Want to watch Landscape Artist of the Year 2027 being filmed?

Are you interested in watching Series 12 of Landscape Artist of the Year being filmed? This is the series which will be broadcast in early 2027.

This post is about:

• where 5 of the locations are and the day they are being filmed
• useful info about how to get there

You will recall from earlier posts that this series has 

• The ten artists for this new series have been selected (see Call for Entries: Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 12). This new format means they all travel the length and breadth of the country visiting different locations - with one artist dropping out after every heat.
• a new judge Landscape Artist of the Year: A Celebrity Twist!

Series 12: An invitation to watch

Every year, SKY Arts and Storyvault Films allow people to watch various of the heats of Landscape Artist of the Year as they are filmed. 

They are welcoming people to come and watch SOME of the heats on specific dates this summer. 

BUT only some as they cannot accommodate audiences at the remaining heats and the final this year, due to the lack of parking and facilities. (I also suspect that some of those turning up to the Final last year were a few too many / maybe blabbed online before the episode aired?)

They're calling them Episodes, I'm calling them Heats as the Heats often change order when they work out how to air them. As in they usually want a really good one up front to hook viewers - and yoiu don't know what that is until after it's been filmed!

On the Day

The competition will start at approximately 9:30am and finish around 6pm. You do not need to contact us to reserve a place, but please note that some locations may charge a fee for parking. We hope to see you there!

Please note that posting of photos or videos of any artists or artwork will NOT be permitted until after the show has broadcast. This is to help us avoid spoilers ahead of the show's transmission. (They also keep their eyes peeled for such posting in advance of the broadcast!) 

Series 12 LAOTY Locations

HEAT 1: Richmond Riverside, London – Monday 15th June 

Richmond Riverside in background

Richmond boathouse and boats in middle ground

Richmond Bridge on right

Credit: Jim Linwood (Wikimedia Commons)

Richmond Riverside is not a generic term, it's a very specific place/development in Richmond in South West London near to Richmond Bridge. It also offers 

• a large flat space where they can erect the pods so that the artists can paint the oft painted view of the bridge and/or Corporation Island.
• Plus lots of services nearby. 
• Accessible by public transport (eg Richmond Station is a 9 minute short walk). Limited parking (you're competing with the workers and shoppers of this very popular place)

Richmond Riverside: the Red pin is located near the large flat terraces

There is very likely to be a second heat close by on the following day or more likely Wednesday - depending on the time needed to strike the set and set up again.

Call for Entries: Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 12)

This is about the CALL FOR ENTRIES for the NEW FORMAT for Series 12 of Landscape Artist of the Year see 

• SEE my previous blog post announcing the change in the way it works BRAND NEW FORMAT for Landscape Artist of the Year Series 12 (2027) announced!
• the deadline for submissions is Monday 23rd March 2026 - so basically you've got three more weeks.

There are lots of pros and cons below. I suggest that, in my opinion, you need to be both experienced and committed to landscape art and camera happy to do well.

Given the MAJOR change in the way the programme will be delivered, you can expect that scrutiny of entries will become MUCH more intensive.

In summary, the changes are as follows:

• 10 artists will be chosen for the whole series (rather than the 8 different artists for each heat episode - so 10 artists NOT 48 artists). Similar to number chosen for other competitions such as Throwdown or Bakeoff.
• One artist leaves each week (similar to the format used by the BBC ten years ago for The Big Painting Challenge - but this time with a focus solely on landscape and apparently without any small challenges or learning activities)

This televised art competition gives artists four hours to paint a UK landscape. One artist is eliminated each episode, and one finalist is ultimately crowned the winner. Landscape Artist of the Year website

• ALL the (remaining) artists create artworks at ALL the locations - which means every artist needs to be able to guarantee that they can make themselves available for filming.  (Don't forget locations far from home may involve two travel says as well either side). This of itself will rule out a lot of artists. More comments below

If you want to take part in the show, you’ll need to confirm that you are available for seven filming dates on weekdays in June and July, plus one in September.

• More scope for:
• showing what you can do in terms of range and consistency
• getting used to being filmed so you perform better (that's not what they say but it is what will happen) 
• Artists can still turn up to paint as "Wildcards" BUT there is NO Wildcard competition
• If you apply, your work will be reviewed by prominent judges from the art world - BUT no word as yet as to who Judges will be. (I'm doubtful as to whether they are experienced landscape artists)
• Appearance Money! If selected for the show, you will receive 
• £500 for each episode you take part in, 
• plus reimbursement for travel, accommodation, and meal expenses.
• Commission: An additional £10,000 commission will be awarded to the winner.
• The deadline for entries has been brought forward to Monday 23rd March 2026. (It was originally advertised as a date in the middle of May)

At the end of the series, the Judges will determine who becomes Landscape Artist of the Year on a MUCH larger group of paintings produced in all the different locations before the Final. i.e. 

• three to apply
• six in the heats
• one in the semifinal 
• = 10 paintings BEFORE THE FINAL!

Which can only be positive for the programme, the artists and the viewers.

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More information

• This is the page about the change
• This is the CASTING PAGE page which sets out how it all works in 2026 - in more detail.

Frankly, I think the information provided is less than is needed. Hence why this blog post continues as it does.

What sort of artist are they trying to recruit for the PODS?

Having just ten artists for the entire series would, I expect, mean a different approach to selection.

RBA Rising Stars 2025 at the ROSL and three prizewinners

Earlier this month I attended the Private View and Awards Announcement for the RBA Rising Stars Exhibition at the Royal Overseas League.

View of the PV for the RBA Rising Stars Exhibition 2025 - speeches are getting underway

The Rising Stars art competition does two things:

• it produces a longlist of c.40 young artists (under the age of 35) who become semi-finalisrs for the Rome Scholarship who will have an opportunity to exhibit their artwork in an exhibition at the Royal Overseas League.
• reviewing the artwork and the applications also enables the identification of a shortlist of three artists who then go through a further process of being interviewed for the chance to win the Rome Scholarship - which is certainly a prize any young artist would think worth having 

The 3 Selected Finalists are advised to bring with them for interview any sketchbooks or journals which show their exploration of techniques or development of their ideas

The RBA Rome Scholarship

The competition is held as an Open Call by the Royal Society of British Artists.

• It's open to artists under the age of 35. Those applying need to be:
• living and working in the UK and 
• produce figurative artwork which can be a painting, drawing, printmaking or sculpture. 

This is the link to the Rome Scholarship 2025 webpage. 

It's officially known as The Marianne Von Werther Memorial Award - but in shorthand is also known as the "RBA Rome Scholarship"

The winner's prize comprises

• £5000 prize money
• Four weeks accommodation in a self-contained apartment, situated within a wonderful and extensive walled garden in the grounds of the Sala Uno gallery - a prestigious gallery in the centre of Rome
• Studio space - available within the gallery
• Two meals per day, provided at a nearby restaurant
• Return flights to Rome

The two runners-up also receive £1000 

Plus all three candidates will have one work included in the RBA Annual Exhibition in 2026.

Three Finalists

Here are the three artists who have been selected for a further review of their artwork and sketchbooks as part of a portfolio review / interview.

By way of a preview as to the challenge of the choice for this Scholarship, I will say that the last two winners of this award (Joshua Donkor 2024 and Aelfred Hillman 2023) are both producing exceptional art which is selling phenomenally well.

Below are the three young finalists for 2025 - who were announced at the PV

• TF Ashley @tfashleyart an artist and illustrator based in Oxford, UK. His recent work focuses on large-scale drawing in a wide variety of styles and traditional media and explores our shared human experience, engaging with themes such as identity, migration, and socio-political realities.
• Katie Kaur @katiekaur.art- a half-Indian British artist based in London, currently studying for an MA Painting at the Royal College of Art. Her work seeks a visual language that bridges the material and sensorial, the ephemeral and the physical.
• Ken Nwadiogbu @kennwadiogbu -  a Nigerian-born multidisciplinary visual artist, based in London. He's a graduate of the Royal College of Art, London (MA Painting).  He creates innovative conceptual drawings and paintings on various surfaces as he engages in multidisciplinary modes. He has also exhibited internationally.
  

The three finalists with the RBA team

The three artworks by the finalists for the Rome Scholarship

About Mokuhanga - Japanese woodblock printing

Following on from Thursday's post, which highlighted two unusual media used in Heat 5 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2025, this post is about Mokuhanga - Japanese woodblock printing.

The other new media was alcohol inks which was covered in yesterday's post Alcohol Inks - information and WARNINGS about use!

Mokuhanga - Japanese woodblock printing

Image of tools used in the production of Japanese Woodblock printing
courtesy The Japanese Gallery article about woodblock printing

What's different about Mokuhanga

• best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre of single sheets
• widely used for text as well as images
• various woods can be used, but the preferred wood is cherry wood 
• uses water-based inks and Nori Starch paste, rather than oil based inks (which are typically used for woodblock printing in the West)
• inking is done with a brush rather than a roller.
• the baren used to press the ink into the paper is made from bamboo leaf and paper
• it produces more subtle prints rather than the bold coloured prints associated with oils

A team of people were usually involved in the production of japanese woodblock prints. These were:

• the publisher (who usually had overall control of the process), 
• the designer/artist, 
• the block cutter and 
• the printer.

The V&A has a section on Japanese ukiyo- prints

How does it work?

This is a very nice video of a Japanese Woodblock Printmaking Workshop - A Printer's Tools and Workspace - by a nice Japanese lady with very good English subtitles

I managed to translate one word - baren! ;)

 

Essentially, the process is....

Call for Entries - Landscape Artist of the Year 2026 (Series 11)

This is about the Call for Entries for Landscape Artist of the Year (series 11).

If you'd like to take part read on! You can review my guide to entering Series 11 before you complete your application below! 

The deadline for submissions to be an artist participating in a pod in Landscape Artist of the Year Series Eleven is Friday 2nd May 2025

In the meantime you can:

• start watching Series 10 of LAOTY on Wednesday on Sky Arts. Episode 1 was filmed at Hampton Court (on at 2am and 8pm) Don't ask me why they broadcast at 2am - I have absolutely no idea! This gives you an idea of 
• what it takes to get selected and 
• what being an artist in a pod is like
• Have a think about watching the heats for Landscape Artist of the Year in 2026 - which will be filmed around the UK in Spring/Summer 2025.

Call for Entries for 

Series 11 of Landscape Artist of the Year (2026)

• First some basics about how the Landscape Artist of the Year (LAOTY) competition and how this television series works
• Then the details for entries for the heats which will be filmed this summer and broadcast at this time next year
• Finally - at the end - you will find my previous reviews of episodes of LAOTY since 2018 - providing access to all the Themes, Learning Points and Tips I've written about in past series. This advice is perennial!

The Basics of Landscape Artist of the Year

This is a televised competition. Artists enter with a landscape artwork created within the last 5 years. They are selected on merit by our panel of expert judges. At the heats they are given four hours to paint a particular, stunning landscape somewhere in the UK (locations announced closer to the time). Six heat winners get to compete at the Semi-Final. Three Semi-Finalists are selected for the Final. Just one Finalist is selected as the overall winner.

