Landscape Artist of the Year: A Celebrity Twist!

The Sky Arts website recently announced innovations for the next round of Landscape Artist of the Year.

At the weekend we heard - via the main Sky Arts website only - that:

• Fearne Cotton is to join as a new celebrity Co-Host
• More Celebrities will be involved in every episode - talking about their landscape
• Still no announcement about the Judges for LAOTY although we now know who two are.

Image for Series 12 - using submissions from Series 11

However, what is very weird is that 

• they have added text to the page, 
• without removing images and text associated with previous incarnations. 
• Hence we have two lots of text describing the format of one programme in two different ways!

A New Co-Host

Fearne Cotton is to be a new Co-Host for Series 12 which will be filmed this summer.

She a long-standing British TV presenter - mainly associated with the "popular tv" end of the market with mainstream broadcasters.

She also describes herself as Mother, Broadcaster, Writer, Founder.

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Since finishing The Fearne Cotton Show (2009-2015) for BBC Radio1 she has branched out on her own and now hosts an award-winning podcast Happy Place (on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Her Happy Place Brand has since expanded into:

• a wellbeing brand including
• a book club,
• an annual festival and
• a marketplace that champions small businesses that are female-led, minority-owned, and/or based in the UK.

In other words, treading the well trodden path of celebrities who now need to differentiate themselves - while remaining popular - and generate their own audiences in the new social media world. 

“I am thrilled to be joining Landscape Artist of the Year as part of the presenting team at Sky Arts. Art is such an important, emotive and expressive medium for me and I know that the audience is just going to be absolutely blown away by the level of enthusiasm and passion that we see from the artists taking part in the show. I can’t wait to be part of that journey and to help them tell their stories.”

She also comes with:

• 1.1 million followers on Facebook
• 3.9 million followers on Instagram
• 113k subscribers on YouTube

Which makes her very good fit with lots and lots of women over the age of 30 who like watching Landscape Artist of the Year.

I can see why she could be attracted to LAOTY and why Sky Arts might be attracted to her. 

Casting now depends on social media following - as well as the ability to do the job!

Plus - and this makes her sound a very positive addition - she's a celebrity who can paint!!!

Exploring Time - Tony Foster's watercolour landscapes at the RWS Gallery

There’s an amazing exhibition of very impressive watercolour paintings by Tony Foster at the RWS Gallery in Whitcomb Street. 

It's quite unlike anything else I've ever seen before in an art gallery.

For more than 45 years now English artist Tony Foster has worked in the World’s wildernesses - mountains and canyons, rainforests and deserts, the Arctic and the Tropics. Travelling slowly - on foot or by canoe or raft, and carrying his painting and camping equipment he makes his paintings in response to what he finds on his journeys.

“Exploring Time” in plein air painting treks through geological and biological time across various wilderness locations on different continents. 

This new exhibition presents over fifty watercolours painted en plein air over seventeen years, sharing the artist's reflections on the complexity of time and its impact upon the planet. Each includes notes from the artist’s experiences as well as maps and objects relevant to its location.

Divided into Geological Time, Biological Time, Human Time and Fleeting Moments, the paintings explore how time has sculpted and affected our planet. From Colorado to Tibet, the Galapagos and Cornwall, the works celebrate the wonder of nature, highlighting the importance of leaving areas of the world undisturbed.

A view of one of the basement galleries

His watercolour paintings painted plein air over 17 years are phenomenal. 

Some are of some absolutely amazing vistas in wilderness country. Some are of things he finds and records en route when trekking - which also record the small things in places in a unique way.

• You can see some of my photos of this paintings in my Facebook Post
• You can see a record of his exhibitions over the years on his website

The resulting paintings are a visual record of what he encounters on his journey: not just the landscape, but flora and fauna, notes, souvenirs and anecdotes.

A record of small objects - leaves, fruits, birds, eggs, feathers, twigs etc
found in a specific place on is travels

He also has an extraordinarily impressive CV of exhibitions across the USA and UK and coverage in articles by very many different publications. 

