THE SOCIETY OF WOMEN ARTISTS
2026 EXHIBITION
The Society of Women Artists 165th exhibition
The Society of Women Artists' 165th Annual Exhibition at the Mall Galleries was another outstanding success, celebrating the breadth, quality and diversity of contemporary art by women. Featuring more than 450 works, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, glass, printmaking, ceramics and textiles, the exhibition was praised by visitors for both the exceptional standard of the work and its thoughtful, spacious presentation.
The exhibition continues online throughout the summer, extending opportunities for audiences to discover and purchase work by our artists.
Supporting emerging talent remains central to the Society's mission. This year's exhibition included a specially curated selection of recent graduates from leading art schools, alongside work by students from Heatherley's School of Fine Art and Heathfield School, with additional student work featured online. Bursaries were also provided to help student artists meet the significant costs of exhibiting their work.
The exhibition programme offered visitors much more than the opportunity to view artwork. The week included the Young Artists' Initiative Evening, the Awards Ceremony, artist demonstrations and workshops throughout the week, a public panel discussion exploring the future of women artists, fundraising initiatives, and the ever-popular Visitors' Choice Award, won this year by Pranavi Agarwal for Goddess Mother.
A special highlight was the display of Sally Ward's portrait of the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, recently acquired for the Parliamentary Art Collection following the Society's collaboration with Parliament to mark its 170th anniversary. The portrait was kindly loaned by the Heritage Collection for display during the exhibition. The exhibition also welcomed members of the Parliamentary community, strengthening an important new partnership for the Society.
The Society is deeply grateful to its sponsors, whose continued generosity, encouragement,and commitment make the Annual Exhibition possible. Through their support of our awards programme, they recognise artistic excellence, celebrate achievement, and provide meaningful encouragement to artists at every stage of their careers. Their partnership plays an invaluable role in the continuing success of the exhibition, and we thank every sponsor for their loyal and valued support.
The success of the exhibition is a testament to the dedication of our members, volunteers, Council, exhibition team, sponsors and the staff at Mall Galleries, whose hard work and commitment made the week possible. Their combined efforts created a vibrant and welcoming exhibition that reflects the Society's enduring commitment to championing excellence in art by women.
2026 AWARD WINNERS
Princess Michael of Kent Award
President and Vice President’s Award
Special Non-Members’ Award
Arina Gordienko for Life in Crimson Flame
Imogen Hawgood for ‘Spritz A Go Go’
Emilia Symis for ‘Let me take a photo first’
Melissa Magg – ‘Seething’
Daisy Potter for Black Dog
Kristina Haritonova for her body of work
Joy Kavanagh for ‘Withheld’
Rebecca Swainston for her body of work
Sara Gregory for ‘Woman Of A Certain Age’
Ngai Ning Yu for “I Remember”
Jun Shya for “Hold Me Like a Melted Candle”
Hattie Quigley for “In The Belly of the Meadow" (special commendation )
Emma Goring for “Reefscape” (special commendation)
Amy Bradnock for “Knotted Self” (special commendation)
Kayla Martell for ‘I Wasn’t Supposed to Stop There’
Trish Claridge for “Marvellous Margaret – A Girl Just Wants To Have Fun, Part 2 of 3”
Ngai Ning Yu for “I Remember”
Kate Bentley for “Winter Light (Edinburgh)”
Margo Schultz, for ‘Amoretti’s Knot’
Lotte Johnson for ‘Never no more, will I ever see him (Triptych)’
Kaija Bulbrook for her body of work
Julie Cross for “Godsend – Apple of Discord”
Pranavi Agarwal for Goddess Mother
2026 DEMONSTRATIONS
During the Exhibition we had demonstrations by some of our talented members artists.
Quick loose watercolours
Sera Knight
A series of small, spontaneous watercolour studies painted in around half an hour or less. Moving between dancers, flowers, street scenes, musicians and landscapes, these works focus on instinct rather than perfection. They’re about energy, movement and the freedom of letting the brush lead. Not masterpieces in the traditional sense, but lively snapshots that celebrate the joy of painting without overthinking.
Loose Landscapes in Oils
Lucy Marks
Join Lucy Marks for a fun approach to painting loose, expressive landscapes in oils. Working from a photo, she will bring her plein air process into the studio, sharing tips on capturing light, atmosphere, and movement with confident, economical brushwork. A practical and energetic insight into painting with freedom.
Empowering Her: Empowering US
Caroline de Peyrecave
What does it mean to feel truly seen?
Join portrait artist Caroline de Peyrecave for a live conversation around the latest works from her Empowering Her collection, exploring portraiture, identity and the visibility of women in contemporary life.
Portraits of Sally Phillips and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe will be exhibited during the event, alongside a special display of additional paintings from the Empowering Her collection shown exclusively for workshop participants.
Following the talk, participants are invited to take part in Feeling Seen, an intimate portrait-based workshop using simple paired drawing exercises to explore observation, connection and self-perception in a relaxed and supportive environment.
No drawing experience necessary. Materials provided.
Sharing a simple approach for capturing a quick likeness, and the essence of a sitter, using the most basic materials.
Gail Reid
Gail will introduce her materials, followed by a series of 20 minute portrait sketches from life, explaining the process throughout.
There will be a small number of slots for sitters with the option of the portraits being available to take away at the end of the day. An optional donation to this year's charity would be very welcome.