For the winner

• a prize of a commission valued at £10,000
• the title Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year

For all participants

• LOTS of publicity for you and your art
• traffic to your website and social media sites - so long as you remember to 
• create them and 
• publicise them!
• looks good on your CV 

Your submission

Basic of the Entry Process

Review: Episode 1 of Landscape Artist of the Year Series 9 (2024)

I've reviewed every series of Landscape Artist of the Year since 2018 and this is my review of the first episode of the eighth series of Landscape Artist of the Year 2024.  

It considers:

• the location and weather
• the artists' profiles
• themes arising during the episode
• who was shortlisted and who won

Preamble

The episodes are broadcast at 8pm every Wednesday evening on Sky Arts (on Freeview Channel 36 and Sky and Now TV).

As always 

• 48 artists are selected - from c.2,000 applications. 
• Eight of these artists compete in each heat on location in a pod by creating an artwork within 4 hours  about a selected landscape 
• the heats are held at each of the six locations which were filmed last summer in Aberdeenshire, Liverpool and Kent.
• three people are shortlisted and their heat painting and submission artwork are considered together
• the winner of each heat moves forward to the semi-finals
• where all the heat winners and one or more wildcards will compete for the three places in the final
• the three finalists produce two paintings - a commission and a painting 
• one artist is chosen as Landscape Artist of the Year
• receives a £10,000 commission to produce an artwork. This year it will be a view of Orkney and its contribution to a sustainable economy. (I think wind turbines will feature!)

You can access my previous reviews of episodes of Landscape Artist of the Year since 2018 on my Art on Television page.

Episode 1: Dunnottar Castle, Aberdeenshire

Location and Weather

Last night it was such a relief to find that the first episode of Series 9 Landscape Artist of the Year had a magnificent landscape. Especially after all those tortuous structures, locations and big buildings in Series 8.

Part of Dunnottar Castle on the left
with the pods in the foreground - close to the cliff edge 
and the wildcards on the far cliff edge
plus good weather - for most of the day

The location for the first episode was simply stunning - in an epic way! It certainly provided an immense view.

The ruins of Dunnottar Castle sits on an outcrop from the rugged North Sea Coast in Aberdeenshire. Both castle and sliffs are are just amazingly photogenic. Do check out the website - embedded in its name - this is the history

Dunnottar Castle plays a vital role in the safekeeping of the Scottish crown jewels, the Honours of Scotland (in 1651-2)

So - no complaints from me (compared to last season!). The only thing of concern was whether the pods were firmly weighted down given the close proximity of a very precipitous edge! ;)

The weather started off very bright and sunny and very slowly deteriorated over the day - although it threw in a rainbow at some point relative to the rain.

Magical!! Looks like it ought to be a blockbuster.....

I did wonder how long they had to wait before they got a rainfree spell for the announcements at the end!

The Usual Suspects - minus one

Last summer, Joan Bakewell retired from Artist of the Year. The omnipresent team in every episode now comprises the three Judges and now just one presenter. They are:

• Judges: Kate Bryan, Kathleen Soriano and Tai Shan Schierenberg
• Presenter: Just the one - Stephen Mangan

Kate Bryan, Kathleen Soriano, Tai Shan Shierenberg and Stephen Mangan
towards the end - in the rain

The Artists in the Pods

Below is a synopsis about each artist - in alphabetical order. 

LAOTY Episode 1 2024 Artists
left to right: Henry, Cat, Simon, Jen, Jess, Kristina, David and Alison 

The next comment - included in Episode 1 only - repeats what I've said in previous years. It would have been good to have had the opportunity to say it before this heat aired as I've never had a heat before with so little info about do many of the artists!!

TIP: If you were selected as a pod artist for LAOTY 2024 - and will be appearing on this blog in future episode reviews:

• do try and make sure you've licked all the places you can be found online into a good shape before the broadcast - I'll be looking for them!
• make sure it's very easy for me to find a profile of who you are and what you do. Those who get the longer profiles below are those who provide the "easy to find" info!

That's because what I say about you is largely dependent on what's said about you online! My first port of call is https://www.skyartsartistoftheyear.tv/landscape-artist-of-the-year/profiles/series-9/ where you see videos of them painting.

(Note: This week I've got two artists who've claimed domain names but not followed through and created a website before they appeared on television. Plus three who are practically non-existent online.)

You get extra comments from me if you've already followed me!

Episode 1 pod artists are listed BELOW in the alphabetical order of their surnames. 

• Links to their websites (if they have one) are embedded in their names. 
• Social media platforms are also referenced. 

Read the above tip to find out how to get a decent short bio / profile from me

• Simon Backley (Instagram) - a textile designer from Blackburn. Virtually no info online. His submission was described as "Hopperesque" by Tai!
• Kristina Chan (Instagram) - She is a Canadian printmaker who has studied in London. She now lives in London and works as an artist between printmaking, photography and public installation. Her submission was a large monochrome work on very thin Japanese paper. She has exhibited regularly in the UK and internationally and has had a number of commissions from important clients. (This profile is updated from the original published)
• Cat Croxford (Instagram | Linktr.ee) - landscape artist based in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. She is represented by several galleries including Clifton Fine Art in Bristol and my work can be found at Affordable Art Fair Battersea and Hampstead most years. She also run workshops and painting courses in South Oxfordshire and have written articles for art magazines. She usually starts with a completely black ground. She is mainly interested in painting trees. Of course, to test her ability to paint other things she's allocated to the north east coast of Scotland and a landscape with no trees
• Jess Gale (Instagram | Facebook) - a contemporary painter who is represented by Osborne Studio Gallery, British Art Portfolio and Athertongreen Art. She currently lives and works in London and Dorset. Born 1967 in Catterick, she first began to paint in 2010 and subsequently trained at The Heatherley School of Fine Art. She mainly focuses on landscape painting - both plein air and studio work - and uses a range of media.

