Resolution: Leicester Open 25

I am not a great believer in using the New Year to create resolutions (mainly because making and implementing intended life-improving changes at seasonally the most depressing time of year has historically ended in failure within days, if not hours). However, in order to try and nurture a creative momentum during the dark days of winter, I do try and set at least one achievable art-related goal.

This year my resolution is to try and submit at least one entry to the Leicester Open 25 exhibition. Supporting the contemporary art scene within my local area is something that is very important to me, and one way to do this is to enter this exhibition. A variety of reasons (not least developing and refining a concept for a new body of work) have meant that I have not submitted any work for this annual exhibition for the past couple of years. With a new artist statement now firmly in place I am optimistic that I can get at last one canvas completed and entered for consideration in 2014.

Entering an open exhibition is akin to awaiting exam or test results. With the Leicester Open you can submit up to 3 works. You then have to wait around a week or so to find out if any of them have been chosen by the Selection Panel for inclusion in the exhibition. As an entrant I have had work both selected and declined in the past. Whatever the outcome from a personal perspective, these exhibitions are always worth a visit due to the diversity of work that can be seen.

My favourite kind of Open Exhibitions are those which hang work in a similar vain to the very early Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions – floor to ceiling work that you have to visually explore (often resulting in finding inspiring work to appreciate that you may not otherwise have been exposed to).

Over the last ten years or so I have had the following work selected: