...and so to the fifth and FINAL episode of Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 had a different perspective on Compton Verney in Warwickshire.
|
Awaiting the decision as to who is shortlisted in the final episode of this series. |
Episode 5 - View of the House and Gardens at Compton Verney
This post considers:
- the location and weather
- the artists profiles
- themes arising during the episode
- who was shortlisted and who won
Location
|
The pods at some distance from the house in the grounds
of Compton Verney https://www.comptonverney.org.uk/ |
A new commemorative exhibition of portraits generated by eight series of "Portrait Artist of the Year" is to be held at Compton Verney Art Gallery - between 19 February – 5 June 2022.So you could go and visit the exhibition - and then take your paints and have a go at painting the view from where the pods located in this episode!
Weather
The Artists
Professional Artists
Five professional artists participated in this episode
- Julia Borodina - a Fine Art Painter educated in Russia and Britain. She's a full time professional artist and art teacher (classes & Zoom) who now lives and works in West Yorkshire and exhibits nationally and internationally including at the Annual Exhibitions of the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colour, the Royal Society of Marine Artists and the Society of Women Artists at the Mall Galleries in London. She enjoys painting landscapes from life outdoors - and it shows. Very sensibly she organises her artwork for sale on her website into price bands. She also works on commission for a variety of clients.
- Oliver Hurst (Facebook | Instagram | Twitter) - painter and illustrator based in Bath. Generally paints what he calls an "adjusted landscape" - often something with a historical theme or a fictional view influenced by current events.
- James Kirwan (Instagram | Twitter) - Visual artist and muralist based in Dublin. His sites are short on bio detail. His submission was a painting of a view of the black valley in County Kerry and uses his technique of spraying a frame first.
- Rebecca Noelle Purvis (Instagram) - an American born artist who is now based in Northumberland. Studied illustration and printmaking at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She has taught art for over 20 years in both private classes and in University classes. She now teaches in Northumberland and for commissioned classes. She works in mixed media on brown paper (from brown paper bags).
- Kate Aggett (Facebook | Instagram) - Based in North Devon, she has a BA degree in fashion and textiles and creates collage artwork from natural materials eg reclaimed fabrics, handmade papers, card, pastel and mulberry silk papers to dried pressed leaves, feathers, bark and lichen. She is an Academician at the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts (SWAc), a member of The Fine Art Trade Guild and an Associate Guild Society Artist (AGSA). This is her blog post Competing in Landscape Artist of the Year 2022
The weather was in our favour on that long 12 hour day of filming and we all worked to the best of our abilities in the four hours given to produce a picture. It was such a fabulous, energetic, positive experience. One which took me completely out of my comfort zone. Panic, excitement and working amongst a flurry of film crew whilst trying to focus allowed me or rather forced me to approach my work in a more fluid, sketchy spontaneous way which I hope to take into my future work. Very freeing and satisfying. Just could have done with another four hours and a sit down!Kate Aggett
Amateur Artists
- Raymond Gill (Instagram) - a former architect who retired 13 years ago. He likes to add narrative to his landscape paintings and created a fantastical nuclear plant for his submission
- Quango Leung (Facebook | Instagram) - A hairdresser who has recently turned to landscape art. He produced a very energetic pastel submission of Hong Kong protestors sitting down with their umbrellas. However his website indicates no other landscapes.
- Adalia Mynett (Facebook | Instagram | Degree show)- an MA Fine Art student at BCU following BA Fine Art at Aberystwyth University. Her submission was the view from her student residence. She always starts from the darkest colours in her paintings. She also paints from life a lot and keeps her paints in her car and drives around looking for landscapes to paint! I like the paintings on her website better than the ones she did for LAOTY.
Wildcard Artists
As always 50 enthusiastic artists - both professionals and amateurs turned up to see what they could make of the subject matter.
As per normal, there were interesting aspects to the wildcard artists ( see themes below) - and an eclectic arsenal of techniques and tools. This time we had
- pyrography
- angle grinders
- and more people than usual using pastels
If I was a pod artist I'd be very jealous of their good view of the zingy deckchairs with reflections in the water
Submissions
- Hong kong protesters with umbrellas
- A view of Manhattan from New Jersey
- A streetlight in Aberwyswyth
- A fantastical nuclear plant + Elvis lookalikes
- A romantic landscape in Ireland - with framing device
- A view in imagination of the artist
- A view of the harbour at Mousehole in Cornwall - using bark and leaves and tissues - which nevertheless manages to look like a hyperrealistic painting
- a view of a forest using loose mark-making
Themes and Learning Points
Fantastical images
Finding "the right view"
- How best to compose a visual interpretation of the Compton Verney estate and house - that is in essence the question. The next question is "both estate and house or estate or house and if the latter which?"
