Astronaut Ballet Star and BAFTA Writer Sit | Portrait Artist of the Year

[00:00:02][music] >> Hello. Today's artists have some interesting hobbies from Olympic rowing to energy healing. Let's hope all that rowing and Reiki translates [music] into a steady hand. Welcome to Portrait Artist of the Year.

[00:00:16]In the last heat, Vincent Stokes' delicate, [music] narrative-rich pencil drawing of comedian Fatiha El Ghori wowed the [music] judges. I'm feeling absolutely fantastic. There are lots of great artists, [music] and I'm very grateful that the judges chose mine. Who will be the final artist to claim the last remaining spot in the semi-final?

[00:00:48]>> [music] >> The artists competing in the final heat of the competition are El Barrett, a conservation biology student from Surrey.

[00:00:58]Suffolk-based commercial mural artist Lucy Ambler.

[00:01:03]Louis Meeda, an artist from Hampshire.

[00:01:07]And Fiona Land, a former rowing champion from the Yorkshire Dales. My heart rate I've got this new watch, [music] and it told me it was 110, and normally it's around about 60, so Also in the running are Courtney Bay, a creative marketer from Surrey.

[00:01:28]Galway-based [music] portrait painter Steve Cannon.

[00:01:32]Han Guo, an artist living in Guildford.

[00:01:35]Eugene Evans, a social care [music] worker from Middlesbrough.

[00:01:39]And Silas Archibong, an art student living in London.

[00:01:44]I'm comfortable, you know, feeling at ease [music] at the moment. I love the lighting, and I'm excited to start drawing. Yeah.

[00:01:52]At stake is a £10,000 commission to create a portrait of award-winning [music] mathematician and broadcaster Professor Hannah Fry for the Royal Society to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the first women elected to its fellowship.

[00:02:07]Professor Kathleen Lonsdale and Professor Marjory Stephenson.

[00:02:11]Deciding which artist will earn the last place in the semi-final are our judges, award-winning artist Tai Shan Schierenberg, curator Kathleen Soriano, and art historian Kate Bryan. [music] It's the wall and I'm concerned for this plant. It is wilting so tied up with little bits of string. Then you realize the detail in this painting is extraordinary. His head in that space as well. You really start to think about this is an artist who's thinking about [music] their life and their work and its meaning.

[00:02:45]This has got this really wonderful quality of being a bit like an enlarged passport photo in its seriousness and also being like a really historic mummy portrait or something. Just the reduction in the colors, how it feels very dry.

[00:03:00]It's [music] great by virtue of what's not there really and the heightened coloration is not realistic but somehow all makes sense.

[00:03:11]Let's give this next painting a big hand.

[00:03:14]I mean it's a absolute slab of a hand if you really look at it. And then for that face to still be able to hold its own even though that it's being cast profoundly in shadow. So beautifully [music] observed.

[00:03:27]I love the sort of the roughness of it, the looseness of it and and the boldness of it actually with a face like that.

[00:03:34]The head slightly sort of enlarged.

[00:03:38]So romantic, it fits in a tradition of head and bust looking into the future.

[00:03:44]Then you get into the face and the marks are completely different. The marks are close, they're very well observed.

[00:03:54]The technique accomplishment of this charcoal drawing is incredible, isn't it? Yeah, I think it's really exciting when you have someone who can render something in a photo realist style. So, okay, I'll give you that in the top, but then in the bottom half I'm going to present something totally different.

[00:04:09]It's late [music] night. It's a enclosed world. There's no fresh air in there at all, is there? It's somebody deep in the zone, really.

[00:04:20]Clearly, some medical motives here.

[00:04:23]Crutches and a skeleton. It's super clever.

[00:04:26]You want to understand what the iconography is referencing. Aren't they the paintings that endure, the ones that don't reveal all their secrets at first glance? But then you have a fantastic Rembrandt portrait, which is just about fantastic head and nothing else, and that can hold you as well.

[00:04:41]So, there.

[00:04:42]Which you artist make up your mind.

[00:04:44]>> [laughter] >> Artist you'll see today is a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet.

[00:04:54]His repertoire includes all the classics, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker Suite. So, you need to be on point. As you welcome Reece Clark.

[00:05:03]>> [applause] [music] [applause] [applause and music] >> Hello, Reece. Hi.

[00:05:22]Wow.

[00:05:25]Look at the size of you.

[00:05:27]Well, welcome. So, you're going to stand for the whole 4 hours? I am. I hope that's not a bad decision. So, explain this incredible outfit you're wearing today.

[00:05:35]>> So, this is Count Albrecht from Giselle.

[00:05:37]He's a noble man arranged to be married from someone from the noble households, but he falls in love with a mere peasant girl, Giselle. Kind of deceives her. He doesn't tell her he's a noble man. She finds out, it's all very dramatic and dies of a broken heart. So, this is his Act Two costume. He's taking white lilies to the grave. How are you going to be standing? Are you going to be standing in some sort of pose or >> Uh subtle kind of pose. So, I'll be here, you know.

