The Painterly Artist Exhibition
The Painterly Artist — Online Exhibition
Curated by Hunter Guise Gallery
Call for Artists
Enter The Painterly Artist 2026, a curated online exhibition presented and sponsored by Hunter Guise Gallery. This open call invites artists working in traditional, hand-made media to share work that foregrounds the artist’s hand, material presence, and painterly expression.
Up to 100 works will be selected, and will be featured in an online exhibition running August 15 – September 30th, 2026, offering participating artists increased visibility and connection with new audiences.
Theme: "The Painterly Artist"
Submit your most painterly work—pieces that celebrate expressive colour, bold mark-making, and interpretation over photographic realism.
For The Painterly Artist, Hunter Guise Gallery is looking for artwork that prioritizes the language of paint—expressive colour, visible brushwork, and confident, intentional mark-making. We welcome work that interprets its subject through gesture, abstraction, and personal voice, creating emotional impact and a strong sense of presence when viewed online.
About the Exhibition
We are an online fine art gallery dedicated to showcasing exceptional contemporary work and building meaningful exposure for Canadian artists. After running the very successful Northern Beauty Juried Online Exhibition in September 2025, and our curated Northern Skies exhibition in May 2026, we’re continuing to expand opportunities that increase artists’ visibility online—connecting their work with collectors and art lovers through curated exhibitions, thoughtful promotion, and a professional digital platform.
Important Dates
Submissions Open: June 1, 2026
Deadline to Submit: July 31, 2026
Artists Notified: August 15, 2026
Exhibition Dates: August 15 – September 30, 2026
Eligibility
Open to artists 18 years of age and older at the time of submission
Artists of all nationalities may apply, unless restricted by local laws
Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of the organizer/curator are not eligible.
This exhibition is open to original, hand-made artworks that demonstrate a clear human process and the visible hand of the artist. To keep the exhibition focused on traditional, non-photo-based work, photo-realistic work and photo-derived work are NOT eligible.
Awards are sponsored by Hunter Guise Gallery. Awards are non-transferable and not redeemable for cash unless specified. Curator’s Choice credits expire six (6) months from the date issued. To ensure broad and meaningful recognition across the exhibition, each artist is eligible for one cash prize. Where an artist has multiple outstanding submissions, the highest-ranked work (based on the curatorial criteria) will be considered for cash prize placement. Artists may still be eligible for an Honourable Mention and/or the People’s Choice Award (audience-voted).
We do not accept:
Photography of any kind (including heavily edited or “artist-enhanced” photographs)
Photo composites, digital photo manipulation, or works built from a photographic base
Digital illustration / digital painting
AI-generated or AI-assisted image generation
Works primarily derived from a photograph where the intended result is photographic realism or replication
Originality & Process Requirements
All submitted work must be original and created by the artist.
Artwork may be based on reference material; however, submissions must demonstrate substantial artistic interpretation and authorship.
Works that are direct copies of photographs, painted over photographic prints, or digitally manipulated photographs presented as paintings are not eligible.
If a work reads as photographic replication at first glance (especially at thumbnail scale), it is unlikely to be selected, even if executed in paint.
If reference photographs are used:
The artist must own the copyright to the image, OR
Have explicit written permission from the photographer.
Verification:
Selected artists may be asked to provide a brief process description and/or a work-in-progress image to confirm eligibility. The exhibition reserves the right to decline works that do not meet these guidelines.
Accepted Media
Eligible (physical / traditional media):
Oil
Acrylic
Watercolour
Pastel
Mixed media (physical media only; see below)
Not eligible:
Photography (including heavily edited photos)
Photo-based artworks (photo manipulation, composites, or photographic base images)
Digital painting / digital illustration
AI-generated imagery
Works whose primary intent is photographic realism or photographic replication
Photorealism/photographic replication includes work intended to closely mimic the sharpness, lighting, depth-of-field, and detail of a photograph, where the goal is visual equivalence rather than painterly interpretation.
Mixed Media Clarification
Mixed media submissions must be primarily traditional physical media (e.g., paint, pastel, ink, collage elements) and may not include photographic components or digital output.
Submission Requirements
All works must be available for sale from the date of submission until the end of the exhibition (Sept 30, 2026).
ENTRY FEES:
Fees apply per artwork submitted (one image per artwork)
Fees (CAD, non-refundable): $15 CAD first image, $25 for two submissions, $35 for three submissions. Maximum 3 images per artist.
Entries without payment will not be reviewed.
Submissions and payment are completed through ArtCall via the exhibition listing on our website (or see the link at the end of this document).
Image file naming format* (mandatory):
Firstname-Lastname-Title-Size-Medium-Price
Example: Sue-Smith-PineTree-25x20-Oil-375.jpg
*size in inches only (rounded, no decimals).
IMAGE SPECIFICATIONS:
File size: minimum 960 px on the longest size
Resolution: max 1920 px resolution
File format: JPG or PNG
Please take a picture of your work WITHOUT frames or background.
Awards
Awards are sponsored by Hunter Guise Gallery. Awards are non-transferable and not redeemable for cash unless specified. Curator’s Choice credits expire 6 months from the date issued. To ensure broad and meaningful recognition across the exhibition, each artist is eligible for one major award. Where an artist has multiple outstanding submissions, the highest-ranked work will be considered for major award placement.
First place: $100 cash
Second place: $50 cash
Third place: $25 cash
Honourable Mentions:
up to 2 Honourable Mentions
People's Choice Award:
1 artwork will be recognized in our People's Choice Awards.
Awards are contingent on minimum participation. In the event of low entries, awards may be reduced or withdrawn, but the exhibition will still proceed unless otherwise announced.
Curator(s): Susan Hunter Guise of Hunter Guise Gallery will curate this show.
COMMISSION RATE:
All sales are in Canadian dollars. We retain 25% commission on sales, and pay out the balance to the artist on confirmation of delivery of the artwork to the buyer. The artist is responsible for shipping and insurance and any other additional costs. Works must be available for sale during the entire exhibition process, from submission date to close of the show on Sept 30th, 2026. Works that sell outside of our exhibition platform are still subject to the commission fee. Please do not submit work(s) if you do not agree to these terms.
CURATING PROCESS:
Selections are made by the curator. Submissions are evaluated for fit with the theme (painterly colour, mark-making, and interpretation), overall artistic merit, and presentation quality for online viewing. Final selections also consider the cohesion and balance of the exhibition as a whole. Curatorial decisions are final.
Other Terms and Conditions
COPYRIGHT & PROMOTION: Artists retain full copyright of their work. By submitting, you grant Hunter Guise Gallery the non-exclusive right to display your artwork image(s) on Hunter Guise Gallery and ArtCall websites and social media platforms for the purpose of promoting this and future exhibitions.
DISQUALIFICATION: Hunter Guise Gallery reserves the right to disqualify any entries that do not follow the guidelines or contain misleading, plagiarized, or inappropriate content.
EMAIL PERMISSION: By submitting your image and filling out the submission form, you agree to the use of your email address by Hunter Guise Gallery for the purposes of notifying you of exhibition results, and periodic newsletters and email promotions. These emails may originate from Hunter Guise Gallery's Artist Websites account. You may unsubscribe at any time.
By submitting your works online through our exhibition platform, you accept all the terms of this prospectus.
Submission Link: