An artist telephoned the office today worried about filling in her application form as she hadn’t yet painted the work for this year’s Festival. My heart leapt and I was delighted that she wasn’t about to send us some paintings she had found at the back of the studio that hadn’t sold for the last five years. Nothing is more disheartening than receiving an application form filled with work we have previously seen. I was able to reassure her that the selection panel want to see firstly an artist’s style and secondly to have some idea of what they are planning to exhibit. If the work is only half completed – as long as you are sure it will be ready – don’t worry. We cherish the new, we love to receive work that has never been shown before, that is the excitement for everyone involved in the Festival – so just keep painting, making and sculpting, but make sure it’s dry by 8th June!