PAY 2024 ep.1
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00:00Over 1,400 aspiring artists from across Britain and Ireland applied with self-portraits for
00:23the 11th series of Portrait Artist of the Year.
00:28It's an exquisite bit of painting. It's showing off.
00:3172 were ready to make a splash at the heats.
00:35I've applied to Portrait Artist of the Year every year to now finally be here.
00:40It's awesome.
00:41But not every well-intended plan goes without a hitch.
00:45There's always moments in painting where it either comes together or it doesn't,
00:49and I'm just grappling with that.
00:51I'm panicking, yes. I'm panicking time. No time.
00:57They're all vying for the coveted title and an incredible prize,
01:02a £10,000 commission of multi-award-winning broadcaster Lorraine Kelly
01:07for the Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.
01:10Our judges, art historian Kate Bryan, artist Taishan Shirenberg
01:16and curator Kathleen Soriano will be looking for an artist who can shift the dial.
01:23This year we've got some incredible artists making absolutely brilliant work.
01:28In order to win this competition, we want our winning artists to really push
01:32the boundaries of art history and move portraiture on.
01:36So who will become the next Portrait Artist of the Year?
01:42I need to make it more toned.
01:44How are you going to do that with a pencil?
01:54MUSIC FADES
02:00The artists competing in today's heat are...
02:04Jiwon Choi, a full-time artist living in London.
02:08Nerissa Deeks, a charity manager from Woking.
02:12Dublin-based artist Donal Guerin.
02:15And Lloyd Lewis, a martial arts teacher from Wales.
02:19I've applied to Portrait Artist of the Year
02:21every year for the last ten years,
02:23and to now finally be here is just amazing.
02:28It's awesome.
02:30Also taking part in today's heat are...
02:33Zuli Meheya, a gallery assistant living in London.
02:37Bath-based artist Matthew Watts.
02:40Emilio Bartolome Martin, a chef from London.
02:44Paul Lee, a visual effects animator living in Tunbridge Wells.
02:48And artist Imogen Alabaster from Edinburgh.
02:52It feels amazing to be finally standing here,
02:55and it's really lovely to see the buzz and everything happening.
02:58I am ready to get going. Yes, very much so. Let's do this.
03:04While the artists set up for a day of painting,
03:07the judges scrutinised the self-portraits
03:09that earned them a place in the competition.
03:13Let's meet the first one head-on
03:15with this very powerful, almost defiant pose.
03:19When you look at the detail,
03:20I mean, the hands are really beautifully observed,
03:23and the hair is really quite spectacular.
03:29It's this lovely kind of postage stamp masterpiece.
03:32I think what's really great is that this artist
03:34clearly has fun with colour,
03:36is able to achieve something very believable in the face,
03:39but doesn't over-employ it.
03:42Looking down at the mirror, it's not flattering,
03:45so I like that honesty about it,
03:47that wanting to reflect yourself as you really, really are.
03:52I would say it's sort of an act of showing off and saying,
03:55this is what paint is, it's just a gloopy, muddy mess,
04:00and this is what I can make out of it.
04:06What's going on here? This is busy.
04:08I mean, the level of focus and attention...
04:11It's like Rembrandt sort of fell into the 21st century,
04:14really playing around with art history,
04:16doing something radical different.
04:21I think this is just fabulous.
04:23It's big and honest and a great bit of drawing
04:26in the sheen on the jacket, or the anorak,
04:28you know, it's just beautiful.
04:33That apron is effectively a palette,
04:35and there's almost quite a pained expression on the artist's face.
04:38I mean, this really, for me, is a portrait of,
04:41oh, it's really hard to be an artist, and you feel it.
04:47I think the way the paint's put down is very beautiful,
04:50and the likeness is obviously somebody who,
04:52you know, this person can really paint good portraits.
04:57I think this is a remarkable painting.
04:59I mean, it slightly puts me on edge
05:01because it's got such a psychological intensity.
05:03This is not situated in a time or space.
05:06We are in someone's mind in this painting.
05:19Your sitter is an award-winning actress and singer
05:23who rocketed to fame in the Apple TV comedy series Ted Lasso.
05:28As a presenter,
05:31she wowed international audiences last year
05:33as the host of the Eurovision Song Contest.
05:36It's my pleasure to welcome Hannah Waddingham.
05:39CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
05:42Hi!