- What's the focal point? - I can usually tell who will NOT be in the shortlist by whether or not the artist has recognised the need to have one - and how you arrive at it
- Where to draw a line / how to choose the edges of the composition. Those who use a sketchbook before getting started are more likely to have made a considered response to this issue - but not always. I saw evidence of people not using their sketchbooks in an intelligent way. Drawing one large thumbnail in a sketchbook is not the same as trying and experimenting with different options before selecting the best option.
- What should you choose to replicate when the landscape is already designed and perfect? It's a very good question which is always relevant every time this series takes them to a historic house with parkland designed by Capability Brown or followers.
"the perfection is already there so we don't need to replicate it"
- How precise? The converse of "how loose?" I continue to be absolutely amazed by people who hone in on areas where they can start painting with precision before they have blocked in the complete landscape.
- What format - when faced with a panoramic view? Should you use a panoramic format or go for a vertical slice and maybe a portrait format?
- What size is right for the hours available? This seems to me to be a question which is not asked or answered well by numerous artists. I wonder how many realize that larger can sometimes be easier because it enables artists to work more loosely. (I well remember the complete sense of revelation the first time I 'went large'). Or that if you intend to work smaller, then it might well be advisable to send in a larger submission.
The Long View
Four of the artists went for "the long view" - these were- James Kirwan - who included both bridges on the lake
- Julia Borodina - who included both the lake and the house and an expansive amount of parkland
- Quango Leung - who chose to paint the house, the location and the film crew. At least I could see cameras and cameramen at some point!
How to apply and remove paint
- Julia using what looked very like a sponge to wipe on fluid paint as a sky very accurately and quickly. It's 'tricks' like this which can make all the difference to artists who need to find quick ways of applying first layers of their painting to make sure they finish within the four hours.
- a wildcard who was using pyrography to create her artwork. Now that's a technique where there is going back - a burned line does not erase easily!
- a wildcard chap using an VERY noisy angle grinder to remove paint
Things that can trip you up
It's good to recognise that artists do realise there are various ways in which they can sabotage their own efforts.- Spending far too much time on one bit - at the expense of the rest of the painting
- Not going fast enough generally - which means you're rushing at the end when you ought to be slowing down and taking a considered view of how best to maximise the impact of the painting
DECISION TIME
The Wildcard Winner
- a record of the original idea for the composition and
- a roadmap for the completion of the work.
Who created this pastel painting? |
The Shortlisted Artists
- Rebecca Noel Purves
- Oliver Hurst
- Julia Borodina
submission and heat painting by Rebecca Noelle Purvis |
submission and heat painting by Oliver Hurst |
- Julia plunges into nature and understands well how it looks and feels
- She's very good at using the light to move the eye through paintings
- She has a great use of colour and uses it well to conjure up distance within her paintings.
Heat Winner (Episode 5)
The shortlisted artists waiting to hear who has won (Left to right) Rebecca Noelle Purvis, Oliver Hurst and Julia Borodina |
Semi Finals
My blog posts for this series of LAOTY 2022
My reviews of the first four episodes in the current series are below
- Review: Episode 1 Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 - Eden Project Biomes
- Review: Episode 2 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 - Compton Verney Grounds
- Review: Episode 3 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 - Whitstable Harbour
- Review: Episode 4 Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 - Eden Project Gardens
Past Posts about Landscape Artist of the Year
CALLS FOR ENTRIES - Series 6, 7 and 8
- Sky Arts Artist of the Year Competitions: Call for Entries (for Series 8 in 2023)
- Call for entries extended for Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 7) in 2021
- In my blog post - Call for Entries: Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 7) - I provide
- my overview of the call for entries - plus tips
- links to my reviews of past episodes - which also contain quite a few tips (also see below)
- NEW DEADLINE for Landscape Artist of the Year 2020: Friday 29th May
- Call for Entries: Landscape Artist of the Year 2020
- Take a look at my reviews of the last THREE years (below) - which include lots of pics - to help you have a think about whether you want to enter.
- Watch previous series in a major binge on Sky or Now TV - where all episodes are available.
Below you can find
- the link to my reviews in the current and previous series
- THEMES identified in each of my reviews are highlighted under the link for each review of the episode
- links to blog posts written by the participants - always very helpful!
2021: SERIES 6
Filmed in 2020 after the first lockdown - and the production company were not travelling far from London!- EPISODE 1: Review: Episode 1 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 at Chartwell + themes
- Artist profiles
- Composition and completion
- Simplification and what to leave in and what to leave out
- The importance of shadows
- Highly Coloured Grounds
- PLUS participant blog posts:
- Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 | Stuart Jarvis
- Preliminary drawings of the day. | Stuart Jarvis - about how he prepared for the big day by setting himself the challenge of working in different places and to a time limit - to get used to drawing outside
- EPISODE 2: Review: Episode 2 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 at West Wycombe Park + themes
- Interpretation - producing something different
- Things Tai-Shan Schierenberg does not like
- Shifting conditions / "The water keeps changing"
- Practice beforehand
- PLUS Participants blog posts:
- Sky Arts Landscape Artist Of The Year 2021- Part 1 (Before...) | Shaun Morris
- Sky Arts Landscape Artist Of The Year 2021 Part 2- The Day Of The Competition | Shaun Morris - with a very good account of what it's like on the day and how the heat makes you feel.