[00:05:58]>> All right. Very elegant movement of the hand there. I might incorporate that into my daily life.

[00:06:04]>> [laughter] >> Well, listen.

[00:06:07]Good luck. I leave you to your prince.

[00:06:10]>> [laughter] [music] >> Artists, your sitter today is a gifted writer whose poignant and powerful [music] Channel 4 comedy, Big Boys, won him a BAFTA. Please welcome the hilarious and the talented >> [music] >> Jack Rook.

[00:06:25]Hello.

[00:06:27]>> [applause] >> Hello, artists.

[00:06:31]I'm Jack. [applause] Nice to meet you. Hi. Hi.

[00:06:34]I'm Jack. Nice to meet you.

[00:06:36]>> Hello. Nice to meet you. Hi, Jack.

[00:06:37]All right.

[00:06:38]>> [applause] >> Nice to see you.

[00:06:39]This is your home. Oh my lord. Have a seat.

[00:06:43]There's more people here than I was expecting.

[00:06:46]>> [laughter] >> Great outfit. Thank you.

[00:06:49]>> the jacket.

[00:06:49]>> This is the outfit I wore in the finale episode of Big Boys. It's quite fun. And then this I brought It was my dad's black cab badge from back in the day.

[00:06:59]So, he passed away when I was about 15.

[00:07:01]And the show is kind of a bit of a tribute to him. There you go. What are you looking for today? I quite like being a writer. The dream of that job is that you get to just create whatever you want. And I would like to empower you all to just do the exact same. Perfect.

[00:07:15]What a cracking sitter you've got.

[00:07:20]Artists, when I say your sitter is out of this world, I mean it because he's actually been into space. Please welcome, as he enters your orbit, astronaut [music] Tim Peake.

[00:07:31]>> [applause] [applause] >> Hi, Adam.

[00:07:39]>> [cheering] >> Hi, Tim. Hi.

[00:07:46]>> [applause] [music] >> We don't get many astronauts on this [laughter] show. Welcome. It's very exciting to have you here. It's great to be here. You spent 6 months in the International Space Station, which I'm imagining is the size of a small cupboard.

[00:08:02]So sitting still in a chair for 4 hours That should be okay. I'm all right with sitting still. Okay. What exactly is this you wear?

[00:08:09]>> This is my training flight suit and I spent many many hours in it. It has been washed since, I promise.

[00:08:15]But this kind of takes me back to my my days of training for my mission. Right.

[00:08:19]Well, Tim, welcome. I'll leave you in the hands of your artists. Thank you very much.

[00:08:28]Artists, it's time to launch the challenge. You have 4 hours. 3 2 1 blast off. Your time starts now.

[00:08:39]Hi Tim, would it be okay to sacrifice the suit? Yeah, of course. Yes.

[00:08:43]Try and not smile. I know that's really hard. Try not to smile.

[00:08:47]>> [laughter] >> Do you want to try sitting on the floor?

[00:08:52]Maybe just like a straight on?

[00:08:55]Nice.

[00:08:56]I'm going to keep my hands here if that's okay for everyone. Whatever you're comfortable with.

[00:09:00]>> Okay, [music] cool.

[00:09:08]As each artist begins the portrait making process, they face the added challenge of [music] capturing three sitters dressed in outfits that reflect their professions.

[00:09:19]I'm really excited because I think there's a lot I can play with with his strength and muscle.

[00:09:25]But I really want to kind of crack through to his vulnerability side rather than the stage presence.

[00:09:31]So I've kind of asked him to play around with some other poses.

[00:09:35]Korean-American Courtney Bay is an artist and creative marketer for a charity.

[00:09:40]Her self-portrait [music] uses her signature muted tones and captures a moment of raw authenticity, which she terms beautiful [music] ugliness.

[00:09:49]Courtney, you're a woman on a mission.

[00:09:52]>> [laughter] >> It's happening very quickly.

[00:09:54]>> That's good. And talk to me about this because you've done this great wash and then this the outline in this sort of darker line. How do you sort of think about the idea of line and drawing?

[00:10:04]>> I think throughout the process you get really careful and nuanced and in the last stage of the painting I think I've got to be strong rather than soft and gentle and and careful. I need to have an opinion and so it kind of comes from that place where I want to put this line that is it's a bit scary for me, too.

[00:10:21]It's risky as well.

[00:10:22]>> It's risky. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:10:23]Yeah.

[00:10:35]Tim Peake, what a great sitter. I mean, an actual astronaut.

[00:10:40]Don't get to meet many of those in a day, do you?

[00:10:42]Absolutely amazing. I think I'm really lucky to have Fiona Land is a former Great British Olympic rower turned [music] graphic designer. Her self-portrait submission is based on a selfie she took in her garden and shows [music] her discomfort with being in the spotlight.

[00:10:58]Hi Fiona. Blue Tim.

[00:11:00]Yes, he's got a lovely blue flight suit, but I usually start with a blue anyway.