05:44Morning! Morning!
05:49Hi, Hannah.
05:51Hello.
05:53Great to meet you.
05:57Ooh!
06:01Why am I strangely nervous?
06:03Are you nervous? Yes! Are you?
06:05What are you nervous about? Do you know what?
06:07Letting them down.
06:09I just want to be the best version of myself for them.
06:12We asked you to bring an object that means something to you.
06:14What have you brought along with you today?
06:16I've brought along my subtle little Primetime Emmy Award.
06:21No, but this is why I wanted to bring it,
06:23because my daughter is my greatest achievement in life.
06:26She's eight, she's nine, and she just made me that.
06:31And this is my greatest work achievement. Fantastic.
06:37Your sitter today is British daytime TV royalty.
06:41He's been on our screens for over four decades,
06:44he's an accomplished author,
06:46and he's half of iconic duo Richard and Judy.
06:51Please welcome Richard Madeley!
06:53CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
06:56Thank you. Hello.
06:58It's lovely to meet you. Thank you.
07:00Hello. Very nice to meet you.
07:04Good luck. Thank you.
07:06Oh, how are you? Nice to see you.
07:08Nice to see you.
07:10Wow. Thank you very much indeed.
07:13That's really kind of you, thank you.
07:15I can only apologise, you know.
07:18I was going to ask if you had a portrait painted,
07:21but you must have one in the attic.
07:23The Dorian Gray thing. Yeah, because, I mean, look at you.
07:26What are you, 106 now? Yes.
07:28No, you flatter me. You're so young.
07:30No, I'm 109. 109.
07:32Now, we asked you to bring something along. Yeah.
07:34What have you got?
07:35Well, as you can see, it's a planet Earth, basically.
07:38I saw this in a charity shop and I just fell in love with it.
07:41Great. I will leave you to get on with it. Okey-dokey.
07:47Your sitter is a wonderful performer
07:51with far too many credits across film and theatre and TV
07:55to go into here,
07:56but her latest hit is the Apple TV drama series Slow Horses.
08:01Please welcome the fantastic Saskia Reeves.
08:04CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
08:13Absolutely.
08:17Hello. Hello.
08:19Hello.
08:25You and I know each other, obviously. We do.
08:27Saskia and I went on a nine-month round-the-world tour
08:30with Much Ado, a brilliant Beatrice.
08:32How are you feeling?
08:33I'm all right. I thought I'd be more nervous, actually.
08:35Hello, everyone. Look at your lovely faces.
08:37Well, it's a very welcoming, warm atmosphere. It is, isn't it?
08:39Did you bring an object? I did. I'm not sure I can see.
08:41Oh, there it is, yeah.
08:43Taught me through the bike.
08:45It's my favourite thing.
08:47I've had it over 40 years, this bike.
08:49Excellent. Enjoy it. Thank you.
08:51I'll leave you in the capable hands of your artists.
09:00Artists, your challenge is about to begin.
09:03Are you ready? Are you steady?
09:05You have four hours. Go!
09:12You did something earlier when you had your right hand up,
09:15kind of across. You're kind of doing that, yeah.
09:24Perfect. Thank you very much.
09:26Happy? Yeah. Thanks.
09:28Do you need to take any pictures at all, or are you OK?
09:30You're not going to fidget, are you?
09:32Not much. No.
09:34I think I'll be all right. I'll try not to.
09:36Yeah. OK.
09:46MUSIC CONTINUES
09:56I'm just sort of carefully blocking in a few lines
10:00just to get the general shape of the head.
10:04I definitely feel focused, but it's more like
10:06if you were to take my pulse right now,
10:08I think you would take me to A&E.
10:10It is absolutely racing.
10:14Emilio Bartolome Martin is a chef
10:17who aspires to become a full-time artist.
10:20His submission, Painted In Oils, took eight days
10:23and is inspired by the Rembrandt painting
10:26Self-Portrait In Studio Attire.
10:31Where did you nick this from? What is this?
10:33It's a window. It's from the pub that I work at.
10:37We were having some renovations and I nicked the window off the wall.
10:41I'm thinking that will make a perfect palette.
10:43And for all this paint everywhere, there's not a spot yet.
10:46Not yet, no. How long will you be drawing for?
10:49As long as it takes, yeah.
10:52And I'm just trying to find the small things that make her her.
10:55You know, these just small dashes that everybody has
10:58that sort of tell this map and the story of your face,
11:01but I just need to find her first on this white canvas.
11:12Do you specialise in portraits? I do.
11:14It's your thing, is it? I love it.
11:16Are you Welsh? I am. Where are you from?
11:18Haverford West. Oh!
11:20I spent years of summer holidays in St David's.
11:24Beautiful.
11:30To be honest, I'm absolutely delighted that Richard has said
11:33it's part of the fabric of all our lives.
11:36We're all aware of Richard and Judy.
11:39We've had a lovely conversation about Pembrokeshire as well,
11:42so it's nice.
11:43I had a conversation with Richard Madeley earlier, so, you know,
11:46as you do.
11:47Lloyd Lewis is a martial arts teacher and artist from West Wales.
11:52His submission, painted in acrylics,
11:54took him over 100 hours to complete.
11:57Lloyd, it's interesting, the image you've chosen of Richard.
12:01He's giving you the side-eye here. He is. I think it's quite humorous.
12:04Well, Richard's very energetic and, you know,
12:07so I can't really make movement here,
12:09but I want to kind of have him looking at you,
12:11kind of going, like, challenging you.
12:13So within the historic kind of head and shoulders,
12:16you're giving it this contemporary twist, in a sense,
12:19by making Richard look like he's just about to say something to you,
12:23or you've just said something...
12:25Actually, you've just said something to him. Yes.
12:27And hopefully I haven't offended him.
12:29I think you might have, you know! Oh, no!
12:35MUSIC PLAYS
12:43There's a lot going on.
12:45I've never painted fur before,
12:47so I'm not quite sure how I'll approach that,
12:49but that's not a problem for right now. That's for later.
12:54Imogen Alabaster is a full-time artist from Edinburgh.
12:58Her self-portrait in oils is a reflection
13:02I'm guessing from your self-portrait
13:04and also the pose you've got here
13:06that you made Saskia put her hand up to her mouth?
13:08I did, yeah.
13:10I saw her do it earlier and I thought,
13:12it just looked natural to her.
13:14I love hands too, so...
13:16So, I mean, often we see with a straight portrait
13:18that artists want to introduce something else
13:20to give that sense of mood and tension.
13:22Are you thinking already about how you'll do that?
13:24When I put more of her clothes in the darkness
13:27and all these interesting tones,
13:29I'm hoping that that will kind of give it
13:31the depth and weight that it needs.
13:33You've just made a lot of progress in a very, very short time.
13:35Well, I always like...
13:37The first stage of painting is always really kind of free and fun
13:40and splashy and messy. And then it's awful.
13:42Yeah, then it's just like, why am I doing this? Downhill.
13:51I think Richard seems like a very calm person,
13:54so I don't think he's going to be a fidget,
13:56so I haven't taken a reference photo.
13:58I'm just going to be working from life.
14:01Nerissa Deeks is a charity manager from Woking.
14:04Her submission in Acrylics on Paper took just two hours
14:08and was part of an online challenge
14:10to create a daily self-portrait.
14:13Nerissa, you've gone eight times bigger.
14:16Bit different for a self-portrait
14:18because you're working on something internal
14:21and when you've got a subject,
14:23you're working with something that's external
14:25and you're hoping you're going to get some kind of synergy from it.
14:28So is this almost like a part of the day
14:30where you're kind of learning Richard's face
14:32and Richard's attitudes and then you can...
14:34Yeah, hopefully. Yeah. Fix him.
14:37Pin him down. Pin him down.
14:39All right, well, good luck pinning him down.
14:41I think I'll need it, yeah.
14:52Is that your one apron, Emilio?
14:54It is indeed my one apron.
14:56I've had it for around about a decade.
14:59It looks like, with all the paints flat,
15:01it's like a Pollock apron.
15:03Yeah, it's my one attempt at abstract painting so far, really.
15:18I'm feeling like things are maybe unravelling right now,
15:22but it's OK, it always gets worse before it gets better,
15:24so hopefully this means I'm on track.
15:33I'm hoping that it's starting to look like him,
15:36so I just need to make sure I keep what I've got
15:40and build on what I've got.
15:53For the last hour, nine artists have been busy
15:57capturing presenter Richard Madeley
16:00and actors Saskia Reeves and Hannah Waddingham.
16:09Chi-Hua, are you happy with how it's going?
16:11Yes, at the moment I'm satisfied,
16:14but I guess it needs a lot of touches.
16:17I need to make it more toned.
16:19How are you going to do that with pencils?
16:22Just, yeah, I will do all my best.
16:26Ji-Won Choi is a South Korean artist living in London.
16:30Her self-portrait in graphite pencil was part of a series she created
16:35focusing on the arduous effects of long-haul travel.
16:40How are you finding Hannah as a sitter?
16:42Oh, she's a completely fascinating sitter
16:46because I like her smile,
16:49I really try to capture her.
16:51How much time a day would you say you spend drawing?
16:54More than ten hours.
16:56Wow. So four hours is going to be no problem for you today?
16:59No, but a lot of pressure, actually.
17:01Right. And how are you coping with that?
17:03Are you listening to music?
17:04No, just Hannah and me.
17:06Just Hannah and you, OK, and the page.
17:09I'm not really anxious about too much today.
17:12I just want to produce a portrait that's not going to be horrendous.
17:15I think that's the main goal.
17:19Paul Lee is a visual effects animator living in Tunbridge Wells.
17:23His submission was painted from a photograph
17:25originally intended as a reference for a hand sculpture.
17:29I've got a lot of work to do.
17:31I've got a lot of work to do.
17:33I've got a lot of work to do.
17:36I've been watching you paint.
17:37You're looking at Saskia's head
17:39and you cover certain bits with your hand.
17:41What are you doing there?
17:43Well, it's only because I know those parts aren't finished.
17:46If I see those, I know they'll be distracting.
17:49So the bits you're not covering,
17:51they are doing what you want them to do?
17:53Yeah.
17:54Well, there are some of those, I presume.
17:56There are some, yeah.
17:57I think the colours are absolutely stunning
17:59and the likeness is spot on.
18:01Oh, thank you.
18:02When I encounter artists at this point,
18:04I want to say, don't mess it up.
18:06Try not to.
18:14I do quite a lot of portraits,
18:16but I don't really describe myself as a portrait painter,
18:20so I'm quite interested in other aspects of the sitter
18:23other than their likeness.
18:25Matthew Watts is a full-time artist from Bath.
18:29Painted in oils on wood,
18:31his self-portrait depicts him in his studio
18:34and is a reflection on his childhood.
18:36Matthew, what a fascinating image you're working from.
18:40There is such a strong shadow on Richard's face
18:43from the overhead lights.
18:45You obviously see something quite special in this.
18:47Yes.
18:48I quite like the tension
18:49and I quite like what it allows me to do with paint.
18:52There is a villainous quality to this.
18:54I mean, it's not just the dark shadow.
18:57It's also the way that the eyes are looking.
18:59Your submission wasn't exactly a walk in the park.
19:02That definitely had a strong psychological quality to it.
19:05Yes.
19:06Yeah, I think it's just what...
19:07It's the way I paint, it's what comes out.
19:09I guess I do consciously or unconsciously look for that drama.
19:15As well as attempting to hold the perfect pose,
19:18the sitters have each brought along a prized possession,
19:21which the artists can choose to include in their portraits.
19:25Saskia, what is interesting about your object?
19:28It's the largest object we've had on the show.
19:31Is it?
19:32It's also incredibly complex shape.
19:35But the object is supposed to tell the artists a bit more about you.
19:40Well, I'm half Dutch,
19:42so this bike is very much part of my DNA, I think.
19:46My mother bought it for me over 40 years ago
19:49and I've managed to hold on to it.
19:51Do you use it?
19:52I use it all the time.
19:53Oh, that's good.
20:00So, Hannah, you've brought your prize.
20:03It's a wonderful thing.
20:04I mean, I kind of had to because it was kind of a long time coming.
20:08I'm very proud of it.
20:09And so tell me about this wondrous thing.
20:11There was a spare bit of cardboard in the house.
20:14My daughter found it and just literally rolled it up
20:17and then said, oh, it looks like a bag.
20:19I said to her, I'm going to have that on the red carpet.
20:22She laughed, thinking I was joking.
20:24And I said, no.
20:25You and that are more important to me than any of it,
20:28so I want you with me.
20:30And my stylist said,
20:31well, you're not really going to use that, are you?
20:34And I was like, oh, I absolutely am now that you don't want me to.
20:39Richard, you're someone who, to me, seems incredibly dynamic.
20:43Is this a form of torture?
20:44On the contrary.
20:45I thought it was going to be.
20:47I rarely sit still.
20:49But it's not at all.
20:50It's lovely.
20:52And you brought this object in.
20:54I just love maps, traditional maps.
20:56And those who know me know that.
20:58So our house is full of them.
20:59And I'm going to use them.
21:00I'm going to use them.
21:01I'm going to use them.
21:02I'm going to use them.
21:03I'm going to use them.
21:04I'm going to use them.
21:05I'm going to use them.
21:06I'm going to use them.
21:07So our house is full of them.
21:09You look great against this emerald green.
21:11Tell me about the meaning.
21:12When I was growing up,
21:13I spent a lot of time on my grandparents' farm in Shropshire.
21:16I love the greenness of the countryside.
21:18To me, it's the colour of my childhood,
21:20so it kind of reminds me of rural Shropshire,
21:22which is a beautiful place.
21:31Donal, you've done something
21:33that a lot of our artists sort of try to avoid.
21:36You've found a very elegant way of bringing Saskia's bike into it.
21:39Yeah, usually my backgrounds, as you can see from my self-portrait,
21:42are repeated patterns.
21:44So I just focused on the portrait first
21:47and then just went with my intuition,
21:49just to see how I could relate the bike into the picture.
21:54Donal Guerin is an artist from Dublin.
21:57His submission was drawn using a mirror,
21:59and its background is made up of one symbol,
22:02repeated hundreds of times to fill the space.
22:05Your self-portrait, it's incredibly intense,
22:08and then I only realised looking later
22:10that you use pen and ink, but you use biro as well.
22:13You can get a subtlety with a biro,
22:15where you can just get the transition of the shadows and stuff.
22:18So I start off with a light layer
22:20and then gradually crosshatch my way up.
22:22It's coming together nicely, and there is a fierce Saskia presence there.
22:26Yeah, very serious, very serious. Sorry about that.
22:33MUSIC
22:41I feel like we've given you an incredible gift today.
22:44I feel like she embodies a lot of the energy
22:46that I'm sort of trying to depict in my work.
22:49I hope that I can make her feel empowered.
22:54Zulie Mejia is an artist and gallery assistant
22:57originally from Peru.
22:59Her self-portrait, painted in oils, took two weeks to complete
23:03and is titled He Wants To Erase Me.
23:06How are you going to get that sense of strength into the portrait?
23:10I think a big part of that for me is going to be colour.
23:14I don't know how you're going to feel about this.
23:16I'm going to be doing blue on blue. Oh, right.
23:19Because I think blue is a very glamorous colour.
23:21So you've got a wonderful outline of the suit that Hannah's wearing.
23:25I feel like there's a lot of personality in her hair.
23:28It almost looks like a crown, really.
23:30Yeah. We're back to Queen Hannah again, aren't we? Yeah.
23:39Our nine artists are coming to the halfway point of today's challenge.
23:47It's OK. Not bad. Yeah.
23:49I guess I'm going to add more subtle details.
23:53Really careful I don't overdo it.
23:59I think my biggest concern is I'm going to start to overwork it
24:04and I don't want to start getting really fiddly with it.
24:14I'm struggling at the moment to just find the general skin tone
24:20of all her highlights.
24:22Perhaps my palette is just slightly wrong,
24:25but I'm just still working on trying to find it.
24:28But I know I will do, so I'm just going to keep going at it.
24:38It's going OK, but there's always moments in painting
24:42where it either comes together or it doesn't,
24:44and I'm just grappling with that.
24:55Richard Maidley, Saskia Reeves and Hannah Waddingham
24:59have been sitting for our artists for the past two hours.
25:08Halfway through, time to assess how everything's going.
25:11How's the day for you?
25:13We've got a lot of diverse styles today
25:15and very, very different approaches.
25:17We've got a lot of different styles.
25:19We've got a lot of different styles.
25:21So Richard is a very energetic presence,
25:24very engaged, chatting away.
25:26Well, I think the three artists there wanted to get to grips
25:29with their version of Richard,
25:31and I think he's fascinated by that process.
25:34Lloyd's working really hard on the likeness.
25:37He's really searching for something beneath the surface of Richard.
25:41Nerissa is painting from life.
25:44Her image of Richard is very impressive.
