RCA Secret Blog

Edd Pearman RCA secret prints

2012-01-29T21:04:00.000Z

I know the two postcards that Edd Pearman did of Matadors got a lot of love at RCA Secret (see this post on Edd's blog for an example). So if you missed out on them Edd has now released them as limited edition prints through Rise Art. What's more they are only £85 in small editions of 45. I got to see them in the flesh at the London Art Fair and they look great. Plus if you use this link you will get a further £10 off your first purchase, making the first one an even more affordable £75!

Noise Festival Secret postcard sale

2012-01-07T21:24:00.000Z

Here's another secret postcard sale I have come across courtesy of Speebe on the banksy forum. A good cause and it appears the remaining works are for sale online at £45 plus VAT.

Noise Festival - Secret Postcard Sale: £45 for an original artwork.

Click here for the website

This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to purchase unique artwork, in time for the gift-giving season!

NOISEfestival.com’s Secret Sale consists of original “one-off” postcard artworks created by leading artists including Red or Dead fashion label founder Wayne Hemingway, legendary singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, Academy Award winning Aardman Animations, Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, as well as Mancunian DJ and Producer Mr Scruff, alongside emerging creative talent from the NOISEfestival.com website.

The secret is, the exclusive artworks are signed on the back so buyers don’t know the identity of the artist until you’ve made your purchase.

Each art postcard costs just £45 (plus 20% VAT), regardless of whether it has been made by a famous name or an emerging artist, so you could pick up a unique piece of art that’s worth much more!

All proceeds of the sale will go direct to the NOISE arts Charity, currently receiving no core funding for its work in promoting new talent. This fundraiser will help the organisation to continue their dedicated work to support original talent in Architecture, Fine Art, Moving Image, Photography, Fashion, Product Design, Word and Music.

RCA Secret Workshop

2011-12-11T11:16:00.000Z

My RCA Secret 2011

2011-11-30T17:09:00.000Z

Another year, my 12th doing RCA secret. Time really has flown, I certainly remember my first year and the excitement of queuing for a few hours only to find that all the cards on my list had gone, resolving that that would never happen again.

The build up to the sale was perhaps a bit quieter than previous years. In the week leading up to the sale relatively little information had been released about contributors to the sale and, it transpired, that some of the information in the guardian was wrong.

Nevertheless excitement built as the sale got nearer and nearer. When the college first started doing the sale 18 years ago only the nerdiest people would have been on the internet. Now you have all the cards online straight away, you have the college and this blog on facebook and twitter and you have the tools to research your favourite artists at the click of a button. It certainly makes it more of a challenge.

The relative lack of some of the high profile contributors didn't seem to deter the RCA public both on the viewing days and on sale days. Whilst the press tend to concentrate on the big names I'm not sure that is why most people come and buy at RCA secret.

Anyway I went along to the viewing on Sunday with the family and we all bought raffle tickets and some of the new RCA merchandise and spent a good couple of hours looking at the cards. As usual they always look far better in the flesh and by that stage we had spotted a few good uns.

As usual the next few days were spent reviewing the cards and refining lists. Then Friday came and, as usual I packed myself off to the college in the morning to find that usual crowd steadily arriving (or there already – Adam chose to queue for 2 night this year!).

Mark turned up just after me then John (with his stinking hangover) a couple of people further back and Hugh just behind him. The day was spent trading hints, tips and speculation. Isn't that card nice? What an earth do you that card is all about? Do you the artist who painted that card also did this one? Etc etc.

Chucking out time came and six and on to the, not so cold, streets. An anxious few minutes as the raffle was drawn then I got successive texts from my other half to say that both my daughter and she had won the raffle. Happy Days!

A couple of swift ones and a pizza later and then it was settle down for the night and try to sleep. I would have got more had there not been a large group of drunken lads right outside our tents (and nothing to do with the queue) who thought it was hilarious to make as much noise as possible for as long as possible. I think they thought we were protesters "Occupy RCA". Anyway once they realised that no-one would rise to the bait they eventually left.

2 hours later – 4am in the morning and I'm wide awake, unable to sleep. I watched a bit of a film – Closer with Jude Law and Julia Roberts – not a bad movie - and then heard that Mark was up so went to chat to him, counting down the hours.

Eventually the time came to pack away the tents, the raffle winners arrived and we had a nervous hour waiting to go in. First raffle winner out announced with glee that he had 2 Emins, a Perry and the Yoko Ono card – cross those off the list. By the time I got in though I didn't know what the family had picked up.

By the time I got to the room with the screens my list was decimated. Whether they were cards by my favourite artists or my favourite cards most were gone. By the time I got to the front of the queue I was halfway down page two of my list.

But I still got some lovely cards. I won't repeat all of our haul but highlights include:

The Grayson Perry Tiger. I love love love this card. In my opinion the best card he has ever done for RCA secret (and he's done some beauties), so I was chuffed to hear the family had acquired that.

My daughter Carys' favourite – a lovely card by Katia Lom.

My other Daughter's favourite – a card of a beaver driving a tractor by Nick Park.

Our favourite card in the exhibition – a great painting by Freya Douglas-Morris, a student at the college.

One of Graham Crowley's cards, a perennial favourite of all the family.

A fantastic painting by Nicholas Middleton – yes it is a painting although it looks like a photograph.

Both paintings submitted by Elinor Evans – 2 lovely studies of her cats Whiskey and Coke.

So some lovely cards. It was once again a great year and I will see you all again at RCA Secret 2012.

Article in Independent

2011-11-27T12:48:00.001Z

And here is an article in the independent on sunday.

They say you must suffer for your art. Usually this applies to the artists, not the buyers. Yet more than 1,300 art lovers braved the cold for hours in London yesterday morning to queue for the chance to snap up affordable original artwork at the Royal College of Art's Secret postcard sale.

Some had camped out for days by the RCA, opposite the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington, lured by the opportunity to purchase a small work by the likes of Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, the animator Nick Park, the photographer David Bailey or the fashion designer Manolo Blahnik for just £45. The Independent on Sunday joined the queue for a cultural bargain.

The "secret" to the annual sale is that buyers do not know which of the 1,119 artists involved – who include RCA students – has created each of the 2,900 postcards, displayed anonymously and signed on the reverse, until after they have handed over their cash. However, the postcards had been on display for a week beforehand, giving punters the chance to make an educated guess.

The first buyer through the door, one of 50 people who won advanced entry to the sale through a raffle, seemed to know what he was buying. James Pardey, 43, a seasoned sale visitor from Putney, London, peeled off the blue sticker on the envelope housing his postcards to inspect his first purchase. With shaking hands, he revealed a series of green and red squiggles on a white background.

"I think that's the Yoko [Ono]," said the graphic designer, who had also camped outside the exhibition since Thursday in case he had not won in the raffle. He nervously turned over the card to reveal he was right. "That was my number one choice and I am hugely pleased about it." His other three selections were two pencil drawings by Emin and a Perry portrait in coloured pen: not bad for £180.

"For me this is all about owning great art," he said. "I don't know how much they would be worth but to me they are priceless. I wouldn't consider selling them. I knew what I was looking for but you can never be certain."

The college hopes to raise more than £130,000 from the sale, now in its 18th year, to help support art students with grants and bursaries.

Those in the queue outside who had not succeeded in the raffle had made varying sacrifices for their art. Michael Tregear, 63, of London, the house manager at Armoury House, which hosts corporate events at the Honourable Artillery Company, had camped since Sunday to secure his spot as second in the queue and had only left his tent during the day to go to work.

Helen Rudeforth, 47, a deputy headteacher from Hampton in Arden, the West Midlands, was a first-timer working her way through the Time Out book 1000 Things to do in London: the RCA sale is number 63. But the experience was making the amateur French horn player late for a practice session with her wind octet in Banbury. "It's touch and go," she said. "A bit of a knife edge round here." But it was worth being late as, after a four-hour wait, she rushed off to catch her train clutching four brightly coloured artworks.

Take a chance in the postcard lottery
The Independent on Sunday's 'secret' purchase was a vibrant postcard by the established abstract landscape painter Cecilia Vargas, who studied at the RCA at the same time as Tracey Emin. For your chance to win this artwork, email your name, address and phone number to iosreaders@independent.co.uk by midday on Friday 2 December.

Publicity this morning

2011-11-27T12:43:00.001Z

Plenty of good publicity this morning for the sale.

We will start with a piece in the telegraph here and repeated below.

Having camped outside in the bitter cold since Monday, yesterday morning Stefan Bader and Ian Zanardelli were at the front of a queue of hundreds of people snaking 600 yards around the streets of London outside the Royal College of Art (RCA).

At 7am, the RCA opened its doors for the annual Secret Sale, a shopping spree of guess work where avid collectors and first-time buyers pay for postcard-sized works of art before discovering the identity of the artist.

For £45, those who queued could walk away with original works by Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, Anish Kapoor,Yoko Ono - or by an artist nobody has ever heard of. it is something of a combination of art detective work and lottery.

"It has been pretty cold, but we Brits like a queue," said Mr Zanardelli, a first-time buyer at the sale. "I don't really care what I get - I'll be very happy with something that looks nice and I am looking forward to the surprise."

Mr Bader, 31, a project manager from Germany, has been travelling to London from Dusseldorf for the last six years, and has previously got lucky with works by Tracey Emin.

Yesterday, after paying for four postcards, the maximum for each buyer, he got exactly what he wanted.
Among his haul were a picture of a Red Indian chief by Candra Cassini, one of his favourite artists, and works by the Japanese artist Tomoko Nishimura, Dhruva Mistry, an eminent Indian artist and Royal Academician and the lesser-known Gales Sofer.

"I had my eye on these so I'm thrilled they hadn't sold yet," he said.

Mr Zanardelli, 31, a student from London, was also delighted with his buys, including a portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh by Cassini entitled His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, extremely dashing at ninety years of age and a racier nude painting by the leading Welsh artist Roger Cecil.

"It was a bit of a punt and I had no idea what I was getting, but I'm really pleased," he said. "Prince Philip is pretty colourful - I think I might put him in my kitchen or bathroom."

Second through the doors was David Moore, 31, a solicitor from London, who had been despatched on behalf of his wife.

It was Mr Moore's fifth, and most successful visit to the sale to date.

After studying the unnamed postcards on the walls of the RCA earlier in the week, Mr Moore thought he recognised the signature style of some big names, and bought a £1 "lucky 50" raffle ticket in the hope of being one of the prospective buyers drawn from a hat on Friday night to be among the first 50 through the doors.
His gamble paid off, and Mr Moore selected two nude drawings by Emin and a sketch of an elaborately decorated motorbike by Perry.

The real Kenilworth AM1 motorbike, designed by Perry, is currently on display at the British Museum.
Mr Moore's beaming smile said it all. "My wife will be delighted, I'm so happy," he said. At £45 each, his Emin postcards are likely to prove a sound investment.

"Three years ago, a postcard donated by Emin for the RCA sale sold at auction for £16,000.

Also among the "lucky 50" ticket holders and quick through the doors were Elodie and Carys Hill, who came with their parents in search of pictures to brighten up their bedrooms in Camberwell, south London.
Elodie, nine, appeared delighted with her two postcards - a beaver driving a tractor by Nick Park, the filmmaker behind Wallace and Gromit and a smiling tiger by Perry.

"I wanted them because they are very interesting and colourful," she said, before confessing she had not heard of the artists. Carys declared herself "very happy" with a postcard of a pig against a gold background by the artist and choreographer, Katia Lom.

Sam Lane, 27, an English teacher from Bromley, south east London could not contain his disappointment when he finally made it through the doors at 8.30am, only to find that the works he wanted had been sold.
"This is my fourth year here and I queued since lunch time on Friday, sleeping in a tent last night," he said.
"I had my eye on a couple of Grayson Perrys, but there was a horrible moment earlier when I asked if they were still available and was told they were all gone."

Mr Lane still managed to pick up a "name" - discovering his postcard was by the designer Sir James Dyson.
For Lucy Mitchell, the cold queue outside from 6am had been worth it.

Mrs Mitchell, 39, a marketing director from Northwood, Middx and avid collector, bought two works by Anthony Frost, a leading abstract artist, and a postcard by Graham Crowley, the former head of painting at the RCA.

She said: "It was pot luck but I couldn't be happier."

It is hoped the sale will raise more than £130,000 to support art students with grants and bursaries.

BBC radio London interview

2011-11-27T09:09:00.000Z

Those who were at the sale yesterday will have missed the interviews on BBC Radio London. You can listen to it on BBC Iplayer by clicking here.

The interviews are roughly at:

17:40
1:18:32 (includes interview with queue regular Adam!)
2:10:30

College to open Gallery at 1pm

2011-11-26T11:42:00.000Z

For anyone contemplating a trip to RCA secret this afternoon the gallery will re-open from 1pm so you can view the cards before you go down to purchase them. There's sure to be a few cards left by well known artists, the college tweeted that Anish Kapoor's contribution is still in the wind.

Good luck all

2011-11-24T20:17:00.000Z

I'll be off to join the queue at some point tomorrow. So good luck all. Hope you get the cards you want. Follow the blog on twitter. I'm sure I will be tweeting occasionally from the queue.

That's my card

2011-11-23T18:31:00.003Z

There are 2900 cards to choose from yet you have alighted on one. It is your favourite card, the one that speaks to you, the one that you could stare at for hours and hours, maybe because it is just so beautiful or maybe because it intrigues you, or makes you laugh, or repulses you. Whatever way you look at it that card becomes your favourite card.

Then a change happens. The card is no longer your favourite card it becomes “my card”. You want to own it, you want it to be yours, in fact you are already thinking in your mind that it is yours because you know it will be for sale at the end of the week’s viewing so why shouldn’t it be yours.

Herein lies the problem. You begin to fret, you begin to worry. “If I like this card so much then surely everyone else likes the card just as much as me”.

When you see the cards in the flesh your card seems to be lit up like a beacon with flashing lights round it. There may be 100 cards on each wall but your card could be the only one. Surely everyone else will see the merit, will understand what you have seen in the card? You almost want to cover up the card, to hack into the website and delete the card so that no-one else sees it. At the exhibition you keep returning to your card to check it’s still there, to make sure you’ve got the number right, to see whether anyone else appreciates its merit.

So if other people like it just as much as you then they will buy it and you won’t get it. So the only solution is to try and win the raffle. What if you don’t win the raffle? Well then you will have to queue for as long as possible to maximise your chances of getting your card.

So that’s what you do. You queue. You queue for an obscene, ridiculous time that in no way reflects the realistic material value of the card. Friends and family think you are insane, certifiable, for queuing that long for a postcard.

You keep your love of the card furtively secret to those around you in the queue. You may discuss with them cards that you like, artists that you admire but you keep your card very close to your chest. If someone else mentions your card, even in passing, you have heart palpitations thinking they might buy it before you.

And then you get into the room with the tills and this is your first chance to see whether your card is sold. If it is, heartbreak. If it isn’t then panic – there are still 50 people ahead of you yet to buy. That’s 200 cards. Surely they must all be after the same card that you are after. Sometimes your card is sold, again heartbreak, disappointment, frustration. Maybe just maybe it isn’t sold, it’s yours. You are the king. You have brought your queen home. She will be lovingly framed and displayed at home and every time you look at that card you will be reminded of the hours of effort you put in to get her. That card and you will always have a shared history, a tale of your own small human endeavour.

Leading up to the sale a few words of encouragement. People do not have the same taste as you. I guarantee that. Your favourite card will not be the same as other people’s favourites. Just as you will be religiously protecting the identity of your card they will have a different card that speaks to them in just the same way as your card speaks to you.

Secondly even if you miss out don’t panic. You can find out from the rca website which artist was responsible for your card. Contact them, tell them your story. I’m sure they will be delighted to hear from you - who doesn’t like to hear that their work is appreciated. And maybe you will be able to buy a work from them or their gallery that you love equally as much. It may not be “your card”, it may not have the history of endeavour that “your card” has but you will still look at it on the wall and be reminded of the year that you queued for “your card”.

So what is “my card” for this year, well that would be telling wouldn’t it. And I’m not ready to share that yet, even with you.

RCA Secret & artist gender: some stats

2011-11-19T18:11:00.000Z

Here is an interesting article originally posted on Lisa Gee's blog on the gender of the artists of cards bought by RCA secret buyers.

One of the things that fascinates me about the RCA Secret exhibition & sale is that it’s possibly the nearest thing we have to a gender-blind art event. Given UK Feminista’s 2010 figures showing that …

• 83% of the artists in the Tate Modern are men
• 70% of the artists in the Saatchi Gallery are men
• 70% of the artists that have been nominated for the Turner Prize have been men and only 3 women have ever won (just 12% of all winners)

… I thought it might be interesting to see how the gender breakdown worked for RCA Secret purchases.
So I persuaded their PR people to let me have a spreadsheet detailing which postcards (by exhibition number) sold when. Then I matched the first 400 card numbers sold with their artist*.
The results† make for interesting reading. Of the first 400 postcards sold:

214 were created by men (53.5%)
182 by women (45.5%)
2 by a woman and a man working together (0.5%)
2 by artists who used their initials and whose gender I couldn’t establish (0.5%)

And of the numbers of male and female artists whose work was amongst the first 400 postcards sold?
Of a total of 254 artists:

125 were men (49.21%)
127 were women (50%)
2 used their initials and I couldn’t establish their gender (0.79%)

I’ll leave it to others to comment.
____
* It’s the first 400 for two reasons.

the further back you are in the queue, the less likely it is that you will be able to by your top-preference postcard. Therefore, the earliest purchases should reflect buyers’ preferences most clearly. The caveat is, the more enthusiastic the purchaser and the longer they’re willing to queue, the more knowledgeable they are likely to be about art… and, therefore, the less likely they are to be buying gender-blind.
No-one was paying me to do this. Have you any idea how long it takes to match the number to the artist if you don’t know how to programme a clever script? I do have a life you know! However, if anyone fancies paying me to the whole shebang for this year, I’ll happily set aside the time…

† caveats.

I’ve triple-checked, but given my manual methods & the limited time I’ve devoted to the project, it’s possible there are minor errors in my counting. So I might be out by one or two artists/postcards either way…
I haven’t done a gender breakdown of all contributing artists. For the reasons detailed above.

Telegraph Gallery

2011-11-17T15:43:00.000Z

All will be revealed tomorrow of course but the telegraph has just release a sneak peak of the sale. Go here for 15 photos!

A few exciting developments today

2011-11-15T18:19:00.001Z

It's certainly been a busy day on the RCA secret front.

Firstly we have news of a competition in stylist magazine for 51st place in the queue after the raffle winners. Very exciting. Although the closing date is expressed to be midnight on 29 November 2011. Hope that's wrong and that Stylist didn't go to print with that same incorrect date!

Anyway you can enter the competition here, go for it, you haven't got anything to lose!

Secondly a couple of blogs have released some more images of cards. Go here and here to take a look.

More contributor news in the guardian

2011-11-13T10:58:00.000Z

The guardian's small piece about the sale here confirms more contributor names we hadn't seen before including Sir Peter Blake and Jake Chapman:

"This annual show, now in its 18th year, is a piece of fundraising genius benefitting the RCA Student Award Fund. All of its 2,800 postcard-sized artworks are for sale at £45, but the talents behind them remain anonymous until they've been purchased. Alongside students and graduates from London's Royal College Of Art, those who've donated work this year include Yoko Ono, Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, Jake Chapman and Sir Peter Blake. Alongside the art bigwigs there are contributions from the likes of Wallace & Grommit creator Nick Park, shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, fashion great Mary Quant, photographer David Bailey, and furniture genius Ron Arad."

Modern Toss's take on RCA secret

2011-11-12T10:26:00.002Z

From the guardian. Love it!

2900 Cards!

2011-11-11T15:57:00.000Z

According to this blog there will be 2900 cards in this years show with contributors to include "artists Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, Anish Kapoor as well as design figureheads James Dyson, Paul Smith and Kenneth Grange."

It is said that this number of contributions is a record but I'm not sure that is correct. I believe that in the early years of the sale the college got over 3000 cards. If anyone knows for certain I'd be interested to hear. Anyway whichever way you look at it, it will be a fantastic year!

Short piece in time out

2011-11-09T16:45:00.001Z

Here is a short piece about the sale in time out. Includes another card we haven't seen before.

Design Week Blog article

2011-11-07T18:53:00.000Z

Here's a link to a piece about the sale in the design week blog.

Some cards we haven't seen before (pictured below) plus the news that Anish Kapoor is a contributor.

Other RCA secret teasers

2011-11-04T20:26:00.001Z

Here's three more cards from this year's sale with a bird theme, appropriately all tweeted by the college:

Article in BMI Voyager

2011-11-02T08:10:00.003Z

The latest edition of the BMI Voyager magazine has a piece about the RCA secret. If anyone can get hold of a hard copy of this for me I would be very grateful. Click here to see the article, which is reproduced below.

Luck of the draw

SOLICITOR PERRY HILL IS REMEMBERING THE MOMENT HE DISCOVERED he’d bought an original Grayson Perry and a Gerhard Richter for less than £100. ‘I fell to my knees,’ he admits, slightly shamefaced. ‘But it was so exciting.’ Hill is a regular at RCA Secret, held at the Royal College of Art each November and now in its 18th year.

Some 2,800 postcard-sized works are up for grabs, each priced at £45. Some of the contributors are art-world heavyweights such as David Bailey and Tracey Emin, others unknown RCA students. As the cards are signed on the reverse, you don’t find out who your purchases are by until you’ve handed over the cash. (Can you spot which of the postcards, right, are by big names? For answers, see far right.)

The artists’ identities are closely guarded, says curator Wilhelmina Bunn. ‘We’ve got a staff of just two people and will never tell the secret. We have student helpers, but they’re not allowed to handle the work.’

The postcards are on display at the RCA and online from 18 November, with the sale on Saturday 26

The doors open at 8am, and each collector is limited to four cards. Competition is fierce for the early places in the queue, and while the first 50 spots are raffled off by the college, after that it’s first come, first served. ‘Some people camp for five or six days,’ says Hill. ‘I’ve never done more than 24 hours though.’ Others turn up in the early morning, resigned to a long wait.

Most of the big-name artists stick to their signature style and themes, says Bunn, which means pieces by the likes of Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry are soon snapped up. Nonetheless, sharp-eyed latecomers can sometimes make spectacular finds. ‘Among so many cards, it’s easy to miss something,’ confirms Hill. ‘If I showed you my Damien Hirst, you’d look at it and think, “Yes, that’s obviously by Hirst.” It wasn’t so obvious when it was one card among 2,800.’

In 2007, a card by Peter Doig sold at Sotheby’s for £42,000 and a skull drawn by Hirst fetched £15,600. Most collectors prefer to hold on to their purchases, though. Hill is no exception. ‘Never say never, because you don’t know what’s around the corner, but I’d love to keep them all and leave them to my children. That’s my legacy to them.’ Elizabeth Winding www.rca.ac.uk/secret

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T18:39:00.000Z

Here's a halloween postcard apparently from the show.

Some more RCA secret cards

2011-10-29T09:05:00.002+01:00

The guardian also has some pictures of more RCA secret cards here

Article in the Guardian with plenty of contributor news!

2011-10-28T19:29:00.000+01:00

Here is a link to an article that has been published in the Guardian this afternoon. Presumably the hard copy will be in the paper tomorrow. Text from the article posted below.

It is the usual mix of hard-up, unknown postgraduate students and established artists from a starry list that includes Tracey Emin, Yoko Ono, Anish Kapoor and Mike Leigh. But this year there is a distinct political edge to the RCA Secret postcard exhibition.

Who did what will not be known for a month when the charity fundraiser, which has established itself as one of the most interesting and fun events on the visual arts calendar, takes place to raise money for student bursaries at the Royal College of Art.

The curator Wilhelmina Bunn said the postcards were donated by professional artists, designers and illustrators as well as students on the RCA fine arts course. "It's going very well," she said. "At the moment we've got around 2,100 postcards, although I'm still taking calls from people saying: 'Honestly, I'm going to get it to you,' so we should have more than 2,500 by the time we open.

"It is a very tight turnaround and it means you don't know what the exhibition is going to look like until you're more or less putting it on the wall."

Each postcard is signed on the back so collectors have no idea whose work it is until they buy it.
All of them are new works and Bunn said she had noticed contributions becoming more overtly political. The portrayal of current events was more noticeably graphic, she said, and a fair number of this year's cards are a response to the August riots and the economy.

"We have got quite a lot of artists who do make political work but it has maybe been quite subtle, or more conceptual or humanist or spiritual, and then suddenly everybody goes: 'No, we're going to really talk about those things being reported.'"

This year there are names from art, fashion, design and film: contemporary artists include Grayson Perry, Olafur Eliasson, John Baldessari, Richard Wilson, Maggi Hambling and Christo; fashion is represented by Sir Paul Smith, Dries van Noten and Erdem; in design there are Sir James Dyson and Kenneth Grange; and film-makers include Mike Leigh and Nick Park.

This is Bunn's sixth year as curator and, as an RCA graduate herself, her 10th of putting in a postcard of her own. "I always feel very nervous because you're in such incredible company."

Bunn said most of the time contributors were not trying to trick people by emulating other artists. "Mostly people want to make their own work as you want to be able to stand by it. Although they are secret, the postcards are identifying you as an artist, they're a calling card of what you do and of course people will have the work in their home."

All the postcards will be available to see online as well as in person from 18 November but the event is still cheeringly old-fashioned in that you have to turn up on the day, Saturday 26 November this year, and it is a first-come-first-served queue, no sealed bids or reservations permitted.

Each card costs £45 and buyers are limited to four. Bunn said there were normally diehards who began camping three or four days before. "It is kind of crazy – in November. There are also some people who go to the pub on Friday night and end up queuing afterwards. And a lot of people come at say 5am and it is a really nice event because they're all into the same thing.

"We haven't heard of any marriages but people do meet and become RCA Secret friends and when they come back they have reunions."

The event, sponsored by Stewarts Law LLP, always involves a mammoth cashing up process with more than £90,000 raised last year for fine arts student bursaries.

Grayson Perry to contribute

2011-10-26T12:39:00.000+01:00

Grayson Perry will once again contribute to RCA secret, having apparently drawn two cards last weekend whilst his wife Phillipa was tweeting!

Exciting news....

Kev F Sutherland Artist Interview

2011-10-23T19:58:00.000+01:00

Here is another in the series of interviews. This time with Kev F Sutherland. You can find our more about Kev on his website. Here is his blog as well. Finally you can follow him on twitter. Many thanks to Kev for giving up his time to answer these questions.

How did you first get involved in RCA secret?

I honestly can't quite remember. I know that my wife, the sculptor Heather Tweed, was invited first and the following year I was contributing as well. Wish I could tell you more.

The drawings you did last year were from three different locations, dates and subjects. How did you go about choosing the drawings you wanted to do?

I draw my cards in the same way as I draw sketchbook pages, capturing what I see very simply, and in biro. They're one part exercise, one part snapshot and the selection for the RCA secret cards is a large part random. Unlike my sketchbook pages, I can't ignore the failures. I draw straight onto the three cards in biro, so apologies to anyone who chooses the one that maybe didn't quite work. (This, of course, never happens)

Have you been to see the exhibition in the past? What do you like about it?

Obviously the guessing game is inescapably marvellous fun. Who doesn't want to try and guess which is by the famous collectable artist and which is by a recent student? It's also inspiring / stroke / galling to see the use some artists have made of that tiny piece of card when all you've done is a sketchbook drawing in biro. I try not to get jealous.

What work appeals to you?

Anyone who has risen to the challenge and brought something of their work and themselves to this project. I've seen sculpture, all forms of painting, drawing, printing, cartoon, textile, conceptual. signwriting pretty well every medium on these cards (actually, have I seen a video piece? Or did I dream that?)

Have you ever bought anything from the sale and what did you get?

Tried to buy a piece once but either got our bid in too late, or were unlucky.

Do you have a favourite card that you have donated to a previous sale?

I've drawn some pieces on my travels, one year I drew them in Norway I recall, and didn't keep a copy. It's things like that I'd love to see again. The year I drew the mantlepiece in my studio because it was deadline day I can take or leave.

One of the things we love about RCA secret is the diversity of contributors. Any plans to do the Comic Art Masterclasses to the students at the college?

It would be a challenge to teach comic art to serious practising artists, given that I usually work with school pupils who often feel they can't draw and frequently have no awareness of comics strips and narrative art. When you're ready.

Tell us about the scottish falsetto sock puppet theatre?

Perhaps the best evidence that I actually went to art college (I have a degree in Fine Art, my degree show was video and conceptual work, and I've spent 20 years drawing comic books, most famously working for The Beano) the Socks are a comedy double act that have done 4 sellout years at the Edinburgh Fringe and have a growing international audience (we'll be playing the Adelaide Fringe next year). They've made the art I'm most proud of yet.

Wayne Chisnall artist interview

2011-10-18T07:43:00.002+01:00

One artist who has really taken RCA secret to heart is Wayne Chisnall. He will be well known to many people in the queue as he has often come down to have a chat with queuers and to hand out stickers etc. In 2009 Wayne put in an overnight screenprinting and then signing 400 postcard sized prints which he then handed out, for free, to appreciative rca secret campers. We caught up with Wayne for the next in our series of RCA secret artist interviews.

Wayne's blog is here and you can follow him on twitter. He also has an excellent flickr photostream.

You've really embraced RCA secret in the last few years, turning up on the day of the sale and handing out a limited edition print in the queue etc, what is it about the sale that you like?

There’s always a great buzz around the RCA Secret show and not just from the people who turn up to buy. I know a lot of other artists that submit work every year and they all look forward to it.

What do you think of the people who camp out all night, or even days, to attend the sale?

You've got to admire their dedication. There seems to be a great community spirit amongst the members of the little shanty town of tents that you see outside the show every year. I'm always tempted to join them just for the experience.

Do you like looking round the postcards yourself? What work appeals to you?

I love checking out everyone else's work. I'm mostly interested in the drawings and some of the painted postcards. I like to see evidence of hands at work and I think that drawings tell you a lot about the person that made them. It’s sometimes easier to hide behind a painting but drawings are somehow more telling. But saying that there are always lots of fantastic prints and photographs entered every year.

Have you ever bought anything from the sale and what did you get?

I've only once bought any cards from the show. It was the first time that I entered the raffle to win one of the first few places in the queue and my ticket got picked out of the hat. That year I only had time for a quick half hour look round the gallery before it shut so I just ended up buying 3 drawings that I liked but didn't know who they were by and a lovely painting by Elinor Evans. At the time I didn’t know who she was – I just recognised her painting style from seeing some of her full size work in a show earlier on that year. I do also have a Marc Quinn postcard but I won that years ago in a Time Out competition.

Do you have a favourite card that you have donated to a previous sale?

I think that some of the ones that I did for last year’s show are among my favourites. I particularly liked drawing the tentacled orifice box postcard and the jellyscuttle one – a larger version of which I seem to remember someone, not too far away, commissioning me to re-draw for their wife’s birthday or xmas pressie (ed - It was Christmas and it now sits proudly framed on the wall!). I’m also fond of last year’s maudlin and sexually frustrated potato shoot creature which was a sort of sequel to the previous year’s ‘Love Is’ card. As some people already know, I submit a card or two every year under my other name, Chig, and I’m pleased with how the two Chig biro drawings turned out last year. One was a kind of winged torpedo and the other was a werecrow – a crow with human hands.

Tell us a bit about your work and what influences you?

As with most artists a lot of my influences come from outside of the field that I work in. My sculptures probably owe more to my childhood love of gothic horror movies and strange animations than to they do to sculpture. I’m a big fan of the short animated films of the Brothers Quay and of Jan Svankmajer. Their attention to detail and the materials that they use have definitely steered some of my work down a various paths.

There are also a lot of reoccurring themes or motifs that pop up in my work. I’m passionate about boxes, towers and things on wheels.

Some people have commented that they think my work is a too dark but I think it’s just a symptom of a very English sense of humour.

But ideas can come from anywhere really (it’s amazing what the subconscious mind will throw together) and I think that some of the most interesting work often comes out of a meshing of disparate themes.

