duller option of a simple printout on plain paper...though they probably do it on screen...with the print I know the quality they should have in front of them...it only costs an SAE.

I don't see how that can be done. If you look at the email entry form it quite clearly has only one option to tick as to whether the entries are to be in the Leisure Painter Class or the Artist Class. There is no way to make some of them one class and the other Leisure Painter. The option is not given for each of the three pictures only for the whole lot. Once you have ticked the relevant box, all entries go into that category. Unless of course you are allowed to fill in two completely different entry forms for just one payment. When I ring up tp pay by phone on Monday I will ask for clarification.

Hi Diana I think you are, perhaps,misinterpreting the 2009 Patchings Entry Rules...you can enter a maximum of three entries for the Patchings Competition...All three in the Artist Magazine category...or One in the Leisure Painter Magazine category plus the remaining two in the Artist Magazine category...The are both open to all regardless of ability. The leisure painter has a bigger following [more readers] so it has potentially more entrants. Most of the readers of The Artist are by no means professional [only source of income from art sales]. They are by and large talented artist such as you...It is the magazine classifications for the entries not the status of the artist...So be brave £10 covers three entries...go for it [it was only £9 for three last year]...All are judged on the merit of the artwork. Not their standing in the art-world.