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00:00hello today we're joined by eight remarkable artists who excelled at the
00:14heats and beat the unrelenting for our time limit will they once again rise to
00:19the occasion or will they crumble it's the semi-final of portrait artist of
00:25the year over eight thrilling weeks 72 brave artists have created unforgettable portraits
00:35of some of our best loved personalities welcome thank you they're gonna take four hours it's four
00:47hours yeah you've got somewhere to be no no not anymore no I have a restless soul so you better
00:54be quick is all I'm saying turn your easels oh my gosh they are fantastic oh three of you that's a
01:08lot in it one of me is too much if I may say so you've made me look kind of miserable with inventive
01:15techniques and dynamic painting styles eight artists earned their place in the next round
01:21crazy I didn't expect that at all it meant a lot and it's quite overwhelming at stake is a ten
01:29thousand pound commission to paint award-winning mathematician and broadcaster professor Hannah
01:34Fry for the Royal Society to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the first women elected to its
01:39fellowship professor Kathleen Lonsdale and professor Marjorie Stevenson observing their every move are our
01:48judges well open you really racing ahead here you're on a mission yeah I'm on a mission to enjoy myself
01:56enjoy yourself but only three can go through I'm having a great time I just wish it was like six hours
02:04or something so the artists must maintain their focus I am definitely feeling a pressure I'm just
02:10trying to stay calm and not let it kind of make me tighten after all and deliver a portrait deserving of a
02:16place in the final so you're kind of down the end here yeah everyone rolled over you'd be the one
02:22who fell out the bed the artists who triumphed in their heats to claim a spot in the semi-final are
02:41London based gallery production and studio manager Chloe Barnes Courtney Bay a creative marketer residing
02:50in Surrey Nigerian artist Uthman Wahab living in Kent and Lauren Ross an art tutor and painter from
03:00Edinburgh I'm so excited to be in the semi-finals I honestly never expected it so yeah I'm really excited
03:07to see who the sitter is and what the day brings joining them in today's semi-final are Paulina
03:14Krytnievska a painter living between London and Poland from Wiltshire full-time artist Edie bound librarian
03:23Vincent Stokes from Birmingham and full-time artist Katie Jones from Somerset I just want to crack on and
03:32hopefully do a painting of someone that looks like a person that's my main aim today
03:38wow
03:41interesting
03:43we've gone for quite a different feel with the set this year
03:48I can't believe it
03:51I think what we're giving them actually is an opportunity to navigate the space
03:56and bend it to their will right what do you think a baker for sure but it's quite traditional isn't
04:02it it looks like going to be like a middle-aged person to me you know with the rolling pin oh my
04:09gosh there's a lot of objects but there is a lot of room to play do we get like um baked goods in the
04:15break today I'm looking for the holy grail and what I love is an artist you can get a really good
04:27likeness but at the same time has enough of the quirk or something slightly unusual that makes me feel
04:34like we're moving things on a little bit we want blood sweat and tears we want our semi-finalists to
04:41show us their range of their artistic skills we want them to show us that they understand what
04:46makes great art what makes great portraiture it's a lot to ask but it is a semi-final
04:51I think the artists are gonna have a shock when they see our sister today this is somebody who
04:59every body knows and not only everybody knows but everybody loves and so you've got a national
05:05treasure you've got to do them justice artists congratulations on making it this far in the
05:12competition and as it's the semi-final we thought we'd invite along a true television icon to be your
05:18sitter today known for her culinary expertise as well as for inspiring millions in the kitchen as a judge
05:25on the great british bake-off please welcome dame mary berry
05:30from lahir
05:32Christopher
05:33Jennifer
05:34my
06:00APPLAUSE
06:06Wow. Welcome.
06:10Well, we have to start with, who's this?
06:12This is Freddie. Hello, Freddie.
06:14Quite excited to be here.
06:16Well, considering that that was about 20 minutes of applause,
06:19I think Freddie handled it pretty well.
06:21Well, I think it was for Freddie, it wasn't for me.
06:24So, welcome. This is your home for the day.
06:26Do you have a space for a portrait of yourself on your wall?
06:29A space will be made.
06:31A space will be made.
06:32Right.
06:33Mary, we asked you to bring along an object
06:35that has some significance for you.
06:37What did you bring along with you?
06:39I brought one of two things, actually.
06:41William, our son, sadly, is no longer with us.
06:45He died in a car crash.
06:47And so anything of William's means a lot to me.
06:50So I brought a box that when he was 10,
06:52in his woodwork class,
06:54he made a box for shoe cleaning.
06:57And when you lift the lid,
06:59he wrote happy birthday and the date.
07:02And then he also made a Valentine card,
07:05and he drew three elephants.
07:08And the biggest one he called his brother, Thomas,
07:11and then there was William, and then there was Annabelle.
07:14I thought it was so sweet.
07:15Put it in a frame, and I've kept that.
07:17Yeah.
07:18We were so lucky to have him.
07:20And he was 19 when he died.
07:22And I have nothing but good memories of him.
07:25Quite right.
07:26And in your portrait, would you like Freddy?
07:29Would you like the object?
07:30It's really up to you.
