Review: Episode 1 Portrait Artist of the Year 2026

This week we had the screening of the first episode of the brand new series (13th) of Portrait Artist of the Year - with a brand new set of Judges!

As I have been doing every year since 2018, I'm writing a review of every episode of this thirteenth series.

Series 13 of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year

This review post considers:

• The Competition
• Then Commission
• The (New) Judges
• The sitters
• The artists
• Self-portrait submissions
• Themes observed during the episode - and observations on different approaches
• Portraits and the Judging
• Shortlist
• The winner
• Next episode
• Reference (previous posts re. 2026 - and how to access posts re previous series)

About the Context

The Competition

Sky Arts runs a competition every year called Portrait Artist of the Year. This is the 13th Series - and I have been reviewing every episode of every series on Making A Mark since 2018. (Check out my Call for Entries: Portrait Artist of the Year 2026).

It comprises

• a series of heats, - with nine artists painting 3 sitters - followed by
• a semi final - of all the heat winners
• a Final of the best three in the Semi Final
• a Commission by the winner of the Final

The Heats, Semi Final and Final are typically all held in the Grand Hall at Battersea Arts Centre. People can get tickets to watch and many do. I watched Heat 2 this year in April this year - and have lots of pics!

Battersea Arts Centre

I wrote about how the series works in detail in my Call for Entries post so won't repeat it here.

There are 72 artists in Series 13 - meaning we have 8 heats. The order of the episodes is generally NOT the same as the order of the episodes. Unless I turn up in the next episode in which case they may have changed the rule.

 

The Series Commission - for the National Portrait Gallery

This year, the £10,000 commission is from the National Portrait Gallery to paint a portrait of musician and actor Damien Lewis. 

There's an interesting MEDIA TWIST with the commission being for the NPG. 

I would draw a very big distinction between images in the collection for historical reasons and images on the walls of the NPG

• The portraits the NPG typically hangs in the galleries are those painted in OIL - on the grounds of longevity. 
• This instantly rules out all those using other media eg watercolour or pastels.

The Primary Collection contains more than 11,000 portraits. Of these about 4,000 are paintings, sculptures and miniatures, approaching 60% of which are regularly displayed, with the intention to show a further selection. In addition, there are almost 7,000 light-sensitive works on paper, shown on a rotating basis of about 300 items a year to avoid excessive light exposure and thus to minimise deterioration and fading. Introduction to the Primary Collection

(There are 

• 1,446 watercolours in the collection - but almost all are miniatures or very small portraits of a very historical nature (ie Reference Collection) with a very few more recent drawings of famous people which might be included in a temporary exhibit
• 5 paintings in egg tempera
• 34 paintings in acrylic - because of the issues with cracking which emerged over time? The only important (royal) paintings painted in acrylic hung in the galleries were painted in the 1980s. 
• 118 portrait drawings in charcoal
• 22 portrait drawings in graphite - again mainly miniatures)
• no pastels at all.)

This is a logistics and communication issue for the programme organisers. If you know the commissioning organisation is a national gallery, then you really need to be frank about what this means for the prospective participants in the competition.

e.g. Any media is fine for participation in the heats but progression is likely to favour oils.

The Judges

After very many years of moaning about the previous Judges, we have three new Judges. 

I wrote about their backgrounds back in February in The NEW Portrait Artist of the Year Judges. They are

• Eva Langret - Director of Frieze London
• Jonathan Yeo - portrait painter
• Katy Hessel - art historian, author and braodcaster

Three new Judges for Series 13 in 2026

(Lto R): Eva Langret, Katy Hessel and Jonathan Yeo

One of things I'll be looking at as I trawl around the internet is viewers' views on the new Judges - and will maybe write another post on your views.

PAOTY Episode 1

Episode 1: The Sitters

The three sitters were all actors. In the order they were introduced they are:

• Lenny James - A 61 year old English actor of Afro-Trinidadian parents, best known for portraying 
• Morgan Jones in the AMC series The Walking Dead (2010–2018)
• DCI Tony Gates in Line of Duty series one
• and more recently in Mr Loverman
• He's a big fan of Spurs and brought a shirt
• Sheridan Smith OBE - A 45 year old English actress and singer who is probably best known for characters in a series of sitcoms. She has been awarded two Olivier Awards, a British Academy Television Award, and a National Television Award, and brought her BAFTA (for Mrs Biggs) as one of her items.
• Vanessa Williams is a 63 year old American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She was the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. Back in April she was starring in The Devil Wears Prada at the Dominion Theatre in the West End stage where she was playing the Miranda Priestley role.

Sheridan Smith and Vanessa Williams back to back
in their segments

Episode 1: The Artists

I do a lot of research about the artists, as you get the highly edited version and I like the full public version! I find it also invariably makes more sense of some of the Judge's decisions.

Call for Entries: Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2027

You have TWO MONTHS to submit a portrait as an entry to the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2027 (aka The Portrait Award!)

The BIG CHANGE this year is 

• you do NOT have the Christmas break for final titivating - because....
• the deadline for your entry is Tuesday 1 December 2026

This date change is not highlighted on the website. If you have friends who sometimes / always enter it might be worth making sure they're aware of the date change. You could always send them a link to this blog post! :)

This is about:

• WHY enter the HSFK Portrait Award?
• WHO can submit an entry?
• WHAT sort of portrait you can submit?
• HOW to complete and submit your entry

Very many artists who have succeeded in being selected for this exhibition in the last two decades started out by reviewing my summary of the call for entries! I know because they told me at the Private View!

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award  2027
CALL FOR ENTRIES IMAGE

First of all the full title of both the competition and the award is the "Herbert Smith Kline Portrait Award" - but that's too much and too long so I ALWAYS refer to it as either

• the HSFK Portrait Award
• or THE Portrait Award

The links to the official information are all included below.

Portrait Award 2026: The 10 portraits I liked the most

This is a post about the ten portraits I like the best in the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026 at the National Portrait Gallery. 

At the end I say which portrait will, I think, win the Visitors' Choice Award.

Portraits hanging in the HSFK Portrait Award competition
at the National Portrait Galllery

The Ten Portrait Paintings I liked the best

I've been reviewing the Portrait Award at the NPG since 2008 (see end) - which means I've looked at a lot of top quality portraits over the last 18 years.

• After my first impression on the Awards Night Viewing, I generally know which portraits have made a big impression on me 
• Interestingly they are not necessarily the winner or even the winners.
• It's something to do with being able to see the portraits in the context of an exhibition - and next to one another
• The next morning I get to see them all over again at the Press View morning - which enables me to check out whether I still think the same
• I then get to think about the portraits again while writing about the Artists with their Paintings (which used to be one very long post (eg Portrait Award 2025 - Artists with their paintings) but this year turned into five! (See the end for links to my blog posts). This always depends on whether the artist turned up AND wore their badge so I could spot them! (Some artists have not yet worked out yet that the buttons they are given to wear can generate them publicity!)

So what follows are:

• the portraits which stuck in my head
• the portraits which made me look more closely at them
• portraits which include some clever composition and design
• the ones with interesting sitters
• the ones which generated an emotional response
• a complete absence of prizewinners - except for one which I could not exclude

I should also mention that this list excludes some very good paintings which include things I really do NOT like - my classic example being tattoos - and hence got excluded simply because of that (given the title of this post!).

I've also noticed that a lot are by women artists - which is interesting. That's not why they were chosen though.

The Ten Portrait Paintings I liked the best

There is no rationale about the order in which they are listed - except I have ordered them by size - after the one which once seen can never be forgotten

The One which stuck in my head the most

Diploma Graduates Exhibition at the Heatherley School of Art

I was at the Heatherley School of Fine Art in Lots Road, Chelsea yesterday evening for the PV of the Diploma Graduates Exhibition.

You can visit this for free between now and Sunday afternoon (10.30am-4.00pm) at the School at 75 Lots Road, London, SW10 0RN. The nearest tube is Fulham Broadway and then it's an approx. 12 minute walk - right past the entrance to Chelsea Football Club!

I'd been invited by Sarah Jane Moon (who teaches there) to come and see what those following the Portrait Diploma Course had been producing. There are also other courses exhibiting their work. 

I often come across Heatherley graduates doing well in other exhibitions and art competitions so I made the trek from East to West London!

You can 

• see some of my photos from the show on my Facebook Page
• find out more about the courses on the website

I was very impressed by four of the artists who were producing portraits which looked like they will be followed by even better in the years to come.

As it happens they were all women!

One of the very interesting aspects of Heatherley's is the number of middle aged women students it attracts - which I find a very refreshing aspect of its student body.

Akiko Saiko with me
Her portrait had been commended by Andrew James RP

Standout artists for me were:

• Akiko Saiko (above) who has a very refined approach to painting a portrait which reveals the tonal light and shade and hence the form - which was something of a weakness in some of the portraits by some other artists. I also really liked her profile text which was engaging, simple and direct. That's the kind of effective communication which gets through to the most people. She does however need a website!
• Amy Roberts is a former fashion designer who works primarily from observation. She is very obviously not phased by either large groups, complex compositions or more complex dress. I've been waiting for somebody brave enough to take on group portraits for a long while - and it looks as if we might have somebody at long last!

Amy Roverts won the Worlds End Studio Prize with this group painting

• Marlies Forster (Instagram) - who last year won The Composition Prize 2025 awarded by the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and consequently had her painting hung in the RP Annual Exhibition

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Forster London Art (@forsterlondonart)

• I also really liked Janet Marsh's Holbeinesque self? portrait of a women with a squirrel (see my blog post The King's Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein by Franny Moyle for the original) which won the Susan Engledow Portrait Prize

By Janet Marsh

Note to the School: Please update your galleries with the artwork from the show so it's online at the same time as it's on show at the school. Everything on the website seems to relate to 2025.

PS My five year old post about Favourite Quotes about Portraiture has been attracting a lot of visitor of late - so I'll include it here as well to share the love some more!

Mark Dalessio wins £35,000 Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026

American/French artist Marc Dalessio has won the £35,000 Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026. He was presented with at an Awards Ceremony at the National Portrait Gallery in London on Tuesday night.

Marc Dalassio with his award-winning portrait 

Jean-Denis, 2025 © Marc Dalessio

With a notably restrained and economical use of paint, Marc Dalessio’s Jean-Denis achieves a striking immediacy, where every mark carries weight. The judges enjoyed the subtle sliver of white from the sitter’s shirt that becomes a focal point, activating the composition. The portrait offers an empathetic depiction of its subject, conveying a timeless presence that feels both regal and understated.

The Judges Comments  

For the record, all my guesses of who would win what were CORRECT!

The two youngest award winners
- just before they announced the prizes!

Below you can see 

• photos of the artists with their portraits which were taken Tuesday evening.
• Plus a photo of them receiving their award. Apologies for the side on view. I usually pick a better spot.

[I was hoping for access to the NPG ones being taken by the photographer who was in prime position - but for some unfathomable reason, rather than being available Wednesday morning (as they always used to be) they're not likely to be available until the end of the week.
So these are the only photos of the Awards Ceremony online so far!!]

Below are the profiles of the artists and the portraits which won the prizes. 

Words about the painting and what the Judges thought are from the press release - hence quotes.

Review: Contemporary British Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2026

I had a lovely time on Friday evening at the Contemporary British Portrait Painters' Annual Exhibition - held, as usual, at Downstairs at the Department Store at 248 Ferndale Road in Brixton SW9 8FR. 

Just a 3 minute walk from the end of the Victoria Line at Brixton Tube.

It features 52 artists from the 75 members of the CBPP Collective.

a diverse showcase of some of the most distinctive and experimental portraiture being made in the UK today (Sarah Jane Moon Chair of CBPP)

"My neighbour Marisa" by Peter James Field
Cover of the CBPP 2026 Exhibition Catalogue

This post aims to do two things:

• point people to where they can see pics of all of the portraits and some of the artists in this collective - because I know not all of you can get to see the exhibition. (This is also not a group of London artists. Members live all over the UK)
• read a review of the exhibition if they cannot visit.

However you have until 14th June to get over to Brixton to see the show - admission is free. The exhibition is open from 10am until 5pm every day.

If you cannot get there, you can see my photographs online on my Facebook Page

• my album of photos "Contemporary British Portrait Painters: Annual Exhibition 2026 - which includes pics of some of the artists, all of which I know
• my post of pics of all the photos - on the walls of the exhibition.

Contemporary British Portrait Painters

This collective describes themselves as

a friendly, inclusive community actively supporting artists working in the field of portraiture. CBPP - About Us

The CBPP are

• intentionally run as a non-profit collective (you are expected to contribute) and
• take NO COMMISSION from the sales by individual artists at their exhibitions.
• everybody has to apply - there are no invitations.

Artists are encouraged to be searching for something new in their work, to find their own voice and transmit honesty and technical ability in their submissions......we would love to see work which exemplifies your own personal areas of interest and exploration in portraiture.

I think this is maybe because the age profile is maybe a tad younger than some societies. Which is not to say people are inexperienced. Far from it. 

These are the names of the exhibiting artists in 2026. They include 

• current and past exhibitors and prizewinners (including 5 previous winners) at The Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery
• members of and award winners at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
• 4 past winners of the Portrait Artist of the Year competition on Sky Arts
• As well as people who have won top prizes for portraiture internationally

This is very definitely an exhibition of diverse contemporary portraiture which is worth visiting by 

• all those who are serious portrait artists - and 
• by all those who aspire to become better at portraiture.

Portraiture and Portrait Painting: Reflections on a Discussion by three Expert Portrait Artists

On Saturday afternoon, I went along to the Mall Galleries to hear Miriam Escofet RP, Antony Williams RP, NEAC PS and Frances Bell RP ROI CBPP participating in the Expert Artist Panel Discussion.

The subject was Portraiture. 

The Expert Panel
(left to rght: Frances Bell; Antony Williams, Dr Alison Smith and Miriam Escofet)

I know all three artists well having seen their work in various exhibitions and award competitions in the last few years - at least a decade and maybe nearer two! I have lots of photos of them with their work! You'll see some of the pics I took below.

It was interesting to hear their take on questions posed by the host who was Dr Alison Smith, who was formerly the Chief Curator at the National Portrait Gallery (2017-2024) and is curently the Director of Collections and Research at the Wallace Collection.

Below are some notes and some quotes. 

I'm not going to attribute them to individuals as, for the most part, they were all in agreement. Plus while I've got notes for some, I've not got notes for all!

You can see examples of their portraits on their websites - but they've completed very many more portraits than are typically included on a website.

(Left to right) Miriam Escofet, Frances Bell, Antony Williams

What is a portrait?

Which comes first, the person or the painting?

"Portraits are first and foremost a likeness"

The audience for a portrait expect a good likeness.

However:

• a portrait is also a painting
• there is also the issue of the difference between personal work and a commissioned artwork
• artists are always fascinated about the possibilities of their media and what they can do
• there's a tension between getting the likeness and creating a satisfactory painting

If there's no likeness a portrait isn't working BUT it's not a good painting just because it is a good likeness.

To this end

• portrait artists also like to paint personal work which allows them to explore the possibilities of their media and what they can do

What's different about Portrait Painting?

Call for Entries: Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2026

This is about the call for entries for the annual exhibition of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters - and why it's a good idea to enter if you an aspiring portrait artist.  It covers:

• reasons to enter
• who can enter
• what you can enter
• how to enter
• the timeline of important dates

Submissions are open until Tuesday 3 February 2026

You can also review my past blog posts about the RP Annual Exhibition over the last 19 years at the end.

Reasons why you should enter the RP's annual exhibition

The "Portrait Artist of the Year" competition may attract a lot of entries from would-be portrait artists in the UK - and be on television - but only one artist gets to win. 

The annual exhibition of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, on the other hand, welcomes new and emerging talent and ample space to give a boost to more than one artist.

The RP exhibition is an annual opportunity for artists who paint people to see their paintings hung alongside the work of their peers. As always, emerging and established talent is displayed together.

This "call for entries" gives all aspiring portrait painters:

• an opportunity to be hung in the same exhibition as some of the leading portrait painters in the UK
• a potential first step up on the ladder to becoming a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters 
• access to an extremely well used commission service for portraits
• access to a much longer term payoff than an outing on television and not winning the top prize

For all those wondering whether and why they should submit an entry to this exhibition, take a look at the following.

Expert assessment of your portrait

• ALL drawings and paintings selected for exhibition from the Open Entry are chosen by practising professional portrait artists who are full artist members of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters - and who use a variety of media. (click the link to check out their work)
• The Selection Committee is rotated annually. 
• There are no administrators, sponsors, gallerists, art critics, television personalities or other such éminence grise who get a say on what gets hung.
• Judges are are looking for solid skills in portraiture - but they are not averse to new styles and innovation demonstrated by emerging talent.

A prestigious portraiture exhibition - in central London and online

This is a very prestigious exhibition within the international portrait world

• It fills all three galleries at the Mall Galleries on The Mall in London
• It attracts over 4,000 entries to the exhibition - including very many entries from international artists
• The exhibition is also put online so it can be seen all over the world.

An expert commissions service

• This exhibition generates a LOT of portrait commissions. This exhibition is much less about sales and much more about being a marketing shop window (e.g. 87 (40%) of the portraits exhibited last year were not for sale as they had been done as commissions and already had owners)
• An expert Commissions Consultant service runs throughout the show. Exhibiting artists are invited to
• display additional material
• advertise portrait commissions through the Commissions department - on which a commission will be payable.

The Commission Room at the 2024 Exhibition

Entry is digital

• Hence you only need to go to the expense of framing and transport IF invited to progress to the second stage of selection. So entries which do not succeed only incur the expense of the submission fee.

Some significant prizes

This is an exhibition with some heavyweight and prestigious cash prizes. 

• The total prize fund is £35,000, including The William Lock Portrait Prize (£20,000).
• It has the most valuable individual prizes awarded by any national art society in the UK. 
• These include awards for younger artists and portrait drawing.

Your chances of getting selected

Chloe Barnes wins Portrait Artist of the Year 2025

Yesterday, Portrait Artist of the Year programme revealed that Chloe Barnes won the Final of Series 12 of Portrait Artist of the Year.

Chloe Barnes and her monoprint of Brian Cox in the Final

I'm splitting my comments about PAOTY Series 12 and the two most recent programmes into three separate posts:

• Today - a review about the Final and the final and commission paintings produced for the Final by the artist 
• Sunday 7th December: the Winner's Programme and the Commission
• Monday 8th December: - a review of the PAOTY series and approach taken this year, and a summary of why the Judges , rather than the programme, continue to annoy so very many viewers and whether the competition is really a competition.

Followed sometime soon after with the details of how to enter Series 13 in 2026!

This review covers:

• The Final: Artists, Sitter and Set
• The Portrait Paintings for the Final
• The Judges' Perspective
• The Final Portraits - and my comments
• Why Chloe Barnes won.

The Final

The Artists working in the Final - watched by the audience
(left to right) Lauren, Katie and Chloe

The audience for many of the episodes was largely female and middle aged to older; plus very proud parents and a smattering of young people who seemed to be associated with individual artists. I think this probably reflects the audience for the programme too.

They are VERY well behaved - as you have to be when filming is taking place. I highly recommend those that want to, to apply to watch the heats next year - and you'll learn a lot more about this competition is really like!

The Artists

Katie Jones, Lauren Ross and Chloe Barnes
sat on the steps outside Battersea Arts centre

In order of the heat they appeared in, they are

• Episode 3: Katie Jones (Instagram) - A community arts tutor who lives and works in Somerset and has a studio on the Mendip Hills.
• Episode 4: Chloe Barnes (Instagram) - a printmaker with a first class honours degree in Illustration and an MA (Distinction) in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking. She works as a Gallery Production and Studio Manager and lives in Peckham in London. 
• Episode 5: Lauren Ross (Instagram) - an art tutor and painter from Edinburgh. 

You can read more about them in The PAOTY 2025 Semi Finalists + their Exhibition!

The Sitter and the Setup

The Sitter was Brian Cox, the 'media mogul' star of "Succession"who is 79, still active and still acting to great acclaim.

There was no repeat of the craziness of last year when, with absolutely no notice, the contestants suddenly found themselves painting two sitters - with an extra half hour for the challenge!

Instead we had a stripped back set and one sitter this year.

• The Set used a comfortable burnt burnt orange armchair. 

"That armchair is doing a lot of work" Kathleen Soriano

• The cloth hanging at the back was Jute which is very much associated with Brian's home town of Dundee and his ancestors where it has been produced for very many years
• The jute and the armchair, both combined to create a very warm set.

The one benefit for the artists is that were rather nearer the sitter in the Final than they were during the semi final.

The Start: The sitter - Brian Cox - and the setup for the three artists
and how close the cameras are over every artist's shoulder

Review: Semi Finals of Portrait Artist of the Year 2025

This rather late review is about the semi-finals of Portrait Artist of the Year 2025 (Series 12) which was broadcast on Wednesday night - except it wasn't uploaded to Now until a LOT later) Which is why this is late!

It covers various observations about the Semi-Final (the reality and the programme) including:

• The Semi Finalists (Heat winners)
• The Heat Portraits
• The Sitter setup and setting
• Themes of the semi-final
• Judging and Finalists
• Sitters for the Final

Dame Mary Berry sees the portraits after they've been turned around

The Semi Finalists

You can read all about the Semi Finalists in my post last week in my blog post last week about The PAOTY 2025 Semi Finalists + their Exhibition!

