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Landscape Artist Of The Year - Season 11 Episode 3 - Dover Port
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00:00Hello and welcome to the port of Dover.
00:15Over there, just 21 miles away, is France.
00:18But right here, eight artists are ready to navigate
00:21the choppy waters of competitive art.
00:24So, will they be channelling British Turner or French Monet?
00:28Today, bienvenue à tous.
00:31It's a brand-new episode of Landscape Artist of the Year.
00:35It's heat three, and perched high above the English shoreline,
00:40eight new artists are preparing to tackle
00:42one of our biggest and busiest landscapes ever.
00:45The view is breathtaking. It's just vast, and there's so much here.
00:50You'd rather be doing that than talking to me, wouldn't you?
00:52Yeah.
00:54To earn their place in the next round,
00:56they'll need to impress our three judges.
00:59Director of Freeze London, Ava Longray,
01:02award-winning artist, Taishan Schierenberg,
01:05and independent curator, Kathleen Soriano.
01:08You've made it very, dare I say, monumental.
01:11Chunky.
01:12Chunky.
01:13Also at Dover today are our 50 landscape artist wildcards,
01:18bringing plein air fashion and a bit of drama.
01:22Oh, OK, not that way.
01:24Have I broken it?
01:24Yes.
01:25Told you you shouldn't have let me ever go.
01:29For the artist who wins this year's competition,
01:31an incredible prize awaits.
01:33A £10,000 commission for the National Gallery of Ireland
01:37to capture Ireland's holy mountain,
01:40the magnificent Crowpatrick in County Mayo.
01:42So who will be thrown off course?
01:46I've covered my hands in paint, just knocking things back.
01:50And who will push on right to the journey's end?
01:53I could do a lot more.
01:54I'll just keep on going until you tell me to stop.
01:57Dropping anchor at Dover Ferry Port today are eight artists.
02:19Steve Vanstone, a professional artist based in Gloucestershire.
02:24Retired photographer Charmaine Alexander from Epping Forest.
02:30Prasad Bevan, an artist and teacher from North London.
02:34And artist and nature lover Katie Sims from Taunton in Somerset.
02:38It means a huge deal for me to be able to be here today.
02:42It's been on my bucket list for a very long time.
02:46Also taking part today are...
02:49Carmen Choi, a former banker from Hong Kong, now living in Surrey.
02:54From Dorset, town planner Chris Odgers.
02:58Glaswegian artist Pauline Patrick.
03:00And finally, semi-abstract painter Alison Clark from London.
03:05Painting outside in the sunshine sounds like a holiday to me.
03:11Without the family, just on my own, marvellous.
03:16The artists won their place in this year's competition
03:18by submitting landscape paintings, which are on display in the pods.
03:23And with the competition about to begin,
03:26there's still time to unpack some essential bits of kit.
03:30Today I brought along my lucky charm,
03:33the viewfinder that my son made me.
03:37Is it possible to have another table?
03:39Because I've got so much stuff.
03:42I'm feeling a mixture of anticipation, excitement.
03:46I think I've got over my initial terror and ready to go.
03:49Attention all artists, attention all artists,
03:59you have four hours to complete your masterpieces
04:00and your time starts now.
04:03All right, we're in.
04:04Rush.
04:04Today's artists are treated to a bird's eye view
04:21of Europe's busiest ferry port.
04:25Below them, a steady stream of cars and trucks
04:27wind their way towards the ferries
04:29and stretching up to the horizon,
04:31the wide arc of the harbour arm.
04:34In the foreground is an expanse of grass and hedgerows
04:38and for now at least,
04:39there are blue skies over the white cliffs of Dover.
04:44The view is breathtaking.
04:46It's just vast and there's so much here.
04:50This view of Dover ferry port is extraordinary.
04:54It feels like a privilege to stand and look at it.
05:09I'm just trying to get to grips with the basic shapes
05:12of what I've decided to paint, which is just one section.
05:16I thought, let's try and condense it down,
05:18try and tell a story.
05:20I mean, it's important, I think,
05:21that you show that these ships are going on a journey.
