Review: Episode 4 of Portrait Artist of the Year 2024

This is my review of Heat 4 in Series 11 of Portrait Artist of the Year which was filmed last Spring at the Battersea Arts Centre. 

Judges discussing the shortlisted artists and their artwork
- which was much smaller than usual

The series is televised on Sky Arts (Freeview) every Wednesday at 8pm - and can also be watched on Catchup if you have access to Sky or Now.

Episode 4: The Sitters

top right: Rosie Jones; Bottom left: Linton Kwesi Johnson

The three Sitters were

• Rosie Jones - age 34 who is a Comedian, Presenter, Author and Disability Rights Activist;
• Linton Kwesi Johnson - age 72 who is a Jamaica-born, British-based Poet and reggae artist. His performance poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican patois over dub-reggae
• Andy Cole - age 53 who is retired footballer and Sports Personality who achieved records for scoring goals or as Steven Mangan said he's a "football legend"

Episode 4: The Artists

All the artists are listed below alphabetically by surname - but are not differentiated between professional and amateur. 

Given Sky Arts has given up on providing links to their website and social media sites, this blog is now the ONLY site where you can find them! The link to their main 'contact' site is embedded in their name and social media sites follow - if available.

The artists after completing their heat paintings on the steps of Battersea Arts Centre

The artists are :

• Sophia Ambrose (Instagram) - a painter, writer DJ, and Spiritual Awakening Coach  
  who lives in London. She returned to painting age 45 and gradually changed careers. These are her portraits. She uses a ginormous palette which you can see here (on the table). 
• Jennifer Anderson (Instagram) - a portrait painter who paints on metal. She grew up just outside Glasgow and now lives and works in the city’s West End. She attended Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee, graduating in 1997 with a 1st class honors degree in Fine Art (painting).  She has exhibited widely throughout the UK and internationally in New York, Singapore, Florida, Zurich, and Toronto and received a number of awards. She's very experienced at working on commission and has produced a number of portraits for Oxford Colleges and other universities. Her website has an interesting explanation about why and how she makes artistic choices.  I first mentioned her on this blog back in 2008 when she was selected to exhibit in the Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize exhibition and I've first got her on record as an exhibitor in the BP Portrait Prize back in 2009 (This blog is wonderful for tracking artist's careers if you enter art competitions! The April 2024 edition of Artists and Illustrators included an interview with her - In the Studio with Jennifer Anderson (Do read it!)
• Vincent Michael Brown  ( Website | Facebook | Instagram ) - from Bristol. He's been a professional artist since 2002 and participated in 2020 (in Episode 7 of Series 7). began first selling my art and taking commissions at the age of eleven. He's co-founder of Artime (a gallery, studio, art school and shop) with a good track record in art competitions. He's been Shortlisted for the 2021 Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize and exhibited at 2022 Annual Exhibition of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters - with the painting he entered as his self portrait - which took 150 hours to paint. This is a link to his post about his experience this year
• Steven Mackus (Instagram) - An artist, wood carver and (at the time) a speciality barista working across the highlands. This is his link to very tiny his self portrait. Unusually, he went bigger than his self-portrait for his heat portrait! He refers to himself as producing imperfect oil paintings.
• Nadia Padayachy - a marketing manager in Cambridgeshire. Her self-portrait featured in an article titled ‘The Art of PR’ Showcases The Work of Artists Working in UK Public Relations (You can see it in The Art of PR Exhibition, which is open to the public between 18th and 23rd November 2024 at The Coningsby Gallery, 30 Tottenham Street, London)
• Michelle Pang - an art graduate from Gloucester. In 2022, she graduated from De Montfort University with an Fine Art BA (Hons). You can watch her painting on TikTok

Filming took place at the vibrant @batterseaartscentre in London earlier this year, and what an unforgettable moment it was! From the intense pressure to the unexpected surprises, the whole experience felt like a dream. I faced challenges I never imagined, but it was beyond rewarding and truly an amazing experience. Michelle Pang

• Giulia Quaresima (Facebook, Instagram) - an Italian portrait and figurative artist living and working in Cambridgeshire. She has had an extensive art education: in 2006, she graduated with a BA in Painting (Hons) from the Academy of Fine Arts, Carrara, in 2009, she gained BA (Hons) in Cultural Heritage Studies at the University of Pisa, Italy in 2012 she completed her MA in History of Contemporary Art (Hons) at the University of Pisa, Italy. She's exhibited at Women in Art Fair, Society of Women Artists, Society of Graphic Fine Art in London and across the UK.
• Conor Quinn - a painter, sculptor and animator living in London. He's studied at the Royal Drawing School (2018), then studied Animation Production at Arts University Bournemouth (2022) and is currently studying at the Royal College of Art (graduating 2025). He won a British animation award (2022). Check out this self portrait (not the one in PAOTY)
• Jemima Spence -  a figurative painter and mural painter living and working in Armley in Leeds. Her murals are very impressive! She studied Graphic design and Illustration in Liverpool. She's an early career artists but has exhibited her work locally in Leeds and Bradford, as well as in London at the Mall Galleries.

