The brand new EAC People’s Choice Award, which will be awarded for the first time in 2009, looks set to be a very popular addition to the EAC Over 60s Art Awards prize-giving ceremony, to be held this year at the Bankside Gallery on 1st December.

There have now been 12 full days of busy online voting, with another 9 to go before voting closes late on Monday 30th November.

There are 101 finalists’ artworks in the online gallery, representing painting, drawing, print-making, collage, photography, textiles, sculpture, glass and enamel-work, with artists' ages ranging from 60 to 95.

So, where’s the voting up to?

1931 votes have now been cast and 456 comments posted.

There have been 4,600 visits to the website since 9th November when the online voting was launched, and 62,090 page views, indicating a healthy interest in the website, which is very encouraging for the future.

The Top 5 have been remarkably stable almost from the beginning, with Gordon Morley’s “Downham Village” currently established in 1st position, just ahead of Gerald Hudson’s “Venice”, and Diana Hudson’s “ Big Ambitions”. (they are not related, as far as I know) However, with nine days to go, anything can still happen; strong contenders that have suddenly appeared in the Top 10 over the last week include Joan Speare’s “Van Gogh Landscape” and Nickie Jones’s “Sophie” and if they have done it, so can others.

Thank you to all those who have voted and particularly to those who have also taken time to add a comment. Many finalists have themselves visited the site and offered feedback on others’ work, which must be the best kind of support for artists themselves.

One thing that the website might develop before next year is the capacity to offer a forum, where artists can hold a two way conversation, whereas this year there is only the facility to comment on individual art works….and to read this blog. So, as a half-way measure, how about using the Contact Us page on the website to submit more general reflections, comments, suggestions, ideas (constructive please!) and I’ll include them in several blogs that I’ll post over the next week.

Meanwhile, it may be raining outside, but enjoy the art gallery inside, and take the opportunity to vote in the next few days. It may well get very busy over next weekend.