You are clearly in love with drawing, where do you think that came from?

It’s something that I’ve done all my life. As a child I was obsessed with drawing – probably even more than I am now unfortunately. My father was a tattooist and used to paint so I guess that I got the creative streak from his side of the family as my mother claimed that she couldn’t even draw stick men.

I find that the process of sculpting tends to generate far more ideas for 3D works than I’ll ever be have time to make so I have piles of sketchbooks full of drawings and instructions for the construction of potential sculptures. But as long as the work exists in one form or other I’m happy – and it’s useful to have a back log of ideas that I can dip into whenever I want. I’ll sometimes flick through an old sketchbook from ten or twenty years ago and find something that I’d forgotten about but which might inspire a new piece of work. I suppose it’s all very self indulgent when you think about it.

Have you got any projects on the go at the moment? What can we look forward to?

I’ve just finished a sculpture that looks like a tower block perched on top of a small planet. It’s based on some old sketches and was something that I made whilst working on a tall orifice tower which is nearing completion. I’m not sure when they’ll get exhibited but I am showing my City sculpture (the one that looks a bit like a mobile cabinet of curiosities) in a show at TROVE in Birmingham on the 21^st October. The exhibition is partly organised by the Minnie Weisz Studio in King’s Cross and the show will be travelling to London early next year.

I’m also involved in a project with a tile company called Domus. They work closely with architectural firms and are building a new showroom in Clerkenwell that will include an art exhibition space. As well as showing some of my work in their new space once it opens I’ve spent the last few days working with a team of artists, painting a 33 metre long hoarding that I designed.

There are a few other projects in the pipeline but it’s still early days so I don’t have a lot to say about them yet.

I suppose that I should really make a start on my postcards for this year’s RCA Secret Show – the deadline for handing them in is getting uncomfortably close.

Peter Jones Artist Interview

2011-10-12T20:31:00.002+01:00

Regular readers of this blog will know that one of our favourite RCA secret artists, indeed one of our favourite artists full stop, is Peter Jones. So we were thrilled when Peter agreed to answer a few questions. Do check out Peter's website and follow him on twitter.

You've been donating to RCA Secret for some years now. What is it that
you like about the show ?

I love the democratic concept of the RCA Secret and the exhibition which
to me has always felt like a Pop installation. More importantly though, I
admire the central cultural contribution of the event which is the
confidence it gives to new collectors.

What do you think about the hard-core fans who queue overnight or even
for days to buy work at the show ?

How can anyone not admire the friendly determination of the RCA Secret
punters ? Any artist would wish to find equally passionate collectors
queuing outside their studio.

Have you ever bought something or queued ?

The only time I've ever queued for hours and hours in the freezing cold
for art was many years ago in Paris to see a Georges de La Tour
exhibition.

The last time I bought a card from the RCA Secret was some years ago
during the afternoon after most of the cards and all of the queue had long
gone. It was by Sol le Witt.

Tell us about your work and influences.

I paint from vintage toys which I collect for the purpose. I am less
interested in the history of these found objects but instead I try to
suggest someting of the inherent symbolism of the subject.

All the artists who inspire me are too many to even begin to list, but I
am always fascinated by the obssessive commitment to a particular subject
by great painters like Monet or Morandi.

How long do you spend working on a postcard ? They seem to be as
finished as any of your studio paintings.

The postcards usually take about three hours to paint. This relates to the
ten to twelve hours it takes to complete one of my paintings on linen or
wood panel. All my work is small in scale but I think three hours to
finish a painting is quick !

Do you have a favourite postcard you've contributed from previous shows ?

The White Lamb I painted last year marked the end of my series of Lamb
Portraits so I am fond of that one. However, the painting I have made for
this year is probably my favourite.

Victoria Bean Artist Interview

2011-10-09T19:42:00.000+01:00

Here is the next of our RCA secret contributing artist interviews. This time with visual poet Victoria Bean. You can find out more about Victoria here or follow her on twitter.

You've donated to the sale for a number of years now what is it about it that you like?

I like keeping in contact with the college (even if it's only once a year), and I like the fact that everyone involved gets something out of it - the artist, the college, and the person buying the postcard.

You studied at the college, how important is the sale and the money raised from it for the students at the college?

Apart from the financial help it gave me as a student, the sale's a great model for self-funding.

What do you think of the people who camp out all night, or even days, to attend the sale?

The show wouldn't feel like such a big deal to the public if they didn't camp out all night. They embody the sense of anticipation.

Do you like looking round the postcards yourself? What work appeals to you?

Usually the ones that couldn't work in any other size/scale, and I'm always drawn to the text pieces.

Have you ever bought anything from the sale and what did you get?

I haven't yet, but would like to.

Do you have a favourite card that you have donated to a previous sale?

I like the one I've just done because it accidentally made me resolve another piece of work.

So what is visual poetry? Tell us more about your work?

Visual poetry is the arrangement of the text on the page where everything's considered: the type size & shape, the white space on the page - and when you look at a visual poem you can tell if it works by asking - could this have been done any other way - is it making the meaning of a poem too obvious?

Have you got any projects on the go at the moment? What can we look forward to?

I've just had a poetry book published called Caught - which is a poet's perspective of a Magistrate's Court in London, and I'm off to Frankfurt where I'm having a show of my visual poetry with two other artists at the Klingspor Musem which opens on Friday 14th October.

Another secret postcard show

2011-10-08T07:39:00.001+01:00

Looks like there is another secret postcard show going on at the Lilford gallery this month. Private view on 14th October 2011 with the show commencing the next day. No news of contributing artists but postcards will be £25.

Baldessari and Ono contributors

2011-09-30T17:33:00.001+01:00

The college have provided first contributor news. John Baldessari and Yoko Ono are both contributors to this years sale.

James R Ford artist interview

2011-09-26T20:37:00.000+01:00

In advance of the 2011 the blog will be doing some interviews with some of the contributing artists to the sale. The first is with James R Ford, an artist who has been contributing to the sale since 2004. James contributed one of our favourite ever cards to the sale - My Yoda and Me (pictured above).

If you would like to find out more about James you can check out his website here and follow him on twitter. Thanks to James for contributing his time.

You've been donating to RCA Secret for some time now, why do you support the event?

I've been donating since 2004, after attending my first sale in 2003. I think it's a great event in terms of supporting the RCA students and exhibiting amongst a plethora of artists at different stages of their career.

RCA secret has certainly captured the imagination of the public, why do you think that is?

I think it's the gamble and the self assurance if you get it right! It's also a good way to pick up an original work by an artist they might not be able to afford in normal circumstances.

Do you have a favourite card that you have donated in the past?

Hmmmm that's a tough one. One of my first donated cards was quite sculptural - it was a hand-stitched, plush crab stitched directly onto the card. I also like my "I am not a fridge" card.

Do you find out what happens to your cards after the sale? Do buyers make contact with you? Would you like them to?

A couple of times I have had an email from the buyer saying they were really happy with their choice and that it had made the wait in the queue worth while. I think it's great if they make contact - knowing where my cards have ended up.

Have you ever bought anything from the sale yourself?

I bought something from the first sale I went to in 2003. It was a roughly drawn bird, colour pencil on lined paper. It was done by an eighty year old Scottish lady but I can't remember her name right now!

Do you think you will get a chance to see the exhibition this year?

Not this year unfortunately!

Tell us a little bit about your work and what influences you?

My work is constantly evolving - I tend to jump from idea to idea. My projects, however, always have an investigative nature, an interest in process and involve a good dose of irony or humour.

So, you emigrated to NZ a few years ago, how's life over there and what is the art scene like?

The art scene is actually really good. I wouldn't have stayed otherwise! Sometimes it's a bit NZ-centric but in general it's fresh and exciting. I thought everything would be very slow and backward over here but that's a false stereotype.

Artists interviews

2011-09-17T09:21:00.001+01:00

In the run up to the sale we are hoping to feature some interviews with regular RCA secret artists. Any artists who would like to contribute please do let us know :)

Cards arriving, time is marching

2011-09-12T20:28:00.001+01:00

According to the RCA secret Facebook site the college have already started received some cards for this years show. Exciting!

Secondary sales of RCA secret cards

2011-09-11T09:45:00.000+01:00

A few recent sales of RCA secret cards from 2007 on ebay has illustrated that most cards bought at the sale have a limited secondary market appeal. This Laura Green card sold for £54:

Whilst this card by Edith Marie Pasquier went for £35:

And this one by William Packer for £36:

Finally this one by Mike Leigh didn't sell, at a starting price of £75:

RCA secret twitter list

2011-08-26T08:15:00.001+01:00

Exactly 3 months to the sale now. The first people in the queue will have just entered the sale room...

Anyway if your excitement is growing one way of keeping in touch is to follow RCA secret fans on twitter. This blog is @rcasecretblog and we have set up a twitter list @rcasecretblog/rca-secret-list for you to follow as well. It's also obviously worth following @rcaevents as well for official news.

Rca Secret 2011 date set

2011-07-29T14:11:00.003+01:00

Rca secret 2011 will take place between 18 and 26 November 2011 with the sale on 26 November 2011. Can't wait!

Another Fedden for sale at bonhams

2011-07-03T20:14:00.001+01:00

You rarely see RCA secret postcards up for sale on the secondary market but, a bit like buses, 3 Mary Fedden postcards have come up for sale in the last few months.

Very curiously they have all been signed on the front at some point after the sale. Anyway the next of the three is available in this auction. It's a beauty as well.

Remaining postcards now for sale

2011-06-25T10:55:00.000+01:00

There's not many left but the remaining unsold postcards for £20 each from the Oli Bennett Secret Postcard Sale are now available. Log on to the oli postcards website for more information.

Contributors for Oli Bennett Postcard sale

2011-06-11T12:59:00.001+01:00

So here are some of the contributors to the Oli bennett secret postcard show, in no particular order:

Artists: Sir Peter Blake, D*Face, Patrick Hughes, Anita Klein, Susie Hamilton, Guy Denning, Remi Rough, Beejoir, Wayne Chisnall, Tom French, Know Hope, Peter Jones, Josie McCoy, Brian Jones and Candice Tripp.

Actors: David Schofield, Eddie Redmayne and Clemency Burton-Hill

Cartonist: Kipper Williams

Oli Bennett Charitable Trust Secret postcard online raffle opens

2011-06-10T08:20:00.000+01:00

The Oli Bennett Charitable trust secret postcard online raffle has opened. You can buy up to 20 tickets at £1 each for a chance to be one of the first 50 to buy 2 cards each. Although the sale is on 20 June 2011 you don't need to attend the sale in order to stand a chance of getting the cards you want - the raffle will be completed and you will make your choices before the event.

Go here for all details of the event or to the trust's justgiving website to enter the raffle.

Fedden cards fetch a tidy sum

2011-05-21T11:43:00.000+01:00

You may have seen in this post the two cards being sold at Bonhams. Well they went under the hammer this week and sold for £2,280 and £1,440 respectively including buyers premiums. A tidy profit for something which cost £40! Never did get to the bottom of why they were signed on the front.

Two Mary Fedden RCA secret cards to go under the hammer

2011-04-22T20:18:00.002+01:00

This Mary Fedden card from 2006 is to be sold at Bonhams in their modern pictures sale on 17 May 2011. Click here for more info.

However very curiously the photograph shown on the bonhams website is different to the photograph above, which is the original photograph put on the RCA website for that year. It seems that some time after the secret postcard was sold the artist has signed the front. Most curious.

There's also another card from 2004 that has also been signed on the front as well, click here to see that lot. Very strange.

Oli Bennett Charitable trust secret postcard sale news

2011-04-17T10:42:00.001+01:00

Here is a sneak preview of a few of the cards that will sold at this sale. The trust have now set up a website for the sale.

Call for artists for Anonymous Postcard Art show

2011-03-05T11:39:00.000Z

The OlI Bennett Charitable Trust is asking for donations of artwork for an anonymous postcard art show which will be held on 20 June 2011.

Oli Bennett was a young man killed in the 9/11 world trade centre attack. The charity is set up in his name to provide funding and grants for young people with business ideas, many of who are from an underprivileged background. It operates in a similar way to the Prince’s Trust. The fund has helped a wide variety of young people in the past set up businesses as wide ranging as wood recycling, sports coaching, fashion designing, jewellery making, ceramics, Car valeting, cake making etc.

The sale will be along very similar lines to the Royal College of Art secret postcard show RCA Secret.

Artists are asked to create postcard sized works of art in any media. They will be exhibited online for a week and then sold on the evening of the event for the sum of £20 each. The twist is that the artist signs the postcard on the back so the buyer doesn't know whose artwork they have got until they buy the card and then turn it over. All proceeds from the sale will go directly to the charity.

Any artists who would like to help by designing one or more postcards for the sale would be much appreciated. Please email your postal address to:

olipostcards@btinternet.com

We will then get some cards sent off to you. The deadline for returning the cards is 1 June 2011.

If you would like to come to sale you would be very welcome, it will be on 20 June 2011 at Westminster School in central London. If you’d like to come let us know and we will send you more details.

Thank you so much for your help.

The Oli Bennett Charitable Trust

olipostcards@btinternet.com

www.olibennett.org.uk

Registered Charity number: 1090861

Rae on the Bay

2011-02-28T19:03:00.000Z

The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted this Barbara rae secret cart that sold on ebay today for £310. I think this is a pretty early card, possibly from around 2001 or 2001. A Yankel Feather card which is a bit later, possibly 2004 or 2005 also sold today for £69.99.

Edd Pearman prints

2011-02-27T08:49:00.002Z

For those who missed out on Edd Pearmans contribution to RCA secret 2010 he has now released reasonably priced prints of the two images he did at the show. Click here to purchase from eyestorm.

RCA Secret Blog 5 years old

2010-12-17T11:20:00.000Z

The RCA Secret blog is 5 years old today. Time flies eh!

Thanks to alll the artists and other contributors who have helped the blog over the last five years. Thanks to you all for reading it. But mostly thanks to the college for the fantastic show they put on each year.

Here's to another 5 years!

Shhhh It's a postcard secret

2010-11-30T20:08:00.000Z

Here is a very amusing article by Lisa Gee originally published in beat magazine and reproduced with their kind permission. If you've never heard of beat magazine you should really check them out. It's a good read.

I sulked childishly when a mix-up of dates made it look like I’d have to miss the RCA Secret sale this year, and who can blame me? After all, what could possibly compare with the joys of spending a night on the streets of Kensington in the midst of a bitterly cold November, then queuing for hours to buy four postcards?
But, thanks to a very understanding friend, who adopted my daughter for twenty-four hours whilst somehow restraining herself from questioning my sanity, 9pm on Friday 19^th November, 2010, found me settling in on Prince Consort Road, SW7, behind a queue of people, some of whom had been there for days.

Emrys Williams

For the uninitiated, the RCA Secret sale is an annual event that raises money to fund student bursaries. More than a thousand artists – from Grayson Perry and Tracey Emin to current RCA post-grads – contribute postcard-sized artworks, each of which goes on sale for £45.

The “Secret” is that all cards are displayed anonymously. So, unless you’re a serious art buff, able to identify a specific artist’s work and either have the time and desire to queue for days – it’s first come, first served – or are lucky enough to have your raffle ticket drawn to be one of the first fifty allowed in, you won’t know who made your cards until you’ve bought them.

Last year, I viewed the cards the day before the sale – they’re exhibited for the week beforehand – made a short scribbled list of the numbers of the postcards I liked, got up at around 4am on Saturday morning, cycled down and stood in the rain for about five hours to buy three cards. I was hooked. Bizarrely, the joy of the thing was as much in the queuing as in the buying. So this year, I resolved to queue longer and better.

The shmangle - an inside out technicolour dream coat

Once I knew I was free to go, I embarked on a short, cut-price shopping trip. I bought a £7 tent, some thermal underwear made for 13-year-olds, the world’s warmest pair of socks, a cheap trekking mat and – best of all – something called a “shmangle” blanket. This also cost £7 and (unlike everything else which came from sportsdirect.com: I “heart” sportsdirect.com) was heavily reduced in John Lewis. My “shmangle” blanket – can’t resist saying it again: “shmangle” blanket – is a huge rainbow-coloured fleecy oblong, backed with bright pink waterproof plasticky stuff and, get this, IT HAS A HOOD.