07:32But it would be nice to have Freddy in.
07:34He's a good chap.
07:35He's a lovely dog.
07:36And he loves everybody.
07:37And he's fairly biddable.
07:39Unless a rabbit comes by.
07:41Nobody's got a rabbit to have next.
07:43Because he does like chasing a rabbit.
07:50Artists, you have all the ingredients here
07:52to create a masterpiece.
07:54So it's time to put your skills to the test.
07:56You have four hours.
07:58On your marks.
07:59Get set.
08:00Paint.
08:01Do you mind looking at the dog?
08:11I'm going to wait until he looks up at you.
08:13Ready?
08:14Yep.
08:16There we go.
08:18Such a pose there.
08:19Would you be able to face forward but look at me?
08:22That would be really great.
08:24No.
08:33With the prospect of a double portrait on their hands,
08:36our semi-finalists waste no time.
08:54Mary Berry has a presence, right?
08:55So I think that's why I went for this square canvas.
08:56Which maybe wouldn't have been my natural approach.
09:10It just didn't seem right to confine her to this.
09:15Courtney Bay is a creative marketer for a charity.
09:18She demonstrated a strong relationship with her heat sitter,
09:21ballet dancer Rhys Clark,
09:23and her dynamic portrait cemented her place in the next stage.
09:30Courtney.
09:31You put a lot of paint down very quickly.
09:32Yeah.
09:33In comparison to the heat,
09:34you've chosen quite a conventional pose.
09:37Mm-hmm.
09:38You're expecting to see Mary lying on the floor
09:40doing something interesting.
09:41I want to share that I can still do something that is traditional,
09:45but mainly Mary doesn't lend herself to anything but this.
09:49But you've undermined that quite traditional pose
09:51by having the dog sort of...
09:52Yeah.
09:55...appearing but not appearing.
09:56I don't like doing animals.
09:58Oh, I see.
09:59Because they're automatically sweet.
10:01Okay.
10:02And we all draw our eye to the animal and we go,
10:04Oh.
10:05And there's no real way to cut through an animal.
10:07Oh, man.
10:09Gone a bit too low down.
10:10You've gone what?
10:11Too low down?
10:12Gone too low.
10:13What do you mean, Katie?
10:14What do you mean?
10:15Well, because the composition that I wanted to have
10:16was the hand.
10:17Oh, I see.
10:18But I feel happy that I've got them both looking the same way.
10:21Have you just realized about the hand?
10:22No, I realized almost instantly.
10:23Right.
10:24Katie Jones is a professional artist.
10:26She gained her place in the semifinal
10:27with a sensitive portrait of broadcaster James May.
10:31Why have you gone landscape?
10:32It just gives a sense of space, and I quite like that.
10:34You do?
10:35Are we going to see a stark white organizer
10:39look at theMan?
10:39Well, it's all that architecture you face.
10:41Yeah.
10:42Because the composition that I wanted to have was the hand.
10:45Oh, I see.
10:47But I feel happy that I've got them both looking the same way.
10:49Have you just realized about the hand?
10:51No, I realized almost instantly.
10:52Right.
10:53concur dei cali italiani
10:54I became quite человек like cooperatively.
10:57At least he lived in the empire.
10:58He built over and he lived in the paiate' Comic,
10:59You do. Are we going to see a stark white background today?
11:02There's a lot of colour up there.
11:04Well, from where I'm sat, I can't see any of the background.
11:07But in your photo, there's a sort of blue wall.
11:13Actually, I think you've actually helped me out here.
11:15All right. That'll be a first.
11:17If I add in that background, it works quite well.
11:20Oh, OK. Yeah, so thanks for that.
11:21Yeah, no problem. Yeah.
11:23If you win, I want to cut.
11:24Just saying that on the record.
11:29The medium I've chosen today is oil paint.
11:41And I might end up using acrylic and oil bar with it.
11:45It depends on the kind of texture
11:47and the kind of vibrancy I want to achieve.
11:49So I'll get my design right.
11:51Then we call it a day.
11:55Nigerian artist Uthman Wahab
11:57took an instinctive approach
11:58when he painted political journalist and presenter Beth Rigby.
12:02His resulting insightful portrait secured his semi-final spot.
12:08Wow, Uthman, you're really racing ahead here, aren't you?
12:11You're on a mission.
12:12Yeah.
12:13I'm on a mission to enjoy myself.
12:14To enjoy yourself, not to win.
12:16If I win, it's going to be a bonus.
12:18A bonus.
12:19Yeah.
12:19Oh, that's interesting.
12:21And you've gone pretty big.
12:22I mean, you did the same with Beth.
12:23Is this your sort of go-to scale?
12:26Naturally, I do bigger scale.
12:28This is like one of the smallest.
12:30Wow.
12:30So it's still not like my usual.
12:33Do you feel trapped?
12:34But do you feel like contained?
12:36No, because I just agree to this moment,
12:38and it's fine.
12:40You're a great believer in faith, aren't you?
12:42Yeah.
12:42Do you always wear gloves when you think?
12:57Yeah, so it's a very inky process that I'm doing.
13:01And so you've taken off your shoes.
13:03You're taking it very, very seriously.
