A TOTAL of nine Sussex artists have made it into the final of a prestigious national art competition.

The National Open Art exhibition of 130 finalists opens today (Oct 21) and runs until November 1 at leading London institution the Royal College of Art.

The artists beat more than 4,000 entries to be selected in a competition that has been running for nearly 20 years and become a largely revered open art competition.

The Sussex finalists include Lauren Alderslade, from Brighton, who has been inspired by the city.

She graduated in fine art at the University of Brighton in 2013 as a mature student. Her painting Plenty Of Fish is a comment on the modern dating game.

She said: “It's fantastic to be selected. I'm excited about showing my work to a wider audience; it was getting bored of living in my studio.”

The 32-year-old lives in Dyke Road and has a studio in New England House.

She added: “The liberal, up-for-it spirit of Brighton keeps me playful and unafraid of pushing ideas. It's a great place to be curious and inspired. My studio is ten minutes’ from the sea and under an hour away from London by train so, location-wise, there are plenty of opportunities.”

Sarah Shaw, 42, lives and works in Hove. She works from Farm Road studios, a “ramshackle” artists’ quarter that used to be part of a fire station. More established, her work is collected both here and abroad. Her oil on canvas Bygones II made the grade.

She said: “Entering any competition is pretty stressful at the best of times. It’s such a rollercoaster of emotions whether you are successful or not. A competition like the National Open is doubly stressful as it is such a prestigious one and always has such an excellent judging panel.

“Every time you exhibit it tends to open new doors, and this has certainly been the case with the National Open. It’s an honour to be selected again.”

Ms Shaw said the competition is a level playing field because submissions are anonymous.

She added: “It helps that I live in a place which actively celebrates and promotes the arts.”

Angela Bell, meanwhile, who recently moved from Brighton to Worthing, has forged an artistic career after giving up office work in her late 20s. She has two oil paintings, Billy and The Players, on show.

The rest of the Sussex candidates are Gary Goodman of Worthing, Caron Buckingham-Rhyder of Midhurst, Fiona Pienkowska of Hastings and Kate Sherman of Ditchling as well as Anne White and Steven Mason, both of Chichester.

The overall winners from the 130 finalists, who stand to scoop prizes totalling more than £60,000, go on to exhibit at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester from December 1 to 13.