The Self Portrait Submissions

Judges viewing the Self Portrait Wall before the heat begins

I analysed how the self portraits stacked up in terms of format, size and scope.

The range of sizes were extreme.

FORMAT

Portrait format x 5
Landscape x 3
Square x 1

SIZE

Very Large x 1

Large x 1
Large/Medium x 2
Medium x 4
Small x 0
Tiny x 1

SCOPE

full size or most of body (including hand) x 1
head, shoulder and hand(s) x 2

head and upper torso (no hands) x 2
head and shoulders x 2
head x 3

Themes

As always, when I watch the programme (which is typically at least twice and sometimes three times), I try to identify themes which are either:

• recurrent golden oldies - ones you really need to get to grips with if you want to participate in a future programme
• ones unique to this particular episode
• matters relevant to portraiture or being an artist

Getting off to a good start

The general observation about this heat was that it included a lot of artists who just got on with it and started painting in good time. Overall artists were focused and speedy.

This made for a very refreshing change in comparison to some heats which have sometimes underwhelmed due to participants who found it difficult to get to grips with the situation and/or kept getting "stuck".

It was also very refreshing to hear artists talking about how they had practice painting within the time limit. This doubtless helped artists to make good progress. Although, inevitably, it's always those who have lots of experience and paint frequently who are best placed to make good progress 

Tools for speeding up your work over four hours

I noticed one artist had brought a tool for gridding up fast. It was a large card compatible with the size of the support with slots cut out, which enabled the drawing of two lines with the same tool.

Another artist was using a hair dryer to get his acrylic to dry faster.

Most of the artists were using digital devices for photographs which enabled them to keep painting even when the model has moved or the filming crew get in the way.

Which angle for the head?

If you are just doing a study of a head, which angle you choose for that is very important.

You can do the face head on, at an angle of (say) 30 or 45 degrees or in profile (90 degrees). Where you are located dictates what is feasible. 

You can also take a photo - but I find it amazing how many artists then fail to reflect the digital image in their actual painting!

TIP: In my view, it's a very wise artist who practices drawing heads from different angles in advance of the competition - to make sure you understand how the structure of the head works and where features of the face and head are located when seen at different angles.

At the end of the day the best profile is the one which you keep looking at!

Getting the character of the sitter as well as a likeness

It's very presumptuous of any artist in this context to assume they know what their sitter should look like. Or what their underlying character is.

The sitters are not performing seals. 

What they look like in private or when sitting for four hours is often NOT what they look like when performing in front of an audience. They may come across completely differently to how you expect. 

(NOTE: Some may recall the hoohah about Lenny Henry in a recent series, when the public said the commissioned painting looked nothing like him - while his sisters said it was "just like he looks when he's relaxed and at home with us and not performing". It now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery!)

TIP: You need to sit and watch your sitter before deciding what appears to be their natural "in repose" face. Frequently, it's the one they keep coming back to - so you need to keep watching to work out what that is.

TIP: Spending some time sketching before you start helps to identify the way in which the face keeps returning to a particular look which will be natural - because sitters cannot disguise their real selves.                                                                                                             

Teeth or no teeth

The standard formula followed by professional artists is "no teeth" EVER!

The former Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Sandy Nairne, once commented to me about the ridiculous critiques of the portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge (Patron of the NPG) done by Paul Emsley (see Paul Emsley and the Duchess of Cambridge - two videos and a drawing). This was after I commented to him that I could not see what they were getting at. He made two important comments. One was about those doing the critiques. The second was an invite to check out for myself how many portrait paintings on all the floors of the National Portrait Gallery involve the "showing of teeth". So I checked and he was absolutely right - you can count them on the fingers of one hand!

What critics forget is that a photograph - of somebody who is perpetually pictured smiling - is very much NOT the same as a portrait painting. Anybody trying to maintain a grin over the number of hours required to paint from life is in for a major challenge. It's just not possible to maintain a smile. Hence all paintings which include smiles are very definitely done from a photograph and not from life.

....and painting from life is still prized as the 'gold standard' for portrait painting.

That said there were THREE portraits in this heat which included teeth. 

For me, if you're just copying a photograph, then why not take a photographic portrait and be done with it.

I'm inclined to think the Judges may think the same way....

Thinking about how to finish

An artist who has prepared for their participation in a PAOTY Heat has:

• practiced beforehand - so they know how much they can get done in 4 hours
• have developed a timeplan for how much they should try to complete during time periods within that four hours - as determined by the artist eg some are clear what has to be completed in the first hour
• worked out when they need to stop and take stock - and then decide how they're going to finish the painting

Thinking about when to take stock - and how to finish doing what needs doing is very useful for avoiding panic decision-making near to the end, 

Jennifer for example stopped, looked at her painting and decided to stop - despite the fact the four hours were not up. This was to avoid carrying on painting - and spoiling it - as I saw others do.

There's also the question of whether to do the difficult bits at the beginning or the end. 

I don't think there's any right or wrong answer to this except that leaving critical bits to the end is perhaps not the wisest decision. That's because unless you've left yourself with plenty of time, trying to do something difficult at the same time you know that the clock is counting down and time will be called any time soon - is very unwise!