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A post shared by Jessica Gale | Contemporary Artist (@jess.gale.art)

• Jen Maidment (Instagram / Facebook / Saatchi) A contemporary portrait and landscape artist, from Yorkshire who is currently living in Caerphilly in South Wales. She entered with a tiny painting of her friend's London front garden. She is skilled at a graphic treatment of greens.
• Henry McAlpine (Instagram) Brought up in Northumberland - which influences his work. He has a First Class Honours Degree in Fine Art from Leeds University before going on to study traditional drawing and painting techniques. He is inspired by nature and Futurism and German Expressionism. Since graduation, has exhibited his art in a variety of exhibitions across the UK and in 2023 he had a painting in the DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibition. 
• David Schab (Instagram | Saatchi) - a Polish artist who lives in Bristol and produces colourful paintings. Minimal info online.
• Alison Whateley (Instagram | Facebook | Linktr.ee) - a textile / mixed media artist who lives in Devon. She uses haberdashery and, in particular, sheer fabrics plus appliqué and free mot to create atmospheric landscapes. She had a textile artwork in the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition at the end of last year. As is not unusual with most textile artists she had difficulty with using fabric in a windy situation during the heat but I thought she coped admirably. 

What I can tell you is that it was exciting, challenging, nerve-wracking and fun. I met the most lovely people and made new friends. But most of all it was an amazing, unforgettable experience.
Alison Whateley commenting on the heat on Instagram

Oddly, all three blokes were bearded. I don't remember anything about that that in the terms and conditions....

The Wildcard Artists

The wildcard artists were in view of the pods but on a separate headland which also overlooked Dunnottar Castle giving them a certain "on a par" position with the pod artists.

The gap between wildcard artists and Dunnottar Castle

INNOVATION: The Submissions

We have an INNOVATION. I'm not sure whether it's because of the particularly wild location of this first heat, but the submissions are no longer lined up in a tent erected specifically for  viewing the submissions.

They are now displayed

• INSIDE the Pod - one easel for the current painting and one easel for the submission
• ALONGSIDE the developing heat painting

I comment more about this in one of the THEMES below.

Submission artwork exhibited INSIDE the pod

Themes & Learning Points

Every week, in my review, I highlight what I observed as being some of the themes arising from the location, the day and the nature of the artists in this week's episode.

Review: Episode 1 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2023 - Blackpool Beach and Pier

This review of the first episode of the eighth series of Landscape Artist of the Year 2023 considers:

• the location and weather
• the artists' profiles
• themes arising during the episode
• who was shortlisted and who won

The new (eighth) series has 

• 48 artists in pods over six episodes (prior to the semi-final and final) 
• plus 50 wildcard artists 
• at each of the six locations they filmed at during Summer 2022. 

They filmed before the 2022 extreme heatwave got underway so it'll be interesting to see what weather challenges get presented.

Episode 1: Blackpool Beach and Pier

Location & Weather

Pods on the Promenade at Blackpool
with the North Pier and the Irish Sea in the background

The location for the first episode was Blackpool. It involved the Pods lined up on the Promenade in front of the Beach and to the side of the Victorian North Pier which is: 

• the longest and oldest pier of three piers in Blackpool and dates back to 1863. 
• the only Blackpool pier to hold Grade II listed status and 
• often classed as a family favourite for visitors.

Blackpool is a coastal seaside resort in Lancashire which rose to prominence with the advent of the railways in the 19th Century - becoming a regular holiday destination for many living in the northwest. 

The broadcast included photographs of Dame Joan Bakewell as a small child on the beach at Blackpool - which looked incredibly similar to photos of my late Mother on the same beach! I suspect many others who grew up in the northwest have similar photos!

The day started dull and overcast and brightened up as the day went on. But no rain.

The view was described as being one of their most challenging subjects - with the potential for not a lot happening for ages and then a lot happening all at once.

The Usual Suspects

We have, as always, the same regulars as previous series - so no changes there. I don't think Tai got the memo about the white shoes....

Left to right:

Judges: Kathleen Soriano, Kate Bryan, Tai Shan Schierenberg

Presenters: Dame Joan Bakewell, Stephen Mangan

The Artists in the Pods

Below is a synopsis about each artist - in alphabetical order. In the past I've highlighted some of the problems associated with artists who were allowed to decide whether they should be designated professional or amateur and in this series Sky Arts has stopped dividing them into professionals and amateurs and so have I!

TIP: If you were selected as a pod artist for LAOTY 2023 - and will be appearing on this blog in future episode reviews:

• do try and make sure you've licked all the places you can be found online into a good shape before the broadcast - I'll be looking for them!
• make sure it's very easy for me to find a profile of who you are and what you do. Those who get the longer profiles below are those who provide the "easy to find" info!

Episode 1 pod artists are listed BELOW in the alphabetical order of their surnames. Links to their websites are embedded in their names. Social media platforms are also referenced. Read the above tip to find out how to get a decent profile....

2nd International Original Print Exhibition (2022)

I went to see the International Original Print Exhibition 2022 at the Bankside Gallery on the South Bank on Tuesday. It finishes on Sunday 2nd October.

I can certainly highly recommend it as a diverse collection of original fine art prints which demonstrate the diversity in different approaches to print-making

The prints also varied between the very colourful and monochrome.

All the works exhibited are the result of an open submission exhibition established by the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. The aim of the exhibition is to celebrate the best in all forms of contemporary printmaking.

These include

• aquatint etching
• chine collé
• copperplate engraving
• digital 
• drypoint
• etching
• giclee
• hand stencilled screenprint
• high relief carborundum
• intaglio gravure
• laser engraved woodcut
• linocut
• lithograph
• mezzotint
• mokuhanga (water-based woodblock)
• monotype
• photolithography
• photopolymer etching
• risograph
• screenprint
• silkscreen and woodcut
• soft ground
• solar etching
• stone lithography
• woodcut and stencil
• woodblock

and variations on the above.

It's also an exhibition with a wide variety of sponsors of both the exhibition and/or individual awards.

The overall bias of subject matter is either abstracted or landscape oriented with fewer images of people than you might expect. 

Review: Episode 5 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 -

...and so to the  fifth and FINAL episode of Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 had a different perspective on Compton Verney in Warwickshire.

Awaiting the decision as to who is shortlisted in the final episode of this series. 

Episode 5 - View of the House and Gardens at Compton Verney

This post considers:

• the location and weather
• the artists profiles
• themes arising during the episode
• who was shortlisted and who won

Location

This episode had a different perspective on the house at Compton Verney in Warwickshire.  The LAOTY production team has obviously learned from the disastrous upfront and "in your face" and very boring view of the back of the stately home in the previous series and went with a perspective looking back at the house - from a great distance!!

Indeed the pods were so far back, a number of artists chose to exclude the house from their landscape compositions!

The pods at some distance from the house in the grounds of Compton Verney
https://www.comptonverney.org.uk/

Compton Verney House is an aristocratic family home set in acres of parkland - which is now an art gallery. It opened to the public as a major, nationally accredited art gallery in March 2004. It had been saved for the nation by Sir Peter Moores who gifted it to the Compton Verney House Trust (CVHT) and has susequently developed a number of important art collections which are under-represented in national collections. Kathleen Soriano, one of the Judges, was the Director of the Gallery for four years. It's where there's an exhibition of portraits from previous series of Portrait Artist of the Year - see EXHIBITION: Portrait Artist of the Year (2013 - 2021) opening next week.

A new commemorative exhibition of portraits generated by eight series of "Portrait Artist of the Year" is to be held at Compton Verney Art Gallery - between 19 February – 5 June 2022.

So you could go and visit the exhibition - and then take your paints and have a go at painting the view from where the pods located in this episode!

Weather

It looked as if they had a perfect day, good light without the sunlight being blinding and warm but not too hot - and no rain.

The Artists

These are the final eight artists selected from the 2,000 artists who applied. Links to their websites are embedded in their names and links to social media sites provided where identified.

Professional Artists

Five professional artists participated in this episode

• Julia Borodina - a Fine Art Painter educated in Russia and Britain. She's a full time professional artist and art teacher (classes & Zoom) who now lives and works in West Yorkshire and exhibits nationally and internationally including at the Annual Exhibitions of the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colour, the Royal Society of Marine Artists and the Society of Women Artists at the Mall Galleries in London. She enjoys painting landscapes from life outdoors - and it shows. Very sensibly she organises her artwork for sale on her website into price bands. She also works on commission for a variety of clients.
• Oliver Hurst (Facebook | Instagram | Twitter) - painter and illustrator based in Bath. Generally paints what he calls an "adjusted landscape" - often something with a historical theme or a fictional view influenced by current events.
• James Kirwan  (Instagram | Twitter) - Visual artist and muralist based in Dublin. His sites are short on bio detail. His submission was a painting of a view of the black valley in County Kerry and uses his technique of spraying a frame first. 
• Rebecca Noelle Purvis (Instagram) - an American born artist who is now based in Northumberland. Studied illustration and printmaking at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She has taught art for over 20 years in both private classes and in University classes. She now teaches in Northumberland and for commissioned classes. She works in mixed media on brown paper (from brown paper bags).
• Kate Aggett (Facebook | Instagram)  - Based in North Devon, she has a BA degree in fashion and textiles and creates collage artwork from natural materials eg reclaimed fabrics, handmade papers, card, pastel and mulberry silk papers to dried pressed leaves, feathers, bark and lichen. She is an Academician at the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts (SWAc), a member of The Fine Art Trade Guild and an Associate Guild Society Artist (AGSA). This is her blog post Competing in Landscape Artist of the Year 2022

The weather was in our favour on that long 12 hour day of filming and we all worked to the best of our abilities in the four hours given to produce a picture.  It was such a fabulous, energetic, positive experience. One which took me completely out of my comfort zone. Panic, excitement and working amongst a flurry of film crew whilst trying to focus allowed me or rather forced me to approach my work in a more fluid, sketchy spontaneous way which I hope to take into my future work. Very freeing and satisfying. Just could have done with another four hours and a sit down! 

Kate Aggett

Amateur Artists 

There were three amateur artists

• Raymond Gill (Instagram) - a former architect who retired 13 years ago. He likes to add narrative to his landscape paintings and created a fantastical nuclear plant for his submission
• Quango Leung (Facebook | Instagram) - A hairdresser who has recently turned to landscape art. He produced a very energetic pastel submission of Hong Kong protestors sitting down with their umbrellas. However his website indicates no other landscapes.
• Adalia Mynett  (Facebook | Instagram | Degree show)- an MA Fine Art student at BCU following BA Fine Art at Aberystwyth University. Her submission was the view from her student residence. She always starts from the darkest colours in her paintings. She also paints from life a lot and keeps her paints in her car and drives around looking for landscapes to paint! I like the paintings on her website better than the ones she did for LAOTY.

