When The Association of Sussex Artists was founded back in 1928, it was supported by some of the most influential people in the county. The first president was Mr J. T. McGaw of Horsham, who as well as being an aspiring artist, was a prominent member of the Horsham Club. Previously, he had established Mannings Heath
Golf Club on land he owned.

The Association was backed by patrons with plenty of financial clout including The Duke of Norfolk and the Marquis of Ely. Mrs Duncan Grant was among those who were members in the early years. This will have been Vanessa Bell of the Bloomsbury Group, an influential and scandalous group of associated writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists.

The influence of the English aristocracy on art and literature has waned over time. These days art has opened up to the masses, resulting in a wider range of artistic styles and a new wave of contemporary artists producing an increasingly divisive output.

This month, the Association of Sussex Artists will be celebrating its 100th exhibition, it what is its 84th year. Whilst it may no longer be fronted by the wealthy upper classes, the work on display continues to draw crowds. Members include Claire Phillips from Partridge Green, whose dramatic images of Death Row inmates and more recently a series of paintings of orphans in India, convey a powerful message.

Marilyn Panto, a Brighton artist who has received commissions from across the world, will exhibit her fine bronze sculptures, and other notable exhibitors include the eye-catching impressionist watercolours of Heather Withers and the life-like wildlife paintings of Fiona Champion.

About 150 artists will be exhibiting, of which two thirds are members of the Association. Many others have submitted art for the exhibition at the Drill Hall – the same venue as the very first exhibition in 1928 - with a ten strong committee making judgements on which work to include.

Association Chairman Terry Copping admits that it is increasingly difficult to find a balance between the traditional paintings of landscapes and seascapes - which remain popular with art buyers in Sussex - and more modern styles. He admits that new styles need to be embraced to attract new people to the Association of Sussex Artist exhibitions.

Terry said: “We push out for contemporary work but to get good pieces is not easy. It is still the self-representational work and landscapes that generate the most interest. There are elderly people who like and buy these pictures and in all honesty that is what keeps us going. Traditional pieces of work sell. The more you push the boat out the more elitist it becomes and the harder it is to sell art.

“It’s a difficult balance. As a member you get four pieces of art to put in to the exhibition but sometimes you get two that are of a good standard and two that really shouldn’t be there. This year, the committee will be making some tough decisions as it can devalue the whole exhibition if there is poor work.

“The other problem we have is the computer-generated work as it causes a lot of controversy amongst the committee. I’m not keen on it – I’d rather work was not manipulated by a computer – but I think we’ll have to change our stance at some point. I may be showing my age but we do like to keep certain things traditional within the society.”

Gill Palengat, a fellow member of the Association, added: “The other problem is that you don’t want people saying ‘that isn’t very good’ or ‘I could have done that’, or non-members asking why their piece of work was rejected when a piece of lower standard artwork is exhibited. But it’s tricky, as they have paid their membership and
feel they are entitled to display work.”

The Association charges a low fee for artists wishing to submit work for the exhibition, as work is often rejected, and tries to get as many new ideas into the exhibition as it can. Some might say that the Association of Sussex Artists of being stuck in its ways and behind the times, but Peter Hilliard, responsible for some stunning maritime images, says that contemporary art is increasingly prominent.

“We try to get an assorted balance but keep the work good”, he said. “It is difficult to keep moving with the times. We have a selection committee so we try to judge fairly. I think over the last ten years we have been leaning more to contemporary art rather than traditional art, so we’re getting a good mix of all different media as we try to
attract younger artists.”

In days gone, there were notable artists amongst Sussex Artist’s membership including Claude Muncaster, who was commissioned to do a series of watercolours of royal residences shortly after World War Two, and Dame Laura Knight, who was the official artist at the Nuremberg Trials. There were also notable patrons with deep pockets.

Terry Copping said: “The incredible part about those early days is the sponsorship they had in the beginning. The list of patrons in 1928 makes unbelievable reading. They must have hit the highs initially – just about everybody who was anybody in the British Aristocracy is there. We still provide an exciting exhibition but we are struggling to a degree as the economic situation is crippling. People are not spending the money and we have competition for other exhibitions of course.

“Trying to save money is the biggest concern for the committee. You have to decide where to make cuts without cutting so much that the association has little or no public profile. It’s something I try to address but I’m not sure I’m always successful.

"But we have a high standard of work, We have Claire Phillips, who I believe one day is going to be up there with the big names, as her work is phenomenal. Occasionally we still uncover a new artist capable of great work. We were slack for a while, putting in work when we should not have been, and it was sub-standard. That will not happen again – contemporary or traditional, it has to be good art.”

The exhibition will be open daily in the Drill Hall, Denne Road, Horsham, RH12 1JF, on 16th-25th August, 10.30am-5pm. The exhibition closes at 3.30pm on Saturday, 25th August. For details and examples of some of the artists’ work visit https://sussexartists.org/