TIP: The last few minutes are for standing back and spotting an errors which can be fixed quickly and any omissions which can be corrected.

What are the difficult bits? Probably the eyes and the glasses - except I always tackle them up front as I find they provide a useful navigational tool for developing the rest of the head!

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The Portraits and the Judging

The Judges choosing a shortlist.

By the end we had:

• 1 x portraits of the full figure in a chair, including hands and feet - by Vincent
• 1 Head and upper torso including hands by Giulia
• 2 Head and shoulders by Sophia and Michelle
• 1 x Head and upper torso by Jemma
• 4 Heads Only by Vincent (x2), Nadia, Steven and Jennifer

Who the Sitter Chose

I'm again using the Instagram posts of the three portraits for each sitter - which is a great way of comparing them - for the most part.

Three portraits of Rosie Jones including the strapline from her activist days
Top left: Jemima Spence; Top right: Giulia Quaresima; Bottom: Vincent Brown

Rosie Jones chose the painting by Vincent Brown. The triptych included the phrase which she wore on her T shirt at her first activist demonstration for people with disabilities.three 

I thought Vincent's triptych was interesting - includig both a performer face and one which was a lot more normal. I'd have prepared three profiles rather than use the slogan. He could have drawn one....

Three portraits of Linton Kwesi Johnson
Left: Conor Quinn; Top right: Sophia Ambrose; Bottom right: Michelle Pang

Linton chose the portrait by Michelle Pang as he felt it flattered him and made him look younger.

In other words he behaved like many people who commission a portrait. They can be very happy with a portrait which flatters even if it's not the best likeness.

I though Sophia's painting was looking very promising at the beginning - but, for me, she just lost the touch she seemed to have at the beginning

Conor's was not my favourite. I just kept seeing and awful lot of support which surrounded what was a very miniature portrait. I felt he's just made it too small for the support - although all kudos to him for attempting the complete figure and his chair and the dais and his special item: the books.

Three portraits of Andy Cole
Top right: Nadia Padayachy; Bottom left: Steven Mackus; Bottom right: Jennifer Anderson

Andy chose the painting by Jennifer Anderson (bottom right).  This was my favourite too, from when she started and all the way through.

The Shortlist

Episode 4: The Wait to be Shortlisted

The Judges review the artists' artwork FOUR times

• before the heat - when reviewing digital images of the self-portraits to select those participating in the Heats
• at the beginning of the heat - when they consider the actual self-portrait submissions
• at lunchtime and then
• again at the end after the sitters have reviewed the artwork
• PLUS every time they walked around and watched.

VERY SMALL portraits for this heat

Those shortlisted were:

• Connor Quinn
• Steven Mackus
• Jennifer Anderson

I'm going to be controversial and say it was screamingly obvious who was going to win, so making a decision about who also benefits from a shortlisting suggests maybe the Judges decided go for the younger promising artists starting out on careers who are making a good effort at what they do.

All they then need to do is make the most of the shortlisting via self-marketing!

I had Vincent Brown down as a shortlisted artist - mainly because of his self portrait - and it was surprising for him not to have been shortlisted, especially as he's worked out a way to complete artwork within the 4 hours. Having done a bit of reading, I'm just wondering if there was a less than obvious issue.......

Connor Quinn

Self portrait and heat portrait by Connor Quinn

The Judges liked the way Conor used both colour and tone very well. and they also liked the way he is very much focused on knowing the what the light is doing and then using it to his advantage.

He also paints to scale and can paint a full figure which is most unusual.

His background profile is also more impressive than I was expecting.

Steven Mackus

Teeny tiny self portrait and larger heat portrait by Steven Mackus

The Judges liked the way he worked with the pensive and sensitive side of Andy Cole.

Jennifer Anderson

Self portrait and heat portrait by Jennifer Anderson

The reality is that both portraits both look better up close and in better lighting.

The Judges very much liked the fact that 

• she achieved a fabulous likeness (which wasn't photorealistic) and 
• at the same time captured the sensitivity of the soul and the mood.
• the way she painted on metal and selected the type of metal to reflect the person being painted.

Both portraits speak of a beautiful if quiet interior.

I was pretty sure from seeing her self portrait that she would be shortlisted. I then thought she stood a pretty good chance of winning when I saw how the heat painting was portraited - within the four hours!

PAOTY 2024 Episode 3 Winner

Jennifer Anderson before the heat with her self portrait

The winner of episode 4 was Jennifer Anderson.

The Judges said the winner had "a singular approach to creating a beautiful portrait".

By which they mean she has a unique style / output.

I think she was earmarked as a possible winner from as soon as she started putting paint on her copper plate.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jennifer Anderson (@jandersonyart)

Next Episode

The sitters for Episode 4 are:

• Lucy Worsley (Historian),
• Ricky Hatton (Sports Personality),
• Musa Motha (Dancer)

Do you want to paint in a heat next year?

This is my post last year about the Call for Entries: Series 11 of Portrait Artist of the Year (next year). Essential reading for all those who want to do well - it's got links to all my past reviews and all the themes and tips identified in the last five years.

Watch out for my post about the Call for Entries for Series 12 which I'll be writing during the course of this series.