Wildcard Artists

As always 50 enthusiastic artists - both professionals and amateurs turned up to see what they could make of the subject matter.

As per normal, there were interesting aspects to the wildcard artists ( see themes below) - and an  eclectic arsenal of techniques and tools. This time we had 

• pyrography
• angle grinders
• and more people than usual using pastels

If I was a pod artist I'd be very jealous of their good view of the zingy deckchairs with reflections in the water

Submissions

The submissions for this episode were international and included

• Hong kong protesters with umbrellas
• A view of Manhattan from New Jersey
• A  streetlight in Aberwyswyth 
• A fantastical nuclear plant + Elvis lookalikes
• A romantic landscape in Ireland - with framing device
• A view in imagination of the artist
• A view of the harbour at Mousehole in Cornwall - using bark and leaves and tissues - which nevertheless manages to look like a hyperrealistic painting
• a view of a forest using loose mark-making

Themes and Learning Points

Bring your own Studio / Pod etc!

Both Pod artists and WildCards are liable to surprise in terms of what they bring with them.  Kate Aggett chose to bring most of her studio with her - including the table she normally works at.

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I spotted near the beginning that a number had brought their own version of a pod to keep them dry - in terms of various kinds of tents. One looked suspiciously like a toilet tent - and the owner was subsequently interviewed by Joan Bakewell - and my guess was correct. Apparently it can also double as a shower tent. Seems like a sensible solution to the omnipresent rain issue.

Fantastical images

What was interesting in this episode was that there were TWO artists in the pods whose submissions were fantasy landscapes  - they mixed elements of real landscapes today with aspects from history or total fantasy.

I'm left wondering whether last year's winner prompted more people to think that aspects of fantasy in landscape was acceptable. I think it's entirely possible we might see more in future - although I think it would be a great pity if this ever became a competition for fantasy illustrators as opposed to people who paint real life and landscapes.

Finding "the right view"

The major challenge - for every pod artist and wildcard artist in every episode - is to find "the right view".  

But what is "the right view"?

The Judges frequently opine near the beginning of every episode - before we get into the painting proper - what they are looking for on the day and what they think artists need to think about when deciding what to pick as their view. It's always worth listening out for - but it's just "an opinion" - and in my opinion, they're not always right.

This episode identified (explicitly or indirectly) a number of factors and a theme (see next point for the latter).

• How best to compose a visual interpretation of the Compton Verney estate and house - that is in essence the question. The next question is "both estate and house or estate or house and if the latter which?"
• What's the focal point? - I can usually tell who will NOT be in the shortlist by whether or not the artist has recognised the need to have one - and how you arrive at it
• Where to draw a line / how to choose the edges of the composition. Those who use a sketchbook before getting started are more likely to have made a considered response to this issue - but not always. I saw evidence of people not using their sketchbooks in an intelligent way. Drawing one large thumbnail in a sketchbook is not the same as trying and experimenting with different options before selecting the best option.
• What should you choose to replicate when the landscape is already designed and perfect? It's a very good question which is always relevant every time this series takes them to a historic house with parkland designed by Capability Brown or followers.

"the perfection is already there so we don't need to replicate it"

• How precise? The converse of "how loose?" I continue to be absolutely amazed by people who hone in on areas where they can start painting with precision before they have blocked in the complete landscape.
• What format - when faced with a panoramic view? Should you use a panoramic format or go for a vertical slice and maybe a portrait format?
• What size is right for the hours available? This seems to me to be a question which is not asked or answered well by numerous artists. I wonder how many realize that larger can sometimes be easier because it enables artists to work more loosely. (I well remember the complete sense of revelation the first time I 'went large'). Or that if you intend to work smaller, then it might well be advisable to send in a larger submission.

The Long View

Four of the artists went for "the long view" - these were

• James Kirwan - who included both bridges on the lake
• Julia Borodina - who included both the lake and the house and an expansive amount of parkland
• Quango Leung  - who chose to paint the house, the location and the film crew. At least I could see cameras and cameramen at some point!

I'm always left wondering how many go for a wander before painting starts to check out options and maybe take a sneeky photo or two....

How to apply and remove paint

I love it when we see artists using methods to add and remove paint which don't involve brushes. So we saw.......

• Julia using what looked very like a sponge to wipe on fluid paint as a sky very accurately and quickly. It's 'tricks' like this which can make all the difference to artists who need to find quick ways of applying first layers of their painting to make sure they finish within the four hours.

• a wildcard who was using pyrography to create her artwork. Now that's a technique where there is going back - a burned line does not erase easily!
• a wildcard chap using an VERY noisy angle grinder to remove paint

There's a school of thought on Twitter about those with the more unusual approaches i.e. that it's a common technique used to attract attention and get on television - and the film production companies fall for it every time! 

I do wonder though whether most viewers wouldn't prefer to see rather more of the wildcard paintings in preference to the latest 'gimmick'. 

Things that can trip you up

It's good to recognise that artists do realise there are various ways in which they can sabotage their own efforts. 

I remember well the episode where the artist had a very loud reminder note pinned in full view - to remind her of her particular rabbit hole which she needed to avoid.

This time a couple of artists identified the following

• Spending far too much time on one bit - at the expense of the rest of the  painting
• Not going fast enough generally - which means you're rushing at the end when you ought to be slowing down and taking a considered view of how best to maximise the impact of the painting

It's always very sad to see artists, who are obviously very competent, failing to finish on time and having unfinished paintings to present for the critique by the Judges.

I felt sure Raymond was a contender for the shortlist when he started - but he simply didn't finish his painting.

DECISION TIME

The Wildcard Winner

The Wildcard winner was pastel artist Ewen Walton from Henley on Thames. He was one of three pastel artists who caught the attention of the Judges.  (I can't find a website or any social media).

