Last year I applied for and was accepted as a contestant on Landscape Artist of the Year. The episode was broadcast on the 1st February on the Sky Arts Channel. I was tasked with drawing or painting Blackpool Pleasure Beach as seen from the promenade. It is luck of the draw with this sort of thing and I found the view challenging with nothing particularly grabbing my interest, aside from the rusty old railings in front of me.
Although I am normally a slow worker, I had practised creating a picture within a four hour time slot with some success. But I hadn’t accounted for the various interruptions over the day which are all part of the programme. As well as the interviews in the pod, I was also asked questions by the film crew and occasionally had to vacate my pod to allow the cameras to view my work close up.
The weather added another challenge; at one point rain was blowing into the pod and later on I became sunburnt. With only an hour to go I realised that I had not got as much done as I had hoped and so decided to focus on the lower half of the picture featuring the railing. I felt that it was best to at least get some of the scene resolved to give the judges an idea of where I was heading
I didn’t win the round but I enjoyed the experience despite the weather, the view and lack of time. The other contestants were nice and supportive and the film crew made sure we had everything we needed throughout the day. I might apply again at some point.
A selection of my work is currently up for sale on the Sky Arts website and you can see them by following this link.