In other words, it’s a thing designed for people who routinely shop in John Lewis to go for nice drizzly autumnal countryside walks in. It comes in a handy pink bag. NB: Not recommended for people called Joseph who live in biblical times and have lots of jealous brothers.

a camping-loo

But one thing troubled me. How would I manage without, erm, facilities? There aren’t that many places to “go” in the middle of the night when you’re camping in Kensington. So I wondered (on Twitter naturally) if I should buy a fold-up camping loo. I’d never used one but, essentially, it’s a folding chair with a toilet seat and a biodegradable bag.

Someone tweeted back, mentioning a rumour that the RCA were installing portaloos. Great, I replied, I’ll ask when I visit the exhibition.

The next day I bussed down to the RCA, bought a few raffle tickets and asked the young woman selling them about the loos. She didn’t know, so went to find out. A few minutes later – once I’d started noting down details of my favourite cards – a deputation arrived and I was hauled off for interrogation.
Well, almost. Wilhelmina Bunn – the twinkly exhibition curator, for whom the whole Secret business is evidently a massive labour of love – wanted to know who was asking about toilets. She grilled me for a few minutes, but didn’t ask what I suspect she was trying to find out: If I knew about the toilets, had I also uncovered some of the more profound RCA Secrets? By the end of our discussion, she’d figured out that I a) knew nothing, b) am mostly harmless and c) am not entirely in control of my own mouth.

Basil Alkazzi

I reached home with a list of over 100 postcards any four of which I knew I’d be happy to live with and, just as important, confirmation of the availability of overnight toilet facilities. Over the next couple of days I refined my list of favourites and carefully copied and pasted images of my top 36 off the RCA Secret website – so that this year I’d know which ones I was trying to buy.

Then, on Friday evening, dressed in warm clothes and thermal undies, I pitched my tent in the queue, hoping the weather would hold. Call me old-fashioned, but I didn’t trust my tent’s claim to be waterproof up to 1000mm of rain. To be honest, I didn’t trust my tent to keep out 1mm of rain. It cost £7, for god’s sake and its label described it as a “TWO PERSON ADVENTURE GARDEN PLAY TENT”. There was no way it was going to protect me from anything wetter than talcum powder.

I rolled out my mat and sleeping bag and donned my shmangle blanket.

Queuing in front of me was Toni, a medical secretary who spent the night out in her work clothes, with no tent, no sleeping bag, a copy of Metro to sit on and pop socks and pumps. She refused all offers of hats, warm clothes blankets (even my beloved shmangle) from other punters and the world’s friendliest security guards, who patrolled up and down the queue good-humouredly all night.

In front of Toni were a young couple so loved up they didn’t interact with anyone else until 7:30 am the next morning when they realised they couldn’t get their tent back in its bag and had to ask for help. Behind me was a young graphic designer from New Zealand, behind him a couple – Chris and Fiona – from Luton.
Over the hours we nattered, slept, shared snacks, discussed the cards we liked and watched each others’ stuff during comfort breaks. From time to time people from the front of the queue wandered back to chat with us. Just before 11pm, a posse of roller-skaters, accompanied by a thudding sound system on a recumbent bike zoomed past.

Every now and then passing tourists and drunks would stop to ask us what on earth we thought we were doing.

The queue for The RCA Secrets show 2010

Early the next morning we packed away our tents – except for the loved-up couple who dragged theirs along the street until the very last minute – and got on with the business of standing in line. There was more chatter. Our little group was joined by Toby, who works for a charity and Henry, a plumber. I found out that Toni is learning British Sign Language and Chris and Fiona – he’s an IT expert, she manages events for a local authority – are learning to figure skate.

That’s the best thing about RCA Secret. While the press coverage trumpets the chance you have of buying something worth thousands for forty-five quid, it gets on quietly with being one of the most egalitarian visual art events happening anytime, anywhere. There are all kinds of people in the queue from all kinds of backgrounds. Most of us aren’t there to make our fortunes. We’re there to buy original artwork we like and for the sheer fun of it.

It’s also possibly the only genuinely gender-blind arts event. Earlier this year UK Feminista released depressing figures about the representation of women in the arts. 70% of the artists nominated for the Turner prize have been men and 83% of the work showing in Tate Modern is by male artists.

Stephanie Theobald

But with RCA Secret you don’t know whether what you’re buying is by a man or a woman.

And what did I come away with?

These three cards. The white birds out of the blue background are by Basil Alkazzi. The island is by Welsh artist Emrys Williams, the two men on a spoon by RCA post grad student Stephanie Theobald and a landscape (not shown) by west country artist, Eric Thorn.

Find More about The RCA Secret here.

Anonymous sale in Portland, Oregon

2010-11-28T08:40:00.001Z

Readers of the blog on the other side of the pond might be interested in this anonymous sale, details below:

Chris Haberman and Jason Brown presents.....

the BIG 100 ART SHOW (year 3) -
100 + regional artists, 15 works each, everything is framed and $50 each (cash/carry). Over 1500 8"x8" framed works will be displayed. NO ARTIST names or titles will appear on display...it is hung randomly on an even playing field of JUST ART - veteran gallery artists next to emergin talent - a true diverse collection of Portland art. Perfect as gifts for the holidays!!!!

Dec 2nd, 2010 (First Thursday opening), also displayed Dec 3rd and 4th. 4pm-2am. 21 over only.

GOODFOOT GALLERY (and Lounge) both floors. 2845 SE Stark. www.thegoodfoot.com

FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171408232886084&num_event_invites=0

BENEFIT - portions of overall proceeds go to CASCADE AIDS PROJECT, and food donations collected at the door go to the Oregon Food Bank (St. Francis Parish) and the Rose Senior Center (off Burnside) - we put them in food for 2 months last year, so spread the word - this has a DIRECT effect on inner Southeast homeless and senior population - 1 meal is provided per day at these locations from direct food donations like this.

We are super happy about this show and we have a solid 128 artists for a show that is usually 100. Woo hoo!!!
(FULL ARTIST LIST IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS EMAIL)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chris.haberman#!/event.php?eid=171408232886084
Goodfoot: http://thegoodfoot.com/gallery/

BIG 100 FACTS: This is our 3rd year doing THE BIG 100, a project that stemmed out of show called "The 30 Show" started by artist Flora Bowley. After Flora retired her show, Jason Brown and I (Chris Haberman) decided that we wanted to take the show to Olympic Mills Commerce Center in 2007. In 2008, I began Portland City Art w John Graeter and the 2nd annual show was a giant success (we sold 70% of the show in 5 hours). With Oly Mills building being sold, we have taken the show to The Goodfoot Gallery, a giant art "bar" gallery in Southeast that has supported many artists for many years with the curatorial talents of Jason Brown. We expect a giant crowd at this annual show and lots of great art across the Portland board. The BIG 100 remains one of the largest and MOST DIVERSE shows in our city.

THE BIG 100 is graciously sponsored by Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene, OR), Po Boy Art Gallery and Frameshop, KBOO community radio, Fred Meyer (bag donation) and The Goodfoot.

The opening will have DJ music by Ryan Organ, Carrier, Antix, Josh T., Sunday Grip, Obe, Rap Class, Tricera & Brazil, Ninkasi beer, select local wines, a full bar and food and music for both floors.

Thank you for your support of local art in Portland.

Chris Haberman - curator/artist, Chris Haberman Presents...
email: chrishabermanart@gmail.com
facebook: www.facebook.com/chris.haberman

Jason Brown - curator/artist, Goodfoot Gallery
email: jbrown@poboyart.com
www.poboyart.com
www.thegoodfoot.com

ARTIST LIST: 2010 PICKS FOR BIG 100

Adam Ciresi
Adam Sheppard
Allen Schmertzinger
Amy Stoner
Angela Gay
Ania Palinska
Anna Magruder
April O'Connor
Ashley Costa
Barry Mack
Benjamin Stewart
Beth Myrick
Brent Wear
Brett Superstar
Brenda Dunn
Brent Wick
Brin Levinson
Casey Rae Wickum
Chelsea Fletcher
Chris Bibby
Chris Gaslin
Chris Haberman
Chuck Bloom
Cody Wirz
Dan Ness
David Gage
Dennis Dread
Derek Olsen
Dizzy Orion
Edward Juan
Ed Maitland Jones
Emek
Erin Nations
Erika Lee Sears
Eryka Dean Ryn
Flora Bowley
Fred Swan
Gabe Flores
Gary Hirsch
Gary Houston
Gary Wiseman
Grant Johnson
Greg Pitters
Guy Burwell
Harry Moritz
Heidi Elise Wirz
Heather MacKenzie
Hunter Armstrong
Icky A
Jason Brown
Jason Edward Davis
Jason Graham
Jeff Fontaine
Jeni Lee
Jenn Feeney
Jennifer Griffo
Jennifer Mercede
Jeremy Nichols
Jeremy Schultz
Jesse Reno
Joanne Licardo
Joel Barber
John Gajowski
John Hoar
Johnny Tragedy
Jolyn Fry
Jon Hill Jacquard
Joseph Arrow
Kara Larkin
Kelly Williams
Kenny Spurlock
Kendra Binney
Kerosene Rose
Kevin Fitzgerald, KMF
Kevin Noonan
Kirk Charlton
Kit Kross
Larry Christensen
Liana Norton
Lisa Laser
Leslie Ebert
Lea Keohane
Lorna Nakell
Luna Littleleaf
Malynda Shook
Mario Robert
Marlena Simone Hatchel
Martha Wallulis
M@tt Leavitt
Matt Schlosky
Maryann Puls
Megan Galante
Micah Krock
Michael Costello
Michelle Tuffias
Mike Fields
Misty Ray
Neil Perry
Nicole Linde
Nicholas Orr
Patrick Daly
Peach Momoko
Richard Schemmerer
Rio Wrenn
Robin Carlisle
Ronni J Kobrin
Sabina Haque
Sam Arneson
Sarah Cruse
Sarah Kamsler
Scott Chase
Summer Hatfield
Tanya Herrera
Terence Healy
Teresa Garber
Theresa Andreas-O'Leary
Tim Combs
Todd Hinchman
Travis Wright
Tripper Dungan
Tuna Poanessa
Tyler Corbett
Yo Mutsu
Yourself
Zack Baltzly
Zack Blei
Zak Gere

The Goodfoot
2845 SE Stark
503-239-9292 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 503-239-9292 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Portland, OR 97214

http://www.thegoodfoot.com/gallery/
http://www.myspace.com/goodfootart
http://www.facebook.com/people/Goodfoot-Art/1472058101?ref=search
open daily 4-2:30

RCA secret and ebay

2010-11-27T06:58:00.000Z

It's absolutely freezing this morning. Just think the sale could have been today... would people have queued in this weather?

In other news there are a smattering of 4 cards from this years show on ebay (and a couple from previous years) including cards by Richard Young and Manolo Blahnik. Whilst there will always be the odd card on ebay after the sale we are now a week on and that represents 0.1% of the total cards sold so it looks like the vast majority went to loving homes. . Would love to see pics of how you frame them.

Jools RCA secret

2010-11-25T20:34:00.000Z

Here is a description of Jool's RCA secret originally posted on her blog

This year we did it a little differently – an earlier start, along with some chairs & blankets – we were in it for our version of the “Long Haul”. We arrived & joined the queue at 2.am – two hours earlier than we did last year. The first thing we saw were tents – and lots of them! I’m sure there were more campers this year, as the queue was on Prince Consort Road by the time me and The Boy joined it. We pitched up, broke out the blankets and waited. Those chairs were a godsend: other than being able to catch a nap in a comfy position, the idea of leaning against the wall or sitting on the pavement for all that time was not appealing – I swear it was colder this year. We were also aided by the food & flask of coffee we brought along… oh, and a hip-flask with a “wee dram” in it which The Boy brought along as a warming surprise

By 06:30a.m “The Surge” happened: people in Tents started packing away and the line started to move along – we were further along on Bremner Road by 06:37a.m – which is just around the corner from the RCA. The Queue broke into 2 segments (from our perspective) at this point 1) those who were lined up alongside the RCA building & 2) those who were on the other pavement – which is where we were… all that separated us was a road. It seems that getting there a few hours earlier made a difference indeed, as I was surprised at how close we were to the RCA already at that point.
08:41a.m and we were in the RCA. The Boy did what I always forget to do, and asked the Guard on the door with the Counter what numbers we were as he clocked us in: 227 & 228. That might sound like a high number, but considering how many people queue for the event, that was pretty good going! I refused to look at my lists until we were at that point in the line where you could see the screens…

We got to that point in the queue… we could see the screens. A lot of the cards were still available – it was very early into the Sale, the 1st 50 Raffle Winners had been & gone (we didn’t win again this year) & we were getting closer to being able to ask for our choices…

And with a big “Huzzah!” I can say that these are latest editions to my RCA Secret Collection:

No. 1149 by Pierre Julien

No. 2207 by Angela Lamb

I’m so pleased with these 2 as they were both on my “Ultimate” list of cards that I really wanted
Even though cards are still available later in the day, I still think it’s worth it to get there earlier – to me it feels like you have more of a chance of walking away with the Cards that you want. Third time doing this, and it’s still an amazing feeling – I can’t believe how quickly the Sale came round & that it’s over!
I didn’t take as many this year, due to the fact I managed to sleep a lot in the Queue (thanks to those chairs!) but my pictures from the RCA Secret 2010 can be viewed over on Flickr:

RCA Secret 2010 – Third Time Around

Until next year RCA Secret, see you later

My rca secret 2010 experience

2010-11-24T20:10:00.000Z

So remember I said that I have never won the raffle, well that duck was broken in spectacular fashion. Of which more later......

As ever the build up to the sale was prefaced with news filtering out from the college about the number of contributors to the exhibition and various new names who had never contributed to the exhibition before were added - including Franz West, Yinka Shonibare, Sir Anthony Caro etc.

We kept our eyes peeled for information from the college on their facebook page and twitter feed and also for any news articles appearing.

The other big news in advance of the sale was that price of the cards had gone up. Cards were now £45 each rather than £40 (they were £35 when I first started going to the sale). I still think this represents very good value for money. Where else can you buy an original work of art for that sum?

There was a heck of a lot of press in advance of the sale this year including a piece on BBC breakfast TV as well as numerous articles in the written press. Whilst it is of course great to see the college get so much great press there is always that nagging doubt at the back of the mind that more press equals an even longer queue and more waiting. But hey ho not much can be done about that.

Anyway after much anticipation the cards were released online on Friday. I got my first chance to see them in person on Sunday. Perhaps because the college had been closed the previous day, Saturday, it felt like a queue reunion and I saw loads of old friends there. I also went with the kids who are now old enough to know what they like and both spent time writing their lists of what numbers they wanted.

So the next few days were spent browsing the cards on the net, and choosing the ones I liked. Come Friday morning I had a pretty good idea what I ideally wanted and headed down to the college to set up camp. There I could see that the queue was already over the road from Kensington Gore. Plus I also saw that I'd managed to beat John (just), Hugh, mark and Chris. They all turned up shortly thereafter and the rest of the day was spent queueing, looking at the cards and chatting.

John and I also popped over the road to Kensington Gardens to see the Anish Kapoor sculptures. If you haven't been I can highly recommend it. The sky mirrors seem to turn the sky into one huge painting and really opens up your eyes to what is around and above you.

On other thing that I should mention - the queue now does not go round the corner but crosses over the street in Kensington Gore due to complaints from local residents. This was causing a lot of problems for the person right at the end of that part of the queue who had to constantly tell new arrivals that they had not reached the end of the queue but had to cross the road. Luckily the college were persuaded to put up a sign by us and a bollard and this seemed to stop the problem going forward. The college also arranged for a security guard to patrol the queue and for portaloos to be installed at the back of the college which was also a real help. So thanks for that :)

Anyway time came for the college to close its doors and for us all to settle down for the night in the queue. But before that we had the excitement of the raffle draw. Would this be the year I got the call?

Well indeed it was. In fact not only did I get the call but also my daughter as well, who was beside herself with excitement. I'm not sure which one of us was more elated! So I stayed with the guys for a little while, lent my tent to someone else in the queue, and headed off home.

