Portrait Artist Of The Year 2023
I had the wonderful experience of being a semi-finalist in the 10th series of this fantastic program.
“Thank you for a terrific day, and a fabulous portrait... I love the finished piece, and obviously on the day the right person won”
“Gail opens up another angle in portraiture. She can conjour up character and personality. That’s where she finds likeness. We’ve never seen that before.”
“one of the best blog posts I have ever read regarding how best to prepare for the Portrait Artist of the Year heats”
‘PAOTY’ - Sky Arts’ flagship program
This annual competition shows artists painting celebrity sitters, in front of a studio audience.
They are competing for a £10,000 commission, and to be named ‘Portrait Artist Of The Year’. The show has been running since 2013. Somewhere on the spectrum from terrifying to exhilarating for the contestants, it is compelling viewing.
Many of the best contemporary portrait artists have been on the show, it’s a bit of a rite of passage! I was a contestant in Series 10 (2023), when I got to paint Jay Rayner (food critic) and Emma Bunton (aka Baby Spice). You can watch all the shows on Sky Arts on Now TV.
Read all about my experience in these four blog posts (all with lots of photos, with thanks to Stephanie Chappell stephaniechappell.com & big-dog.tv for the Semi-Final photos):