This review of the second episode of the latest episode of Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 on the Sky Arts channel is a little bit different.
There are two reasons for this:
- the shortlisted artists were ALL of the three amateur artists - and I can't remember that every happening before (which is not to say it hasn't)
- I bang on every week (it seems) about the need to remember
- NOT to focus on just the heat painting re. who should go forward to the semi-finals but rather to pay particular attention to the submissions too.
- AND SO.... I decided to set myself the challenge of writing down right at the beginning - after the review of the submissions by the Judges - who I thought would be in the Shortlist at the end of the Heat
SO THIS WEEK I'm paying particular attention to what the Judges say about an artist - and
you will see a lot of quotes.
This review also focuses on:
- the location and weather
- the artists profiles
- themes arising during the episode
- who was shortlisted and who won.
Episode 2: Capability Brown designed ground of Compton Verney
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| The landscape was designed by Capability Brown |
However
the star of the show for the purposes of subject matter were the grounds designed by Lancelot Capability Brown - the English gardener and landscape architect. I didn't count how many times he got name-checked in the programme - but it was rather a lot.
"Totally fantastic - and fake as hell!"
The challenge is how to improve a view which is already an artistic creation.
Weather
It started off cloudy, then looked a bit glum, followed by a short period of drenching rain - and then sunny skies with clouds.
Of which more later.....
The Artists
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| The artists in front of their view - with the bridge in the background |
What struck me - while doing my version of their profiles below - is how much LAOTY left out in terms of what these artists have been up to in the past!
Five professional artists took part. These were:
- Brian Hindmarch [Gallery | Profile | Facebook] - a printmaker for over 50 years - he also worked as a designer and teacher and was a lecturer in Graphic Design at Bradford College School of Art for over 20 years, from 1992 to 2013. Currently he works from a studio in Ilkley and applies a wide range of graphic design techniques and processes, including photography, etching, letterpress, lithography, screenprint and relief print. He has a particular interest in interpreting natural history, environment and landscape in his work, which includes original mixed media artwork and limited edition prints.
- Chloe LeTissier [Instagram | Twitter] Moved to London from Guernsey in 2002 to study at the Slade School of Fine Art (2002-2006), where she specialised in painting. In 2010 she was offered a place on The Drawing Year at the Royal Drawing School. In 2012 she was selected for the Threadneedle Prize Exhibition and in 2016 she won second prize selected for the Sunday Times Watercolour Exhibition. (I KNEW I knew the name!). She works (when not on maternity leave) as the Office Manager and PA to the Head of Courtauld Gallery.
- SÃle Walsh [Instagram] - a self taught artist from Waterford in Ireland who returned to her full time professional art practice in 2017 after raising her children. She participated in Portrait Artist of the Year in 2018 - broadcast in 2019. She likes graphic blocks, precision and straight lines. You can see examples of her landscapes here
- Angela Webb - [Facebook | Instagram] a Scottish artist (and former architect), living and working in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. She regularly takes part in art festivals and Open Studio events (eg Warwickshire Open Studios) and teaches workshops for schools and art societies. She works mainly in oils, likes structure and perspective and often works in a square format. These are examples of her landscapes.
- Patrick Wilkins [Instagram]- Born in Rochester and now lives in Broadstairs in Kent. Had a career as a technical illustrator and worked in engineering product design for over 30 years. His career changed in 2012 following a serious illness and he is now a pencil artist, working in coloured pencils (and technical pens and acrylic gouache) and an associate member of the Society of Graphic Fine Art (SGFA). He's also exhibited widely in juried / open exhibitions in the UK including UKCPS, RBA, RBSA and the Margate Turner Contemporary Open Exhibition. This is his submission
So I'm on this tonight, Sky Arts 8pm. Filmed quite a while ago in Compton Verney in Warwickshire, my one request was 'Don't give me green fields and a lake to draw', so that went well. (Patrick's blog alert)
Three amateur artists were also in the LAOTY Pods. - Mark Bonello [Facebook | Instagram]- Originally from London he now lives on the North Antrim coast in Northern Ireland. He's a self-taught artist who works as an HGV Driver and contrary to his teacher's comments at the time, he actually "looks out a window for a living". In 2021, he exhibited with the ROI. He paints plein air using his HGV cab as his studio. Having four hours to paint is his idea of a luxury - but a bucolic landscape would not have been his first choice for a subject. This is his submission - which looked better on television.
- Afsheen Nasir [Instagram] - Comes from Karachi in Pakistan. She is self taught and works as a civil servant. She paint landscapes in oil but this was her first time painting 'en plein air'. She exhibited at the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2019 and previously appeared in "Show me the Monet". This is her submission.
- Justine Warner [Instagram] - She is a textile and mixed media artist and is also known as "the lady who paints with ties". Her brand name is "Pearl loves Paisley" She creates unique, nature-inspired works crafted with vintage ties, textiles and found objects. She has progressed from exhibiting at the village show to open call exhibitions, art festivals, an art gallery in Helmsley and the North Yorkshire Open Studios. Plus has been artist in residence with the Yorkshire Arboretum and you can see a video about her on YouTube. Those interested in what she does and how she does it will be pleased to know she does Zoom Courses online. This is her submission
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I'm not surprised that some people bring trollies.
The trek - carrying all your stuff - can last a while sometimes |
The wildcard artists gathered around the lake but out of the eyeline of the pod artists
The Submissions
I'd love to be able show you the submissions given I bang on and on about their importance - but for some reason the person directing the cameras and the one taking the photographs haven't yet got this message.
Hence we rarely see a picture which gives us a view of the landscapes all lined up next to one another - much as happens at the shortlisting stage - where we don't get to see the heat paintings next to one another. All we see is them hiding behind the artists while they wait to be shortlisted.
In a competition, you make decisions by comparing one image with another - so I'd regard a view of all the images together as a critical part of the programme.
We NEED to see the submissions lined up AND the heat paintings lined up.
Instead, at the submission stage this is what we get