13:06Yeah, so in my studio, I don't normally wear my shoes.
13:09I normally have music blasting and kind of dancing around
13:12and painting at the same time.
13:14So I thought I'd just do the same here.
13:16Chloe Barnes is a monoprinter
13:18who paints with etching ink on aluminium.
13:21The judges praised her inventive mark-making
13:24in capturing broadcaster Clara Ampho,
13:26who loved the portrait so much she kept it.
13:30Today, just as in the heats,
13:31Chloe will present her work on a plate instead of paper.
13:36Morning, Chloe.
13:37Hello.
13:37What's the plan?
13:38So I've gone a bit bigger this time,
13:40because I really wanted to push myself.
13:41I really like the way you position Mary's head.
13:43You know, it's not where you might traditionally expect it.
13:45It's not in the centre.
13:46In fact, it's down to the left.
13:48Yeah, so Freddie's kind of looking off towards the right.
13:51And is that because Freddie's going to make it in the picture, then?
13:53He's going to make it.
13:53Of course he's going to make it.
13:54Double portrait, double portrait.
13:55I mean, it's Dame Mary Berry.
13:57Of course.
13:57She brought her dog.
13:58You can't ignore it.
13:59Of course.
14:02The artists have been concentrating on their portraits
14:05for nearly an hour.
14:06This is sort of like the boring stuff before I can play.
14:15I will definitely work in more detail in some parts,
14:19but I just sort of have to balance it out,
14:20because then that wouldn't feel like my style.
14:22I'm really happy that I got the drawing done in the first hour,
14:32because that was my plan.
14:33And now I feel like I can just get into the flow of it
14:35and just paint, which is the fun bit.
14:38I've been able to put almost all the objects you came with today,
14:48the plants, the box, and of course, the dog.
14:51So literally, it's all are in this little canvas.
15:05For the past hour, our eight semifinalists
15:07have been racing the clock
15:09to capture the unmistakable charm
15:11of culinary legend Dame Mary Berry.
15:21How's it going for you?
15:23It's quite a lot of pressure,
15:25but I'm very excited that it's both of you.
15:29Oh, good. You're doing the dog as well?
15:30Yes, definitely.
15:31You've even got a little dog around your neck.
15:33I do have my little dog around my neck, yeah.
15:35I just love dogs,
15:37but I want to kind of capture you interacting.
15:39It's really my aim,
15:41so it's quite exciting that I get the chance to do that with you both.
15:48Artist Edie Bound created a striking portrait
15:51of rock star Youngblood
15:52and won over the judges with her lightness of touch,
15:55securing her spot in the semifinal.
15:57Edie, you've chosen a photograph of Mary
16:02where, although she's smiling beatifically, her eyes are closed.
16:07I mean, it felt like a bit of a risk,
16:09but it felt more like a moment.
16:11I think the dog kind of tells you a lot about Mary,
16:13so even if her eyes are closed or she's looking down at him,
16:17you still get something.
16:18The dog is looking at us.
16:19So we are having a relationship with the dog,
16:21and sort of Mary vicariously is having...
16:24So you're setting up a very complex psychological drama here.
16:27Yeah, I know. You've got him.
16:29He knows exactly what's going on.
16:30What's going on, I see.
16:31I'm still kind of working on my composition
16:44and making sure everything's right proportion,
16:48but I know that it's well worth spending the time on this stage
16:51because if it's not right,
16:52then there's not really any point in doing the other steps after.
16:55Now is to just get a little bit more down
16:58and make decisions faster.
17:01At the heats, art teacher and painter Lauren Ross
17:05captured DJ Melvin O'Doom
17:07with a portrait the judges praised for its storytelling and vibrancy,
17:12earning her a well-deserved place in the semi-final.
17:17Lauren, I love this fantastic yellow colour that you've gone in with.
17:21I can see there that that palette knife is loaded.
17:23It is. I'm getting ready to do the background now.
17:26And you're obviously quite important for you to get in some of the set.
17:29I mean, I can see the flowers are in there,
17:30Freddie, of course.
17:31Freddie. I really like painting hair, so he's got plenty of hair.
17:34And I definitely want to try and get the card in somewhere.
17:38You've gone larger than we've seen before.
17:40Yeah. Is it strategically larger?
17:41I kind of wanted to show my range,
17:43but also I've got the direct gaze in this one.
17:45Listen, I think as an underpainting, this is spectacular.
17:48Thank you very much.
17:49Very good-looking, so a really nice start.
17:57So a much-loved TV personality
18:01with a sweet little dog perched on her lap.
18:04What are you after?
18:05Something saccharine and cuddly in a portrait today?
18:09You know us so well.
18:10She wants to be seen, you know, happy.
18:13It is a cliché minefield.
18:15Cliché minefield.
18:16It's a semi-final.
18:17We're really testing our artists by laying a track.
18:20Yes.
18:21We want to see artists grappling with that,
18:23because Mary is also a 90-year-old person
18:26who's lived a full life, touched by tragedy.
18:29She's sharp.
18:30There's a steeniness to her.
18:32That is also there.
18:33And the artists need to tease it out.
18:36And some of them have gone headlong into cliché.
18:40Right.
18:41It could be early days,
18:42but if they don't balance that,
18:44it will be very one-dimensional
18:46and it will be disappointing.
18:48So the object today is curious
18:50because the story behind it is heartbreaking.
18:52It's full of meaning.
18:54Yeah.
18:54And it's important to Mary.
18:56Yeah.
18:56It's not all soggy bottoms and apple turnovers.
19:00No.
19:01There is a proper life that's been lived.
19:04Absolutely, yeah.
19:04So we need to see that they can deal with something like this.
19:07But it is...
19:08It's a tough one today.
19:20I really like this at this time.
19:22I think it's very inspiring.
19:23There's a lot of elements that I can play with.
19:25I think the judges might expect me to do something interesting
19:29with my composition again,
19:30just because I did that last time.
19:32But I can't promise that.
19:35Professional artist Paulina Krytnievska
19:37forged a powerful connection
19:39with award-winning novelist Elif Shafak.
19:41The sensitive portrait she produced
19:44won over both her sitter and the judges.
19:50Wow, Paulina, you've got a beautiful canvas.
19:52I feel like this one is perfect for Mary.
19:55I can see she's quite a traditional person
19:57and I feel like this aligns nicely,
20:00like, you know, natural linen.
20:02And that's sort of traditional.
20:04Does that make you feel more
20:05that you have to make something
20:06that's closer to a formal portrait?
20:08Yes, I feel like this will reflect the sitter best.
20:11Yes.
20:12Well, you've got a very noble dog head there in Freddy as well.
20:15It's a real sort of conversation going on
20:16between those two, isn't it?
20:17I was thinking about that.
20:18I think what I want to capture here
20:21is the strength.
20:22Yeah.
20:22But also the really nice relationship of them.
20:25Exciting.
20:26Yeah.
20:27Very excited.
20:38So today I'm working with
20:40a range of mechanical pencils
20:42and rubbers
20:44and protractors,
20:46a lot of dry media.
20:47Quite a limited range of materials,
20:49but I will compensate for the limited range
20:52with my technical abilities.
20:55So I think that will make up for
20:56my lack of colour palette
20:58and lack of scale.
21:01At the heats,
21:02librarian Vincent Stokes
21:04drew writer and comedian
21:05Fatia El-Ghori,
21:07who chose his work to take home with her.
21:09The judges were impressed
21:10by the restraint he used
21:12to create a quiet and considered portrait.
21:15Ella Vincent
21:16taught me through the low-in-the-frame Mary Berry.
21:19Why not just a big Mary
21:21and a big dog?
21:22I think there's quite a few big Marys around.
21:25Okay.
21:25I'm thinking of spending the latter half of the day
21:27focusing solely on the objects.
21:30So we've got the lovely table
21:31and the box with the card in.
21:34Hopefully a rolling pin.
21:35Yeah.
21:36I had a plan for composition
21:37and as soon as I saw the set,
21:40it all just went out the window.
21:42So you mean you thought,
21:43I've got this plan for whoever it is,
21:44I can slot them into.
21:45Pretty much, yeah.
21:46That was my idea.
21:47And then you were like,
21:48oh, no, it's Berry.
21:49It's Berry.
21:49Yes, Berry, I can't conceptualize Mary Berry.
21:54Everything's changed.
21:56Although I think some people are tempted to do that.
22:00Are they?
22:00Oh, I've not really seen other people.
22:02So you're kind of down the end here.
22:03You're kind of slightly, you know,
22:06if everyone rolled over,
22:07you'd be the one who fell out of the box.
22:09Wouldn't be the first time, no.
22:11Wouldn't be the first time.
22:12Have you done dogs before?
22:25Yes, I actually get commissioned quite a lot
22:26to paint dog portraits,
22:28but I've never done one of a person with a dog.
22:31I'm so looking forward to seeing.
22:32Because I haven't seen anything, have you?
22:34It's very frustrating being this side.
22:36I can't see what's going on.
22:37I think other sitters guess by reactions of the crowd,
22:41what paintings look like.
22:42So we shall see, will we?
22:45The artists are nearly at the halfway point.
22:48So as Mary prepares for a lunch break...
22:50Lunch, did you hear that?
22:52..the artists assess their game plans.
22:58Getting Mary's face in is definitely the priority at the moment,
23:01and I should be on track to kind of get that done
23:04and then start looking elsewhere soon.
23:12My aim was to try and get everything but Mary painted before halfway through.
23:21I'm speeding up to try and get as close to that as possible,
23:23and that will put me at ease to then spend all the rest of the time on Mary's face.
23:26So that's the plan.
23:28Currently, it all looks like it's going to plan, so I'm not worried.
23:36I'm not worried that she's good.
23:37And even if I was, I wouldn't say so, because, you know, thinking makes it so, doesn't it?
23:43It's the semi-final, and for the past two hours,
23:55our artists have been capturing baking legend Dame Mary Berry.
24:00Although some have been getting a bit of help from our audience.
24:03Do you want to paint?
24:04You've got paint on your brush, so you can go here, okay?
24:09It's a huge help, thank you.
24:13That's great.
24:14I'm leaving that brush from there.
