Portrait Artist Of The Year 2014 Press Pack

Tuesday 4 November 8pm
1
Contents
3Introduction
4 Series overview
5Episode guide:
The Heats
11 The Finals
12Interview:
Frank Skinner and
Joan Bakewell
14Interview:
The Judges
16Contacts
2
Introduction
From the first daubs
of paint on a blank
canvas to the looks
of amazement on
the famous sitters’
faces when the images
are revealed for the
first time, Sky Arts
Portrait Artist of the
Year invites viewers
on an incredible
journey. It’s back for
another year and once
again bursting with
jaw-dropping talent
and creativity.
The indomitable
presenting double act
of Frank Skinner and
Joan Bakewell are also
returning and I’m
personally delighted
that they will be
bringing their wit and
charm to proceedings
again this year. They’ll
be inviting the artists
to reveal the thought
process behind their
works, and share details
of the challenging
painting techniques
they employ in making
them, and along with
our expert team of
judges, Kathleen
Soriano, Tai-Shan
Schierenberg and Kate
Bryan, Frank and Joan
will help bring the
creative process to life.
One of the things I love
most about Portrait
Artist of the Year is
that it’s as enlightening
as it is entertaining.
At Sky Arts we know
our customers love
to fully immerse
themselves in the craft,
whether it’s music,
theatre or painting, and
Portrait Artist of the
Year 2014 is the perfect
reflection of that.
With over 1,600 artists
entering this year from
all over the UK and
Ireland, I’m confident
that the new series will
once again tap into
that creative passion
across the country.
Philip Edgar-Jones,
Director of Sky Arts
3
Overview
The hunt for the 2014
Sky Arts Portrait Artist
of the Year begins
as Frank Skinner and
Joan Bakewell return
to present the
competition in which
the country’s most
promising portrait
artists paint famous
faces against the clock.
Seventy-two artists,
chosen from 1,600
applicants who
submitted their
self-portraits, will
compete for the chance
to win a £10,000
commission to paint
actor Alan Cumming for
the Scottish National
Portrait Gallery’s
permanent collection.
During six heats, they’ll
get just four nail-biting
hours to paint celebrity
sitters before their
masterpieces fall
under the scrutiny
of the show’s three
judges: portrait
artist Tai-Shan
Schierenberg,
independent curator
and art historian
Kathleen Soriano and
Kate Bryan, head of
Contemporary at the
Fine Art Society.
The winners of each
of the heats, held in
London, Edinburgh,
Dublin and Cardiff, will
meet at the semi-final
at the Royal Academy,
where a double portrait
challenge will determine
which three finalists
will paint actor Sir Ian
McKellen in the grand
final held at the
National Portrait
Gallery in London.
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Episode guide – The Heats
Episode one
The competition starts
in London with Joan
and Frank welcoming
12 eager artists to
the Wallace Collection.
Under the watchful eye
of the judges, they get
four hours to paint
football legend Sol
Campbell, Game of
Thrones actress
Maisie Williams and
broadcaster John
Humphrys for a spot in
the semi-final.
Among the contestants
is Steve Dowson, who
spent two years on his
self-portrait, Louis
Smith, a professional
artist with a stopwatch
and a strict time plan,
Titus Agbara, who
paints with a palette
knife and Jamie Avis,
whose painting of
Williams takes three
anxious attempts.
When the sitters have
chosen their favourite
works, the judges invite
their top three artists
to discuss their
self-portrait and their
four-hour masterpiece.
Then, after deliberation,
discussion and a tough
decision, they reveal
who moves one step
closer to the grand final.
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Episode guide – The Heats
Episode two
Twelve more artists put
their nerves and artistic
flair to the test as the
competition shifts to
Edinburgh. In the
National Museum of
Scotland, their talent
will be judged on how
they capture actress
and impressionist
Ronni Ancona, Downton
Abbey writer Lord
Julian Fellowes and
Helena Kennedy QC.
A brilliant mix of
contestants includes
professional artist Noel
Bensted, who trained at
the Royal Academy, and
call centre worker David
Mealing, whose selfportrait is only the
second oil painting he
has ever produced.
The first of two heats in
Scotland showcases
some unusual mediums
and techniques,
including 18-year-old
Lauren Ross’s
centuries-old method
inspired by Leonardo
da Vinci. There is also
Culloden Robertson,
who paints on wood
instead of canvas,
and Cathy Thomas,
who bids to win the
heat by painting on
handmade paper.
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Episode guide – The Heats
Episode three
The search returns to
the National Museum
of Scotland, where the
sky-high standard of
portraits presents the
judges with their
toughest decision yet.
Twelve talented artists
mix their paints and
prime their canvases to
capture BAFTA-award
winning This Life star
Daniela Nardini,
Spandau Ballet’s Gary
Kemp and Ashley
Jensen, star of Sky 1’s
Christmas drama
Agatha Raisin and the
Quiche of Death.
Professional artist Jim
Strachan is dealt a
handicap when he
forgets to bring his
glasses, while another
contestant makes a
brave attempt to delve
into Jensen’s soul and
paint her ‘alter ego’.
Another claims to take
the same approach to
capturing his celebrity
sitter as he would if
he were painting a pile
of bricks.
There’s a twist in store
in the third week as an
incredibly close heat
produces a number of
astonishing portraits.
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Episode guide – The Heats
Episode four
Frank, Joan and the
judges move the action
to Wales as 12 gifted
artists anxiously set up
their easels at the
Senedd in Cardiff.
Comedian and actor
Greg Davies,
paralympian and
broadcaster Ade
Adepitan and
sportswoman Non
Evans strike their poses
as the artists bid to
paint their way in to the
semi-final.
With just four tense
hours to capture their
sitters, self-taught
artist Brian Kamau
hopes to leave his mark
on the competition by
using only pencil, while
contestant Bill Bone
makes the unusual
decision to cover
his canvas with wax
before starting.
Plus, having gone on to
win the title following
success in the Cardiff
heat, last year’s Sky
Arts Portrait Artist of
the Year winner Nick
Lord returns to reveal
how victory in the
competition has
changed his life.
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Episode guide – The Heats
Episode five
Author Jilly Cooper,
Outnumbered actor
Daniel Roche and
broadcaster and
presenter of The South
Bank Show Melvyn
Bragg take their
positions at the
Wallace Collection as
the search for the Sky
Arts Portrait Artist of
the Year returns to the
central London gallery.
While one brave artist
takes the bold decision
to depict Bragg entirely
in tapestry, another
hopes his four-hour
portrait will confound
expectations of
watercolour, a medium
he believes is grossly
underrated.
Also this week, the
heat’s youngest
competitor, 17-year-old
artist Annabel Adams,
is looking to win an
unusual bet with her
physics teacher, as well
as a place in the
semi-final. And, Luis
Morris, the winner of
last year’s London
heat held in Trafalgar
Square, returns to
reveal how his success
in the 2013 series
changed his artistic
fortunes.
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Episode guide – The Heats
Episode six
With just one place
remaining in the
semi-final, the search
for the 2014 Portrait
Artist of the Year
continues in Dublin.
The Divine Comedy
singer-songwriter Neil
Hannon, Star Trek actor
Colm Meaney and The
Corrs violinist Sharon
Corr each pose for
contestants in the final
nail-biting heat held at
the Irish Museum of
Modern Art.
Returning to the
competition is 2013
contestant Aine Divine,
who tries a different
tack for her second
shot at becoming
Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist
of the Year. Meanwhile,
Sharon Corr’s beauty
proves tough for
artist Nuala Herron
to capture.
Knowing he can take
home his favourite
portrait, Hannon hopes
to see an honest
depiction that doesn’t
flatter him. However,
when one painting
leaves him “devastated
by my own beauty”, his
decision proves nearly
as tricky as the judges’.
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Episode guide – The Finals
Episodes seven and eight
The action moves to the Royal Academy
for the semi-final before the artists paint
Sir Ian McKellen in a gripping final a week later.
Then, following the competition, a special
episode reveals the story of the 2014 Sky Arts
Portrait Artist of the Year.
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Interview
We met up with Frank
Skinner and Joan Bakewell
at the Wallace Collection
in London while they were
filming the first episode
of the new series.
Have you enjoyed making
the series so far?
Frank: It’s been fabulous.
It’s exhilarating to see so
much great stuff happening
in one room. I love seeing
these guys with paint on
their fingers and on their
clothes and with their tubes
and brushes lined up. You
can smell the art and it’s
great being in the midst of it.
Joan: We are having a
terrific time. We are really
enjoying each other’s
company and that of the
artists. Many are very
talkative and, if they aren’t
to begin with, they soon
become so. I have always
loved art and I like being
around artists. They are
such interesting people and
they are so focused. Seeing
people concentrate is one
of the most rewarding
things. It’s lovely watching
people work, especially
when you do not have to
work very hard yourself.
Why do you think
the series captures
the imagination of
Sky Arts viewers?
Frank: Well, my family watch
it and really like it and it’s
not just because I am in it.
I think you see so little of
the process of art. You can
go to a gallery and see lots
of fabulous stuff but it’s
finished and the story is
told. But watching the
telling of the story is
absolutely fascinating. It’s
great to be here with Joan,
and the judges are brilliant,
but the star of the show is
the art and the artists –
that is what people really
like to watch.
Have you enjoyed
presenting with Joan?
Frank: Yes, it’s been great.
She is such good fun.
I thought she might be a bit
stuffy and arty but she
absolutely isn’t. And the
judges are such a great
combination – whoever put
that team together did a
brilliant job. They respect
each other but they are also
very happy to argue quite
fearlessly and tell each
other that they are wrong.
I love watching them fight
over a painting. I also utterly
exploit them as a facility and
ask them lots of questions
about art, which has been
great for me.
Joan: I like the fact that
people are surprised that
I am working with Frank.
He is this global star and I
have been around since
even before he was born.
Well, not quite, but
practically. It has come as a
surprise to a lot of people
that we get on well, but not
to us because I think we
quite admire what each
other does.
Do you find you generally
agree with the judges’
decisions?
Frank: Probably about 70
per cent of the time. I have
been heartbroken a couple
of times over portraits that
I really loved and that didn’t
make it but the judges are
brilliant and hey, what do
I know?
What is a day like on set?
Joan: It’s very hectic. It’s a
long day. I am not a film star
so a 7.30am call for makeup
and hair is really not my
style. We are already doing
pieces to camera by 8-8.30
and from then we circulate
and watch the paintings
develop, have a word with
the artists and talk to
each other and the judges.
We know the judges very
well now.
Do you paint in your
free time?
Joan: I don’t. It would be
nice though. I have some
poor old paintbrushes ➜
I think the
contestants
that do well
are the ones
that basically
jump off the
cliff and go
for it
– Frank
12
Interview
that have never been used
and some dried-up tubes of
paint but that’s about it.
Frank: I don’t but Joan and
I have been talking about
entering into a pact where
we both start painting.
It does seem wrong that
we’re on this show and not
putting all the stuff that we
are learning into practice.
We think we might set
each other a watercolour
challenge. I think Joan has
done one watercolour
painting that she framed
and then put in a cupboard
but I don’t even have that.
Every time I do this I think
that I should give it a go.
What are the sitters like
this series?
Frank: We have some
excellent sitters and not
just from the point of view
of them being well-known
people who it’s exciting to
see. For example, everyone
has said what a good sitter
Sol Campbell is and that he
is very still and focused.
Basically, the facial
expression that he gave at
the beginning is the one
that he is giving now, which
really helps the artists.
Do the artists stay calm?
Frank: One thing all the
artists say is that the
painting of a portrait is not
flat ground and there are
some terrible deep valleys
and then some beautiful
high mountains. As you walk
around, you can see the
odd crisis but I think the
contestants that do well are
the ones that basically jump
off the cliff and go for it.
Joan: They are completely
committed to what they are
doing. It is extraordinary
how well they cope with us
surging around them. We
talk to them from time to
time and they don’t mind
being interrupted. The
development of the work
throughout the day is very
interesting to follow.
Sometimes you think an
artist is going off course or
losing it and then they just
come back. It’s wonderful to
watch that.
Have there been any
stand-out moments from
filming so far?
Frank: I spent about five
minutes talking to one artist
about his trousers. He wipes
his brushes on them and he
has been doing so for some
time. He was telling me that
he lives with a group of
artists and they are all quite
proud of their painting
clothes because they are
like a romantic badge of
honour. He actually knocked
on his trousers and it was a
bit like knocking on a
wooden door, they were so
hardened by paint. I love all
that. I love all the periphery
stuff. From here, I can see a
portrait of John Humphrys
that makes my heart sing
and that’s what’s great
about the show. We can get
up close and see it
happening and it’s a real
privilege. People have used
that word a lot but it
honestly does feel that way.
If you could select anyone
to paint you, who would
you choose?
Frank: I really like Hans
Holbein’s paintings of
Erasmus and Henry VIII so I
would be very happy to get
one of those done.
And if you could paint
anyone, who would
you choose?
Joan: For a sitter, you
need an interesting and
enthralling face: faces
that perhaps have some
mystery. Would I feel
more comfortable painting
a woman than a man? I’m
not sure. I know my way
around the female face. I
know how we worry about
where to put our makeup
and the bags under our
eyes and how we should
pluck our eyebrows so
maybe I would find it easier
to paint a woman. On the
other hand, if she was a
great beauty, I couldn’t
approach it because I
couldn’t do it justice.
Perhaps someone of a
certain age with loads of
character and with an
interesting life. Any ideas?
Judi Dench?
Judi would be wonderful. ■
Sometimes you
think an artist
is going off
course or losing
it and then
they just come
back. It’s
wonderful to
watch that
– Joan
13
Interview
the works with Kate and Tai
that I can work out my own
response to a painting and
my evaluation of it.
Kate: Today, for example,
there is one that Tai really
likes because it looks like one
of his paintings. Kathleen
and I will probably say no to
it just because we think he
has a soft spot for it.
Kathleen: Frank always
thinks that it’s the two girls
ganging up against poor old
Tai but of course it isn’t.
Well it is, but we are right.
We caught up with the
judges on set to talk about
choosing a winner, this
year’s contestants and how
they would cope with the
artists’ tough four-hour
time limit.
What are you looking for
in a winning portrait?
Kathleen: It is a mixture of
so many things. You are
looking for likeness but at
the same time, you want
context, character and a
sense of the person. We
want someone who can
paint portraiture in a fresh
and new way. That is what
we felt with last year’s
winner Nick right from the
very start. His work felt very
contemporary.
Kate: We don’t want
something that you would
just walk past, that’s flat or
lifeless with no soul,
psychological depth or
narrative. I’d really love
someone to capture the
entire set and yet still
deliver the portrait. If they
can do that, it’s golden. It
happens so rarely.
Is it hard to separate what
you like from what is good?
Kathleen: I think there is an
early stage of judging where
you do go with your own
taste but the minute that
you get to the really serious
stuff, you have to apply
other criteria as well,
which is to do with the
quality of the painting and
the artist’s ability.
Do you argue much among
yourselves?
Kathleen: I think we often
disagree on the runners-up
but we tend to agree on
the winner. We learn and
influence each other. It’s
only through talking about
Do you find that the
artists improve as the
competition continues?
Tai: Yes. Last year we saw
Nick develop very quickly
during the competition.
Each painting was better
and each time he learned
something new. We put a lot
of pressure on the artists
but that atmosphere makes
them up their game.
What do you think the
artists learned from the
first series?
Kathleen: I love the fact
that they were clearly
inspired by watching the
last series. We weren’t sure
whether last year would
encourage people or put
people off! This year, the
artists have seen the
environment in which we
are filming, whereas last
series the contestants
had no sense of what
they were falling into.
They didn’t know about
the number of interviews,
about the position of the
easels and the crowdedness
of the set.
The Judges
Tai Shan Schierenberg
Award-winning artist
Kathleen Soriano
Independent curator
and art historian
Kate Bryan Head of
Contemporary at the
Fine Art Society
Tai: Last year, Ewan
said that he trained
a lot and practised a lot
of four-hour portraits.
I think people thought OK,
he can do it so I am going
to try it too.
Kate: Yes, what is amazing
is that some people
approach it in a really
competitive and
professional way. They do
time trials to try to get their
portraits down to four
hours. I think people
realised that there were
competitors last year who
were fantastic artists yet
they fell down because they
couldn’t get to grips with
the time frame.
Tai, as an artist, how hard
would you find the
four-hour time limit?
Tai: A lot of my friends laugh
at me because they know I
lock myself away in my
studio for days. They say,
you couldn’t do this so how
can you judge people? ➜
It’s not just the
timescale that’s
remarkable, it’s
also how the
contestants
manage to
concentrate
with all that
chaos going on
– Tai
14
Interview
I’ve thought about it this
year and I think I could do it
but it would mean rejigging
the way that I work. But it’s
not just the timescale that’s
remarkable, it’s also how the
contestants manage to
concentrate with all that
chaos going on.
Kate: Tai has experience
against him because he has
been practising in his studio
but I have been speaking to
a couple of the younger
artists and they say there
are far fewer distractions
here than at school. Also, it’s
so easy to work something
to death. We have been
talking about how four
hours isn’t enough but,
for some people, it’s way
too much time.
Tell us about the artists
this year. Are there any
interesting backstories?
Kate: I think the overall
standard of entrants
has been really good this
year. We had a lot of
really good self-portraits.
There are people who are
really passionate artists
that do it all in their spare
time. Some have day jobs
such as being a security
guard, so they spend all
day looking at people
and get excited about
going home and
painting them.
Kathleen: There is a lovely
story about one of the
competitors who bought a
camper van a couple of
years ago so that his cost of
living was really low and he
just drives around the
Wiltshire Downs painting.
Kate: Yes, what is really
funny is he is a landscape
painter but he decided to
do a bit of portraiture after
seeing the show. His
self-portrait was his
first-ever portrait painting.
Out of all the artists in
history, who would you
choose to paint you?
Tai: I would say Alice Neel
because I am quite intrigued
by what she would do. She
has great psychological
insight.
Kathleen: Velázquez,
because a) I am half
Spanish and b) he’s one
of the greatest artists of
all time.
Kate: I’d have to go with
Titian as Penitent
Magdalene because I once
wrote 78,000 words on that
painting. I wouldn’t mind
Marlene Dumas either
though. It would be quite
cool and it would also
make me a multimillionaire.
I can’t help but say that as
an art dealer. ■
I think the
overall
standard of
entrants has
been really
good this year.
There are
people who
are really
passionate
artists that do
it all in their
spare time
– Kate
15
Contacts
Dominic Collett
dominic.collett@bskyb.com
020 7032 4892
Manisha Ferdinand
manisha.ferdinand@bskyb.com
020 7032 2842
Philippa Bailey
philippa.bailey@bskyb.com
020 7032 1491
DVD requests:
Alex Wood
alexander.wood@bskyb.com
020 7032 1488
Image requests:
Stills Department
stillsdepartment@bskyb.com
020 7032 4202
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