Needless to say it was a strange experience being in a warm bed on the night before the sale, instead of wrapped up in a sleeping bag on the street. Of course I was absolutely delighted to win the raffle but at the same time kinda missed the camaraderie of the queue and the mounting excitement that queueing overnight provides. Perhaps in sympathy for my queue compadres I woke up wide awake at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep, for thinking about cards and numbers.

So we turned up the following morning and got let into the college at 7am. All of us milled around in the entrance and were then told that our names would be called and that we were to assemble in order. Amazingly I was called fifth in the order, which was very exciting and my daughter was 44th. Having discussed tactics with her beforehand we agreed that if I was higher up the list than her I would buy for her her number 1 choice and favourite card - a drawing of a motorbike that I was fairly sure was by Grayson Perry. She would then buy one card for me from her list, another card from her sisters list and two from her own.

So in the end I bought the following cards

Tracey Emin:

Grayson Perry:

Peter Jones

Simon Foxall

I was absolutely delighted with these these and really pleased that I had at long last managed to get cards by two artists I have long admired (Emin and Jones) but never been able to get at RCA secret. People will know from my previous posts that this is the not the first time I have been after a Peter Jones in particular, he is one of my favourite artists.

And my daughter got

Frances Fogg (for her sister)

Peter Savage

Glen Baxter

and this card for me by Ruth Murray:

We haven't been able to find out too much information about the first two of these artists. Strangely I bought a Frances Fogg card two years ago because I loved it (and it was very different from this one). So I would love to know more details about Frances if anyone has any out there. The card by Ruth Murray was absolutely one of my favourites, a beautiful card drawn but a very talented painter. I wasn't familiar with her work before RCA secret (although I must have seen her college graduation show as I certainly went to the RCA show that year) so it is nice to have a "new" artist to research and to follow their career.

Thanks to the college for a wonderful show and a great experience. It was splendid to beat my raffle duck and I will see you all again, in the queue, next year.

Let me know your experiences and what you got! xx

Designer Dan on RCA secret

2010-11-21T19:16:00.002Z

Here is something written by Daniel Hall about his experiences of the RCA secret sale. Dan's blog can be accessed here.

Although I have posted about the previous years RCA Secrets on this very blog, today was the first time I actually braved the mammoth queues to try and get myself a postcard.

Searching through the internet the day before the sale I found there to be a real lack of information for first timers like myself. I was interested to know what time people generally started queuing and I wanted someone to manage my expectations on how quickly the postcards start to sell out. So I thought before I do a write up of the artists and artworks I purchased, I would write a dedicated blog post describing the morning to hopefully give people a better understanding of the sale.

If you're impatient though photos have been uploaded onto my Flickr account, so if you want a sneak peek as to what I managed to get you can go here.

We got to the Royal College of Art for 5:45am and saw the street next to the RCA full of tents, as we walked down the street it looked like they had stopped. "Great!" we thought, this isn't too bad, unfortunately we then saw a sign saying the queue carries on across the street. There were a lot of overnighters so even getting there earlier wouldn't have progressed our position in the queue that much. Below is a quick diagram showing how long the queue was when we got there, which also shows how many tents there were.

Even at this unearthly hour on a Saturday morning there was a real buzz in the air, within minutes everyone was chatting to each other . It was great listening to peoples stories on how they had arrived, some had just carried on their Friday night drinking whilst others had woken up early. The time seemed to go by pretty quick and after the tent brigade packed up the queue moved along a fair amount boosting morale. However after 4 hours we were still outside so we were starting to feel the cold even through multiple layers, thankfully it wasn't raining as I could imagine that would make things pretty miserable.

Once inside the RCA we had to queue for another hour before we could see the screens showing which postcards have been sold and which are still available to order. I had a personal list of about 70-80 cards I really liked and i was chuffed to see that about 20% of my postcards were still available. I managed to buy 2 cards which were in my top 20 which was great and I was really happy with my other 2 choices, however other people were less happy as all their cards had gone. Once purchased at the cashiers we went upstairs with an invoice, where RCA staff collected our postcards and brought them over.

Finally receiving the cards after queuing for 5 1/2 hours gave us quite amazing feeling. I can see why the postcards hardly ever pop up for resale as there is such a strong personal experience associated with obtaining the artwork.

For those who just want any postcard from the show I had a look on the RCA Facebook page and there were still 350 cards left of the 2,700 with a minimum queue at 4:15pm. So don't be put off by thinking you have to get there stupidly early before they all sell out.

I guess the big question is would i do it again?

The secret is revealed

2010-11-20T18:54:00.001Z

The college has now revealed on the RCA secret website who did what. Check it out. As usual there are bound to be some surprises.

College open for 50 more minutes

2010-11-20T17:16:00.000Z

You've got around 50 more minutes to make your last minute purchases. Apparently there are still some cards left, although not many.

As for me I had a rather good day. More later.

Hopefully once the college is closed then the college will post details of who did what. How did everyone get on?

Good luck all

2010-11-18T21:13:00.000Z

Good luck to everyone queueing for the sale tomorrow and saturday morning. I hope you get what you want. And remember the 7 golden rules

1. Make sure your list is looonnnggg

2. Check that you have the numbers of the cards right on your list. It's easy to make a mistake

3. Buy what you like

4. Be nice to those around you in the queue (one of them may be me :)

5. When you get the front of the queue breathe, relax and go through your list systematically

6. When you've chosen your cards get the cashier to read the numbers back to so you can check you have the right ones

7. Frame, display don't eBay

Late opening tomorrow

2010-11-17T21:10:00.001Z

Don't forget the college is open late tomorrow. Viewing of the sale is open until 9pm.

Decisions Decisions!

2010-11-16T18:29:00.003Z

How do you choose from 2,800 Pieces of Art?

It can be overwhelming, and almost offputting to see so many and have to choose.

Once you choose how do put them in order?

Which one do I like more?

Do I like the big crow more than the three crows?

What about the drawing of the octopus-like wierd creature thing?

Eeeek!!!!

Whatever your taste, there's surely something for you at the RCA Secret. What I would suggest is that you make sure you have plenty of 'backup' cards on your list (more decisions).

This Blog allows all comments, let us know how you decide what to put on your list?

RCA secret on breakfast TV tomorrow.

2010-11-15T18:52:00.000Z

RCA Secret is going to be on BBC Breakfast tomorrow morning on BBC 1 at 6.50am, 7.50am and between 8.40 & 9am. Includes an interview with Sir Peter Blake, curator Wilhelmina Bunn and art critic Richard Cork.

Lorraine Snape on RCA secret

2010-11-14T14:18:00.001Z

Regular contributor to the show Lorraine Snape has written a little piece for us about her involvement in RCA secret. The canvas which appears above is one of hers that my other half bought at RCA secret 2003 and now hangs in our daughter's bedroom.

I first heard of RCA Secret from a friend, and contributor, Ebba Erikzon. We were away in Manchester together for a few days and she was drawing on these postcards, so eventually curiosity got the better of me and I asked what she was up to! She told me about the show, having studied at the RCA herself, and asked me if I'd like her to put my name forward. Sounded like an exciting thing to be involved with. This was about 7 years ago, and I've done most years since.

I vary in my approach each time but don't go down the road of trying to mimic anyone, or pass as someone else, though I know a lot of that goes on.

I have submitted canvasses, photographs and even chocolate bars! but mostly I think the cards have been little ink drawings. So the work flits from sketches, to abstract and even conceptual work but the scale is quite different for me as generally my canvasses are 8'-10' tall!

It's quite exciting to have the blank cards turn up in the post. I always end up leaving them until it's far too late. Inevitably the deadline gets extended, and I leave it even later, and then finally I hand deliver them on the last submission day instead of getting them in the post in plenty of time.

There's a certain freedom involved in producing the works. Somehow in my head I imagine that the work is completely anonymous, and that, in itself, allows for a greater element of creativity. Although, the opposite is true, I believe that no one may ever find out they're mine.

I persuade myself easily with natural insecurity that they won't sell and therefore the card will never be turned over to reveal the true identity. Consequently, that thought has been somewhat undermined by the college in the last couple of years, revealing, as they do, the names alongside the images on the site following the sale.

When it comes to the sale itself, well, actually the party, I'm always embarrassed walking past the tents pitched outside. November is pretty cold on the streets of London and I find it hard when people are queuing outside in advance and we artists, as contributors, swan past for our glass of free champagne and perhaps even a gift from a keen sponsor.

Once inside, it's a game to find yourself, find your own cards whilst at the same time trying to guess your friends, then onto anyone famous, and finally, which ones are your favourites.

RCA Secret is such a great all inclusive and levelling show. I always enjoy it, and having checked out the cards online and already got into the mood, this year is no exception.

College closed today

2010-11-13T07:56:00.000Z

Don't forget the college is closed today. I would't want anyone to have a wasted trip.

How is everyone getting on? There are a lot of cards to go through aren't there.

Cards Are Now Online!!!

2010-11-12T10:59:00.001Z

Stop reading this and click here!!!

Words not Cards

2010-11-12T09:29:00.002Z

As we all await the cards being online and the gallery to open (both to happen around 11:00am). The RCA have posted an essay on the Sales from Nicola Churchward, (Critical Writing in Art & Design, RCA). Here is the link, the essay text is shown below...

In the summer of 1840, the playwright and novelist, Theodore Hook of Fulham, London, dropped a small piece of card into his local letterbox. On one side he had written his own address and, on the other, he had printed a somewhat absurd and unflattering caricature of twelve men, gathered dutifully around an impossibly gigantic ink well. Each man appeared to be as ungainly and repugnant looking as the next. Each one concentrating, bleary eyed, on holding his quill.

It was unheard of for items to travel through the postal system without an envelope at this time, so this little piece of card was sure to attract the attention of every postal worker who was obliged to handle it. What did they see? The men depicted on the card were, in fact, postal workers. The joke was on them. And so it was for the solitary pleasure of a rather eccentric man that the picture postcard was born, not two miles from where you stand.

170 years later, this ‘postal innovation’ has come to epitomize our aptitude for communicating through images. A picture speaks a thousand words, or so they say. It can inspire and remind us. Calm or excite us. Or indeed make us laugh. A marker in time and place the picture postcard might remain on the wall for a lifetime.

Big news day for RCA secret

2010-11-10T20:51:00.000Z

Phew, where to start on a big news day for RCA secret.

First up the college informed us on the facebook group that Stella McCartney is a contributor this year.

Secondly there has been LOADS of press about rca secret. The best is a great article in the guardian (reproduced below). But that wasn't the only press. Articles have also appeared in Harpers Bazaar and Vogue.

Royal College of Art postcard exhibition is biggest yet

RCA Secret is in its 17th year, and offers people the opportunity to own an artwork – perhaps by a famous artist – for £45

Would Jake Chapman, Tracey Emin or Yinka Shonibare have simply painted the word "GOOD" in gaudy orange on a postcard, or would they have contributed something a bit more "them"?

The question arises as the Royal College of Art once more prepares for a charity event that has become one of the most interesting and enjoyable fundraisers on the visual art calendar.

Staff today began installing 2,800 postcard-sized artworks for RCA Secret – the biggest show in its 17 years. The cards are displayed anonymously online and at the RCA in London for a week before being offered to the public at £45 each. It could be a work by Sir Anthony Caro or Grayson Perry, or by a student. The work might one day be worth tens of thousands of pounds, or it might be barely worth the paper it was drawn on.

"It does feel like it gets bigger and bigger each year and this is the biggest yet," said curator Wilhelmina Bunn. "We now have a really nice community of artists who want to support it and the community is a little stronger than it used to be. That might be because students are more in need of bursaries."

More than £1m has been raised over the years for fine art bursaries and if all the cards sell this year then at least £126,000 will be raised. Money which is, Bunn said, even more important in these straightened times. "It has supported lots and lots of artists who might not have been able to come here without the support of a bursary."

It is now an incredibly popular event, given an added frisson by being first come first served. "Even though it's November we quite often get people staying two or three nights in a tent to be first in the queue," said Bunn. "Then a lot of people come very early on the morning of the sale, some of them after the pub, some of them on the way home from somewhere. It's a lovely atmosphere."

Bunn said it should not be assumed these early birds were after what they thought was an Emin or a Chapman. "A lot of people want to buy specific works they've seen in the exhibition, not necessarily by very famous people, but works they like. They want to own art by artists and they think that the Royal College of Art students and alumni and tutors represents a great deal of quality in art."

The exhibition opens and goes online Friday and the sale day is 20 November with the first 50 entrants being decided by raffle through the RCA.

This year's roster of more famous contributors also includes Sir Peter Blake, Olafur Eliasson, Yoko Ono, John Baldessari, Ron Arad, Terence Conran, Mike Leigh, James Dyson, Nick Park, Sir Paul Smith, Manolo Blahnik and Stella McCartney.

Some of those may be going to great lengths to disguise the fact it is them but Bunn believes most don't. "The ego is sometimes too big. People tend to want to do the thing that they do, because that's what they're known for."

Interview in Time Out London

2010-11-09T20:23:00.000Z

Time out London seem to have persuaded some random punter to give them an interview about RCA secret. Luckily no photographs of our hapless interviewee were used!

This week (November 12-19) 2,500 artworks the size of a postcard go on display at the Royal College of Art. Some of the drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures are by RCA students who have yet to make their names, others are by established artists, illustrators and designers, this year including Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin, Peter Blake, Yoko Ono, Nick Park and Ron Arad. No matter who they're by, the price for each work in the RCA Secret sale is the same: £45. But the signature's on the back so you won't know for certain whose work you're buying until you've paid for it. The fundraiser, for the RCA's fine-art students, started in 1994, and it's grown in popularity each year. Some people even queue overnight. We asked one of them, Perry Hill, a great enthusiast who co-authors a blog on the event (http://rcasecret.blogspot.com/), to explain its appeal.

When did you first discover the RCA Secret sale?
'In 2000.I was browsing Time Out and looking for something to do at the weekend when I came across a listing for RCA Secret and thought it could be fun to go along and have a look.
I queued for the sale and bought two postcards including one by British abstract artist Richard Smith.I was totally bitten by the bug and have been every year since, and have queued overnight since 2001.'

Have you got a background in art?
'No, I've always enjoyed contemporary art but have no background in it.My day job is as a solicitor so contemporary art in generaland RCA Secret in particular offers a real opportunity to get involved in a completely different world.'

You're clearly a big fan. What's so special about the event?
'It's very accessible.There are no stuffy gallery staff looking down their noses at you.The saleis open to anyone who is prepared to queue.The fact that all the art is anonymous means that you are forced to put aside any preconceptions you may have.Fans generally buy the artwork they like - if it turns out to be by a well known artist, that is a bonus.'

It's not a matter of turning up on the sale day and hoping to stroll in and buy the artwork you fancy, is it? Talk us through the process.
'The cards are exhibited at the college from November 12.They're displayed in groups of 100 and all the cards are numbered.They are also online.You can wander round the exhibition and make a note of the numbers of the cards that you like.You also need to ensure that you have registered with the college before the sale day, which you can do in person or online.

The sale starts at 8am on Saturday November 20.It's very popular and there is a long queue by the time the doors open.Once at the front of the queue you're taken down to a room below the exhibition hall. There's a bank of tills and a computer screen which displays the numbers and tiny images of the cards. The sold cards are indicated on the screen. When you get to the front of the queue you read out the card numbers to the cashier. Don't worry if you haven't noted whether a particular card is still available - they'll tell you if it is not.

Once you have selected your cards you pay for them and take your collection slip up to the gallery. There a runner will get the cards for you and you can then check the back for the all-important name.'

How helpful is viewing online?
'It's always better to see the cards in the flesh, as a flat 2D image online can only give you a general idea.I've seen some cards online andthought they were photographs.It was only when I turned up and saw them in person thatI realised that, in fact, they were paintings.'

How early do you start to queue?
'I queue overnight but not everyone is that dedicated.The queue tends to swell rapidly from about 6am onwards so arriving before then is recommended, although I have known people to get the cards they wanted when they started queueing much later than that.The key is to make sure that you have a long list of cards you like so that you are not too disappointed if your first choices are all sold.'