05:25Photo journalist turned artist Steve Vanstone
05:28enjoys experimenting with colour,
05:31replacing or intensifying existing shades
05:34using layers of paint.
05:37His submission was painted from a photograph
05:39he took on holiday in Bergen, Norway,
05:42on a cool winter's day.
05:44Steve, we love that what you've given us
05:46is so architectural.
05:47Yeah.
05:47Your submission is quite static
05:49and what I think we're going to have here today
05:51is quite a lot of movement.
05:52A lot of motion, yeah.
05:53I mean, the biggest problem I've got at the moment
05:55is that I made a selection to paint a ship which is there,
05:58but it left for France.
06:00So, yeah, it's a bit of an issue.
06:02So, you turned slightly to the left, is that right?
06:04To me, this is a ferry port.
06:06It's about a journey where these people are going,
06:08you know, ask the question in the painting.
06:10I'm very impressed by the beauty of nature,
06:21so I'm trying to find something organic with this view.
06:27Hong Kong-born Carmen Choi is inspired by the natural beauty
06:32of the English countryside.
06:33She uses colour and tone to create a realistic
06:37but atmospheric interpretation of the landscape,
06:41as seen in her painting of Aeroforce Waterfall
06:43in the Lake District.
06:46Carmen, we saw your submission with flowing waterfall
06:49and trees and organic...
06:51We decided we're going to give you this.
06:53How are you coping?
06:54It's real challenging.
06:56As you can see, I'm not quite used to concrete buildings.
07:00There's a little bit of green here.
07:01I'm glad that I get some greens
07:04and water and sky that I'm familiar with.
07:07So I'm definitely including those in my painting.
07:10What we loved about your submission
07:11was the sense of movement
07:14and the way you put paint on it.
07:16It becomes very organic.
07:17It becomes a living thing in itself.
07:18Yes, and then today,
07:20even though it's not all natural there,
07:22I'm trying to make it more organic in my way.
07:25You really have avoided everything
07:26and just gone for the green and water.
07:29I look forward to seeing how you combine a lot of organic
07:32with that little bit of industrial.
07:42I can't think of a more iconic bit of British coastline.
07:46We're on the White Cliffs of Dover.
07:47I mean, it's awesome and it's bonkers.
07:51The whole essence of a harbour is movement.
07:54But the longer you just watch it in action,
07:57the more sort of things start to appear
08:00where you think this would make interesting shapes.
08:03The artists just need to pick, really,
08:04and then nail it down.
08:06What would you paint?
08:06Actually, these beautiful, elegant,
08:09balletic almost harbour arms,
08:12I think they're just stunning.
08:13So they would frame the whole thing.
08:15Just now we had two boats
08:16trying to negotiate past each other in the harbour.
08:19That was rather lovely.
08:20It's boats coming and going,
08:21lorries coming and going,
08:22cars, people in motion, going somewhere.
08:25It's got a lot to recommend it,
08:26but it can't be easy to paint, surely.
08:28We're able to see this all in action,
08:31all happening because we're higher up.
08:33So that should make it easier for our artists,
08:36especially with this fringe of green.
08:40I would like to see that, actually,
08:42a sense of this weird perspective we're part of.
08:46Because we're on the White Cliffs.
08:47Just that you can't see them.
08:48Yeah.
08:54What I love about this view is the greenery.
08:57And I'm very interested in just beyond that point there.
09:01The White Cliffs are speaking to me
09:02as this standout centrepiece of the landscape.
09:07Katie Sims left a career in education
09:10to focus on her passion for art and the environment.
09:14Her submission, in heightened tones,
09:17depicts a fallen oak tree on the forest floor
09:19and aims to illustrate the regenerative powers of nature.
09:24Hi, Katie.
09:25Hi. How's it going?
09:27Really well, thank you.
09:28You've taken lots of photographs today, actually,
09:31and you're not necessarily working from the view in front of us.
09:35Yes.
09:35I want to represent more than just this urban landscape
09:38and trying to incorporate the historic cliffs
09:41that really give a sense of place.
09:44Your submission, it felt really organic,
09:47but at the same time,
09:50there's something supernatural, I guess,
09:51in the way in which you've depicted nature.