24:17That's the best part.
24:18I think it is, yeah, thank you.
24:19I hope that doesn't sound as cheating.
24:22Have you had a chance to have a look at the art on the back wall yet?
24:27I have, and they're all so different, aren't they?
24:30Well, that'll give you an idea of what's in store for you later.
24:32See, Mary, you must be used to the rhythm of the day like this.
24:35I mean, doing Bake Off all those years.
24:37Watching people at work and judging them.
24:40I loved being a judge because you feel you can help people,
24:44just like the judges here, talk to all the artists
24:48and sort of bring the best out of them and add to their skills.
24:52You want people to do well.
24:53I want people to do well, I want them to be proud,
24:56and I don't want them to cry.
24:58Yeah.
24:59Well, we don't always manage with that.
25:02Semi-final day, cooking up nicely.
25:13Are they rising to the challenge?
25:15I knew he was going to say that.
25:17I think this is a bit of a tricky day
25:20because there's a set which they could really trip up with it.
25:23We've got two sets of artists.
25:25We've got the more traditional ones,
25:26and then we've got the more experimental artists.
25:28So there's a weird Venn diagram that quite a lot of them are falling off the edges.
25:32There are traps, and the artists have to compromise.
25:34I mean, Mary's the biggest trap of all, don't you think?
25:37Because she's quite fragile and delicate,
25:39but she's also strong.
25:41So, I mean, some of these artists who are taking slightly more risks,
25:44I fear for their lives if they don't get Mary Mary quite right.
25:47Don't mess with Mary too much.
25:49Yeah, I think what Katie's really good at is she keeps it very clean,
25:53and it works very well with the lovely blue that Mary's got in the background.
25:56Katie, of all the traditionalists here, is making the best painting somehow.
26:01I think that coolness and the clearness makes it feel very modern.
26:05Edie, on the other hand, with the closed eyes,
26:07the most beautiful, most sensitive pose.
26:10I love it, but of course, that's not how we're used to seeing Mary.
26:14For me, it's still too sweet because Mary looks happy in it.
26:18I don't like portraits of people looking happy.
26:20I think maybe what will save it from being too sweet is that it is a bit wonky.
26:24There's a kind of quirky quality to all of the pictures that we've seen from Edie,
26:28and so I think she's a real contender for me today.
26:30Courtney, we saw what she did with Rhys, giving it an interesting twist.
26:35Yeah, I think muscular painting is what Courtney is good at.
26:39How do you bring muscular painting and the delicate Mary Berry together?
26:43She's not giving us an attractive Mary, but she's taken a very particular hold of the mouth,
26:50and that is what's informed the painting.
26:52Uthman spent a lot of the morning feeling his way through.
26:56Yeah.
26:57He was like that with Beth, though.
26:58It felt really sketchy, and then suddenly it all sort of came together.
27:02It's a bit messy, but I've got a confidence in him putting it all together.
27:05I mean, we did see Uthman do it before, you're right.
27:08Maybe likeness is something he does at the end, just to satisfy us,
27:11and the great painting is what he does all day, because he's clearly enjoying himself.
27:14Chloe working on that large piece of metal.
27:16Yeah, I think that it's a radiant material, and it's a really radiant portrait.
27:20My concern for Chloe is that she's already got quite a lot on there,
27:23and I think she doesn't need much more.
27:26We've never seen somebody working on this material in all the years we've done the show.
27:30To set up a composition which has a dynamic to it, which is not sweet in any way,
27:35I mean, that's the sweet spot.
27:36Lauren's painted everything but Mary so far.
27:39I love what Lauren does, and I love the way in which she makes the decisions about
27:43which things are going to be treated in the more abstract way, and what I want to see come in now
27:47is just make Mary come alive.
27:49It's like when a child eats their dinner and there's heads of sausages to last.
27:52That's exactly what I was going to say.
27:53They've just done all the veggies.
27:54That one last bite, it's got all the bits that they love the most on it.
27:57Yeah, exactly.
27:58Now, Paulina, is she setting your traditional sweet tooth on edge?
28:02Yeah.
28:03It is.
28:04It's the light coming through the hair.
28:06I mean, I think she could do an awful lot if she changed the hair.
28:09Is that interesting?
28:10It's very backlit.
28:11Like a vision.
28:12Yeah.
28:13Because Paulina's got a great facility.
28:15Yeah, and she's a fantastic painter.
28:16She's a cool artist, you know?
28:17So she's definitely someone who's gone a bit close to these traps that we've set.
28:22Yeah.
28:22What saved the heat painting was, of course, bringing the object.
28:25Yeah.
28:26And she's not playing with any of the elements today.
28:28Has anyone caught a glimpse of Vincent's artwork?
28:32You've got to elbow him away, have you?
28:33You've got to drag him off here.
28:34Mary's Louise.
28:36She's right down at the bottom.
28:37And it's partly, I think, because he wants to include everything that's around her.
28:40But, I mean, I don't know how it's going to work once everything else has gone in.
28:43Is it going to be enough?
28:45What I loved about his heat drawing was the singularity of the line.
28:49I find this drawing of Mary a bit softer.
28:52But I guess since the man knows what he's doing, so we'll have to just wait till the end.
28:55Or he doesn't want us to know what he's doing.
28:57Yeah, exactly.
29:04It's very frustrating being this side of all the portraits.
29:08I'm dying to know what's the other side.
29:10They peek around to look at me and Freddie, but they just keep going.
29:14I'm dying to know what's going on.
29:20This one, what's going on?
29:21I'm trying to decide how I want the dog to be part of this composition.
29:26Should the dog look directly to me, you know, to be part of the gaze, or he should look away?
29:32So he's a constant sort of re-balancing.
29:34Yes, yes, yes.
29:34Okay.
29:42Katie, it's exciting seeing the colors coming in.
29:45Yeah, I mean, I've just sketched in Freddie.
29:48He's looking a bit sketchy to me.
29:51That's your idea of sketchy.
29:52There'll be a lot of other people's idea of very proficient painting.
29:55I think compared to Mary, he feels quite sketchy.
29:58Well, listen, I think he already feels like Freddie.
30:00Okay, well, that's good.
30:01He certainly feels like Mary.
30:02That's the danger now. I've got time to mess it up and fiddle and...
30:06Over-bake.
30:06Yeah, yeah, over-bake.
30:19Courtney, it's so difficult, isn't it, working with someone whose face is so well-known?
30:23It is really tough.
30:24Yeah.
30:25And she's, like, beautiful and feminine and pink.
30:28Yeah, it is tricky.
30:28So, I mean, have you been wrestling with your own way in which you like to sort of
30:32stylise?
30:33Definitely.
30:33Yeah, trying to find places to make it more whimsical is a bit trickier.
30:46Lauren, you painted everything but the face.
30:48Yeah, it's the hardest part.
30:49It's thinking about the mark-making, it's the colour mixing.
30:53So, I always leave it to last and now I'm a bit worried about time.
30:56So, you sort of warm up on the rest of the painting.
30:58Yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah.
30:59It's not like a child who will leave the broccoli till the end because this is stuff they don't
31:03like doing.
31:03Is that what it is?
31:04Basically, it's that.
31:05Right.
31:05I'm just being really childish.
31:06OK.
31:10With just half an hour to go, it's tools up and heads down.
31:13I am flitting all over the place now.
31:20I'm making adjustments and changing anything that I feel needs changing.
31:31I think I'm just going to polish up areas back to metal to add some highlights and a bit more depth.
31:37And just leave it. I'm happy with everything.
31:45I'm working on the dog at the moment. I'm not entirely happy with myself.
31:50I mean, I'm having a great time. I just wish it was like six hours or something or two days.
31:55The eight semi-finalists have only moments left of their four-hour challenge
32:09to make some final adjustments to their portraits of Dame Mary Berry.
32:16Vince, have you gone back to Mary's face?
32:18Yeah, I wasn't going to do that.
32:20But obviously, because we've only got a little bit of time left,
32:22if we make a mistake on the face at this point, then I'm...
32:25It's kind of a question. Why on earth would you do that?
32:28Have you just put it in, now you're rubbing it with the tiniest rubber I've ever seen?
32:32Yeah.
32:32OK. Happy?
32:34I don't want to talk about happy or unhappy.
32:36Oh, I'm sorry, artist and happiness. OK.
32:45I hate pink and red.
32:46And I'm having a hard time with the jacket because of it.
32:51So I'm coming back to work on it now in hopes that I can fix it.
32:58I think I'm going to go right to the last minute.
33:00I still want to add folds into the jacket so it doesn't look too flat.
33:04So there's lots of things on my to-do list.
33:07There's a suggestion of the hair and I quickly put a suggestion of the finger in,
33:12and a suggestion of the necklace, a suggestion of the dog.
33:16Mary's a suggestion somewhere in there.
33:19Artists, you have five minutes left. Five minutes.
33:25I am definitely feeling the pressure.
33:27I'm just trying to stay calm and not let it kind of make me tighten after all.
33:34Nothing can go wrong at this point.
33:37I'll just leave it and call it a day.
33:42I'll just leave it and call it a day.
33:45Artists, your semi-final challenge is over.
33:47Please stop what you're doing and step away from your artwork.
33:56How are you feeling, Mary?
33:58Not bad.
33:59That's a good.
34:01We made it. Yeah, we combined it.
34:03How are you doing?
34:04I can't like the classical.
34:07Wow.
34:08I'm glad it's over.
34:09I'm glad it's over.
34:10Mary Berry and her faithful companion Freddie have sat stoically for four hours,
34:16and it's time to reward their patience.
34:18You survived.
34:20I've survived.
34:21How was it?
34:22It was absolutely wonderful, but I'm just waiting for that reveal.
34:26Well, luckily, we're absolving you of judging duty today.
34:30I know.
34:30I'm really looking.
34:31I can't wait for that turnaround.
34:34You're about to be confronted by eight Mary Berries.
34:36I just need to warn you.
34:38It's a peculiar thing.
34:39It is.
34:40But it's a wonderful thing.
34:41Right.
34:42Artists, can I ask you, please, to turn your easels?
34:46I'm overwhelmed.