They are - in order of the episodes (i.e. not the heats) as follows:

• Episode 1 - Edie Bound (Instagram) - review of Episode 1
• Episode 2 - Paulina Kwietiewsska (Instagram) - review of Episode 2
• Episode 3 - Katie Jones (Instagram) - review of Episode 3
• Episode 4 - Chloe Barnes (Instagram) - review of Episode 4
• Episode 5 - Lauren Ross (Instagram)- review of Episode 5
• Episode 6 - Uthman Wahaab (Instagram) - review of Episode 6
• Episode 7 - Vincent Stokes (Instagram)- review of Episode 7
• Episode 8 - Courteney Bae (Instagram) - review of episode 8

The Heat Portrait Wall

The Wall of Heat Portraits
Left to right: Katie, Uthman, Vincent, Courtenay, Lauren, Paulina, Chloe and Edie

Imagine walking into a semi final. You have absolutely no idea about:

• who your fellow semi-finalists are
• what they can do in four hours!

......and then you see the Heat Portrait Wall (see above i.e. NOT the self portrait wall or both together)

What you don't know as a semi finalist is if any of the others spent time and effort producing an absolute stunner for their self portrait - and then went small for their heat.

Then the artists line up next to the side of the support they're working on - and you begin to get the picture of what you are up against!

The Setting and the Sitter

The Nightmare Set-up

The Artists in the Semi Final enter the room
This is what it looks like - with easels very close together

I've been to a couple of Semi-Finals at the Battersea Arts centre - and it's an absolute nightmare of a set-up.

• Eight artists is just too many to be comfortable and have space to walk around, think etc. 
• Plus the audience seems much closer than in the heats
• Eights artists means ALL must be further away from the sitter than in the heats
• Some are going to have very acute side profiles - if working from life
• Notwithstanding some are going to be painting from devices rather than from the sitter.

Chloe Barnes summed it up rather well in her blog post about the Semi Finals (link further down - near the end of this post)

PAOTY 2025 Semi Final NOT on NOW!!! (Plus I identify who painted which portrait!)

Where is the PAOTY Semi Final on NOW?

I have NOT yet seen the Semi Final of Portrait Artist of the Year (2025)!!!

I'm fuming and have been since last night!  In this year's series, the episode has been available from the Wednesday morning - and on one occasion I watched an episode before it was broadcast. Now the ***** who posts early can't be bothered to post at all!

I'm posting this more in the HOPE that the Semi Final of Portrait Artist of the Year will EVENTUALLY be posted to the NOW streaming service for Sky TV.

Thing is I cannot write a review after watching it through once on Freeview - which is normally what I do - for the first pass on the programme during which I make some notes

I then watch it again at least twice to pick up the themes, add info and fill in the gaps in my notes and get quotes down correctly when I've heard something I want to quote but didn't quite get it all written down.

I cannot think of anything less likely to promote a service offering than messing up the end of a series by not posting it to the way people watch it.

BIG ADVERT: 

DO NOT USE NOW TV 

AS THEY PULL THE PLUG BEFORE THE END!

So until such time as it is posted, and I can actually write my review......

.....I'm going to guess who painted which painting! 

Who painted which portrait in the Semi Final?

I don't actually know who painted which artwork - I'VE NOT YET SEEN THE PROGRAMME!!

So here goes - using the pics of the portraits produced from Instagram.

I got these two straight off. They have very distinctive and consistent styles. 

Top right is by Chloe Barnes (Episode 4) who painted another monochrome on an aluminium panel. I like it. Both faces are good.

The bottom one is by Katie Jones (Episode 3) A few more wrinkles this time....

I'm guessing that both of these two got selected. The painting by Katie is in my opinion the best of the bunch and if she has been selected, then my my guess is she wins the Final next week.

Top left was - this is by Edie Bound (Episode 1) - who I would also put through to the Final. She has a strong and consistent style and can capture a likeness - and in this painting I think she's also captured the sense of fun in Mary Berry. The orange underpainting was the giveaway!

The next two took a bit more thinking about.

Top right is Paulina Kwietiewsska (Episode 2) who I got to through a process of elimination.

Bottom is by Lauren Ross (Episode 5).  The background colour was the first clue and then the flowers in the background and then how she has approached the painting of the portrait. Looks to me like she ran out of time to do the tonal variation in the fur of the dog.

Two of these were really easy.

Top left is easy. Who else paints women with large bodies and very small heads? This is Uthman Wahaab (Episode 6). Nice dog!

It should of course have been the wonderful Laura Cronin who was a wonderful portrait painter and it was a crime to not even shortlist her and her wonderful portrait of Shane Lynch. (That even got mentioned to me yesterday afternoon when I was at the PV for the Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition. There's LOTS of people out there still feeling "miffed" for Laura)

Top right is Courteney Bae (Episode 8) - who has "a very distinctive painting style". I shall say no more.