This exhibition will be embarking on a tour of the US from 2026 to 2028.

Approach to Drawing and Painting + Equipment

His approach to recording by drawing and painting what he sees is quite unlike virtually all landscape artists. This is his plein air method

He does not use photography or sketches but makes his paintings on site, often in the most difficult and uncomfortable circumstances. Sometimes a large-scale work (up to 8ft x 4 ft / 244 cms x 122 cms!) will take more than three weeks on site before it is sufficiently resolved to roll into its aluminium tube to be completed in his studio in Cornwall. 

Check out his painting equipment he takes with him 

Tony Foster's very lightweight painting equipment for very large paintings

Once he has found his painting site, he erects a makeshift board as an easel. When working in freezing conditions, he adds gin to his painting water to stop it icing-up. 

Events Programme

Drawing Monet in coloured pencils

One my favourite occupations used to be drawing oil paintings by past masters - in coloured pencil.  

Morning on the Seine early in morning light - a copy of Monet's work in coloured pencils

copyright Katherine Tyrrell

One such was "Morning on the Seine" by Claude Monet - in a different colourway - which I drew some years ago. It's prompted me to think I should do more. I know I always learned a huge amount each and every time I copied a painting by an old Master.  

I think the last time this drawing was posted on this blog was back in 2013!

However, for those contemplating the benefits of copying paintings, it's VERY important to remember there's a lot of difference between 

• copying somebody who's out of copyright (like Monet) and 
• copying an image by an artist or photographer whose work is covered by copyright 
• see Copyright Infringement and "Fair Use" - Basics for Art and Artists

Morning on the Seine by Claude Monet

Monet's "Mornings on the Seine" is a series of 21 canvases painted in 1896 and 1897.

Monet often painted the River Seine and its river banks, near his home in Giverny, His aim was to capture the fleeting effects of dawn light on the River Seine n France - and create another series of paintings!

• He painted the same scene at different stages of sunrise and in a variety of weather conditions.
• He often painted from his specially equipped boat which he used as a floating studio. 
• Working from before dawn his aim was to record the subtle changes in color and atmosphere as the sun rose
• Monet often painted emphasising misty, blue, green, pink and purple tones.

Having patiently scouted out views along the river, Monet then painted the pictures from a boat that he had converted into a floating studio. For an extended period he rose by dawn in order to paint the changing effects of light as the sun came up. He then lined up the canvases on easels in his studio to complete them together as a series. Fifteen were shown at the Galerie Georges Petit in 1898. Metropolitan Museum of Art

You can see some of the paintings below. They're all called Morning on the Seine near Giverny 

• Metropolitan Museum of Art  (New York, USA)
• White House Historical Association (Washington DC) - a gift to the White House in memory of John F Kennedy
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Boston MA)
• North Carolina Art Museum (North Carolina) 
• The National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo, Japan - not currently on display)

CORRECTION: Landscape Artist of the Year 2025

Recently I received an enquiry from somebody in Canada who was trying to read through all my blog posts about Landscape Artist of the Year which was broadcast earlier this year.

I’m having a problem with the LAOTY 2025 episode reviews, as the links don’t seem to be working. All the review links just go back to episode number one. Hoping you can do a fix? I enjoy reading your reviews after watching the episodes. I’m starting to despair about the judges, and appreciate your reasonable critiques!

Ben McGregor with his Commission Painting

Yesterday I sat down and fixed them all - on all the posts. 