35:04They're all so different.
35:05And lots of Freddys.
35:13Lots of Freddys.
35:15Each one has something special about it.
35:18Yeah.
35:18Should we have a closer look?
35:19Right.
35:23Vincent's been hunched over his artwork all day.
35:26I was really worried about you.
35:28You were about that much away.
35:31I rather like the idea that I'm looking calm,
35:34and I can see Will's little Valentine card in the background.
35:36Indeed.
35:37Indeed.
35:38And it's lovely.
35:39Thank you, Vincent.
35:40No problem.
35:41Paulina.
35:44I think that you enjoyed doing the dog more than me.
35:48That's not true.
35:49Well, no, but you like dogs, don't you?
35:51We did have a quick word.
35:52He looks very content leaning on me.
35:55I think he's looking at the audience out there, you know,
35:58thinking, perhaps somebody will take me for a run.
36:01It tells the story.
36:03Thank you, Pally.
36:05Lauren.
36:07Well, you've got the Valentine in the background
36:10with a little heart in three elephants, and Freddy.
36:13I think he looks a bit bored there, don't you, Freddy?
36:16But you've certainly got my look quite cheerful.
36:19Thank you, Lauren.
36:23Chloe.
36:24Oh, I think that is really so different from anything I've ever seen.
36:28I was wondering what was happening because suddenly you've got a roller out.
36:32But it's so different.
36:34I like it.
36:38You use so much paint.
36:42It seemed to go everywhere.
36:43Yeah.
36:44It's really rather fun.
36:46It looks as though I'm in charge there, which I like to be.
36:52Courtney.
36:56Wow.
36:56It's very bold.
36:58Now, Freddy, he's gone off to the side, but why not?
37:01Everybody else has got him.
37:02You've certainly got me, and it's very flamboyant.
37:05It is.
37:06I'm quite different, isn't it?
37:07Really.
37:08Thank you, Courtney.
37:08Edie.
37:10You like dogs, don't you, Edie?
37:13I love dogs.
37:15I think you've done him well.
37:16Aw.
37:17You've got me sort of looking and thinking, everything's all right.
37:21Yeah.
37:21Thank you, Edie.
37:25Katie.
37:26You've done the eyes very well.
37:28I think the eyelashes are even better than mine.
37:30Oh, really?
37:31And a good smile.
37:33And you've certainly got Freddy.
37:35I think you've kept it jolly well.
37:38Right.
37:39Thank you, Katie.
37:41So, normally our sitters get to choose one of three,
37:44but there are eight portraits of you.
37:46You get to take one home with you.
37:48I have chosen one.
37:50I think I look contented and happy,
37:53and I've fallen in love with it.
37:55I haven't got room for it, but I'm going to make room,
37:59and I think it'll be the talk of the town.
38:02I have chosen the one that is painted on aluminium.
38:05Chloe.
38:23Dame Mary Berry has made her choice, but now it's the judges who have a difficult decision.
38:29Who makes it to the final three?
38:34So eight artists you all had high hopes for.
38:37Inevitably, some deliver and some don't on the day.
38:40Would that be fair?
38:41Yeah, I mean, I think the semi-final's tough.
38:43I think we've got a group of artists here,
38:44some of whom got it just right.
38:46Some of them might be on the side of playing it a bit too safe
38:48and some of them on the side of maybe a little bit too risky.
38:51I think Courtney pushed her own style
38:52slightly too heavily upon Mary.
38:54You know, Mary's very delicate
38:55and when you impose a more muscular style
38:58on top of that, it doesn't work.
39:00But I think if you want to paint like this,
39:02you need to collaborate with the sitter,
39:04which she did very well in her heat.
39:05And instead she went for this quite conventional pose
39:07and she left herself no space to soften it in any way.
39:11Katie has given us these stark white backgrounds,
39:14slightly softened today by that stripe of green.
39:18Yeah, I think this is something slightly different.
39:20So it's exciting to see an artist
39:21who actually shows us more and pulls it off in the time.
39:24I mean, that's a proper bit of painting in a day.
39:27Edie would have said today was a perfect sitter for her
39:30and she'd have been talking about the dog.
39:32She's absolutely dog mad.
39:33And this painting is pretty much all about the dog, isn't it?
39:36I love the bravery of an artist to be like,
39:38Dame Mary Berry.
39:39Okay, but look, Freddie, it's really Freddie.
39:42I think there's a slight likeness issue in the mouth.
39:44It doesn't feel as pretty as Mary was.
39:47But that said, I think that she did something very ambitious.
39:49What I like about Edie's double portrait here,
39:51it's about a human's relationship with the dog
39:54and how close they are.
39:55You get a sense that relationships between humans and dogs,
39:58it's full of life.
40:00Uthman talked about wanting to find the strength
40:02and the sadness that he saw in Mary.
40:05I mean, Uthman was having such a great time today.
40:07I was absolutely convinced that he would pull Mary
40:10out of that face by the end of today, but he didn't.
40:15No, I think with Uthman, it's always a sort of a balancing act
40:17between what the painting was dictating to him
40:20and I think the painting won today in a funny way.
40:23Yeah, that Mary looks like she's about to kick my head in.