What's the atmosphere like in the queue?
'I've never met such a friendly, yet diverse collection of people. I have made some very close friends through queueing each year.The excitement builds as you'd expect; it's like a social game of poker, with everyone wanting to talk about the postcards, the artists, what they like, but all holding their list of numbers close to their chest. Advice abounds, but people are conscious of those in the queue ahead of them.'

There's a raffle for the first 50 places in the queue. How does that work?
'Once you've registered for the sale you can buy up to 10 raffle tickets at £1 each. They're on sale at the college up until the afternoon of November 19. The college draw 50 winners and telephone them on Friday evening, generally between 6pm and 7pm. If you've won you are allowed to enter the sale before the queuers. I've never won the raffle but I believe you're assigned a position within the top 50 and assembled into order. You can then make your purchases having stolen a march on all those hardy queuers.'

Do most people buy a single card or the full allocation of four cards?
'Most people who have queued overnight will buy their full allocation but by no means everyone does.'

How about the big reveal when people turn their artworks over?
'It can be very exciting. I can recall still queueing at the sales desk and hearing shrieks of excitement upstairs when someone has got a card they really want. Last year I was lucky enough to find cards by Gerhard Richter and Grayson Perry and, somewhat embarrassingly, I recall falling to my knees, screaming out in joy and punching the air.I put it down to the lack of sleep the previous night!'

Do you think most people buy for themselves or in the hope of selling the works on at a profit?
'I'd say the majority of people buy for themselves. While the odd card has cropped up on the secondary market after the sale they are very few and far between. The sale has been running now for 16 years and in that time roughly 30,000 RCA secret cards have been produced. By my reckoning,and I do keep track, less than 200 have cropped up on eBay or at auction after the sale, a tiny percentage of the total number out there.'

Have you bought big names in past sales? Or do you simply buy work that appeals to you?
'I love contemporary art and the beauty of RCA Secret is that some of my favourite artists regularly contribute work to the sale. So it gives me an opportunity to try to buy original works from them that ordinarily I wouldn't be able to afford. I would never buy a card that I didn't like just because I thought it was by a famous artist. To me that would seem like pointless trophy hunting, and you run the risk of it not being by that artist in any event. In the past I have been lucky enough to get works by the likes of Damien Hirst, Gerhard Richter, Grayson Perry, Olafur Eliasson, Mary Fedden and Nick Park amongst many others. But equally some of my favourite cards in my collection are by less well known but nevertheless talented artists. I also have a number of cards that were done by students at the college or other contributors I haven't been able to find out anything about. It doesn't detract from my admiration of the artwork.'

Another independent article

2010-11-09T20:14:00.003Z

So a second article in the independent today who are clearly loving this years show. Click here to see it in full.

Which picture is by a famous artist? Answers on a postcard

By Rob Sharp, Arts Correspondent

How confident are you at distinguishing between the work of an art world legend and that of an unknown student? One of these pictured works, going on sale for £45 next week, has been produced by an A-list British artist. The other five, while no less impressive, are by anonymous rising stars.

This year's Royal College of Art (RCA) Secret show, an annual fundraising exhibition beginning on Friday, has seen an unprecedented number of established artists, including Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry, donate postcard-sized work to the London college. The show will see consumers select unlabelled art on its aesthetic merits. It is only after the sale that purchasers discover whether they have bought a Jake Chapman, a Sir Peter Blake, or the work of one of the RCA's students, which might take several more years to yield its value. A postcard by Peter Doig bought in 2000 later sold at Sotheby's for £42,000.

"The support we have had is overwhelming," said Wilhelmina Bunn, RCA Secret's curator. "Because the exhibition aims to raise funds for student bursaries we've had an especially strong response because people know that now is the time to support artists, who often have to survive with less prospects of immediate work. "

Yinka Shonibare a contributor

2010-11-08T20:52:00.001Z

The college today announced that Yinka Shonibare is a first time contributor to the show this year. How exciting. I love his work. Also confirmed as contributors are Will Alsop, Sir Terence Conran and Manolo Blahnik.

Meanwhile in other news this blog was suggesting that there will be a total of 2800 cards this year, higher than previous years. However it has now been edited and that figure has been removed?!? Your guess is as good as mine..... All will be revealed on Friday.

Loads of images of cards on the independent website

2010-11-02T20:07:00.000Z

Woohoo, now this is the stuff. An article on the independent website (repeated below) and no less than 56 (count em) images of the cards. Enjoy peeps.

As the major auction houses gear up for their big autumn sales, it appears that despite the recession the art market is picking up steam again. But while Lichtensteins and Warhols are being tipped to sell for tens of millions, those with an eye for a bargain can bag themselves a Tracey Emin or a Grayson Perry for just £45.

Surely there must be several zeros missing from that sum, I hear you cry. But no. The postcard-size gems being purveyed later this month in London’s Kensington include pictures by the aforementioned Emin and Perry, works by Peter Blake, Jake Chapman, Yoko Ono, designer Paul Smith, photographer David Bailey – not to mention a host of other illustrious names – and all for under 50 quid.

But there is a catch. The 2,500 original artworks on sale at the Royal College of Art in three weeks’ time, each costing £45, are part of the college’s ‘secret sale.’ Collectors buying art will have no idea until after they’ve handed over their cash by whom the painting or drawing they purchased was made.

Each postcard is signed on the back, so eagle-eyed experts will need to hone their talent-spotting skills to sift the Turner Prize-winners from the art students. Potential investors will be able to view the works on certain days in the week running up to the November 20 sale.

Proceeds from the sale will go to the RCA Fine Art Student Award Fund. To date, previous ‘secret sales’ have raised more than £1 million.

Angela Lamb on RCA secret

2010-11-01T21:17:00.001Z

In advance of the sale we caught up with the very talented Angela Lamb about her involvement with the sale. She is a regular contributor to the show, supporting it every year. Anyway over to Angela to tell us more.

RCA Secret Blog have asked me to write a small amble about my involvement with RCA Secret, the hows, the whats, the whys. So here I am, albeit a little belatedly but anyway, Ive been involved for awhile, in fact this will be my seventh year, I believe. I've knew about the event some time ago when I was at art college but never quite knew how you got through the entry doors and be part of it, then I stumbled on a classified for it in one of the art magazines and its gone from there. It's quite odd, to think that you’re part of such a well known event and be amongst arts heroes but its great fun too.

Also quite bizarre how we all end up with running themes each year despite many contributors being involved directly with the college in other ways. Im sure this year will not be an exception either, its always interesting to see what pops up. What I do know is that there’s always been a little game amongst those involved, like an arty ‘Stars In Their Eyes’ where famous and yet-to-be famous artists disguise their styles into that of another well known artist. I think its more for our own amusement rather than to confuse buyers although that’s fun too. I have been known to participate in that most times but this year is the exception.

Normally, I work to 3 rules for my RCA Secret contributions, 1 artist copycat style, 1 topical/satirical, and finally, 1 of my own style. However, this year, Ive accidentally scribbled out my rules and they’re all my own style and some might say a little cheeky in their own ways, slight hint of burlesque and things. Its taken me a lot more time to do them although I got ideas for them quite quickly, but they’ve taken a lot more drafting than I thought but they’re in. Expect a little glitter, and freehand drawings, sometimes its a little trickier for me to produce a repeat of my drawings so they’ve been a little trial of my skills and patience at moments, but a lot of blasting music at myself has helped at the trickiest moments. To make it a little trickier Ive had to work on these pieces as A3 sketches as it was proving a little too hard in my normal pocket sketchbook. So there’s been many a trial and error thing happening, but its been a good learning curve really, think its good to be able to test yourself a little or a lot every now and again. Think I’ve been partly influenced by my interest in costume as well this year as I often make my own ones along with accessories such as fascinators and I really love the theatre, look and humour of burlesque.

This will also be the first time, I think that all 3 postcards that I’m contributing will be drawn as I tend to mix my media, including photography, illustration, painting, collage on previous submissions. Really looking forward to seeing everyone’s contributions this year, an amazing bundle of names involved this year too, no exceptions and what will everyone have produced I wonder.

Tracey emin also confirmed as a contributor

2010-10-29T06:50:00.001+01:00

The college have confirmed that tracey Emin is also contributing to the sale this year. Another great line up of artists this year.

Sir Peter Blake named as contributor

2010-10-26T19:20:00.000+01:00

The college have confirmed that Sir Peter Blake is also contributing this year. And they have also posted a couple of great photos of him signing the cards on their facebook page. Gets more exciting by the day :)

Yet more contributor news

2010-10-25T20:45:00.000+01:00

Some of these have been mentioned, some are new. Here is the updated list of RCA secret contributors:

To date this year’s exhibition has received over 2,000 postcards from among others, artists Grayson Perry, Olafur Eliasson, Jake Chapman, Yoko Ono, Sir Anthony Caro, John Baldessari, Franz West, Billy Childish, photographer David Bailey, filmmaker Mike Leigh, graphic designer Milton Glaser, illustrator Quentin Blake, fashion designers Sir Paul Smith, Mary Quant and Andrew Fionda, architect John Pawson, designers Ron Arad (pictured - photograph by another rca secret contributor David Bailey), Sir Ken Adam, Sir James Dyson, Ross Lovegrove and Margaret Calvert.

Piece about the sale in last night's evening standard

2010-10-23T06:45:00.000+01:00

Last night's evening standard featured a nice piece on the sale together with images of three of the cards for sale. I can't find the article online so here is a scan of it, click on the picture to enlarge:

More RCA secret contributor news

2010-10-21T20:42:00.001+01:00

The college has today announced some more contributor news with Grayson Perry, Jake Chapman, Franz West, Sir Paul Smith and David Bailey confirmed as contributors. Some interesting new names there.

Rego card fetches nearly £7,000

2010-10-17T11:26:00.001+01:00

You may recall that here I discussed a Paula Rego card that was to be auctioned at Sothebys. Well the auction was yesterday and the card fetched a health £6875 including buyers commission. This doesn't surprise me as it is a lovely example of her work.

Updated RCA secret FAQ's.

2010-10-09T10:30:00.000+01:00

In advance of the 2010 sale I thought it would be helpful if I updated the FAQs. So here they are.

How do I spot the cards by the top artists?

The million dollar question. My first answer to that would be another question – why would you want to? If it is because you love the artist anyway and RCA secret is the only way that you can pick up their work at an affordable price then trust me you have a good chance of spotting your favourite artist’s work.

If it is because you are looking to make money out of the sale then, sorry you are on your own. And in any event it is unclear how much the cards from the sale are worth in any event.

What time should I start queuing?

Any time after me ;) Seriously though I know people who have started to queue 2 hours after the sale doors opened and have still got the cards they want, although that was a few years ago now and the sale gets more popular every year. It really depends on how committed you are. The queue starts to swell quickly from around 6.30am until the doors open. Don't expect to see much left if you turn up much after around 9am.

What should I buy?

It sounds clichéd but seriously you should buy what you like. Isn’t that more important than buying something that you think may be by a famous artist? I guarantee most of the time your punts at a famous artist will usually be wrong.

How does the raffle work?

Once registered for the sale you can buy up to 10 raffle tickets at £1 each. These are on sale up until the Friday afternoon of the sale. On each raffle ticket you write your buyers number and phone number. The college draw 50 lucky winners and telephone each of the winners on friday evening, generally between 6pm and 7pm to let them know they have won. If you have won you are allowed to enter the sale before the queuers. I've never won the raffle so I can't give you chapter and verse on what happens once you are inside the building but I believe that you are assigned a position within the top 50 and assembled into order. You can then make your purchases having stolen a march on all those hardy queuers. Good luck to you.

What’s the best way to frame RCA secret cards?

I personally think that they should be framed so that the card can be viewed both front and back. A professional framer should be able to guide you on this, basically you can cut out a bit of the mount at the back to show the rear of the card and that all important signature. This can make the framed piece heavy if two pieces of glass are used, so consider using a piece of Perspex on the back, which is lighter.

Clearly the best way of protecting your cards is to make sure that the cards are conservation framed with UV glass. To make a real difference try using non-reflective glass. Click here for details of our favourite framer.

How does the buying process work?

You can view the cards for a week before the sale day both in person at the college and online.

Don’t forget to register with the college in advance (there is no registration on the day of the sale) and then join the queue on the day of the sale. Make sure you have made a detailed list of the card numbers that you wish to purchase. Make this list as long as possible as many of your first choices are bound to be gone by the time that you get to the front of the queue.

Eventually you will be taken down to a room below the exhibition hall. There will be a bank of tills in the room and also a computer screen which will display the numbers and tiny images of the cards. The sold cards are indicated on the screen.

When you get to the front of the queue read out the card numbers to the cashier. Don’t worry if you haven’t noted whether a particular card is still available – they will tell you if it is not.

Once you have selected your four cards then pay for them and take your collection slip up to the gallery. There a runner will get the cards for you, confirm with you that they have the correct ones, and hand them to you. You can then check the back for the all important name.

How do the college keep it all a secret?

The college take this seriously. Whilst people have tried to suggest that the college must pass on information to others there is no foundation to this at all. The college are extremely fair in the way they deal with the sale. Only a very small number of people are aware of the identity of the artists.

How much are the cards worth?

The short answer is whatever people are prepared to pay for them. It is true that in recent times many of the cards in the sale have fetched large sums on the secondary market. A Peter Doig card went for £42,000 at auction and a Damien Hirst for £15,600. Other Hirst cards have fetched much more modest sums on the secondary market.

Save for the very top artists most of the cards are not worth that much money. Ebay sales of cards from previous sales show most selling for around their original cost.

This is really not about the money for most people – it is getting some affordable original art on people’s walls.

Who exhibits at RCA secret?

Of course there are the big names.Tracey Emin in particular has contributed to the sale year on year. Many other big names have contributed in the past – Gerhard Richter, Damien Hirst, John Baldessari, David Hockney, Paula Rego, Peter Doig, Frank Auerbach, Anish Kapoor, Glenn Brown etc etc.

For me RCA secret is not just about these big name contributors though. There are literally hundreds of well known, well established artists who regularly support the exhibition. The beauty of the show is buying something by one of these artists, taking it home, doing a search for that artist on google and then finding out about them and taking an interest in their career after that. RCA secret has introduced me to hundreds of artists that I wouldn’t ordinarily have come across. If you allow it to it will open up your eyes to a whole new realm of contemporary British art.

As for the students – well remember that the RCA is an exclusively post-graduate place of study. So these students have already spent a considerable amount of time immersed in the art world. Some of my favourite RCA secret cards are by students.

What do the college do with unsold cards?

There aren’t many. The college say that they are returned to the artist sometimes. In 2006 some of the 2005 cards made reappearances.

Where can I find out more about the artists?

Often you will get home, google the artist’s name and not find anything. Especially if they have a common name. Try emailing the college. They may hold the artists CV or a short biography that they will give to you.

How do I find out more about the show?

The RCA secret blog is a great start. Check out the RCA Secret facebook group as well. Also do try the RCA secret yahoo group. This has lots of files about previous shows, links to RCA secret articles on the net, photographs of previous years cards, lots of members (many of whom are contributing artists), a database of card sales on ebay and on auction houses and much much more. Finally there is an RCA secret forum.

Can I contribute to the blog?

Yes please. This is an unofficial fan’s blog. I want to have as many stories from you as to your RCA secret adventures. Whether you are a newbie or an RCA Secret veteran please do send me your stories and provided they are clean I will publish them, guaranteeing as much or as little as anonymity as you would wish. I’d also love to hear from artists who would like to write something about the processes involved in contributing to RCA secret.

Finally, will you tell me who did card number 129?

Er no, here to help but come on that would ruin the fun of it all. Besides you might be ahead of me in the queue.

More contributor news

2010-10-07T18:55:00.000+01:00

According to this blog the following contributors have been confirmed for RCA secret 2010:

Olafur Eliasson, Sir Anthony Caro, John Baldessari, Yoko Ono, Andrzej Jackowski, Anthony Frost and Mary Fedden, fashion designers Mary Quant and Hardy Blechman, designers Sir Kenneth Adam and Ross Lovegrove and graphic designer Milton Glaser.