He produced a large and accomplished rendition of a sizeable corner of the parkland - and was not seduced by the bright colours of the deckchairs.

Note the use of the monochrome thumbnail sketch and the colour palette sketch pinned top left of his easel to provide 

• a record of the original idea for the composition and 
• a roadmap for the completion of the work.

The Judges thought it a wonderful evocation of the scene.

My favourite pastel artwork done by a wildcard was this one - in part because it broke a lot of usual rules e.g. don't put your focal point in the centre; don't have a vegetation fringe at the bottom of your artwork - but somehow it worked for me - and I liked the colourful deckchairs!  I've no idea who did it. If anybody wants to help me out with a name I'd be very happy to include it.

Who created this pastel painting?

The Shortlisted Artists

The artists waiting to hear who has been shortlisted

The shortlisted artists were (left to right below)

• Rebecca Noel Purves
• Oliver Hurst
• Julia Borodina

I don't recall another shortlist where two of the three artists came from other countries - although they now live in the UK.

It's interesting that two of the three had a quite wide perspective on the landscape panorama in front of them.

Plus they're also three very diverse interpretations of the same view. If hung in an exhibition in an art gallery you'd be hard put to realise they were yards apart in the same location when they drew/painted them.

Artwork by Rebecca Noelle Purvis, Oliver Hurst and Julia Borodina

Rebecca Noes Purvis

submission and heat painting by Rebecca Noelle Purvis

Both of Rebecca's drawings were panoramic - with one being a portrait slice of a distant view of Manhattan and the other being a panoramic landscape format view of the iconic trees in the foreground with a glimpse of the building which is Compton Verney House in the background.

The Judges commented that the language she uses for her drawing is very consistent despite changing format.

Oliver Hurst

submission and heat painting by Oliver Hurst

Oliver's is an interesting but quite small painting. If intending to paint small in the heat, I'm of the opinion that it's vital you demonstrate you can paint larger in your submission.

His two paintings have a consistency of both tone and colour palette and also across both the factual aspects and the illusions - but the submission is the stronger of the two. The heat painting seemed to lack any sort of narrative.

Julia Borodina

submission and heat painting by Julia Borodina

I was totally unsurprised that Julia got shortlisted. My only surprise was that she didn't win. I think she quite possibly lost out to the desire by Storyvault Films to NOT have every artist in the semi-final using the same media and painting in the same kind of way.

The Judges commented that: 

• Julia plunges into nature and understands well how it looks and feels
• She's very good at using the light to move the eye through paintings
• She has a great use of colour and uses it well to conjure up distance within her paintings.

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Heat Winner (Episode 5)

The shortlisted artists waiting to hear who has won
(Left to right) Rebecca Noelle Purvis, Oliver Hurst and Julia Borodina

The Heat Winner was Rebecca Noelle Purvis

Tai shared with us that the reason Rebecca won was "we all want to see what she does next"

She's a really intriguing artist. She uses mixed media but it's really all about drawing. Not just the appearance but something more and the result is beautiful surprising and takes us to a different place.

Semi Finals

The next episode is the Semi Finals - which will comprise the winners of the five heats plus a wildcard artist selected from the five wildcard artist winners in each heat.

They haven't put up the link as yet - but I happen to know that the semi finals involves "painting the Forth Bridge" - literally! 

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My blog posts for this series of LAOTY 2022

My reviews of the first four episodes in the current series are below

• Review: Episode 1 Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 - Eden Project Biomes
• Review: Episode 2 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 - Compton Verney Grounds
• Review: Episode 3 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 - Whitstable Harbour
• Review: Episode 4 Landscape Artist of the Year 2022 - Eden Project Gardens

This post is about the Call for Entries for those wanting to submit an application to paint in the heats to be held this summer.

• Sky Arts Artist of the Year Competitions: Call for Entries

Past Posts about Landscape Artist of the Year

CALLS FOR ENTRIES - Series 6, 7 and 8

• Sky Arts Artist of the Year Competitions: Call for Entries (for Series 8 in 2023)
• Call for entries extended for Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 7) in 2021 
• In my blog post - Call for Entries: Landscape Artist of the Year (Series 7) - I provide

• my overview of the call for entries - plus tips
• links to my reviews of past episodes - which also contain quite a few tips (also see below)
• NEW DEADLINE for Landscape Artist of the Year 2020: Friday 29th May
• Call for Entries: Landscape Artist of the Year 2020

To help you prepare I RECOMMEND that you

• Take a look at my reviews of the last THREE years (below) - which include lots of pics - to help you have a think about whether you want to enter.
• Watch previous series in a major binge on Sky or Now TV - where all episodes are available.

Below you can find

• the link to my reviews in the current and previous series
• THEMES identified in each of my reviews are highlighted under the link for each review of the episode
• links to blog posts written by the participants - always very helpful!

2021: SERIES 6

Filmed in 2020 after the first lockdown - and the production company were not travelling far from London!