I've tracked all the correct links down and reinserted them in the post about the Final https://makingamark.blogspot.com/2025/03/ben-macgregor-wins-landscape-artist-of-year-2025.html - and republished it

So here is the full set of links to episodes and my posts about LAOTY 2025 

• Review: Episode 1 of Landscape Artist of the Year Series 10 (2025) - Hampton Court
• Review: Episode 2 of Landscape Artist of the Year Series 10 (2025) - Snowdon, Wales
• Review: Episode 3 of Landscape Artist of the Year Series 10 (2025) - Clifton Suspension Bridge
• Review: Episode 4 of Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 10) - St Pancras Basin
• Review: Episode 5 Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 - Dinorwic Slate Quarry
• Review: Episode 6 of Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 10) - Bristol Harbourside
• Review: Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 - Semi Finals at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard 
• Ben MacGregor wins Landscape Artist of the Year 2025
• Review: £10,000 Commission for Landscape Artist of the Year 2025

Plus 

• LAOTY 2025: Meet the Heat Winners and Wildcard Winners PLUS View the Commission Painting!

Here's the video of Ben MacGregor with his commission at the Courtauld

Not quite sure how the mishap with the links happened - but it did - and it certainly explains why these posts got rather less readers than users. I always include the links at the end to help read through the previous ones! Hence this correction!

Want to watch Landscape Artist of the Year being filmed?

Filming has started on Series 11 of Landscape Artist of the Year which will be broadcast between January and March 2026.

Derwent Water is next week
Best View yet - by a long way

For those curious as to how it is going and for those who maybe want to go and watch, this is what I've found out so far. (They've stopped sending me press releases!)

Of the locations they have identified 5 are about 

5 Very BIG Structures 

• Dover Castle, Kent
• Dover Ferry Point, Kent
• The Thames from HMS Wellington, London
• The Ouse Valley Viaduct, West Sussex 
• Falkirk Wheel, Scotland

3 Actual Landscapes!

• The Lake District, Cumbria (two heats) - actual real landscape as painted by very many landscape painters - but BIG!
• St James’s Park, London - actual land which is green - small and manicured and a lake with a lot of birds on it!

BELOW you can find out where the heats are and which date they are filming - although some of this is guesswork.

Heat Locations

Locations of "public" heats are as listed in this marketing image

They say they are 

unable to accommodate audiences at the other locations due to the lack of parking and facilities. 

However every single one of them is a public space - so, if you fancy, you can ignore that if you can work out how to get there and where local facilities might be located.

I can't work out whether they mean this is what they are ALSO telling the wildcards to do!

Last week: Dover Castle, Kent and Dover Ferry Point, Kent

Given they split up the locations during the series but do them at the same time while filming I'm assuming there were two heats at Dover was last week

• a view of Dover Castle
• a view of the ferryport from the cliffs!

Here are some of the photos from social media!  Some of those pods look somewhat precarious. I wonder what the insurance was like after the risk assessment exercise?

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A post shared by Susie Treherne Thomas (@strehernethomas)

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A post shared by Katie Sims | Landscape & Pet Portrait Artist UK (@katiesimsart)

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A post shared by Mike Durham (@mikedurhamart)

Next week: Crow Park, Keswick in The Lake District / Cumbria

Two days in the Lake District - on Wednesday18th and Thursday 19th June means two heats.

You will recall that last year, they went to Wales and maybe moved the pods about half a mile to get a different perspective on the same place. 

Here's the Google Maps reference for Crow Park which appears to overlook Derwent Water.

Plus see the photo above of the view from Crow Park over Derwent Water.

I envy anybody who gets that view.

Remember - the sites they use will ALWAYS be an expanse of flattish land big enough for eight sizable pods.

Wednesday 25th June: St James's Park

St James Park - the Lake View, with trees (2008)

from Drawing trees in St James Park

What I do know is that anybody getting this heat better be good at trees!

There are various places they could theoretically set up the pods in St James's Park - however they also run the risk of causing an obstruction for the other people using the park.. 

 Those who have sketched or plein air painted there will know the places to "go to". I'm assuming it's probably going to include water as it's a bit silly going to a park with a great big lake and then ignoring it.  Just as you can hardly ignore the trees....

See, for example, my blog post about Capturing the Moment - plein air paint out in St James's Park organised by the British Plein Air Painters.  I'd so like them to turn out en masse and NOT be wildcards and paint what they want to paint....