25:48Richard isn't there,
25:49but a sort of corporate journalist identity is there.
25:52The way in which Matthew goes in with his tiny little brushstrokes,
25:56so there's an urgency to the face
25:58that is starting to slowly come together.
26:00I do think the shadow is strange,
26:02but it clearly means something to Matthew.
26:05Hannah's wearing a fantastic colour, she's got a great pose,
26:08good sitter.
26:09She's got a great sense of humour,
26:11she's got a great sense of humour,
26:13she's got a great sense of humour,
26:15she's got a great sense of humour,
26:16she's got a great sense of humour,
26:17she's got a great sense of humour,
26:19she's got a great sense of humour,
26:20she's got a great sense of humour.
26:21everything seems proportionally correct,
26:23the colours seem nice,
26:24but I don't really feel like I'm getting that connection with Hannah.
26:28I hope it comes this afternoon.
26:29I think Emilio spent too much time
26:31trying to work out what colour his background was,
26:33when he knew right from the start
26:34that it's the flesh tones where he can really make it sing,
26:37so he's coming to it only now.
26:39That may be one that comes together in that last aisle.
26:42Do you want to go Hannah's likeness? I mean right from the start and I love the sense of
26:49Energy, but it's contained. What does it need? Does it need any more?
26:53It's one of those where it could be lost rather than kept
26:57Saskia's
26:58Section very speedy as a whole what I do like about that section is it has its own personality
27:04It's very bohemian bike riding Dutch person
27:08Which you don't often get on this show. Yeah, I love Paul's colors
27:11I mean, I think they were fantastic in the submission. They work really well in Saskia
27:15I'm slightly worried that with more time this afternoon given he could lose a bit of that energy
27:20I'm quite pleased with Imogen's work. She's kept it simple kept it tight on the face
27:24And so it's heading in the right direction
27:26I think Donal we wondered looking at Donald's submission how long all that took we now know not very long at all
27:33I don't know. He does it, you know, I used to buy road to
27:37Make a shopping list and he's created some shadows around Saskia's eyes. They're just absolutely stunning. It's just a pity. It's not quite her
27:51I
27:52Have found it to be a day of surprises actually in discoveries. It's the artists individual
27:58Reading of the person that they've painted and so I'm gonna be fascinated to see what they think I'm like
28:07I
28:10Bloody loved it. And if you don't have me back in a different outfit, I'm gonna be very cross
28:14But I did realize quite early on that. I'm accidentally manspreading. It was more about being comfortable
28:22But I'm really glad I did
28:31I'm very curious
28:34To know how they're feeling don't know it's been very focused for most of the day actually and
28:41Imogen has come in and out
28:43Almost like very focused and then much more objective
28:48Paul he seems quite content. Can't wait to see what they've done
28:53I
29:02Need to really fix
29:05Certain areas of the jacket and the hair. I'm no stranger to pressure
29:09I work as a chef, but this is a very different kind of pressure and not one that I'm particularly used to
29:24So Matthew, I feel like this has come together really really well over the last hour or so, how are you feeling about it?
29:33Man crosses arms looks worrying me as his portrait
29:42Yeah, there are still issues and do you have a plan for it at all I'm not the moment no, okay
29:54You
29:58Hannah is very expressive
30:03Yes
30:04How has it been capturing her likeness? I mean it wasn't easy actually
30:10Okay. Yes, because I really want to capture her true
30:15Yeah kind of face, but at the same time I love her smile
30:19Yeah, it's a difficult smile though. Yes, isn't it because it's it's resting but it's there and it could go wrong
30:27Are you happy with it? Yes at the moment. I guess it's okay
30:39Pretty much finished now, so it's not much left to do. I think I've kept it loose and haven't lost the likeness. So it's good
30:48As
30:53We're speeding towards the end I'm feeling a little bit nervous again because it's now very easy to suddenly blunder and
31:01Undo some good work that I've already done. So it's about
31:04Holding back and just choosing the right details to add
31:12I'm not gonna get everything done in the final hour
31:15Some bits are just gonna be left and other bits are gonna be nowhere near as finished as I like them to be
31:21It's just yet work work work
31:37With time running out Richard can't stop himself from doing the day job
31:43Matthew
31:44Ten minutes left. Do you feel satisfied with my I?