[00:11:05]Not really sure why. Okay. Well, you know, if it works.

[00:11:09]>> Yeah. So, we've got a head. Off to one side, I wanted to have a bit of space around him.

[00:11:14]>> Around good.

[00:11:15]See what I did there?

[00:11:16]>> See what you did there.

[00:11:17]>> And I might even sort of do a little bit of smushing to put a little bit of Oh, we love a smoosh. Let's smoosh smoosh him. Oh, yeah. Look at that. The smushing you could do with this.

[00:11:26]>> If it all goes horribly wrong, I can always smoosh.

[00:11:28]>> Will it, yeah?

[00:11:31]>> [music] >> So, I'm using a picture of Jack and of the canvas, and I'm layering the picture of Jack over the photo that I have of the canvas, and then changing the opacity up and down so that I can see what's going on.

[00:11:54]Commercial mural painter Lucy Ambler is also studying [music] to be an energy healer. Her submission in colored pencils on card is [music] titled Doors of Grief and was created during a breakup.

[00:12:06]Lucy, you've got the whole studio here.

[00:12:09]It's fantastic. You've got a picture of Jack, and I'm looking at your black canvas, and I'm kind of thinking what? Yeah. So, talk me through your process. I'm kind of looking at the reference. I know where I'm going to sit him, if that makes sense. So, this is kind of a grid in a way. My focus is just to capture something, kind of bring it to the fore instead of trying to get all of it. You know what I mean? It's focusing on what stands out the most and just trying to bring that to life the most. So, you're one of these artists you go off-piste.

[00:12:42]You You know where you're going, but you're taking sort of the longer route round.

[00:12:44]>> Yeah.

[00:12:45]No, it's great.

[00:12:55]Drawing is a sort of tool for storytelling for me.

[00:12:59]I will try as much as possible to be as fast as as I can. So, I just want to free myself and just enjoy the moment and be creative with the whole process.

[00:13:11]Silas Archibald is studying for a master's in fine art at [music] Kingston University. His submission is a charcoal drawing of a collage of two photos >> [music] >> and is a reflection on his Nigerian heritage and his Jesuit faith.

[00:13:25]So, Silas, when I saw your image on the wall, I felt like I was in an elevator slowly moving down from the hat to the top of the face and the lower half and then ultimately the shoulders. And I see today that you're taking a similar approach.

[00:13:36]>> Yes, I started with a sense of a collage. So I printed I took picture of him. I wanted to create both black and white and color. And I mean you've got him with his eyes closed. What does that say to us? Um that is a reflection of science and religion. Okay. So what I'm trying to create also, I want to draw like a halo on his head but with the space different planet to make it look like a reconciliation with science and science and religion.

[00:14:05]>> Wow.

[00:14:11]With 1 hour down, the artists are taking stock of their progress so far. It's okay.

[00:14:17]Got to think and imagine and take it slow a little. It feels nice to just [music] get going now.

[00:14:22]And you kind of remember oh actually I like doing this.

[00:14:25]>> [laughter] >> I feel okay right now to be honest.

[00:14:34]We'll see where I'm at in an hour. If I'm panicking.

[00:14:44]I think I've caught [music] him at the moment.

[00:14:47]I'm hoping he's not going to disappear into the ether.

[00:14:50]>> [laughter] >> We'll see.

[00:14:56]>> [music] >> Our nine artists have spent the past hour bringing blank canvases to life capturing astronaut Tim Peake, ballet dancer Reece Clark and writer and performer Jack Rook. Hand. Yes.

[00:15:11]>> I keep hearing everyone say hands put a wash on.

[00:15:15]Now I presume you haven't just done your laundry. What does putting a wash on mean?

[00:15:19]>> not doing today.

[00:15:20]>> [laughter] >> Yeah, no putting a wash on today.

[00:15:25]Chinese artist Han Guo initially pursued a career in electronic engineering before falling [music] in love with painting.

[00:15:32]She created her submission in a day using a mirror and found the [music] process to be a meditative act of self-discovery.

[00:15:40]And I look at Jack and I think there's a great head and these hands. He looks interesting to paint. Is he interesting to paint?

[00:15:46]>> Yeah, he is. He's a interesting character, but also he got the sense of calm in him as well.

[00:15:53]Tell me because you know, you just bought it. You concentrated on just head and shoulders. What is it about Jack that you wanted to paint on him?

[00:15:58]>> Um, first of all, because he got something special to him, which is a black cap badge from his dad and really like to capture it in. That's why I choose this setting rather than just a head shot.

[00:16:10]Hands, are they going to make an appearance? Yeah, it will be. It will be here in my mind already.

[00:16:15]>> [laughter] >> I have the sketch down just using like a pencil and now I'm just going in with the paint to kind of do the outline of all the parts that are kind of dark.

[00:16:33]Then I'll just get the lighter and lighter and hopefully end up with the portrait at the end of it.

