Portrait Artist Of The Year Blogs
‘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!). For chronological order, work up from the bottom of this list:
“one of the best blog posts I have ever read regarding how best to prepare for the Portrait Artist of the Year heats”
Featured
Take the red pill, and share my internal monologue through the Semi Final!