College sign up new RCA Secret sponsor

2010-10-05T19:58:00.000+01:00

The college have today announced that Stewarts Law LLP will be sponsoring RCA Secret for the next 3 years. Good for them. Their names are added to the names of other sponsors of the event in the past - Absolut, Bowieart - perhaps there were others I can't remember?

First contributor news

2010-10-01T17:37:00.000+01:00

The RCA have revealed news of the first contributors to the sale on the RCA secret facebook group. Contributors this year include Yoko Ono, Olafur Eliasson, Sir Anthony Caro, and John Baldessari. I don't believe that Sir Athony Caro has contributed to the sale before. I'm sure there will be more exciting developments to come.

Sothebys to sell Paula Rego RCA secret card

2010-09-28T19:59:00.000+01:00

Sothebys will be auctioning off a Paula Rego RCA secret card from the 2005 sale at their prestigious Contemporary Art Day Sale on 16 October 2010. One of the best cards she has ever done, the estimate is £4,000 to £6,000 which is in my opinion a small price to pay for a miniature work of genius. It's sure to attract lots of interest with many of the art worlds big players in town for the Frieze Art fair. Above is a picture of the work in situ at the 2005 sale. Click here to go directly to the auction.

Last years cards come down

2010-09-26T07:28:00.000+01:00

Just a reminder that the college have said that last years cards will come down at the end of September. Last chance to have another look at them then.

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

2010-09-18T21:43:00.000+01:00

There are many people for whom RCA secret is just a welcome distraction from their day to day life. For them they go along to one of the viewing days, maybe buy some raffle tickets, will sometimes pitch up at the sale should depending on their schedule, the weather, whether they liked many of the cards etc. Sometimes I kinda wish I was in that camp.

Because I will happily admit that I am a little bit obsessional about RCA secret. About this time of year I can barely wait for it to start, I am, literally, counting down the days both in my head and out loud in conversations with anyone who is prepared to listen. I need distractions and I love art so I put two and two together and start to prepare for the sale in earnest starting now. And this is what I do:

1) I go through all the cards on the RCA website from last year, reminding myself of the cards I loved, the cards I hated, the ones that got away, the surprise "sleepers" that I hadn't even noticed until some time after the sale, the ones that friends loved or bought. It would be wrong to say that every card provokes a memory but many do.

2) I go see as much art as I can. Actually this pretty much happens all year round anyway but coincidentally October is a great month for seeing art what with all the numerous art fairs going on in London and all the shows and auctions designed to coincide with those fairs. So October sees me immersed in art.

3) The embarrassment of riches in the London art scene is such that you simply cannot see all the shows, or go to all of the fairs. So the internet is a wonderful tool to enable us all to enjoy the things we love in a way that wasn't imaginable even at the turn of the century, when I first started going to RCA Secret.

4) Come November the press interest for RCA secret really hots up. But of course it isn't just the written media, it's TV, it's blogs, it's twitter. I will keep any eye on it all for you and report all of the articles I find on here. And it is all the articles, I don't keep any good ones back for myself, or hide any tidbits I find out about the sale. I make sure it is all here for you to read.

Right I'm off to do all that. Starting with (1). Don't forget the college has warned us that the 2009 cards will disappear from the website by the end of September.

RCA secret style sale tonight

2010-09-09T18:19:00.001+01:00

Apologies for the late notice but I have only just got wind of an RCA secret style sale tonight in aid of the Charity "Anno's Africa". A real shame as if I'd known earlier I might have gone along. Anyone in central london who fancies popping along all the details below. I'm sure it will be worth going to as there are some good artists being sold including Jamie Shovlin and Jane & Louise Wilson.

All details below and here

Anno's Africa Charity Art Evening @ Sketch | Thursday, 9 Sept | 7-9pm

Dear Friends,

You are warmly invited to join us for free drinks and music at the ANNO'S AFRICA charity art evening this Thursday, 9th September from 7-9pm in the Parlour Room at Sketch, 9 Conduit Street, London W1.

We have received over 100 small works on paper generously donated by visual artists, architects, writers, actors, film makers and musicians which will be sold at the event. Below is a list of some of the contributors.

In keeping with the Royal College of Art's annual postcard sale, works are to be made available for just £45 with artists names remaining anonymous until sold. Receipts will be drawn from a hat at 9pm on Thursday evening and people will be invited to choose a work in the order in which their number is called. Alternatively, individual works may be purchased from 7pm on the night for a "Buy It Now" price of £500. All proceeds to benefit the ANNO'S AFRICA arts programme in Nairobi.

ANNO'S AFRICA is an arts educational charity set up by my stepmother Bee Gilbert in memory of my brother Anno Birkin. The charity brings facilities, workshops and teacher training programmes to orphans and vulnerable children living in some of the poorest and most deprived slums in Africa. The aim is to instil confidence by nurturing creative development and offering alternative qualifications to those who cannot afford school.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you all on Thursday evening.

Very best wishes,
David Birkin

CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE
Rana Begum - Mark Beldan - Jane Birkin - Karen Birkin - Tim Braden - Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin - Oliver Clegg - Justin Coombes - Daniel Craig - Benedict Cumberbatch - Shezad Dawood - Ed Fornieles - Eloise Fornieles - Lynne Fornieles - Victoria Fornieles - Nina Fowler - Hadley Freeman - Charlotte Gainsbourg - Miles Gibson - Margarita Gluzberg - Elisabeth Guss - Nick Hackworth - Leonora Hamill - Kate Hawkins - Maud Hewlings - Sir Ian Holm - Henry Hudson - John Hurt - Jeremy Hutchison - Linda Jephson - Felicity Jones - Laura K. Jones - Daniel Kelly - Idris Khan - Sophie Leris - Roger Lloyd Pack - Francesca Lowe - Kirstie MacLeod - Laura McLean-Ferris - Nicole Morris - Ross McNicol - Nathaniel Mellors - Seboo Migone - Polly Morgan - Annie Morris - Neil Morrissey - Samantha Morton - Orlando Mostyn - Nana Oforiatta-Ayim - Gosha Ostretsov - Guillaume Paris - Fyodor Pavlov-Andreevich - Lola Peploe - Benedetto Pietromarchi - Nathaniel Rackowe - Barry Reigate - Alan Rickman - Bruce Robinson - Anne Rothenstein - Isabelle Rowan - Greta Scacchi - Petroc Sesti - Conrad Shawcross - Jamie Shovlin - Holly Slingsby - David Tremlett - Tom Tykwer - Daisy de Villeneuve - Ben Washington - Honeysuckle Weeks - Douglas White - Amelia Whitelaw - Jane & Louise Wilson - Toby Ziegler

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Alan Rickman - Alexandra Hughes - Amelia Newton Whilelaw - Anne Rothenstein - Annette De Mestres - Annie Morris - Ben Washington - Benedict Cumberbatch - Bernd Lepel - Bidzina Kanchaveli - Bruce Robinson - Charles Dansy - Charlotte Gainsbourg - Charlotte Murray - Christine Nicholls - Conrad Shawcross - Craig Lylie - Daisy de Villeneuve - Daniel Craig - Daniel Kelly - David Birkin - David Tremlett - Elena Anikst - Eloise Fornieles - Emma Frost - Emma Frost - Flo Hall - Francesca Wilkinson Shaw - Gareth Brown - Gosha Ostretsov - Greta Scacchi - Guillaume Paris - Hadley Freeman - Hannah Hewitson - Holly Slingsby - Hugh Dunford Wood - Hugo Colville - Ian Holm - Idris Khan - Jamie Shovlin - Jane & Louise Wilson - Jane Birkin - Jehanne Markham - Jenny Seagrove - Jeremy Huchison - John Hurt - Joy Brown - Justin Coombes - Karen Birkin - Kirstie Macleod - Lalin Akalan - Laura Maclean-Ferris - Leonora Hamill - Linda Jephson - Lisa Guss - Liz Johnson - Lola Peploe - Lynne Fornieles - Margarita Gluzberg - Mariana Vutinen - Marie Steinmann - Mark Beldan - Marleen - Maud Hewlings - Max Blond - Mella Shaw - Miles Gibson - Nana Begum - Nana Offoriatta-Ayim - Nathaniel Mellors - Nathaniel Rackowe - Neil Morrissey - Nicole Morris - Nina Fowler - Olivia Blond - Olivia Temple - Orlando Mostyn - Peter Egan - Petroc Sesti - Pippa Hall - Rachel Berry - Roger Lloyd Pack - Rosie Emerson - Ross McNicol - Shezad Dawood - Silia Ka Tung - Simona Samuelson - Sophie Cundale - Sophie De Stempel - Sophie Leris - Sophie Windham - Stephen Gillon - Susan Wooldridge - Tim Braden - Toby Ziegler - Tom Tykwer - Vicky Fornieles - Virginia Hearth - Wen Wu

Your favourite card?

2010-09-04T08:05:00.000+01:00

When I woke up this morning and wandered round the house looking at all my fantastic RCA secret cards it got me wondering which card is my favourite - which one would I save if the house was on fire? A very difficult question as there are so many that I love, and so many that remind me of the particular year in my life that I got them. Because there is an immense investment of time and energy put into acquiring these cards I think they somehow acquire a much greater significance than any other art I have.

So I've thought about it hard but for purely sentimental reasons I am going to say that it has to be the card that started it all off in at my first RCA Secret sale in 2001. By Richard Smith it really started me off on the path I have now travelled. What's your favourite and why?

Blog redesign and twitter

2010-08-28T07:20:00.003+01:00

So the blog has had a bit of a refresh, hope you like it?

Also you can now follow us on twitter by clicking here. Hopefully closer to the sale there should be plenty of tweets as the excitement mounts.

Finally the rca secret website is now up and running where you can register as a purchaser if you haven't registered before. Note that the exhibition is closed on Saturday 13 November.

College confirm dates and price increase

2010-08-18T20:37:00.000+01:00

The college have now confirmed the dates of the 2010 exhibition (remember you heard it here first) as 12-19 November 2010 with the sale on the 20 November 2010.

There has also been a price increase of £5 on the cost of cards. Each card is now £45. I still think that represents pretty good value for money.

Full text here and below

RCA Secret is an annual contemporary art exhibition and sale consisting of around 2,500 original postcard-sized artworks, made and donated by professional artists, designers and illustrators, plus up-and-coming students from the Royal College of Art. The cards are all sold to the public in a huge sale, with every postcard costing just £45, regardless of whether it has been made by a famous name or a young art student.

What’s the Secret? Each postcard is signed on the back, so collectors don’t know the identity of the artist until they have made their purchase. Although it can help to know the difference between a drawing by Tracey Emin and a watercolour by David Hockney, a lot of it is down to pure luck and many collectors don’t realise whose work they have chosen until they hand over their cash on the sale day.
The RCA is grateful to receive enormous support from hundreds of leading international artists and designers who contribute to the event each year. Last year’s event included original, hand-made postcards by Gerhard Richter, Bill Viola, Julian Opie, Yoko Ono, Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, David Bailey, fashion designers Paul Smith and Manolo Blahnik, and animator Nick Park to name just a few. Artists may choose to paint, draw, sketch or even produce a 3-d sculpture as long as it’s postcard-sized.
Potential collectors will be able to view all the postcards in person at the RCA in London or on-line at www.rca.ac.uk/secret from 12 November. All postcards go up for sale for one day only on Saturday 20 November at the RCA. Postcards can only be bought on a first come, first served basis, with no sealed bids or reservations in advance. There will also be a raffle for collectors to win a position in the first fifty places in the queue.
As well as being a fundraiser for the Fine Art students at the College, RCA Secret has a loyal following of supporters including regular collectors and art-lovers some of whom have been visiting the show since it began in 1994. It is not only one of the most popular events at the RCA, but has now become an established date in the British art calendar.
As in previous years all monies raised goes to the Royal College of Art Fine Art Student Award Fund. To date, sales of postcards have raised over
£1 million, helping hundreds of emerging artists at a formative stage in their careers.
RCA Secret 2010
Location: Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU
Press View & photo-call: 11 November, 10am – 12 noon.
Viewing Days:12 - 19 November, 11am - 6pm daily (late night opening until 8pm on 18 November)
Sale Day: 20 November, from 8am – 6pm.
Free admission.

A postcard buy led to this....

2010-06-20T09:01:00.001+01:00

Here is a great story arising out of the 2009 sale. Crystal Bennes, director of Salon (london) bought a postcard at the 2009 show by rca graduate Noemie Goudal. Anyway she like the postcard so much that she is exhibiting it, together with other work by Goudal at an exhibition at 97 clerkenwell road starting in late june.

Here are all the details courtesy of spoonfed

SALON (LONDON) returns this year with a really rather smashing idea. Director Crystal Bennes bought a work from last year's RCA Secret (you know, that exhibition where you can buy artists' postcards but you don't know who they're by) and then challenged the artist she 'chose' to come up with a solo show.

The artist selected turned out not to be Damien Hirst or Gerhard Richter (fortunately) but Noemie Goudal, who's recently graduated from the RCA with an MA in photography. We saw her work in the exhibition curated by Jotta at last year's Affordable Art Fair, and it's wicked: complex, layered and laden with latent with drama.

In addition to new work by Goudal, there's also the original postcard on display alongside a video documenting the whole process.

Until 06.07.10.

Save the date!!

2010-06-14T20:32:00.000+01:00

A little bird tells me that RCA Secret 2010 will run from Friday 12 November to Saturday 20th November with the sale on saturday. So remember you heard it here first!

Christies to sell 2001 hirst card

2010-02-01T20:24:00.000Z

A Damien Hirst card from 2001 will be auctioned by Christies in their contemporary art sale on 12 February 2010. The card entitled Cow cut open has a pretty high estimate of £10,000 to £15,000. I will be surprised if it makes that in the current climate but you never know.

More framed cards

2010-01-26T19:56:00.000Z

I got my Gerhard Richter and Grayson Perry cards back from John Jones a couple of days ago. I have to say I am delighted with the way they look after they have been framed.

In the frame

2009-12-26T16:44:00.008Z

I couldn't wait to frame up my cards from this year and get them on the wall. Some cards were sent to Gary at photography framing (see my earlier post re his framing details) and some have gone to John Jones in Islington. The ones from John Jones won't be back until the middle of january (pics to follow) but here are some pics of the cards I got framed by Gary. The specifications for these are that they are all framed floated surrounded by a thick off-white archival mount. They have perspex on the back to show the name and signature of the artist and are topped off with Museum glass.

I've gone for some different frames but I like em, although I appreciate they won't be everyone's cup of tea.

Two of the cards are cards I got this year, 2 are cards my daughters got this year for their rooms and 2 are previous years cards.

Merry christmas to all readers. I hope santa sent you lots of art related presents.

Pierce Casey

Graham Crowley

Louise Edgington

Maggi Hambling

Pauline Place

Carol Robertson

Lots of pics on the RCA secret facebook page

2009-12-12T17:34:00.003Z

Plenty of pics of this years sale on the RCA secret facebook page. Worth a visit.

RCA Secret forum

2009-12-12T07:05:00.002Z

Some enterprising person (not me) has started an RCA Secret forum! Click here to join.

RCA Secret and ebay

2009-11-29T13:47:00.002Z

It's good to see that you don't get many cards hitting ebay after the sale. At the moment there is only one Jacqueline Perkin card from this year on the bay, finishing tonight and doing quite well.

Although there have been a few old cards on the bay in the last few weeks, and this Terry Setch card is doing quite well.

My RCA Secret 2009

2009-11-25T20:17:00.006Z

This year the college announced some huge names had contributed to sale. I was very excited when I heard that names such as Gerhard Richter, John Baldessari and Bill Viola had donated. The sale has always been strong on contributors from these shores, but these international cards put the sale, in my opinion, on an even higher level.

So the weeks before the sale were spent researching last year's cards and this years contributors and posting updates on the blog of articles in the media about the sale, and other little titbits.

It ought to be noted that the art world lost some huge names this year, many of whom had regularly contributed to RCA Secret in the past including: Donald Hamilton-Fraser, Frederick Gore, Flavia Irwin and, most recently Christo's wife and partner Jeanne-Claude. May they all rest in peace.