I'm including a couple of sketches I did back in 2008 (above and below)

St James Park - Tree Study #3 (8th October, 6pm)

8.5" x 11", coloured pencils in Daler Rowney sketchbook

(see The colour of weather and time)

However it's going to be absolutely swarming with tourists - who all love a camera! You can't move in London at the moment for school trips and families all speaking every language under the sun! 

I do not envy those who get this heat!  But I might go and watch!

Thursday 26th June - The Thames from HMS Wellington, London

I think it's a fair bet that if they're in London with the pods on Wednesday then on Thursday those pods will have been erected somewhere else in London and the crew will be working two days back to back with the pods etc - which means that Thursday will be the date for the other location they've already announced

Which is The Thames from HMS Wellington, London - and below is HMS Wellington - moored on the north side of the Thames inbetween Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge. 

I don't know if they're going to put the pods on the boats - but it strikes me that could be problematic!

HMS Wellington, 

HMS Wellington is a Grimsby-class sloop, formerly of the Royal Navy. During the Second World War, she served as a convoy escort ship in the North Atlantic. She is now moored alongside the Victoria Embankment, at Temple Pier, on the River Thames in London, England

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the wildcards are on the bridges... Maybe with a few others?

I am speculating. They're not saying. However all the land either side of the river and along the bridges is public - and this is very much a public location . However it's next to the Embankment and a very busy road so common sense dictates that they won't be encouraging people to attend next to the boat. There again they can't stop them either...

HOWEVER, the irony is THAT there is a MUCH MUCH BETTER view from the "made for LAOTY filming" area exactly on the opposite side of the river on the South Bank.

The view from the other side of the river
You can see St Paul's cathedral and all the towers in the City of London
as well as an excellent view of the bridges

SEMI- FINAL

(I'm guessing! Wednesday 2nd July) - The Ouse Valley Viaduct, West Sussex

There are always two locations which are isolated from the others. Which means 

• one is the location for the semi-final and 
• the other is the location of the Final.

Since they're telling us the Final is in Falkirk, I'm making the reasonable assumption that the semi-final is in West Suusex.

The Ouse Valley Viaduct is another ridiculous structure - which is only outdone by the ridiculous structure for the Final!

The Ouse Valley Viaduct

A structural marvel, the viaduct was originally built in 1838 to carry the London-Brighton line over the River Ouse.

It has been estimated that around 11 million bricks were used in construction, with almost 17 million passenger journeys being made across the viaduct every year!

It strikes an elegant silhouette over the beautiful High Weald area and is a must for all photography fans. Standing at 29 metres tall, the Viaduct has 37 arches stretching 450 metres across the Ouse Valley and over the River Ouse. Ouse Valley Viaduct, Visit South East England Website

Basically it's halfway between Crawley and Hayward's Heath.

• This is the location - link from Google Maps
• Also described as Haywards Heath Road, Balcombe, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6QP.

The date provides for three clear weeks before the Final on the 23rd - during which time the finalists have to product their commission artwork. (as in "find a really silly view near you and paint it")

THE FINAL

Wednesday 23rd July - The Falkirk Wheel

That's a horror story of a subject for a Final. 

Sue England (Series 5 LAOTY 2019) was given the Falkirk Wheel as the subject for her commission painting prior to the Final proper (see Fujiko Rose won Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 in Final at Battersea Power Station). I remember then thinking how unlucky she was. There again - at least she got to choose how she portrayed it and from what angle and how much!

The Falkirk Wheel, Scotland

But it gets better - the producers are complete sadists! IT MOVES!

Threre's a canal at the top and a canal at the bottom. At rest, the wheel sits with a gondola at each level, filled with water. Barges sail in, and the water relevels, but due to Achimedes' principle, the weight in the gondolas remains the same. The wheel, in perfect balance, is turned by a small electric motor (same power requirements as a few teakettles, we're told) and the gondlas stay level thanks to wheels within the wheel. The rotation takes 5 minutes, and then the barges sail ou

So, if you were applying for a heat, I wonder which you would choose......

