June 2026
Varnishing Day at The RA 2026
I have not written a blog for a long time, and last Monday was such an incredible experience that I realised I needed to record it forever. Before writing about Varnishing Day, I will bring you up to date with my art journey. The last year has been an extraordinary time for me, full of major events, these including: writing a dissertation about Art and Ecology, the shock of a bowel cancer diagnosis, two end of degree shows – one exhibited at Three Rooms Gallery E17, surgery, graduating with a First-Class BA (Hons) in Fine Art, my mortarboard hat slowly falling off during the graduating ceremony in a comedic fashion, receiving a special award: The St Mark’s Green Award for Sustainable Ideas in the Arts, and in November 2025 one of my watercolour paintings was selected to be part of the 61st Essex Open Exhibition at the Beecroft Art Gallery in Southend. All of this provides lots of material for blogs, but frankly I had no time to write one.
Then this May I was overwhelmed to find out my painting Dream-Swim had been selected to be part of the RA Summer Exhibition 2026.
Back to Varnishing Day! This is a tradition of the Royal Academy Summer Show and dates to the 18th century, when artists used to add their final touches to the paintings as they saw them for the first time in situ; sometimes adding a pop of red paint to make their work stand out. It is also the first day the artists accepted today get to see their work curated on the walls of Burlington House in Piccadilly. You can imagine why I have been so incredibly excited! I adore Art History, and to think Turner would have attended Varnishing Day of the Summer Exhibitions back in his time!
I was with good friends when I opened the email saying my artwork had been selected for this year’s exhibition, and, speechless, I jumped up and did a little dance like the Detectorists when discovering gold coins! The email stated that a celebratory Varnishing Day Reception would be held in the gallery on Monday 8th June after a procession to and a special service at St James’s Church. The invitation did not include a plus one, because this special occasion is strictly for exhibitors.
My painting submitted to the RA Open was painted as a tribute to my father very soon after he had passed away early this year. His death has made me so incredibly sad, so whilst painting I was trying to channel my father, Ray Burgoyne – a painter and a sea-swimmer. I was pushing my experimental practice as far as I could. David Bowie said, “If you feel safe in the area you are working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.” My Dad and I loved David Bowie! My painting is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I must think about what artist Tracey Emin teaches: that art is not created to be liked. I do find it hard to show my work even if I am happy with it myself. I am absolutely delighted and honoured that Eileen Cooper RA and Katherine Jones RA saw something in my painting and chose it to include in The Royal Academy Summer Show. I only wish, like everyone who has lost someone close, that I could phone my Dad up and tell him all about it.
Returning to Varnishing Day, I could not sleep the night before, and I was not the only artist who did not get a good night’s sleep due to excitement! A lovely artist named Gillian Ross, who I sat next to in St James’s Church and whose painting of a fox is fabulous, struggled sleeping also!
I arrived at Burlington House super early! There I spoke to two amazing glass sculpture artists: Arthur Van Buuren and Jane Vincent.
Although I only knew one other artist who had successfully been accepted, and this was my talented University Art Teacher Matthew Chambers, I knew instantly I would be fine because fellow artists are wonderful – they are very kind and generous people. Everyone was smiling and in a celebratory mood; we all followed a procession led by a steel drum band to St James’s Church for a special service – a sea of colourful umbrellas on a dull, rainy day.
In the church, the choir was magical, and The Revd Dr Ayla Lepine was inspiring. I found it funny that most of the artists, including me, did not sing the hymns; maybe we are all dreadful singers; I know I am!
After the church blessing, I, full of elation, walked back to the Royal Academy and, after putting my coat in the cloak room, with wonder, walked into the main galleries. It was unreal! I felt like I was an actor in a film. The exhibition coordinator this year has been artist Ryan Gander, and he has done a brilliant job! It all looks so cool! When I first found out that artists Katherine Jones and Eileen Cooper had selected and curated my painting, that brought me even more joy, and I loved where it was hung. So many emotions went through my head! During the reception, I drank two glasses of champagne and ate some visually beautiful canapés. There was so much art to look at! I took photographs, talked to people and kept double-checking I wasn’t just dreaming.
When I left to catch the train home, I instantly knew I needed to revisit, to look again, at all the creative, inspiring, beautiful and/or challenging art on display in The Royal Academy Summer Show 2026.
Dream-Swim is an oil-on-acrylic painting. It is part of my ongoing experimental practice, where I am interested in materials and materiality concurrent with thinking about the narrative of dreaming about the activity of wild swimming in an estuary whilst confined to bed due to illness – this is subject matter for many of my artworks.
My art journey has been extraordinary, and I need to thank all my friends and family. I want to thank my inspirational university lecturers/artists, Matthew Chambers and Andrew Graves, for their professional guidance. I want to thank the incredibly supportive Mother Cherry Sandover and Maria Swepson for their lectures for my dissertation. I need to thank the amazing Miss Fine and the colorectal nurses at Southend Hospital for their skill and care; otherwise, I may not have been able to enter this year. I want to thank my artist Mum and Dad.
13th June 2026.