[00:16:38]Steve Cannon is an American artist who's [music] lived in Ireland for the last 29 years. His self-portrait features his beloved peace lily, a gift given to him after his leg amputation in 2001. Steve, you you get that pain on almost like it's a little charcoal or something.

[00:16:54]>> A bit, yeah. You're working on the side of the brush to sort of marking it out.

[00:16:59]Almost like a sketch like it was sketching rather than painting it.

[00:17:02]>> with the paint and you're showing Reese standing. Yes.

[00:17:05]>> Which is great because you know, we don't have many people stand. It's much harder than it looks.

[00:17:10]What are you trying to say with Reese?

[00:17:12]Uh, with Reese it's just power and grace. You can You can he's very strong, but with like what he does, he must be insanely graceful.

[00:17:19]>> So, how do you feel about time?

[00:17:20]>> Uh just paint like a madman. If I could paint with two hands, I would.

[00:17:35]I'm studying conservation biology at university and I find art is really helpful for it because firstly we do field notebooks and we we create artwork of species, things that we see in the natural world and it's such a great skill to be an observer and to [music] implement that in painting.

[00:17:54]L Barrett is studying [music] at Plymouth University. Their self-portrait in acrylics sees them in deep study mode in their dorm room and reflects their two great passions, painting and biology.

[00:18:06]L, I I see you've gone for that really sort of compressed scale again and you've done the same thing with the hand, it's sort of coming forward, enlarged.

[00:18:15]>> Yes.

[00:18:15]>> Dramatized. Why does that appeal to you?

[00:18:17]I wanted him sort of on the edge of his seat. I asked him to think of the moment he first saw the Earth from space. Mhm.

[00:18:24]Um and I'm going to try and capture some of that.

[00:18:27]Or hopefully in his expression. Yeah. I mean the the set is a gift, isn't it?

[00:18:31]>> Yeah, it's amazing. Are you going to sort of pair it back here? I'm going to try and manage all of the elements that I've got because there's a lot. I mean there's the suit, there's the portrait, there's the hands, the rocket if I have time. It's a fabulous style, really Yeah.

[00:18:48]To discover more about our celebrity sitters, we asked them to bring along a personal item that's dear to them, but today they've taken a somewhat unusual approach.

[00:18:58]Tim, I'm looking around. Where's your object today?

[00:19:01]>> Well, the object is the one I'm wearing.

[00:19:03]So, it's my training flight suit. We would wear this for simulators, so flying the spacecraft and actually flying real aircraft as well and doing all lot of our emergency training. It defines you as an astronaut, but presumably there's a tin peak that is outside of this suit as well.

[00:19:19]Absolutely. There's a very very different person outside. I love the outdoors, being surrounded by nature actually is is perhaps more the real me.

[00:19:27]When I put the suit on, it feels like going to work. It's more the operational me.

[00:19:39]Reece, how's it going? It's going well.

[00:19:41]It is a challenge, I have to admit, and [music] I think it might have been easier to dance around for 4 hours as opposed to It would have been impossible for an artist to do this. You know.

[00:19:50]Tell me about your object. You're wearing part of it. Part of it is here.

[00:19:53]Exactly. So, this is Giselle Albrecht's costume in act two, designed by John Macfarlane for the Royal Ballet. So, I enter walking through the woods towards Giselle's grave. She's >> Okay. died of a broken heart at the end of act one, primarily due to my actions.

[00:20:08]So, I'm sorrowful. I'm presenting the lilies to the grave. As I talk to you, you're coming in and out of role.

[00:20:14]>> Right. And that's what I'm curious to see, you know, if they focus, for example, more on the kind of character and the costume elements or if they've been able to pick up on some kind of feature about me and my kind of personality as Reece. Okay, interesting.

[00:20:33]Jack, how are you finding this? I'm really enjoying it. It's very strange having people sort of meander around, look at you and tell I do I feel like a sort of new Gucci bag in a shop window.

[00:20:43]Maybe I'm being myself up a bit >> [laughter] >> I love your object. Tell me about it.

[00:20:49]So, this is my dad's black cab badge. He was a black cab driver for 27 years, did all the knowledge, but when a cab driver passed away, you're supposed to give it back. And my mom was like, "It's of too much sentimental value." So, it has just sat at home in a safe. and I kind of think it's a nice way of me sort of paying tribute to him in this.

[00:21:12]Yeah, exactly.

[00:21:23]I like to think of the a canvas as and the image within it as poetry.

[00:21:27]So, I like to position things in such a way that there's a kind of a symmetry between the objects as well as the the person that I'm actually painting.

[00:21:36]Eugene Evans is a social care worker from Middlesbrough. He painted his self-portrait during a period of recovery from foot surgery >> [music] >> and included various symbolic objects such as the skeleton which represents his arthritis.

[00:21:50]Eugene, you're working from life? I am indeed, yes.

[00:21:53]>> How is Jack as a sitter for you? He's very good. Occasionally there's a little smile that comes out or a little frown that comes out and I really like to kind of try and capture one of those two things.