The bottom is Vincent Stokes (Episode 7) who looks to me like he started with a good idea and then it all fell apart a bit.  Obviously I'm not seeing the whole drawing, but the subject of the portrait ALWAYS needs to be prominent in a portrait competition. It's also a tad too illustrative for me. Great basis for a proper portrait of her as a person though. Just not one in four hours.

The major comment I have on the paintings as a whole is that the big theme of this series for me is PROPORTIONS.

I shall be doing a summary of themes about Series 12 as a whole - including judging approaches and production values after the review of the commission.

I think it needs one....

The PAOTY 2025 Semi Finalists + their Exhibition!

This is a listing of all those who have made it through to the Semi Final of Portrait Artist of the Year 2025 (Series 12). 

PLUS news of their Group Show in December in London!

PAOTY 2025 Semi Finalists' Group Show: "Marks of Reflection"

This year, seven of the eight semi finalists have organised a group show of their work ‘Marks of Reflection’ - details below - which is great news for all those who would like a closer look at their work!

I've only just noticed that they are all women apart from Uthman Wahaab. Very sadly Vincent Stokes is not taking part.

The basics are these. At the end of this post are more details about the nature of the exhibition - and the Panel Talk about Contemporary Portraiture.

The show will feature a selection of work featured on the show, as well as new, unseen paintings.

• Venue: Noho Showrooms, 67 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PT (a three minute walk from Oxford Circus )
• Dates: 16th-21st December 2025 (11am - 6pm)
• Panel Discussion: 18th December 2025 with Kate Bryan and Curtis Holder

Portrait Artist of the Year: Heat Winners

Can I suggest you note the size of the heat portraits - there's an awful lot of small ones....

Episode 1

Self portrait and heat painting by Edie Bound

Edie Bound won the first heat to be screened in 2025. This was the profile I used in my review.

Edie Bound (Instagram) - b.2002 is originally from Wiltshire but now lives in South London. She did a foundation year at Camberwell School of Art and then chose to work at a ceramic studio whilst pursuing oil painting in her free time.

Edie being announced as the winner

This was what I said in my review of Episode 1

Tai-Shan thought the self portrait to be a little gem. Edie produced a very small but extremely competent self portrait. The orange carried over into her heat painting. It catches the eye like red but is much less wearing on the eye.

Tai was also a big fan of the minimal mark-making in the heat painting and the fact that, after starting out with the portrait upside down (to mark out the big shapes and tones) she caught the likeness very fast.

"I'm always impressed when young artists go out on a limb and still nail the likeness"

I thought she was very clearly the only artist to have a very good likeness from early one. The fact that her particular method of mark-making was not boring made the end result a racing certainty. 

Episode 2

Paulina Kwietiewsska was the winner of Heat 2.

Review: Episode 8 Portrait Artist of the Year 2025 (Series 12)

This is the last of my reviews of the first eight episodes of Series 12 Portrait Artist of the Years 2025 which have covered the various heats - out of order - from this year's competition which was filmed in April 2025.

A reminder of just how big that PAOTY set-up is and why it stays in once place!

Thank you!

Before I start I have to comment on the number of people commenting on Facebook about my posts on my Making A Mark Page prior to my review posts being published.

The one for Episode 6 in which I highlighted the person I thought should have won got more than 50,000+ views and the one this week in which I again highlighted a very good artist (in the context of a very silly comment) by a Judge has almost reached the same figure (currently 47K views) in a much shorter space of time. 

Somewhere between 95-98% of the comments have erred on the side of NOT being complimentary about the Judges decisions about shortlisting. 

Plus more than a few comments about what they say. Several hundred actually!

Episode 8: The Sitters

The three sitters (top right) Tim Peake
(bottom left) Jack Rooke (bottom right) Reece Clark)

The three sitters in the eighth episode are all male and are as follows:

• Reece Clarke - a very tall Scottish ballet dancer who joined the Royal Ballet in 2013, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2022. He appeared dressed as Count Albrecht in Giselle
• Jack Rooke - comedian and writer who created and wrote Big Boys, a semi-autobiographical comedy for Channel 4 which has made him a four-time BAFTA Award nominee for the show, finally winning in 2024 for Best Writer: Comedy. He also campaigns with wit and candour for recognition of the mental health struggles of young people.
• Major Tim Peake CMG - a retired British European Space Agency astronaut, Army Air Corps officer and author who has been into space. He wore his training suit - complete with numerous badges - for the sitting

I must confess I'd only heard of Tim Peake!