Eventually Friday 13th November came round and the cards were released on the internet by the college promptly just before 11am. Due to being crazy busy at work I didn't get much chance to look at them properly until the weekend. I went down the exhibition on the Sunday and bought some raffle tickets and had my first look at the cards in person, whilst my two wonderful daughters made their own lists of the cards they wanted.

The weather for the week of the sale was horrendous. Some areas of the country were flooded and there was torrential rain in London on Wednesday and Thursday nights. I wasn't looking forward to a potential soaking on the Friday night.

As it was we were relatively lucky with the weather. I woke up on Friday and the skies were very grey and it was raining. I collected my stuff together and made my way to the college that morning. I arrived and shortly after installed my new pop-up tent, an early birthday present from my brother, and considerably easier to put up than my previous tent which was getting just a little frayed round the edges having endured a few years of battering on the streets of Kensington.

John had arrived about 40 minutes before me and was therefore directly ahead of me in the queue. A little while later Adam arrived and then after that the rest of our informal "crew" – Chris and Hugh. Mark, a friend and colleague from work, also joined our band of intrepid overnighters.

A happy morning was spent browsing the cards and refining choices. I never fail to be amazed that every time I look at the cards I spot a new one I feel I had never seen before. Lunch followed in Wagamamas followed by more browsing of the cards in the afternoon and chatting to people in queue. Plus a few work-related phone calls during the course of the day which were most off-putting.

Anyway the time came for us to be turfed out of the sale and we then spent the next hour clutching our phones hoping for that elusive phone call from the college. Gradually the phones started ringing. John got the call, as did his wife we later found out. Also news filtered down that various people higher up the queue had got the call. I don't wish to moan as I've always done well from the sale but I haven't ever got the call and would love to enjoy the raffle experience once!

We then had a couple of quick beers and a pizza. It was good to meet Cade at that stage after exchanging emails with him on quite a few occasions. Check out Cade's blog for some pictures of some of the amazing cards he has got over the years.

Anyway after a bit more chatting it was time to settle down for the night. I think because the weather was extremely mild I got more than usual amount of sleep, about 4 hours I think, although I apologise to my "next door neighbours" for snoring! There was some rain during the night but it was not nearly as bad as the previous two nights (or indeed the Saturday).

Anyway by around 4.45am I was awake and unable to go back to sleep for thinking about my list and making last minute adjustments and amendments. So I had a cup of hot chocolate, swiftly followed by a coffee to wake me up, listened to a bit of music on my daughter's iPod, borrowed for the night, and scratched away at my list.

The tent city started packing up early this year as it became apparent that by six in the morning the queue had completely double-backed on itself and was back in front of the college. You can imagine the chaos between those in the first part of the queue and those in the second part, so we packed up our stuff and moved up quickly to form the queue on the disabled ramp to the side of the college. This meant that the second part of the queue moved off quickly thus averting catastrophe.

Inevitably there were a couple of queue bargers who categorically refused to move until security came out and moved them on. Thanks to the security personnel at the college who handled these potentially difficult situations in a sensible and calm way. Thanks also to the college for keeping open, throughout the night, the toilets at the back entrance to the college. It made a huge difference to the people queuing and hopefully stopped some of the insanitary practices the college have rightfully complained about in the past.

The lucky raffle winners were in and out before us so I saw John coming out as he told me that he had scored 2 Grayson Perry cards and 2 cards by Mary Fedden. So well done him.

Finally it came to the time for us to go down to the room with the screens. I always find this a nerve racking experience to put it mildly. The room has two screens mounted which cycle through the cards that have been sold but frankly it is very difficult to cross off that many cards before you hit the front. You have to try and look round people's heads and the numbers cycle through very quickly.

I still don't understand why the college deal with all the raffle winners first before we are allowed down. Surely it would be better just to let the rest of the queue go down and go to the rear of the raffle winners? This would give us more time to cross off cards from our list and mean that the queues speed up. For the same reason can I suggest that the college consider mounting the same screen either just outside the college (if possible) or alternatively just as you get inside the doors?

In any event by the time I got to the front of the queue I had only had time to cross about 10 cards off my list. I started off reading out numbers to the very friendly lady behind the till – After a constant stream of "no, not available" I started getting a few numbers that were available. I actually changed my mind about one number that was available, deciding in the end to go for something else.

A tip at this stage. When you have your four numbers. Breathe. Relax. Go through them again and make sure there are no mistakes and that they are the numbers you want. After that there is no going back.

Anyway payment was made and off I went back upstairs and presented my invoice to a runner to get my cards. She called me over to the packing area, asked me to confirm my cards were the ones I wanted and then packed them away in envelopes. As she did so she asked me how long I had been queuing for. When I told her she said something along the lines of "I'm sure you will think it was worth it". That was my first hint that a might have got something a bit special.

I opened my envelopes and the first one I opened was a pretty drawing of a shoe. Not only has this been one of my daughters' favourite cards but I also had a sneaky feeling it might be by Grayson Perry, as there were plenty of frills on it and the bow was very expansive. So I was absolutely delighted when I turned it over to see that it was indeed by Grayson Perry. I let out a shriek of delight and punched the air.

The next card I opened was an abstract in oils. As soon as I had heard that Gerhard Richter was a contributor I spent a long time researching his work and trying to work out what he had done in the sale. I exchanged views with a few friends and then had my eureka moment one morning when I had woken up early with the kids and had gone through the cards on the internet systematically just trying to identify the Richters. But his work is diverse that I was by no means certain. I needed to buy a card that I liked and would be a proud addition to my collection even if it wasn't by Richter.

As you can imagine I was therefore delighted when I turned over my card and revealed that my research (and guesswork) had indeed paid off. I was now the proud owner of a Gerhard Richter abstract. I couldn't believe it. I sank to my knees, shouted out "yes" and punched the air. I couldn't stop shaking for at least 10 minutes afterwards.

I was also very pleased with my other two cards - abstracts by Carol Robertson, an artists I have long-admired, and another abstract by Pierce Casey. They will all be framed shortly.

Robertson

Casey

The next few minutes passed in a haze of an interview and photographs with the independent, and chats with others about what they had got, the ones that got away etc.

All in all a fantastic and very special experience for me and one I will never forget. I know I am a bit obsessional about RCA secret but it gives me and others like me a chance to buy the art we love at a price we can afford. I love the whole event and am most grateful to the college and all the contributing artists for making it so special.

Jules' story

2009-11-25T19:57:00.007Z

Here is Jules' story of her RCA secret night, as first published in her blog Girl on the Side.

Yesterday was the date I’d been excited about for the past 12 months & had spent the past week doing lists on Microsoft Excel for: The RCA Secret.

Recalling how busy it was last year (and the fact that I’m still not ready for camping), I’d decided that arriving earlier this time would be for the best… and indeed it was. I convinced The Boy (who was an RCA virgin) that leaving the house just after 3.am was not insane & would be worth it :) The journey wasn’t bad at all: managed not to stuff up leaving early like I did last year, and night-bused it all the way.

Arriving at the RCA, the 1st thing you noticed was the length of the queue: It had only just hit 4.am, and it had already gone beyond that nook in Jay Mews I joined last year when I arrived at 6am… and was steadily approaching the Gore. Walking along, and noticing a lot more tent action this year, we joined the end of the line – which at this point was just on the corner of the Mews. The same steps were taken again: warm clothing, a flask of hot coffee & something to eat. I was worried that being there earlier & queuing for longer would mean being frozen by 8am – luckily the weather was a lot milder this time… although still nippy! A nice element about this though are the people you instantly get chatting to, as everyone is in the same frame of mind about the queue & the weather. This year a new “queuing buddy” was made in Stewart – a very nice bloke who was in front of us & even offered me his chair to sit on during our hours outside :)

At 06:56 there was a sudden surge in the line and we all began moving forwards. I was surprised by this, as the doors weren’t open yet – can only assume that it was the tents all waking up and packing away (?)… either way, we were moving along pretty quick, which was a good feeling.

By 8a.m: we’d already moved up to the side of the RCA entrance, which was super-early compared to last year. This is where I spotted a familiar face: Wayne Chisnall was back! As he said on his blog, he was planning something for the morning & for the 2nd time in a row, I managed to catch it. He was giving out 400 numbered & signed screen printed postcards he’d made, as a “thank you” to those queuing up for the sale in the Cold. As with last year, I’d not even made it into the RCA, and had a lovely piece of art to add to my collection… so “thank you” Wayne :)

08:30 a.m & we were in already… confirming that being an earlier bird than last year does make a difference. It was a return to that excited & nervous feeling again: shuffling through the white building, eager to get down the steps… almost desperate to see the TV screens telling us what was available & what had gone. The panic of papers being flicked through and the sound of pens scribbling out choices lost, were all you could hear once you got to the basement. People were crowding around the 2 TV screens (while still trying to move along the queue) in order to check their choices. The only gripe that I had with the screens this year is that one of them wasn’t working , or the screen wasn’t big enough: only the top half of the bottom row of cards was showing, so you’d constantly miss the cards / numbers :(

Anyway… I got to the cashier, gave her 3 card numbers from my list that were still available on the screen… & they were still there – result! The Boy and I were both done by 10a.m, and walked away with cards from both our lists that we wanted… at some point, The Boy may blog about his – but as an RCA Virgin, he managed to walk away with an interesting name in his envelope…

So, the end results for me?

Full set of pictures are avaliable to view on my Flickr set, here.

I’ll certainly be back again next year… see you then

Framing offer

2009-11-23T20:59:00.002Z

So you have your precious cards now and you want to get them framed. As I've got more and more into art I have realised the crucial importance that a good framing job can do for your piece of art.

Also you need to ensure that your art is conserved properly, without the risk of it being damaged by the framing process or by harmful UV rays etc.

Any good art framer should be able to give you chapter and verse about the frames they use, the mounts, the type of glass, the methods of fixing the artwork to the mounts etc etc. Make sure you ask lots of questions to ensure that the framer knows what he is doing and knows that your artwork is important to you, and possibly quite valuable.

If you are keen to ensure that your artwork is framed well and that it is done to conservation standards then I have negotiated a deal with a well known framers for readers of the blog.

Gary at photography framing has been framing a large amount of my stuff for a few years now (see pics of last years cards). The service is excellent. He has regular collection and deliveries in the south-east (and sometimes further afield) so you just book a slot with him. He will arrange to collect the artwork from you then will either phone you or email you to discuss framing options. You can have anything from the standard white or black box frame through to some really wacky mouldings indeed if you are feeling brave.

Once the work is framed gary will arrange to deliver it back to you. Perfect.

The special price offered to readers of the blog is:

Full conservation standard framing
Perspex and mount on the back of the frame so you can see the signature
A range of frame choices
UV Glass - £75 including VAT.

If you would like Museum glass (which is non-reflective and really worth the extra cost) then the cost is £120 including VAT.

Just email gary@photographyframing.co.uk with your requirements, mentioning the RCA secret blog.

UcanBeverywhere's story

2009-11-22T21:11:00.006Z

Here's an account of from the ucanbeverywhere blog. Click here for the blog and more pics :)

To obtain a Postcard-sized work of art from RCA Secret I queued for more than five hours!
It was a thrilling adventure indeed.... and I am extremely happy since I managed to get two postcard-sized works of art from Hugh Fleetwood and Andrew Fionda! The competition was great! It was actually more than great and people were camping for days before even the event was launched in order to safeguard a good place in the queue.
I tried my best to safeguard a good place in the queue... and wasn't that bad in the end!
The event only started at 8 o'clock this morning and I got there at 6 in the morning! I only managed to get inside at noon and even if most of the famous artists cards were already gone, I got two just by having a final quick glimpse since those that I had in my list were sold!
I enjoyed this fabulous art experience and I have some pictures for you to enjoy!
Well done to all of those 'Gladiators' that got their favorite ones .... RCA Rocks!

Sale piece in the independent on sunday this morning

2009-11-22T07:00:00.002Z

There is a fun article in the independent on sunday this morning here.

Full text reproduced below

Postcard art: Having a cool time. Wish you were here

A Slice of Britain: At the annual lucky dip for postcards by famous and emerging artists, the sharp-eyed and patient scoop up bargain masterpieces

By Andrew Johnson at the Royal College of Art

Sunday, 22 November 2009

They don't look much like contemporary art-lovers. There are no sharp suits, silly haircuts or bold spectacle frames. Instead, the queue snaking outside the Royal College of Art (RCA) is made up of a motley group – bleary-eyed and unshaven – dressed in woolly jumpers and waterproof jackets.

They are there for the annual lucky dip. The prestigious college asks around 1,000 artists – from the famous to recent graduates – to donate up to six postcards of new work. Art-lovers can buy no more than four, at £40 each. The catch is that no one knows the name of their artist until after they have bought the work.

This year's coup was Gerhard Richter. The German, considered one of the world's greatest artists, painted six cards in his distinctive blurred abstract style. Other sought-after names included Grayson Perry, Anish Kapoor and Tracey Emin.

"Whatever happens, your work will be worth £40," says the sale's curator, Wilhelmina Bunn.

The doors open at dawn, and 50 raffle winners are given first dibs. Next come die-hard regulars, who have learnt that if you want to buy a contemporary great for peanuts, it's the very early bird who gets the work. By 7am the queue is wrapped around the RCA building in Kensington. Inside the RCA's white halls, it snakes across the wooden flooring and continues down a set of stairs past giant TV screens that reveal which works have gone and which are still available.

Buyers are busy scribbling in their notebooks as they try to keep up with the changing stock. Eventually, the queue winds its way to a cashier, who checks your choice is still available, takes your money, and gives you a form to take upstairs to the main gallery. There, rows and rows of postcards with a multitude of designs – drawings, paintings, photographs, inscriptions and collages – are mixed in with plain green cards to replace those that have been sold.

Chris and Gayle Corbett camped out and managed to be fifth in the queue. "We've been here for two and a half days," says Chris. "We love art. There's lots of people here during the night. You make friends, order a pizza, have a drink." They are hoping for a Nick Park or Tracey Emin. Their ritual, however, is not to open their envelope until after they've nipped off for a big breakfast. Others take their envelopes outside and open them immediately, frequently to squeals of delight.

Like hordes of others lining up for a card at the sale they had to register online first. Perry Hill, a solicitor, is in his 10th year at the sale, and very chuffed to find himself with a Grayson Perry drawing of a shoe as well as a Richter. "I thought it might be by Grayson because of the bow," he says. "I just love the sale. It's a real opportunity for people like me who can't afford to buy the artists that we like, to own their stuff."

Ms Bunn registered 5,000 new people for the sale this year, 2,000 more than normal. Some 14,000 had already registered over the sale's 16-year history. "There's 2,700 cards and we normally sell them all," she says. "Not everyone turns up and not everyone buys four. We invite around 3,500 artists and this year 1,016 agreed. I first asked Richter in 2007, and his studio said he would be interested but was busy. I never let go. He couldn't do it last year, but this year he painted six, and sent a note saying it was a great project."

By 1pm the queue is shorter, although latecomers are still tagging on. The last person – for now – is Heather Broughton who has travelled from Leicester. "There is something very British about queueing," she says. "I'm not bothered about anyone famous: it's about the future. I work for a museum in Leicestershire, which has been buying new art to loan to schools for 50 years. It now has work by people like Bridget Riley and David Hockney."

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of queuing, The Independent on Sunday gets to buy a work. It's by the Welsh artist Carwyn Evans. By now Chris Corbett has had plenty of time to savour his purchase. He calls, having finished a leisurely breakfast, to reveal the couple's days of vigil has been rewarded with a card by the fashion designer Manolo Blahnik. His tone bears the quiet satisfaction of a modest lottery winner. "We're very pleased," he says simply.

Artists Names are all up now

2009-11-21T20:31:00.003Z

The artists names are now all up on the rca site, as usual a few surprises and interesting ones.

I hope everyone had a great time and got what they wanted, I know I did.

Over the coming days I will posting peoples experiences of the sale day and their stories, including my own. If you've got a story you would like to contribute then please let me know, by commenting on the blog. Would be great to hear from you.

I will also be publishing details of a special framing offer I have negotiated for all our readers should you want to get your cards framed as I am sure you will.

I will sleep well tonight though.