[00:22:01]>> Yeah. And tell me about this fantastic composition. So, this is the set? Yeah.

[00:22:06]>> The complete set without Jack sitting in it. Mhm. So, there's the podium with his shadow on it. Yeah. But also this podium kind of reflects the object that he's brought in. So, we're kind of mirroring that a little bit. Trying to give him a sense of place rather than just a portrait where he could be anywhere.

[00:22:20]>> I mean, it's absolutely terrific and I I really hope you can pull this off cuz I love the imagination at play here.

[00:22:29]>> [music] >> I'm a fan of traditional skill. I like things to look like what they look like, but at the same time I don't I wouldn't want to do the job of a printer or a photographer. I'm I want to change things so that they look the way I would like to see them.

[00:22:52]Hampshire-based artist Louis Meada teaches and grades online portraiture courses. His self-portrait [music] in oils is a reflection of his two artistic sides. The methodical realistic face contrasts with the more chaotic abstract [music] background.

[00:23:08]Lewis, what are you doing with your finger? Um, I'm basically just blurring the edges, making sure the brush strokes blend together so that there's a soft transition between the forms. It's kind of remarkable. We haven't reached lunchtime and I think you're pretty much finished. So, and the likeness is great. Now, is Reese's likeness an easy one to get? In a certain way, because it kind of falls in the averages of a face. Like they say that someone who is typically attractive, let's say, will fall into the perfect average of a face. What are you going to do for the next half of the day?

[00:23:43]>> [laughter] >> I'll find something to fiddle around with or play around with.

[00:23:47]>> But it's only me that you're like other artists, you're never quite happy. No, I'm never quite happy. [laughter] That's absolutely right.

[00:23:57]Halfway through the [music] challenge and it's time to talk tactics.

[00:24:03]The head and hand are fairly close to being done, but I can't just stay on them. I have to move on. I have to kind of work on everything else and make it a full picture instead of just a head.

[00:24:14]But yeah, it's it's actually going all right. I'm a little bit shocked, to be honest.

[00:24:21]I don't have a plan, but no plan is good. Never get wrong cuz no plan.

[00:24:33]I am happy with where I am so far.

[00:24:36]There's a lot more to go, so [music] a lot can happen still. Just got to keep powering through, I think.

[00:24:47]For over 2 [music] hours, nine artists have been painting writer Jack Rook, dancer Reese Clark, and astronaut Tim Peake, [music] who is checking in with ground control.

[00:24:56]How are you all doing? Um, I'm good.

[00:24:59]Good. Good. How How's the sitting going?

[00:25:03]Tough work here, yeah.

[00:25:06]Costume day. Mhm. They're wearing their objects. You're right.

[00:25:09]>> Does that mean that we have artists trying to decide who to paint, the character or the person? It means that the artists can't decide whether or not they include something. It is part of that person, even if they're only doing a head and shoulders. The color will inform it in some way. Jack's been a fantastic sitter. Yeah, he's got a lovely warm presence, fantastic object, gorgeous story. He's got two artists working from life, Han and Eugene, and he's really sitting for them. And it doesn't really matter if he's sitting still for Lucy because she's sort of painting him, I don't know, like in the constellations, in some sort of energy orbit. I can barely see Jack, but what I can see feels like Jack. I just wish I was in Lucy's head and I knew where she was going cuz it's pretty radical.

[00:25:47]Eugene, interesting composition. Yeah, I mean, he's very keen to throw the whole of today in there. He's even included the sort of the top of the ceiling, which is I think the first time we've seen that in a long time. So, it's like all of today in one painting. And Hans is in comparison a straight bit of portrait painting, isn't it? The likeness isn't there. She's filled the canvas and everything's there, but I think it needs tightening in certain places.

[00:26:11]It was great excitement to paint Reece this morning. For the record, I could pull that outfit off if I wanted to.

[00:26:17]Just saying. It's not the outfit, is it?

[00:26:19]It's the way he's standing.

[00:26:20]>> It's incredible. The whole thing is incredible.

[00:26:22]>> all slouches.

[00:26:23]>> I'm not having it.

[00:26:25]I love Courtney's painting. It's very, very stylized. It's on the right side of caricature. So, I think she needs to be really, really careful, actually.

[00:26:35]Steve's left the background empty and certain parts of Reece's costume. And the the minimalism, I think, works really well. It's a surprising departure from his very complete self-portrait.

[00:26:48]The thing about Louis is that he's learned this sort of classical style, but I'm amazed at how brilliant he is at working from life. Though, I do think as much as I'm not normally someone who likes a polished picture, it could do with a bit of polish.

[00:27:00]Tim, obviously, is an incredibly disciplined human being. Yeah, I mean, he's a very serious sitter. Although, he has a lovely smile on his face. There's a real intentness and a focus to him, which is not surprising, really.

[00:27:11]Fiona, she has this beautiful blue drawing, but the paint is going on so slowly. My suggestion would be to go with a kind of turbocharged, more washed out for the hair and the clothing.