09:53Yes.
09:54You know, those greens, you're like,
09:55hang on a second, is this really from this earth?
09:57Can it be that bright?
09:59Exactly.
10:00So I have lots of fluorescent paints
10:02just to give excitement to the landscape
10:04and show my energy for today.
10:06Well, it sounds like you've got it all laid out for the day.
10:09Excited to see.
10:09Thanks very much.
10:10My art probably sits somewhere
10:21between the abstract and the representational.
10:25Quite often, it's a flattening out of shapes.
10:28My composition is going to be the big crane
10:31that's sitting in front of me out towards the water.
10:33Pauline Patrick is a retired art teacher living in Glasgow.
10:40Her submission of the colourful winding houses
10:43in Pittenweem Harbour on Scotland's east coast
10:46is painted in her blocky, semi-abstract style.
10:51Pauline, it's an oasis of calm in here.
10:55You can sense that calmness in your submission, actually.
10:58There's sort of a simplicity to it and level of abstraction
11:01where you sort of pare it right back.
11:04And it's very quiet and very static.
11:07And I can see you've got this sort of beautiful sketch.
11:09Will that be something that you'll spend
11:11a good 20% of the day working on?
11:13I'm going to spend a good bit of time on this
11:15and then I'll get started.
11:16So that I'll have the confidence
11:17when I start to draft something onto a canvas.
11:20And you have very cleverly found the one piece
11:23in front of you that isn't moving today.
11:26Do you do that on purpose?
11:26Yes.
11:28Absolutely.
11:29Yeah.
11:29And I quite like the scale you've given.
11:31You've made it very, dare I say, monumental.
11:34Chunky.
11:35Chunky.
11:37It's not just the pod artists painting at Dover today.
11:41Valiantly trekking their equipment down the blustery cliff
11:44are our 50 monumental wildcards.
11:47I've specifically packed bricks and stuff to tie my easel down.
11:51It's windy enough to blow over my lightweight easel,
11:54but I will persevere.
11:56The wind is definitely a challenge.
11:58I don't know what my hair looks like, so apologies.
12:00There's a lot going on.
12:01I just did that.
12:02And just, just, I'm painting that.
12:04And if they survive the elements,
12:07one of these wildcards may have the chance
12:09of a place at this year's semi-final.
12:13You're working with lots of little bits of cloth in this breeze.
12:16It's tricky, yes.
12:17And who's with you today?
12:18Oh, well, my dad is somewhere around here.
12:20Where's he gone?
12:21I don't know where he's gone.
12:23He's not providing the emotional support that you need at this point?
12:25No, not right now, no.
12:26Up above the wildcards,
12:35the pod artists are getting stuck
12:37into the complexity of this unusual landscape.
12:43I think I am quite happy at this point.
12:47It's time for me to really get into pushing
12:49for all the details and good bits to come out.
12:54I'm a wee bit panicked just now.
12:56I've just finished sketching.
12:57So just at the stage where I'm drafting
12:59and it is the crucial stage.
13:04I've got the canvas covered with paint and some lines.
13:08It's so far so good.
13:09If I've got everything right,
13:11if I haven't, we've got a bit of a problem.
13:26On the cliff above Dover Ferry Port,
13:30eight artists are each coming up
13:31with their own unique response
13:33to the challenging scene below.
13:35I've just put lots of curves in my painting today.
13:39They connect areas like reflections,
13:42shadows, clouds,
13:43and I think it helps the feeling of the painting.
13:49Retired photographer Charmaine Alexander
13:52creates expressive landscapes
13:54using distinctive mark-making and patterns.
13:59For her submission,
14:01she used warm and earthy tones
14:03to bring a sense of place
14:04to her depiction of the Norfolk coast.
14:06Hi, Charmaine.
14:08Hi.
14:09How is it going?
14:10I'm OK, I think, yeah.
14:12This feels quite familiar, I guess,
14:14when we think about your submission.
14:16Those circular shapes,
14:17which to me feel like
14:19almost an idea around reflecting the light.
14:22Well, I'd started using curved lines
14:25as a means to draw
14:26the viewer's attention through the composition.