More about Landscape Artist of the Year

on MAM and by participants

Series 11 - to be broadcast early 2026

• Call for Entries - Landscape Artist of the Year 2026 (Series 11).
• A new Judge for Landscape Artist of the Year!

Series 10 - broadcast early 2025

• Review: Episode 1 of Landscape Artist of the Year Series 10 (2025) - Hampton Court
• Review: Episode 2 of Landscape Artist of the Year Series 10 (2025) - Snowdon, Wales
• Review: Episode 3 of Landscape Artist of the Year Series 10 (2025) - Clifton Suspension Bridge
• Review: Episode 4 of Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 10) - St Pancras Basin
• Review: Episode 5 Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 - Dinorwic Slate Quarry
• Review: Episode 6 of Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 10) - Bristol Harbourside
• Review: Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 - Semi Finals at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
• Ben MacGregor wins Landscape Artist of the Year 2025
• Review: £10,000 Commission for Landscape Artist of the Year 2025

A new Judge for Landscape Artist of the Year!

FINALLY! One small step after very many moans over very many months and years.

We have a new Judge for Landscape Artist of the Year. Kate Bryan has stepped away!!!

Plus they have announced the new Judge - who is Eva Langret, Director of Frieze - of which more below. Note: tomorrow I'll be discussing locations for the new series.

At Dover Castle: the new Judge Eva Langret (in yellow)
with Kathleen Soriano, Tai Shan Shierenberg and presenter Stephen Mangan

Kate Bryan no longer judging LAOTY

We can speculate as to the reasons why - but this is what has been said....

This is what she said

After ten incredible and memorable years on the show, it feels like the right moment to hand over the baton. It’s been a privilege to be part of something that means so much to so many people and to witness such extraordinary talent from the wildcards to the artists to the exceptional crew that make it all possible. Eva is a wonderful addition, and I can’t wait to see how the series evolves with fresh eyes on the panel. I am delighted to be still be continuing with Portrait Artist of the Year alongside my brilliant fellow judges, Tai and Kathleen.”

Press releases are often designed to obscure the reason why.

I’d like to thank Kate for a) opening up arts criticism to me and our millions of devoted Landscape Artist of the Year viewers, b) looking windswept and interesting at all the sunny and not so sunny locations she’s travelled to as a brilliant judge on the show, and c) being a total delight to work with.

Kate is a real expert in her field – she wears it lightly and communicates brilliantly, opening up the visual arts in an intelligent and accessible way. The Landscapes will miss her, but luckily for us she’ll continue to lend us her eyes and ears on Portrait Artist of the Year for which we are grateful.

Phil Edgar-Jones, Executive Director of Unscripted at Sky 

NO we're not. Many regular viewers would be very happy if the very obviously bossy and on occasions completely inarticulate Kate stepped away completely and waved Bye Bye forever.

I'm not going to labour this, but would merely ask

• how many times has she browbeat the others into going with her choice?
• how many times has she come out with "bryanisms" - words which are not recognisable in the lexicon of terms for describing art?

Personal theory - she's pregnant and is happy to do judging at Battersea - which means sleeping at home every night - but no longer wants to travel with a small child at home and another on the way - which would be compoletely understandable. Or just the latter minus the pregnancy.

About the new Judge: Eva Langret

LAOTY 2025: Meet the Heat Winners and Wildcard Winners PLUS View the Commission Painting!

This is about:

• Interviews with all the Heat Winners and Wildcard winners in Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 10) - now available on Cass Arts website
• How to view the Commission Painting - now hanging at the Courtauld Gallery
• My reviews of the Final and the Commission programme

Interviews with the Artists

For those who have been following Series 10 of Landscape Artist of the Year (2025), you'll be interested to know that interviews with participating Artists can now be found on the Cass Artists blog in this post Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year Series 10: Meet the Artists

Heat 1: Ben McGregor with his submission

The article covers Heats 1 to 6 and

• all the Heat Winners
• all the Wildcard Winners

and has quite lengthy text about each one. 