[00:27:24]With Silas, it is loaded with symbolism.

[00:27:28]So, he's been very inventive, but you need that meaning explained to you, I think. I miss the polish of the submission.

[00:27:36]El's obviously got a very strong compositional drive, and I think what they've done with Tim is so sophisticated. I am terrified of that rocket. All afternoon, I'm going to be looking at that to see how it transpires, cuz it doesn't need it. I'm really quite frightened about today, I have to say. What, because it's too good and it might go wrong? I think we're going to have a real trouble picking.

[00:28:00]So, first time getting my portrait done, I kind of went in with open arms, not really knowing what to expect, but it's a lot more intimate, I feel, than maybe I expected, cuz obviously I I'm on stage quite often, but I'm not this close to like an audience, so to speak, but even from the get-go, when the other artists began their work, it's I can really feel the kind of creative juices flowing. I really feel a part of today, as well.

[00:28:28]I'm really excited. [music] I think that they may vary from the abstract to the ultra-abstract.

[00:28:36]Eugene, [music] I think is a gent, and I'm really excited to see what he's done. I like his process.

[00:28:45]Ann, she seems so measured and grounded and sweet. She's got the earphones in.

[00:28:51]She takes a little [music] look at me, shoots me a very sweet smile.

[00:28:56]I think Lucy is doing [music] something completely in her own lane and of her own accord, which I'm quite down for. I feel like it could be mad.

[00:29:11]This has been a fascinating experience so far. Um I'm really enjoying it.

[00:29:15]Watching the expressions [music] of people as they're going by is the most interesting thing and I'm getting three very different looks from the artists.

[00:29:25]I think they're all going [music] to be very different, which is going to make it very hard to choose.

[00:29:36]Courtney, there's a very delicate line that you walk between stylization and tipping into caricature.

[00:29:43]>> Mhm. And I just wondered how you walk that line. I think my biggest challenge is trying to find my [music] style. I do have this sort of relationship between how much I'm putting detail into something versus how much I just try to let it sort of [music] say it with less strokes. Yeah.

[00:30:06]I guess it's become more specific now.

[00:30:07]Like I'm having to kind of zoom in a bit more and be a bit more considered, I guess, in the way that I'm doing things um because I don't want to overdo it as well. Like I'm conscious of that. But I feel like everything is in the right place, [music] which is the most important thing.

[00:30:26]Do you feel the pressure? Oh, yeah. How often do you look at a finished painting and go, "That is unimprovable."?

[00:30:33]>> [laughter] >> I'm still waiting for that. Right.

[00:30:43]Flagging slightly. I'm just going to fiddle about, but hopefully not too much. You don't want to kind of lose it.

[00:30:56]The last brushstrokes are the only thing anyone sees. What's on the surface.

[00:31:00][music] It doesn't matter what I've done underneath it, cuz no one can see that.

[00:31:03]They can only see what's on top.

[00:31:10]>> [music] >> I'm feeling good and it's a good vibe and I'm enjoying myself. For artist is [music] either way good flow or everything not working. So today I'm luckily I'm in a working [music] side of it.

[00:31:25]I've gotten [music] the suit and hands mostly on the portrait. I'm working on the background, but I'm not sure if it was the right decision to put it in.

[00:31:34]Stress [music] is increasing slowly by the minute.

[00:31:44]With less than [music] 10 minutes to go, the artists are making their final marks on portraits of ballet dancer Reece Clark, writer and performer Jack Rook, and astronaut Tim Peake.

[00:31:55]No panic so far. You all seem very calm.

[00:31:57]Yeah, almost done.

[00:32:03]If one of you has painted me as Mr. Potato Head, I will kick off. Don't build your hopes up too much.

[00:32:08]>> [laughter] >> I hope it's as good as I think it is.

[00:32:16]Artists, you have 1 minute.

[00:32:18]Okay.

[00:32:30]Artists, your time is up. Please stop what you're doing and step away from your artwork.

[00:32:37]>> [applause] [music] >> So beautiful, Conor.

[00:32:43]>> [applause] [music] [music and applause] >> Reece, I'm delighted to see you can actually lower your arms. I thought we'd have to sort of prize it off. How was it to stand there all day? The legs are okay, but the arms started to ache after a settlement of time. So, I hope I didn't fidget too much for everyone.

[00:33:08]Yeah, you need to do more exercises.

[00:33:09]You're not fit enough.

[00:33:12]So, let's not prolong it any longer, shall we? Artists, can I ask you please to turn your easels?

[00:33:23]Wow.

[00:33:24]Almost lost for words. I don't know what to say.

[00:33:26]>> [laughter] >> Beautiful. Should we have a closer look?

[00:33:29]>> Yes, please.

[00:33:31]Steve. This is really beautiful. The detail that you see on that is great.

[00:33:36]You know, all these costume details which I love wearing is really on there on display and the background as well is really complementing everything. So, thank you. You're very welcome.

[00:33:47]Incredible. Wow. What I love about Conor as well is before we started, she came over and directed me and had me sitting down and doing a few different angles.