31:49Never feel satisfied. Yeah
32:01I think chaos controlling mode has calmed down. I'm feeling a lot more settled happy
32:12You
32:20The hair needs a little bit of attention the eyes everything
32:25Yeah
32:27I'm up against it
32:30Artists you have five minutes left
32:42You
32:51Everything is hurting but it's gonna be worth it. I don't you need brandy. Yeah
32:55You
33:08Artists times up, please put down your equipment and step away from your easels
33:25Oh
33:32Lord you're right
33:37You're gonna have to I've really loved this bit it's been like a little house
33:41For us for you know, like a little world, right? Let's put you out of your misery. God. No ready talk for a bit longer
33:49Artists, can I ask you please?
33:52To turn your easels. Oh my lord. Oh
34:02My god, I can't get over how different they are it is
34:08Moments of me everywhere right? Come on. Let's have a closer. Look. Shall we amazing?
34:13You
34:15God that blue is freakishly spot-on and you've got the corners of my mouth just
34:22Brilliantly, how the hell do you do things like that? That's just incredible
34:30She's very serious, which is a part of me that people might be unaware
34:36exists
34:37You and I were talking most yeah, I thought we had quite a playful relationship
34:46Yeah, it's really striking
34:51I genuinely don't know what to say about this one because you have very much captured how I see myself
35:00And it's very hard to not be emotional
35:04Because it's the other thing sorry
35:06When you are a tall big woman
35:09People don't think the other side exists
35:13Tissue
35:18Me too
35:25Thank You G1, thank you. Thank you. Okay
35:32There can be only one yeah
35:36Right, you want to know that now do you I think so excellent
35:40The one that
35:43my little girl
35:45Will think is most her silly mommy
36:01I
36:03Think we should have a look. Don't you?
36:06Artists, can I ask you please to turn your easels?
36:14Oh my word
36:18Fantastic. Oh, well done. Everybody. Should we look? Yeah. Oh, wow
36:27Gosh Paul, that's really amazing. Thank you. I love the
36:32Graphic naturalness the two words don't go together, but they do in the painting. I recognize that look
36:38Yeah. Yeah, it's absolutely fantastic. Thank you
36:45Wow
36:46It's extraordinary. It's quite moving. Actually. There's something quite soulful in it
36:52Which is unexpected
36:55That's really clever. Okay. Thank you
36:58Wow
37:00Wow, it's Turner. Yeah, I made you look very serious you did
37:05I
37:07Love that the color in the background
37:09Makes me think of an aura as well. And also what I might be thinking and it's really interesting. Thank you, right?
37:17I'm gonna have to ask you to pick one and one only to take away with you. Oh
37:24I don't know
37:28It'll go for Imogen
37:45This is the moment artists, can I ask you please to turn your easels? Oh, wait
37:52Oh
37:56My goodness
37:58They're completely different
38:01It's exactly the same person me
38:06seen through
38:09Totally subjective eyes Wow. Oh, I want to get a closer. Look. Yeah, let's do it
38:15Wow
38:18Lloyd I think you've captured my
38:22Curiosity when I look at that I see the journalist in me. I think it's a very very clever piece of work
38:28I really do. Thank you very much
38:31Now Nerissa you've caught my inner vulnerability
38:35That I'm not actually as confident as perhaps I try and come across as you know, yeah, it's amazing
38:41This
38:43Is brilliant Matthew
38:45You've captured my reflectiveness. I'm thinking about a subject a story. I'm analyzing
38:53This is really something. Thank you. So incredible, right? That's what you've got. We are indeed. No, you take one with you though. I
39:01like them all
39:03Equally but differently, but the one I'm taking home with me
39:07is Matthew's
39:11As
39:26The artists take a break the judges are able to consider today's work more closely. I
39:33Love Donald's
39:35It's so powerful, it's quite a hypnotic with the stylized bicycle wheels
39:40It's not a great likeness, but I think as an image it works very beautifully
39:47Imogen certainly set us up a challenge by incorporating the hand in this fashion
39:51I think what Imogen did manage to capture of Saskia's is that she's got it's a sensitive face, but it's a sharp face
39:57It's focused. It's attentive. I
40:00I
40:02Think this is a fabulous painting and Paul's really pulled it off the paint looks great. He's a great colorist
40:07I think he's got Saskia's likeness exceptionally well
40:14You know with Matt
40:16He definitely has something of Richard there, but I don't understand the shadow in the abstract
40:22I love the way Matthew puts paint down. I just wish he'd just gone with that
40:26An
40:28Artist working directly from life. I think in Nerissa's work the background here is gorgeous
40:33The treatment of the globe is just magnificent, but I think that she struggled
40:39Lloyd again another artist with a device he likes this idea of the head looming out
40:43But when you do that the amount of pressure that's on the head itself is really really high that said he was successful in the
40:50end I think I
40:53I
40:53Keep wondering whether or not G1's portrait works so well because Hannah was such a great citizen
40:58She's still sitting here isn't she in a sense?