• EPISODE 1: Review: Episode 1 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 at Chartwell + themes
• Artist profiles
• Composition and completion
• Simplification and what to leave in and what to leave out
• The importance of shadows
• Highly Coloured Grounds
• PLUS participant blog posts: 
• Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 | Stuart Jarvis
• Preliminary drawings of the day. | Stuart Jarvis - about how he prepared for the big day by setting himself the challenge of working in different places and to a time limit - to get used to drawing outside
• EPISODE 2: Review: Episode 2 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 at West Wycombe Park + themes
• Interpretation - producing something different
• Things Tai-Shan Schierenberg does not like
• Shifting conditions / "The water keeps changing"
• Practice beforehand
• PLUS Participants blog posts: 
• Sky Arts Landscape Artist Of The Year 2021- Part 1 (Before...) | Shaun Morris
• Sky Arts Landscape Artist Of The Year 2021 Part 2- The Day Of The Competition | Shaun Morris - with a very good account of what it's like on the day and how the heat makes you feel.
• EPISODE 3: Review: Episode 3 Landscape Artist of the Year at West Reservoir Hackney
• How best to combine nature and urban landscapes
• More of what Tai-Shan does not like
• No scope for walking away to work out what to do next
• Young painters
• Sometimes the second paintings are better
• EPISODE 4: Review: Episode 4 of Landscape Artist of the Year at Chartwell (the gardens)
• Green, green and more green
• A blue sky with nothing happening
• VERY big views with a lot in the distance
• Golden ratio and rule of thirds
• Knowing how big to go for the time allotted
• More about Tai's phobias
• EPISODE 5: Review: Episode 5 of Landscape Artist of the Year at West Wycombe House
• Working in different media - silkscreen printing and marker pens
• Give the artists a proper chance to do well (one for the production team!)
• How to use a frame to find a picture
• Coping with the weather
• What the artist likes to paint - and what happens if you avoid aspects you don't like
• The darkest darks and the lightest lights
• EPISODE 6: Review: Episode 6 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 at West Reservoir, Stoke Newington (again!)
• What is a landscape?
• Location: Do your research before the day
• Why you need a hat and umbrella to cope with extreme heat
• Having a strong base colour
• How to capture time as well as a landscape
• UPDATE: The need to train to generate your best result

“I had been called by the production company at the end of June to tell me that I had been selected. I knew I would only have four hours to paint something on the day, so set about training myself on days in July to create something acceptable in my style in four hours, I took some days off work and went off on my bike to paint for four hours in the open, so that on the day I would be used to sitting and painting for that time. It meant that on the day I was able to focus and not panic. In the end I think I did the best I could, but everyone can judge when they watch the programme." Stephen Jordan - Lecturer displays artistic talent on Sky Arts - who produced one of my favourite landscape entries for the competition (which had taken a while to paint) - see below - hence his approach to getting up to speed

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• SEMI-FINAL: Review: Semi Finals of Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
• What the Judges want to see
• Who is most likely to do well?
• Consistency versus Experimentation
• Coping with changing light and challenging weather
• Saying what you're painting

In my view those most likely to do well put very simply are

• those who have a well developed method for painting i.e. they know what they're doing and they've done it lots of time before
• those well used to painting plein air - and coping with all sorts of weather and variation of weather and light during the time you are painting
• artists who focus on composition and how best to represent the view
• those who produce the best paintings. It's not about style - it's about quality

• FINAL: Ophelia Redpath wins Landscape Artist of the Year 2021 at Trinity Buoy Wharf
• analysis of pod paintings and commission paintings

Commission and pod paintings respectively by:

(left to right) Shelagh Casebourne, Ophelia Redpath and Clare Lord

• COMMISSION: The £10,000 Landscape Artist of the Year Commission

2020: SERIES 5 

EPISODE 1: Review: Episode 1 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 at Smeaton Tower, Plymouth Hoe

• A dominant vertical and a strong horizontal and an awful lot of water
• Being flexible with your formats
• No game plan
• Finding the beauty on the day - and avoiding the twee
• and finally - don't arrive with a gimmick to market your normal artwork

EPISODE 2: Review: Episode 2 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 at Herstmonceux Observatory

• Finding clothing / kit solutions for extremely challenging weather
• Skies are important: what to do about a grey sky which keeps on changing
• The value of a coloured support
• Don't dodge the complexity (What to do when you don't like the subject)
• Where have the tablets all gone? 

EPISODE 3: Review: Episode 3 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 - Millenium Bridge Gateshead

• How to crop a complicated view
• Sketching as preparation
• How to work out the wildcard winner before the announcement
• Tools: masking tape and sharp edges
• Game Plans and time management
• Use the Heats to enhance your preparation 
• PLUS
• Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 | Camilla Dowse
• Landscape Artist of the Year 2019- Gateshead | Fujiko Rose
• Sky Arts 'Landscape Artist of the Year 2019' An amateur artist's journey ... | Keith Tunnicliffe
• Filming Day... | Keith Tunnicliffe 

EPISODE 4: Review: Episode 4 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 at Herstmonceux Castle

• What to do when it's a grey day with bad lighting
• Buildings versus nature
• What to do about a very BIG building which is very full on?
• Practical tips from a pod artist
• PLUS
• Smile for the Camera: Sky Landscape Artist of the Year | Sarah Manolescue
• Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 - Wild Card

EPISODE 5: Review: Episode 5 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 at the Tyne Bridge

• Studio Artist vs Plein Air Painter
• How many different ways can you paint the same view
• Where is the sun?
• To shadow or not to shadow
• Don't be twee!
• Different tools for different folks
• PLUS: Sky Landscape Artist of The Year Contestant! by Clare Bowen

EPISODE 6: Review: Episode 6 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 - Drake's Island

• Submission paintings reflecting last year's venues
• Which view to choose in bad weather?
• Which medium to use in changing weather?
• Lush oil and interesting brushwork
• Hold back on the kitsch
• Not a lot of tablets

SEMI FINAL: Review: Semi-Final of Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 at Cromarty Firth

• PLUS: Landscape Artist of the Year | Semi Finals | Cromarty Oil Rigs | Fujiko Rose 

FINAL: Fujiko Rose won Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 in Final at Battersea Power Statio

I'm adding Series 4 back in later!