[00:33:54]So, I like how you did it in your own way which is also equally beautiful.

[00:33:58]Thank [music] you. Thank you, Conor.

[00:34:00]Pleasure.

[00:34:02]Louis.

[00:34:04]It's also incredible. I immediately this strolling through the woods which is exactly what my character's all about and where he's going. And again, the the details in the eyes and the eyebrows.

[00:34:13]I've been told I have quite prominent eyebrows. I I yeah, I wouldn't know about that myself.

[00:34:17]>> [laughter] >> Thank you. It's brilliant.

[00:34:20]So then, what are you thinking?

[00:34:23]As an artist, I have always been told that eyes are so expressive and you really can tell a lot about a human through the eyes. And I think for that reason, I think I'm going [music] to choose Louis's.

[00:34:35]>> [applause] >> How did you find it? I've absolutely loved it, and the anticipation's really built. I can't wait to see what has been produced today. Well, let's have a look, shall we?

[00:34:47]>> Okay. Artists, can I ask you, please, to turn your easels?

[00:34:52]>> [music] >> Oh, wow.

[00:34:57]They are fantastic. Let's have a closer look so you can see what's going on.

[00:35:02]Fiona. This is amazing. I love [music] the expression. It's kind of got that sort of staring off into space and and there's a thoughtful pose of thinking about the universe. So, I love it. Thank you.

[00:35:16]Iel. Hi.

[00:35:17]This is really interesting. It's got that kind of dynamic perspective moving from the ground [music] up to space. You almost feel like you're launching off and then you've got the rocket up the top there as well.

[00:35:28]Brilliant. Thank you, Iel. Thank you.

[00:35:32]Hello, Silas. Hello. This is amazing.

[00:35:34][music] I I know you wanted to have a kind of connection between science and religion, which I think you captured. And to do it with the eyes closed as well. Brilliant.

[00:35:42]Well done, Silas. Thank you. Thank you.

[00:35:45]>> Well, Tim.

[00:35:47]>> [laughter] >> If I have to pick one, which I know I do, um I am going to go [music] for Iel's.

[00:35:54]>> [applause] >> How was it, Jack?

[00:36:02]Do you know, I really really loved it. I entered a sort of meditative state. And then I overheard that in one of the paintings I've got a really small head.

[00:36:13]Which, I have to say, has never been words attributed to me before, so I I kind of can't wait. Right, well, let's not prolong the agony, shall we? I'm going to ask the artists, please, to turn your easels.

[00:36:25]>> [music] [bell] >> Oh my god.

[00:36:33]They're all great. They're all very different. Well, let's go and have a look, shall we? Let's go and have a closer look at them all.

[00:36:40]And I really, [music] really like it. I feel like there's a sort of um lady of the manor stroppy energy in there, which I quite appreciate.

[00:36:49]And I love how you featured this prominently, too. I'm I'm a big fan. So, yeah, thank you so much.

[00:36:55]>> Thank you.

[00:36:57]Eugene. And I love all the colors. I love how you've sort of captured me just sort of plopped here. And I think it's really inventive, and I really, really like your style of painting. So, thank you so much, Eugene.

[00:37:11]>> Well, Lucy.

[00:37:13]I love it. I think it's fantastic. I think it's really abstract. I think with the materials you've used, you've done a phenomenal job. So, thank you so much.

[00:37:21]>> Thank you.

[00:37:22]Right, Jack. So, it's really, really difficult, and I need to pick right now.

[00:37:27]>> I'm afraid so.

[00:37:28]>> Right now. Okay, cool. Right. Um I think I'm going to I'm going to go for the mad one.

[00:37:35]I'm going to go for Lucy.

[00:37:37]>> [applause] [music] >> While the artists reflect on the day, the judges sharpen their focus on today's portraits. I think Louis got a fantastic likeness today. Beautiful touches of paint on the cheek and the shadows.

[00:37:58]I'm not 100% about the background, but I do get the performer.

[00:38:05]It's interesting watching Courtney not only paint, but deal with the situation, deal with her model. And uh the likeness is there. It's pushed to extremis, but I think that's because the dynamics [music] demand that, in a sense.

[00:38:20]I'm so pleased that Stephen showed Reese standing up. And not only did he show him standing up, but show him with such an extraordinary physique. I'm not mad on his color choice, but I do think they inform the skin tone beautifully.

[00:38:36]I must say I was quite startled by how Lucy started today. When she started making these marks and Jack was nowhere to be seen. And she arrived at this very mystical version of Jack with a very solemn and quite melancholic face peering through this mark making.

[00:38:55]Eugene arrived straight away with an idea. I want to capture the whole of the day in one painting.

[00:39:01]And I think he gave himself just too much to do in a single day. Good likeness though.

[00:39:09]I think Hans was very sweet. I like the reduced scale. The object is very prominent and proudly displayed. The head has a lovely quiet quality to it. I just think the likeness isn't there.