14:29These are kind of the axis
14:31of where I want the movement to go
14:34in the painting.
14:35Tell me a little bit
14:36about what you've done so far.
14:38I wanted an arc,
14:39so I've taken it from a cloud
14:40through the sea
14:41and through what is going to be
14:43this area of foliage down here.
14:46So a way of bringing it all together.
14:48Yes.
14:48But the curved lines need sorting out.
14:51They're a bit too crude at the moment.
14:53You've got a good head start here.
14:55I'm trying.
14:55Yeah.
14:59My art process,
15:04it begins with ink marbling.
15:06Some of the ink sits on top of the water.
15:09You can kind of vaguely control it.
15:12Then afterwards,
15:13when I'm satisfied with the pattern,
15:14I use a printmaking process
15:16of capturing it on paper.
15:20Prasad Bevan grew up
15:22in the foothills of the Himalayas
15:24and moved to the UK
15:25where he studied illustration
15:27and traditional arts.
15:29He creates his imagined landscapes
15:31using ink marbling,
15:33floating Chinese inks on water
15:35before transferring the image to paper
15:37and then applies watercolour
15:39and pastel over the top.
15:41Prasad,
15:42I know you normally work
15:43sort of from your imagination,
15:44but today you're working
15:45for something that's real
15:46in front of you.
15:46How's that sort of influencing
15:48the way you're working?
15:49Well, it's like walking a tightrope.
15:51Ink marbling totally dictates the landscape.
15:54You could see a cloud,
15:55you could see a rock,
15:56you could see a tree.
15:57It depends on your imagination.
15:59Your submission is a beautiful,
16:01evocative piece.
16:02Yeah.
16:02There's a religious aspect to it as well,
16:04isn't there, in some form?
16:05Yes, yes.
16:06So with the ink marbling,
16:07is that something that you continue
16:08to add on as the day goes on?
16:10No, no, no.
16:11You've done it now.
16:11I've done it now.
16:12I was a little bit worried
16:13in the beginning
16:13because I didn't predict the wind.
16:16And so I was lucky on my last one
16:18I managed to get something
16:19which I could work with.
16:20So now everything else
16:21is the painting in,
16:23the literalness of it all.
16:24Yeah, yes.
16:24It's really very interesting
16:26and it's very seductive,
16:27actually, as a technique.
16:33Just 21 miles
16:34from the French coast,
16:36Dover is the closest point
16:37in the UK
16:38to mainland Europe.
16:40It's been an important landing place
16:42since the time of Julius Caesar
16:44and is now a thriving hub
16:45of international trade.
16:48Dover is absolutely full of history.
16:50This has been the natural starting point
16:52for any voyage to France.
16:54The Dover ferry terminal
16:55is predominantly a freight terminal.
16:58More lorries enter and leave the UK
17:00through the port of Dover
17:01than through all other UK ports put together.
17:06The current port dates back
17:07to the Industrial Revolution
17:09when Britain's overseas trade
17:11was growing rapidly.
17:14Harbour walls were built
17:15to safely dock
17:16the increasing number of ships
17:18crossing the Channel.
17:21At times, the sea is positively furious
17:24and the harbour walls provide
17:26the safe, calm water
17:27that ships need.
17:30With the invention
17:31of drive-on ferries
17:32in the mid-20th century,
17:33the number of vehicles
17:35passing through the port of Dover
17:36skyrocketed.
17:38The port now sees
17:39two million trucks
17:40pass through each year,
17:42cementing the port's status
17:44as a key piece
17:45in Britain's economic puzzle.
17:48It's really where you can see
17:50the supply chain in motion.
17:52We have a very strong
17:54sustainability agenda.
17:55The vision for the port
17:58in the future
17:59is for electric ferries
18:01with zero emissions.
18:12Despite the hustle and bustle
18:13of the busy port,
18:15our next artist is looking out
18:16to the misty horizon
18:18for inspiration.
18:19The sky is just open
18:21to accidents.
18:22It's absolutely glorious.
18:24And I really love
18:25the incredibly delicate line
18:27of the harbour wall
18:29and I've followed that
18:30as accurately as I can.