- EPISODE 3: Review: Episode 3 Landscape Artist of the Year at West Reservoir Hackney
- How best to combine nature and urban landscapes
- More of what Tai-Shan does not like
- No scope for walking away to work out what to do next
- Young painters
- Sometimes the second paintings are better
- EPISODE 4: Review: Episode 4 of Landscape Artist of the Year at Chartwell (the gardens)
- Green, green and more green
- A blue sky with nothing happening
- VERY big views with a lot in the distance
- Golden ratio and rule of thirds
- Knowing how big to go for the time allotted
- More about Tai's phobias
- EPISODE 5: Review: Episode 5 of Landscape Artist of the Year at West Wycombe House
- Working in different media - silkscreen printing and marker pens
- Give the artists a proper chance to do well (one for the production team!)
- How to use a frame to find a picture
- Coping with the weather
- What the artist likes to paint - and what happens if you avoid aspects you don't like
- The darkest darks and the lightest lights
- EPISODE 6: Review: Episode 6 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 at West Reservoir, Stoke Newington (again!)
- What is a landscape?
- Location: Do your research before the day
- Why you need a hat and umbrella to cope with extreme heat
- Having a strong base colour
- How to capture time as well as a landscape
- UPDATE: The need to train to generate your best result
“I had been called by the production company at the end of June to tell me that I had been selected. I knew I would only have four hours to paint something on the day, so set about training myself on days in July to create something acceptable in my style in four hours, I took some days off work and went off on my bike to paint for four hours in the open, so that on the day I would be used to sitting and painting for that time. It meant that on the day I was able to focus and not panic. In the end I think I did the best I could, but everyone can judge when they watch the programme." Stephen Jordan - Lecturer displays artistic talent on Sky Arts - who produced one of my favourite landscape entries for the competition (which had taken a while to paint) - see below - hence his approach to getting up to speed
- SEMI-FINAL: Review: Semi Finals of Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- What the Judges want to see
- Who is most likely to do well?
- Consistency versus Experimentation
- Coping with changing light and challenging weather
- Saying what you're painting
In my view those most likely to do well put very simply are
- those who have a well developed method for painting i.e. they know what they're doing and they've done it lots of time before
- those well used to painting plein air - and coping with all sorts of weather and variation of weather and light during the time you are painting
- artists who focus on composition and how best to represent the view
- those who produce the best paintings. It's not about style - it's about quality
- FINAL: Ophelia Redpath wins Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 at Trinity Buoy Wharf
- analysis of pod paintings and commission paintings
Commission and pod paintings respectively by: (left to right) Shelagh Casebourne, Ophelia Redpath and Clare Lord |
2020: SERIES 5
- A dominant vertical and a strong horizontal and an awful lot of water
- Being flexible with your formats
- No game plan
- Finding the beauty on the day - and avoiding the twee
- and finally - don't arrive with a gimmick to market your normal artwork
- Finding clothing / kit solutions for extremely challenging weather
- Skies are important: what to do about a grey sky which keeps on changing
- The value of a coloured support
- Don't dodge the complexity (What to do when you don't like the subject)
- Where have the tablets all gone?
- How to crop a complicated view
- Sketching as preparation
- How to work out the wildcard winner before the announcement
- Tools: masking tape and sharp edges
- Game Plans and time management
- Use the Heats to enhance your preparation
- PLUS
- Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 | Camilla Dowse
- Landscape Artist of the Year 2019- Gateshead | Fujiko Rose
- Sky Arts 'Landscape Artist of the Year 2019' An amateur artist's journey ... | Keith Tunnicliffe
- Filming Day... | Keith Tunnicliffe
- What to do when it's a grey day with bad lighting
- Buildings versus nature
- What to do about a very BIG building which is very full on?
- Practical tips from a pod artist
- PLUS
- Smile for the Camera: Sky Landscape Artist of the Year | Sarah Manolescue
- Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 - Wild Card
- Studio Artist vs Plein Air Painter
- How many different ways can you paint the same view
- Where is the sun?
- To shadow or not to shadow
- Don't be twee!
- Different tools for different folks
- PLUS: Sky Landscape Artist of The Year Contestant! by Clare Bowen
- Submission paintings reflecting last year's venues
- Which view to choose in bad weather?
- Which medium to use in changing weather?
- Lush oil and interesting brushwork
- Hold back on the kitsch
- Not a lot of tablets
- PLUS: Landscape Artist of the Year | Semi Finals | Cromarty Oil Rigs | Fujiko Rose
No comments:
Post a Comment
COMMENTS HAVE BEEN CLOSED AGAIN because of too much spam.
My blog posts are always posted to my Making A Mark Facebook Page and you can comment there if you wish.
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.