Episode 8: The Artists

The Artists in Episode 8

All the artists are listed below alphabetically by surname - but are not differentiated between professional and amateur. The link to their main 'contact' site is embedded in their name and social media sites follow - if available.

As always I've dug around online, and these profiles provide more information than the programme does.

The mini bio provided in the programme skips over some rather important information about some of the participating artists.

• Lucy Ambler  (Instagram) - a commercial mural artist based in Suffolk. She likes using heightened colour and also uses coloured pencils on card - as for her self portrait.
• Silas Archibong (Instagram) - From Mbiabong, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria, he currently studying for a Masters in Fine Art at Kingston University. He produced a self portrait which was split into his two identities of Nigerian heritage and a Jesuit student.
• El Barrett  (Instagram) - a conservation biology student from Surrey. She has been making art since she was a child. She now finds art really useful for when she draws the natural world as part of her studies.
• Courteney Bae (Instagram) - 1986 is a Korean-American contemporary artist who is the daughter of artist Sangki Bae. She describes herself as a "creative marketer" - but initially trained in Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, before gaining experience at renowned luxury goods brands. Now working in oils and gouache watercolour. She has won multiple juried awards and exhibited in New York, London, and Europe. Lives in Walton on Thames in NW Surrey. 
• Steve Cannon (Instagram) - An American artist based in Galway for the last 29 years. His self portrait contains a lot of detail in the reflection of the window in the background. He works mainly in figurative studies and paintings whether it be oils, watercolour or graphite and his main aim is to catch a likeness. He has regularly exhibited with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (I thought his style looked familiar!) and the Royal Hibernian Academy. After looking at his Instagram, I'd advise him to apply again, after he has worked out how he can do what he does best in four hours flat! Then practice. In the meantime, he had another go at Reece when he got home (see below).  I wonder how many other participants do the same? (also see below!)

My self portrait with a peace lily. (The photos should be a bit darker) It shows where I work. Packed with canvases, easels, paintings, plants and assorted miscellaneous bits and pieces.
A peace lily has a expected life span of 5 years. My little plant is 21 years old. It was a gift while in hospital after losing my leg all those years ago.
Me and the plant are both a bit worn, with crinkly edges, but there is new growth as well so not all is lost.

• Eugene Evans (Instagram) - A social care worker from Middlesborough. He has osteoarthritis (snap!) and used medical motifs in his self portrait. I cannot remember the last time anybody turned up to paint in a heat wearing a suit - but he looked very smart! He continued to finish his heat portrait of Jack when he returned home (see below).

• Han Guo (Instagram) - an artist living in Guildford who used to be an engineer. She trained at London Fine Art Studios with the Classical Atelier method. She enjoys the process of observing her subject and using the brush to capture her perception and understanding.
• Fiona Land (Instagram) - a former rowing champion from the Yorkshire Dales. I'm not including a link to Fiona's website as I only include links which are secure (ie. prefaced by https) . She participates in North Yorkshire Open Studios. I got the impression that she was very nervous and didn't do herself justice on the day. 

Painting is usually such a solitary pursuit so to have cameras, an audience and the 'judgementals' watching was a very different experience

• Lewis Meda (Instagram) - an aspiring Fine Artist/Illustrator living in Hampshire, England. He has trained with the Watts Atelier Online School since 2018 and is now a member of their Online Grading Team.

This was a blog post about "Filming Sky PAOTY Heat 8 with NELDA SALE" which I found on Courteney Bae's website blog. Nelda Sale is the Series Editor for Sky Art’s Portrait Artist of the Year. This includes this paragraph.

One thing that sets PAOTY apart from other competition shows is that we do not cast for character - artists get through to the heats based on merit. This is quite unusual for a television competition show which is often about casting for big personalities or dramatic backstories. I think this adds integrity to PAOTY as a competition however, it does present it's own hurdles. Many artists are rather shy and introverted or certainly used to working in solitude in their studio so to find themselves on a huge set (Battersea Arts Centre's Grand Hall) can be very intimidating. Therefore one of the challenges the PDs are faced with is to produce artists who are not comfortable on camera and can be monosyllabic in their answers (other shows go through a casting process where participants are often screen tested to iron out these things). Filming Sky PAOTY Heat 8 with NELDA SALE