Dear Editor,

Last year I was privileged to have three paintings accepted for the annual Harlow art open exhibition. I was also delighted to have been awarded the first runner up prize and to sell two of the three works I had submitted.

So it was with great disappointment that I read of the changes to this year competition.

In previous years, local artists from Harlow and the surrounding area were invited to submit their art work for possible inclusion in the exhibition.

The successful submissions would then be put on public display at the Gibberd Gallery.

This afforded an opportunity for local artists to both showcase and sell their work.

This year, under new management, we are invited to place either found or created work at locations around the town and take a photograph of our efforts, then submit them digitally.

The successful photographic entries will then be shown at the Gibberd Gallery.

It seems to me that placing objects in the landscape and photographing them is just one way of making art as much as painting, sculpture and other forms of photography are.

I know that i won’t be the only artist to be disappointed by this news and can only hope the Harlow Arts Trust rethink this change in direction for the future.

Regards

Alex Thomson