‘It’s Art Call Prize’ – what have the three winners’ artists from 2019 been doing since their success in the competition?

A competition organized every year since 2016 by The Cult House, an online Arts, Events & Network platform.

It might feel like a decade ago, but around this time last year, we were celebrating the winners of It’s Art Call Prize, Edition at Blacks Club – London, in a fantastic night among a great variety of artworks from the winners: Amy Lague, Brian Reinker and Evi Antonio, surrounded with an incredible audience of buyers and art lovers.

We came up with a set of questions to let you know more about them and what they have been doing!  

Tell me a bit about your artistic journey so far – some highs, lows, a real-life situation that inspired you?

I started painting professionally after returning from travelling and being in a position where I was relying solely on selling art for my living. It felt like a big step and a very challenging but very rewarding one. The lows for me are definitely managing my work and the price of selling work and getting my name out there. Spending a lot of money on getting my work presentable for art fairs and exhibitions and only just covering the costs. It is very hard when relying on profit for living costs; nearing losing money when you exhibit makes starting very difficult. My highs are receiving good feedback from people who see my art and making that connection with someone who has specifically found me as an artist and wants me to paint a commission for them from seeing my works. It is very rewarding, and what has kept me motivated and kept me going on. 

I was exhibiting at the Sussex Art Fair at Goodwood, where I met the organizers Oliver, Leah, and Neto. I stayed in touch and saw it advertised on Instagram once they were directly involved in the prize. 

If you had one piece of advice to give participating artists about their careers in the arts, what would it be?

Don’t give up! Know what makes you authentic and true to your own work and stick to it. Be influenced by other artists to an extent and take on all the advice and support you can get, but don’t let it take over your individuality. 

What are your goals for 2021/2022?

Get better and stronger at marketing and getting a larger client base online and on social media, as we are no longer able to fully rely on exhibitions and networking due to the pandemic.

---

Brian Reinker, a former architect, working with collage now for three years, he would call it exacting, precise and quite architectural. 

Tell me a bit about your artistic journey so far – some highs, lows, a real-life situation that inspired you?

My art practice has been going full-time now for 4 years, and it was the best thing I ever did. After leaving architecture, I have been able to explore my creative side and have been fortunate enough to start a successful business. At first, it was very daunting, but with patience, things fell into place. Winning the Art Call Prize was amazing, and it was the first competition that I was in. It has opened up a lot of doors, and I have met some great people. For inspiration, I think that when I get a commission for a work, I become super inspired to make sure the client is as excited as I am.

How did you find out about the Its Art Call Prize?

Through social media and a friend at the studio. I was also able to meet Daniel Syrett from Runway Gallery, [main partner of the 2019 edition], who I am now working with, and that was a special bonus.

If you had one piece of advice to give participating artists about their careers in the arts, what would it be?

Have patience and don’t be afraid to try new things.

What are your goals for 2021/2022?

With the world the way it is, I think I just want to keep working as hard as I can and try to focus on that. I have been honoured to be selected by Saatchi Art as one of their 21 Artists to watch in 2021, and I hope to be able to expand my practice going forward.

Evi Antonio is an artist trained as a scientific natural history illustrator who embraced digital techniques in her works. Her work is a conversation, an intimate dialogue with nature and her surroundings, both urban and natural. Each piece tells a story and captures a moment in her life. Her work recently focuses on the beauty, symmetry & patterns, and colour in butterflies – a symbol of hope and transformation. 

Tell me a bit about your artistic journey so far – some highs, lows, a real-life situation that inspired you.

I feel gratitude that my artistic journey so far has been successful. Some highs included getting into the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2012, which gave my career momentum. In 2016 I won a prize for best artist in East of England with National Open Art and in 2019 winner of The Cult House Open call. My lows have only been in that there are as many rejections as success! I am from a rural village and had to move to London in 2016 due to many different reasons. Since then, I began to notice and absorb London’s street art and urban textures, and I saw it as my new canvas; my work evolved into what it is now.

How did you find out about the It’s Art Call Prize?

I noticed the Art call on Instagram, and a fellow artist said I should enter. At the time, I was busy chaperoning, which finished the day before the deadline. It was hard to put it all together, but I’m glad I did, as it has been an amazing experience. 

If you had one piece of advice to give participating artists about their careers in the arts, what would it be?

There is this say which I live by: It’s not about how many times you fall down, but how many you get up.

Art is not an easy career as we are inner critics, to begin with, and exhibiting art can feel very exposing, but you have to believe in your practice and what you want to say with your art. Entering open calls is a good way of getting exposure, but choosing ones that sound more suited to your style of work. 

What are your goals for 2021/22?

My goals are to go bigger! Nature has always been my inspiration and subject, and I feel it is even more poignant in our changing world. As an artist, I feel I play a role in raising awareness by highlighting the beauty of our natural world.

I am collaborating with bespoke design companies, and I want to do more work related to wildlife conservation after taking part in an exhibition with ‘Explorers against Extinction’.

We all know how challenging 2020 was, and how things are looking for 2021.  To know that some artists are managing to keep creating, brings us some hope. The market will recover at some point.

As with as many other artistic activities, It’s Art Call Prize is waiting for the right time to be back. For more information, visit: www.theculthouse.co.uk