18:33Semi-abstract artist
18:35Alison Clarke
18:36is inspired by the history
18:38of British landscape painters.
18:40Her submission
18:41of Wimbledon Common,
18:43painted in large
18:43gestural brushstrokes,
18:45evokes her love
18:46of the natural world.
18:49Alison,
18:50your lovely submission,
18:51it was all mark-making,
18:54vegetation, organic.
18:56Have you found things
18:57that you feel,
18:59as an artist,
18:59you are happy to wrestle with
19:00or play with?
19:01No green today.
19:03But I'm just going to jump in
19:05both feet into the blue.
19:06And I'm kind of paying homage
19:08to the seawall.
19:09For me,
19:09it's incredibly sturdy
19:10and powerful and strong.
19:11I mean,
19:11you're perfectly situated.
19:13That seawall,
19:14it does lead us
19:15into your painting,
19:16isn't it?
19:16Very much so.
19:17I'd like to keep
19:19some of the detail
19:19because I think
19:20it's really important,
19:22but I'm just getting
19:23the meat on the bones now.
19:24I think you've got
19:25a beautiful thing happening,
19:28so I'll let you get one.
19:29I'll keep cracking on.
19:30My style is sort of
19:43contemporary Impressionism,
19:44so I keep trying
19:45to step back
19:46and make sure
19:47it's loose and free
19:48and is more about
19:49the expression
19:49of the brushstroke
19:50than painting the details
19:53of a particular ship.
19:54A self-taught artist,
19:58Chris Odgers
19:58honed his drawing skills
20:00while working
20:00in urban design.
20:03Drawn to structure
20:05and industry,
20:06he painted his submission
20:07of Dublin's Guinness factory
20:09using an impressionistic style
20:11and muted colour palette.
20:13Chris,
20:14I'm really surprised.
20:16Looking at your submission,
20:17I felt that you were
20:18really good at capturing grit.
20:20And then here we're seeing
20:22you've given us
20:23lovely pastel washes,
20:25lots of greens,
20:26lots of pinks.
20:28I think establishing
20:28the right tonal values
20:30for today,
20:31as opposed to Dublin
20:32in October.
20:33Yes.
20:34So it is a completely
20:36different scenario.
20:38Tell me about the vision.
20:40So I'm working in oils
20:41and it's just more conducive
20:43to a looser brushwork,
20:45I think,
20:45because I try to capture
20:46atmosphere rather than
20:48lots of detail.
20:49But at the same time,
20:50there has to be
20:51a careful balance
20:52between trying to portray
20:53what you're seeing,
20:54but also trying to get
20:55an element of emotion
20:56into the painting.
21:01While the artists
21:02in the pods
21:03calmly plough on
21:04with their artworks,
21:05down on the cliff,
21:06the wildcards
21:07have gone rogue.
21:10This is my tufting gun.
21:11Tufting.
21:12Wow.
21:13You're like the Al Capone
21:14of art, aren't you?
21:15So, do you feel ready
21:16to have a go?
21:17Well, it's your artwork.
21:18I don't want to...
21:19I can unpick it.
21:19You can unpick it.
21:20That's the votes
21:21of confidence
21:21I was looking for.
21:22Let's do it.
21:24Oh, OK.
21:24Not that way.
21:27OK.
21:29OK.
21:29Have I broken it?
21:30Yes.
21:31I told you you
21:31shouldn't have let me ever go.
21:32I've just got obsessed
21:34with the patterns
21:38and the foliage.
21:40So there's a lot of detail
21:41at the front
21:41and then I'm looking
21:43at this vast sea
21:44and not knowing
21:46what to do next.
21:47So just having a ponder.
21:52Annabelle,
21:53what is it about ink?
21:54I think it lets me be
21:55quite loose.
21:56It's almost like
21:56a scribble in a way,
21:58but I do a sketch underneath.
22:00And what distinguishes it
22:01from a doodle?
22:02Wow.
22:04What's art?
22:05I suppose.
22:10While Kathleen ponders
22:12the big questions,
22:13the artists in the pods
22:14are reaching the end
22:15of their second hour.