40:25Chloe works on this extraordinary surface
40:29and it's the painting Mary chose to take home.
40:32I can understand why she chose this painting.
40:34I mean, look at Freddie.
40:36But I think Chloe really paid attention.
40:38I mean, she was really wanting to make a strong likeness.
40:41We're entering a different world
40:42and I think it's beautifully set up.
40:44It's just such a great composition
40:45and all done in this weird green monochrome.
40:49As a piece of art, I think it's spectacular.
40:51Lauren left the face till last, partly out of nerves, she said.
40:57But the problem then, if you leave it to the last moment,
40:59is the language has got to fit in, you know,
41:02and it's an odd language.
41:04It's a pop kind of flatness to it
41:06and it suits the way she's painted everything else.
41:08You know, Lauren is so interesting, isn't she,
41:10the way she combines these different styles.
41:12Really interesting way of applying paint.
41:15Fabulous composition, but she should have got to that face sooner.
41:19Paulina's portrait, I'm looking at that thing,
41:21thinking, is it too soft, is it too backlit?
41:24Is it for you, all of those things?
41:26Objectively, it's just a beautiful painting of Freddie.
41:29For me, it feels at odds with the Paulina that I've seen before,
41:32who just feels a bit more contemporary than this.
41:34It's one of the best Freddys in the room, isn't it?
41:36But I think there's an issue with the likeness.
41:38If you look at Freddie, I mean, he's pretty much spot on.
41:40Why is Mary not spot on?
41:42I don't know, Freddie was looking at it thinking,
41:43am I that fat?
41:44No.
41:46Vincent was hunched over that desk.
41:48I saw rulers protract his pencils.
41:50He could have been doing maths homework.
41:53But this is what he was doing.
41:54What did you make of it?
41:55It's a crazy fairy tale, isn't it?
41:57Where this tiny woman and her dog is overwhelmed by cooking stuff.
42:03And remember his submission.
42:04Yes.
42:04A man is overwhelmed by all the various things in his life.
42:08This composition maybe is just a bit too straightforward.
42:11But there's something really peculiar about the submission.
42:13Unfortunately, I just don't think this has got a strong enough narrative quality.
42:16I think he could have been a bit weirder.
42:18Right.
42:19Well, I've just realized, of course, that the one advantage Bake Off has over us,
42:22because at this point, I'd be able to eat eight cakes.
42:26But I can't.
42:28We have eight artists.
42:29We need three for the final, please.
42:31And if you can't make a decision, Paul Hollywood's waiting outside.
42:34He said eat well.
42:34Some people just had a better day, made better choices early on,
42:46and were able to execute a portrait by avoiding the sort of saccharine.
42:49I mean, some things don't have enough weight.
42:51This is too sweet.
42:52Sweet.
42:52Yeah, yeah.
42:52I'm happy with those three.
42:54Yeah, they're clear and strong.
42:56That's got real sort of painterly quality to it.
42:58That's got a sort of silent sort of color majesty to it.
43:01No, it's a good choice.
43:02And I'm sort of dying to see their commission.
43:04I'm sort of ready for the next chapter.
43:08Artists, well done to all of you for making it this far in the competition.
43:13Thank you for your hard work.
43:14It's been an absolute pleasure watching your talents at work.
43:18However, as you know, only three of you can go through to the final,
43:22and the judges have made their decision.
43:25The first artist they have chosen is...
43:29Katie Jones.
43:31APPLAUSE
43:32The second finalist is...
43:45..Lauren Ross.
43:50APPLAUSE
43:51And the third finalist is...
44:04..Chloe Barnes.
44:06APPLAUSE
44:07I can't believe I'm a finalist.
44:19It's really exciting.
44:21And I almost just can't believe it.
44:23Because I feel like what I'm doing is kind of a risk.
44:26But it seems to be paying off.
44:27APPLAUSE
44:28You've got to go all over again.
44:31In a couple of weeks.
44:32I don't know what just happened, but I wasn't expecting that at all.
44:38There's so many great artists.
44:39I know everyone probably says that, but there were, so that was a real shock.
44:43Well done.
44:45I can't quite believe that I'm in the finalist.
44:49For a moment I was thinking, did I hear that right?
44:52And was I mishearing the name?
44:54So it's so exciting.
44:56All three of these artists really developed their practice.
45:01Chloe's developed a way of sort of making sure that the aluminium in the background
45:04is now part of the painting as a whole.
45:07Katie's got a very particular style.
45:08And today, she was really pushing on what she could actually give us.
45:12And then with Lauren, we have beautiful tonalities,
45:16a real understanding of composition, just a luscious painting.
45:20I also am very, very confident that all three of these artists
45:22can make fantastic commissions.
45:24So that has me tingling in the fingertips.
45:27If you'd like to know more about the competition
45:29and the work of the artists featured in it,
45:32please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.tv
45:54and if you'd like to know more about the competition,
45:57please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
45:59and if you'd like to know more about the competition,
46:00please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:01and please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:02and please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:03and please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:04and please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:05and please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:06and please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:07and please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:08and please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:09and please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:10and please go to skyartsartistoftheyear.com
46:11You
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