41:00Yeah, and you get that whole sort of personality the force of the personality into one's drawing. It's fabulous
41:07Emilio struggled being face on but he embraced it right from the start
41:11I'm looking at this and he's come up with a complete painting of a powerful woman the likeness isn't great, but you know
41:17It's a finished painting
41:20Silly set the bar very high with her strong pose and we thought we'd given her a marriage in heaven with Hannah
41:26I just wish the likeness was like 10% better and then there we'd be there
41:37I have to say these ones. I'm looking at here. I mean I feel as if I've got the three sitters here and sort of
41:44with subtleties
41:46Especially these two different aspects of the psychology of the sitter this one and this one's a no-brainer and
41:53And that's fabulous too. So I feel like they are not only great likenesses, but very interesting artworks. Yeah
42:04Thank you artists for working so hard today in creating such brilliant
42:08Portraits the judges have now looked at all of your work and have decided on a short list of three
42:15The first artist is
42:20Paul Lee
42:30The second is Jiwon Choi
42:36And
42:43The third artist to be shortlisted is Imogen Alabaster
42:57It's been such a wonderful day and it's just been amazing working alongside such talented people
43:03It's been tiring and and demanding and challenging, but I've really enjoyed it
43:15One of the artists said to me earlier that
43:18painting for her is a struggle with themselves that they are
43:24Fighting the whole time the life of an artist is always hard. Isn't it? I painting has got the word pain in it
43:30So
43:33We've brought out the three portraits from today you've chosen and we've matched them with the submissions
43:38We start with Paul an artist who really plays with color
43:42but then also an artist is really interested in shape to then actually come to both portraits and see that they're really sensitive and
43:49They look not just like the people they're supposed to be but they feel like the people
43:54It's got a simplicity and an interiority to it
43:57Which obviously Saskia had as a sitter today. So the two are good examples of the range that this artist has
44:06Jiwon has given us another extraordinary
44:09Pencil drawing with Hannah
44:10Jiwon's got this phenomenal sort of statuesqueness coming out of the drawing because of the space and the light behind Hannah
44:16So with very little producing two very different sort of psychological portraits
44:21I really love seeing the both of them together because they're even stronger
44:25You know, you think it's just great when someone can raise the bar
44:28With image and it really is always about the eyes in herself portrait. She's engaging and with Saskia
44:34She really is checking us out
44:36I mean, I mean that's extraordinary to understand eyes in a way where they're just not just the physical object
44:41But they are the thing that makes us human
44:45Paul
44:46Jiwon
44:47Imogen
44:48You've produced some beautiful work today and the judges have really struggled to pick just one of you out to go through to the semi-final
44:56but the artists they have chosen stood out because they created a sensitive and insightful portrait and
45:05that artist is
45:08Paul Lee
45:18Just feels crazy. I just can't believe it
45:21Would have been good to get to the final three and I would have been happy there but to win. It's just mad
45:27Paul's portrait is amazing because he has his own originality and unique characteristic. I love it
45:37I'll take so many positives away from today. It's been really encouraging and a confidence boost. It's been lovely
45:45I'm so happy to be here. I'm so happy to be here
45:49I'm so happy to be here. I'm so happy to be here
45:52It's been really encouraging and a confidence boost. It's been lovely
45:59The thing that excites us so much about Paul is the beauty of his mark-making colors
46:04married with an incredible insightful sense for human psyche and the ability to capture it
46:10We now can see that he can make really sensitive portraits
46:13So going forward we want to see more of that with maybe more in terms of composition
46:22It's just surreal really. I can't believe I've got through to the semi-final
46:27If you want to find out more about the competition and the artists featured visit our website
46:32www.skyartsartistoftheyear.tv
46:52www.skyartsartistoftheyear.tv