Very definitely a "get a cup of tea and find a comfy chair" long read!

If you want to see the Commission Painting

The winner's Commission Painting inspired by three locations associated with Monet, Cezanne and Van Gogh in the South of France is now hanging in the Courtauld Gallery.

You can read more about where it is and how to view it in Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 winning commission now on display at The Courtauld Gallery

Note that Goya to Impressionism is SOLD OUT until 30th March.

It's priced admission and don't forget there are a limited number of "walk up" tickets which enable to go free as a Friend of the Courtauld or if you have an Art Fund National Art Pass. Otherwise an adult is £10 to see the Permanent Collection

If you also want to see the current Goya to Impressionism, you'll be waiting a while as it is currently booked out for a few weeks.

My reviews of the Final and the Commission Programme

I'm still feeling fairly wiped out following my partner's very sudden emergency admission to hospital last Friday and his five day stay. Coupled with the fact I went to hospital again yesterday for my outpatient appointment and now have to work out how I'm going to continue blogging in a couple of months after my left shoulder replacement operation! (Arm in sling for six weeks!)

So I'm having a quiet day today and tomorrow and will be hoping to publish as follows

• Sunday - Review of the Final
• Monday - Review of the Commission (after I've got the stepladders out, rescued my holiday photos and found the ones where I visited Cezanne's studio!)
• Tuesday or Wednesday - Review of the Series as a whole

I hope you'll be back to read them despite the fact the Series has now finished.

Watch Landscape Artist of the Year 2025

Landscape Artist of the Year starts next week. Below I've identified 

• the day, dates and times that all the programmes in the series are being broadcast
• the locations they went to
• what the commission is!

Series 10 in 2025

Broadcast Dates and Times

Most people will watch live on Wednesday evenings at 8pm. You can view it via Sky Arts, Freeview and NOW

However if you want to set your recorder or like getting up in the middle of the night, you can watch it at 2am!

• Heat 1 - 22nd January 2025
• Heat 2 - 29th January 2025
• Heat 3 - 5th February 2025
• Heat 4 - 12th February 2025
• Heat 5 - 19th February 2025
• Heat 6 - 26th February 2025

Clare Rose's submission to get a place in a pod
see yesterday's post about
Call for Entries - Landscape Artist of the Year 2026 (Series 11)

This is not the order they were filmed in - because they film at two venues at three locations - and then mix them up to arrive at the heats which are broadcast. There's usally something very good or special about the first one.

Then we have:

• Semi Finals - 5th March 2025
• Finals - 12th March 2025
• Plus the Commission Programme - which in recent times has followed straight after the Finals Programme.

I suggest you keep an eye out on social media as the artists are beginning to post pics of their their experience - in a way which does not disclose outcomes!

Locations

It looks to me as if there was a bit of a bodge going on re securing locations to film back in Summer 2024. 

HEATS

When I wrote my post How to watch Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 being filmed - these were the only ones which had been highlighted.

More had to exist - and I've highlighted the new ones to be announced below - in red.

There are supposed to be three locations with two venues at each

BRISTOL

• Bristol Harbourside (by the Cottage Ferry Terminal) onThursday 13th June 2024
• the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol - which I suspect must be the second Bristol location 

SNOWDONIA

• Llanberis, Snowdonia (near the National Slate Museum) on 
• Wednesday 19th June and
• Thursday 20th June 2024
• Llanberis Lake at the base of Yr Wyddfa (Mount Snowdon) - which I'm guessing is the second Snowdonia location

THIRD HEAT VENUE

I'm guessing this is West London - near to the Storyvault Films HQ.

We know from recently publicity that they filmed at

• the historic grounds of Hampton Court Palace
• the newly redeveloped St. Pancras Basin. 

Presenter Stephen Mangan at the "new bit" of Hampton Court
- with the amazing yews.

I'll just insert my sketches of the Yews at this juncture - done 13 years ago! (see Hampton Court Palace and its 300 year old Yew Trees)