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Wednesday, February 22, 2023

LAOTY Semi Finalists + PAOTY Call for Entries Deadline extended

Portrait Artist of the Year 2023


The deadline for entering your submission for Portrait Artist of the Year 2023 (Series 10) - has been extended:
FROM: 12pm (midday) on Friday, 24th February 2023
TO: 12pm (midday) on MONDAY, 27th February 2023

So basically you've got three more days to get your entry in.

Don't forget what my recommendations about this Call for Entries and submissions generally:
  • READ my tips in my blog post covering the Call for Entries. See
    Portrait Artist of the Year 2023 (Series 10): Call for Entries

  • Make sure you submit a self-portrait which:
    • does not like very common formats for self portraits - makes yours about you and make it different!
    • demonstrates what you can do it you had more time - as a proxy as to whether or not your commission (should you win!) could be impressive
Interestingly the first episode of Series 9 suggested that the self-portrait submission could be regarded as evidence of what an artist can do when not constrained by time.

    • has a style which could be consistent with what you can do in 4 hours i.e. the submission gets considered alongside the heat painting in determining who wins the heat from the three artists who are shortlisted - and a coherent, consistent, unique, mature style is important. (That's mature as in you've painted a lot of portraits and learned how you paint best - and has nothing to do with age)

Landscape Artist of the Year 2023 - The Artists

It's the semi final tonight and the subject is the Thames Barrier. WHY yet another gigantic architectural construction when there is so much else in the landscape to paint?

Below are the pics of the winning artists in each heat - see if you can spot who's got a chance of being a Finalist.

I'm identifying who I think at the end of this post - but make your mind up first before you read what I think!

HEAT 1: Finn Campbell Notman


Finn Campbell Notman: submission and heat painting

Finn Campbell-Notman (Facebook | Instagram | Twitter) - a professional painter and illustrator. Born in London in 1970, he grew up in rural England as part of an artists' commune. His art education also includes BA (Hons) in Fine Art at U.W.E. Bristol and at Wolverhampton (to 1993), a double First Class B.A. (Hons) in Illustration from Falmouth College of Art, Cornwall, UK. (1998-2001) and an M.A. in Communication Art & Design from the Royal College of Art, London (2002-04). You can see his illustration work here. Since 2020 Finn has been without a studio or permanent home and divides his time between Bristol and Andalucia.

HEAT 2: Susanna Macinnes

Susanna Macinnes: submission and heat painting

Susanna Macinnes (Instagram) - Lives in South London a BA (HONS) degree in Fine Art from Manchester Metropolitan University. Member of and Secretary to the friends of the Chelsea Art Society. She has been painting landscapes for 20 years and is an experienced plein air painter. She has exhibited in various locations over the years. Painted from her roof during the first lockdown. 

HEAT 3: Stefano Ronchi

Stefabno Ronchi: submission and heat painting at Castle Ward

Stefano Ronchi (Facebook | Instagram) - from Italy, lives in Hackney and can work big. He describes himself as a "punk surrealist painter". He has been influenced by Leonardo, Brueghel, Dali, and Hieronymus Bosch mixed with comic book art. His very large impressive submission was called The Hill (Acrylic on canvas, 120x80 cm 2017)

HEAT 4: Ann Byrne

Ann Byrne: submission and heat painting of Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Anne Byrne (Facebook | Instagram) - retired marketing Executive from Chester and a contemporary landscape painter interested in a contemporary take on traditional approaches to landscape painting. Trained at St Helens School of Art in the late 70’s. Currently represented by The Harbour Gallery in Portscatho, Cornwall. Her work suggests she knows how to create a composition. Works in oil with big brushes relative to format size.

HEAT 5: Steve Nice

Steve Nice: submission and heat painting

See Review: Episode 5 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2023 - Ascot
Steve Nice - a retired IT consultant from Nottingham. His submission was large and mostly monochromatic. He appears to have no presence online.

HEAT 6: Helen Lloyd Elliot

Helen Lloyd Elliot: submission and heat painting



Plus one wildcard artist

This I think is always the most difficult to predict. In part because I think they choose somebody who is NOT like the other artists and also because we never got to see their submission.

I'd like to see Matthew Timmins-Williams (Instagram) who did the very panoramic view of the garden of Castle Ward - but he is quite similar at least two other artists

As is Jo Burns who I think might be the other contender.


Who will make it to the Final?


I identified who I thought had a good chance of making it to the Final when I wrote my reviews.

The three artists are:
  • Finn Campbell Notman
One look at his website also tells you he's a very accomplished draughtsman and painter.
  • Ann Byrne
I must confess, I did the profiles of the artists yesterday afternoon before I watched the programme and I'd already decided - on Wednesday afternoon - that if I were judging I'd be picking Anne as my winner.

Indeed I'd go so far as to say, bearing in mind the pic in the intro part of each episode which presumably relates to the commission, I think she has a good chance of making the Final and might even win! She can certainly handle sky!
  • Helen Lloyd Elliot
The winner was Helen Lloyd Elliot - and very deserved it was too. I thought she might get edged because in some ways she's very close to the winner at Blackpool in Episode 4.

I think Helen will be in the final. She talked about the win giving her confidence. I don't think she needs it, I think she just knows how to respond to a scene and how to paint it.
Based on what's happened in previous years, appearing in the opening credits (which change every week) is a pretty good indicator of who wins - in which case Helen Lloyd Elliot will go through to the Final and win!

If you fancy having a go and would like to be a pod artist or wildcard this summer, you have until to NOON on Friday 28th April 2023 to submit an entry

READ MORE about the call for entries - plus my tips - in my blog post about Call for Entries: Landscape Artist of the Year 2024 (Series 9)

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