[00:39:24]Goodness gracious. I mean the symbolism that Silas puts into his work.

[00:39:29]I think in this version, it's quite heavy-handed, but you've got to admire his inventiveness.

[00:39:36]I thought El's idea of Tim in this dynamic pose works very well as a composition, but there are certain elements that El has brought into the picture which push it slightly into a flat poster-like scenario. Well, I'm so pleased for Tim. What a great painting for him to have.

[00:39:58]Fiona sped up this afternoon and really resolved the portrait. But there's some passages of paint that I think are a bit clumsy. That said, she's caught this lovely expression that Tim has naturally of someone who's very pleased [music] to be wherever he is, it seems.

[00:40:15]I feel like we've got a slight sort of superhero exhibition emerging. These quite extraordinary sitters. Which demanded a kind of inventiveness.

[00:40:25]Um and I think some of the inventiveness didn't lead to a winning painting.

[00:40:30]>> There's some trouble ahead because I think if we're losing these two then we're left with these three and then we've [music] got a very hard decision to make. And we need to see the self-portrait submissions, don't we really, to sort of understand where they might go next.

[00:40:46]Artists, thank you for giving it your all today. It's been [music] absolutely fantastic watching you work. The judges have looked at the portraits and have come up with a short list of three.

[00:40:55]The first artist [music] is Louis Mida.

[00:41:02]>> [applause] [music] >> The second artist is Courtney Bay.

[00:41:13]>> [music] [applause] >> And the third and final artist [music] on the short list is Lucy Ambler.

[00:41:27]>> [applause] [music] >> I have actually had a beautiful day.

[00:41:35]I've just kind of painting and meeting people. It's a challenge, you know, and you just rise to the [music] challenge or do the best you can. So, let's go for it.

[00:41:45]Interesting short list. I mean we have a a more traditional portrait one end and two not so traditional portraits. Yeah, it was very very difficult today. And you're comparing chalk and cheese in a way. So, you've got an element of fantasy, an element of very strong stylization, and then tradition.

[00:42:03]So, even just having them together now makes it even harder as well.

[00:42:07]Lucy didn't give us much information in her self-portrait. It's almost less today of Jack. I mean, is there enough of Jack for a portrait in today's work?

[00:42:16]I found it hard to find. But, then Jack will pass me, and I realize, "Oh, yeah, she's actually caught the essence of the man with very little." And that's surprising. Of course, you can do it in a self-portrait. We all know ourselves very well. But, to do it in somebody she's never met, and then find his most vital elements, and sort of lose it in this sort of myriad mark-making, and still have a sense of the person, I think is magical. Lewis clearly has a great facility for capturing likeness.

[00:42:41]They're very similar, aren't they? With Lewis, when you see them side by side, it feels like a template in a sense, because it has exactly same treatments of the head and shoulders, the way the top of the outfit falls away. Yeah, but what a facility. I mean, it was extraordinary the way he got the likeness so quickly. I would say though that when you look at Courtney, that there is a quality that she brings as well that I suspect would be repeated, which is, you know, finding serpentine shapes, a heavy outline, exaggerating certain facial features to take the portrait, to twist it slightly, to make it feel more modernist. I think she's definitely an artist who doesn't care that much about making a portrait as she does making a great painting.

[00:43:22]Well, you sent all the astronauts into orbit. We're left with two ballet dancers and a writer. We need an end to this story. Nice. I just turn up and, you know, throw this stuff together, you know? Wow.

[00:43:36]Congratulations, Lucy, Courtney, Lewis, for making the judges shortlist. We wish we didn't have to, but this is the moment we whittle you down to one artist [music] who will appear at this year's semifinal.

[00:43:48]The artist the judges have chosen painted a dynamic [music] portrait that demonstrates a strong relationship between the artist and sitter.

[00:43:57]And that artist is Courtney Bay.

[00:44:06]>> [applause] >> Honestly, I didn't even think I'd be shortlisted. I just was waiting for someone else's name to be said beside me. So, it's >> [applause] >> unreal. Such an honor. So happy.

[00:44:23]>> [music] >> I think the main positive I'm going to take away from today is that I can't actually do something like this. It's been very nerve-racking and I've had moments beforehand thinking, "God, I'm not sure I can do it." But, I did it.

[00:44:36]>> [applause] >> I thought Courtney's portrait was very beautiful. I like the size and I like the fact that it really captured the sitter. Um yeah, [music] I think she did really well.

[00:44:47]We're really excited about Courtney as an artist. She pushes it. She's [music] experimenting. But, I think ultimately you get a painting that feels very complete, very exciting, and quite frankly one that you can't stop looking at. So, I just really want to make sure that in the semi-final she brings all of that risk-taking, but stops shy of going too far.

[00:45:05]>> [applause] >> My plan for the semi-final, I'm going to come down from this high and then I'll do all the strategizing [music] and figure out my plan of attack for next time.

[00:45:15]Um but, right now I'm just going to enjoy it.

[00:45:22]>> [music] [music] >> Fearless.