Shepherd's Bush mum's tree drawing could win major art prize

AN ARTIST has been shortlisted for two major prizes, the £30,000 Threadneedle prize and in the prestigious National Open Art Competition.

Carla Groppi, who works part-time in Picture, a framing gallery in Shepherd’s Bush Road, Brook Green, is delighted at her selection for the Threadneedle prize, which is the leading competition for figurative and representation painting and sculpture.

The mother of two grown children submitted a large-scale charcoal drawing of a tree, entitled After Atget, Parc St Cloud, and it is one of six works from 3,500 entries that will be exhibited at the Mall Galleries in Pall Mall in what is one of the most valuable art prizes in the UK.

To add to the excitement of getting picked for the Threadneedle, another of her pieces has been shortlisted for the National Open Art Competition, a which aims to provide an open and fair platform where all UK artists can exhibit, sell and promote their work. She will find out if she has won on Monday.

She graduated from London Arts School with a first-class honours degree in 2008 and has worked since then in her studio in Hackney Reed or at home, and part-time at the Brook Green gallery. She said: “I am thrilled my piece was selected for the Threadneedle prize.”

The artist said her drawing is a translation of the French documentary photographer, Eugene Atget’s pictures. He was noted for his determination to record the architecture and street scenes of Paris at the turn of the 20th century, and Carla has used charcoal, pastel or acrylic, which she finds challenging and exciting. She added: “Both competitions are important to me. They are high-profile and it’s a wonderful opportunity to have your work exposed at such prestigious art competitions.”

The free exhibition at the Mall Galleries will open on September 25, the day after Carla finds out if she’s won the Threadneedle prize, and ends on October 12.

There is also a chance for visitors to win £10,000 by voting for their favourite work. All works are for sale.

Go to www.threadneedleprize.com for more information.