22:16I really need
22:18to get my skates on
22:19and I've got quite
22:20a bit more to do.
22:22It's gone so quickly.
22:23I'm working in acrylics,
22:25but unfortunately
22:26a hot day today
22:27and the sun's drying them out.
22:32It comes and goes,
22:33that panic,
22:35but my friend
22:36brought me
22:36a little bouquet of flowers
22:37and a little message
22:38which is just perfect.
22:46I think I'm where
22:48I wanted to be
22:49halfway through the day.
22:51There are bits
22:51that I'm not happy with,
22:53but then
22:53that's the way it goes,
22:54isn't it?
23:07At Dover Ferryport,
23:09eight artists
23:10are negotiating
23:11an ever-changing landscape.
23:13I think the weather's tricky
23:15because we've started
23:16off very sunny,
23:18then it went quite gloomy,
23:19the sea changed colour,
23:21but I think it's okay
23:23at the moment.
23:28How's it going here, Steve?
23:29Ah, well,
23:31I am happy the ship
23:32is back
23:33because if I don't
23:34get them right now,
23:36later on,
23:36it'll be a disaster
23:37and I might not
23:39actually put a horizon
23:40in at all
23:41and maybe try
23:41and have a ship
23:42just kind of emerging
23:43out of the mist.
23:45I'm working in
23:48watercolour and pastel.
23:51With watercolour,
23:52the more layers you add,
23:53the more light
23:53you take away.
23:55So the pastels
23:56allows me to
23:57regain light areas
23:58if I need to.
23:59And then the stage
24:00I'm at now
24:00is kind of creating
24:02background, foreground,
24:03mid-ground.
24:03So you take eight artists,
24:13you plonk them
24:13in front of Europe's
24:14busiest ferry port
24:15and you say,
24:16get on with it.
24:17Feeling pleased
24:18with yourself?
24:19I think actually
24:20there's lots of inspiration
24:21and they've all found
24:23something to sort of
24:24get their teeth into.
24:25There's obviously
24:25the sea,
24:26there's people,
24:27there's action
24:27and I think you can see
24:29in the pods
24:30all the various artists
24:31have tackled this
24:32in very different ways
24:33so that's been
24:34quite interesting to see.
24:35Katie has looked
24:37at the port
24:37and thought,
24:38not for me.
24:39Does it bother you
24:40that you wouldn't know
24:41it was a port
24:42or Dover
24:43when you look at it?
24:44I feel like there's
24:45a sense of the white cliffs
24:46and I think she's stayed
24:47true enough
24:47to what we've presented
24:49because I love
24:50the density of coloration
24:51and the sort of textures
24:52that she finds
24:53and the warmth
24:53in her colors.
24:54At the moment
24:55it feels a little bit raw
24:57and I just want to see
24:58that richness come in.
24:59It's a lovely image
25:00at the moment
25:00so I'm kind of intrigued
25:02halfway through the day
25:03where do you take this
25:05without losing
25:06that niceness?
25:08Chris was saying to me
25:09he's worried
25:09he hasn't committed
25:10to anything yet.
25:12Would you agree with that?
25:13I'm really surprised
25:14actually by the way
25:15he's tackled the landscape.
25:16You know,
25:16his submission was very much
25:17about the browns
25:18and the greys
25:19and there is all of this
25:20in today's landscape
25:20actually
25:21and instead
25:22he's giving us
25:23a really sort of
25:24romantic view
25:24of this landscape
25:25so I'm really curious
25:26to see where he takes this.
25:28I don't see the work
25:28as that different
25:29from the submission.
25:31It's partly to do
25:32with the mark making.
25:32I think he's got
25:33this very hesitant way
25:34of laying the paint down.
25:35It's very impressionistic
25:36and I think that combination
25:38of grit and beauty
25:39he'll find today as well.
25:42Alison clearly interested
25:43in sea and sky.
25:44We've got a lot of that
25:45so far and not much else.
25:47She's got this beautiful
25:48harbour arm
25:49holding the whole thing
25:50in place
25:50and I think the way she paints
25:52she needs to get stuff on it
25:53and at the moment
25:54it's just too empty somehow.
25:56You can see the definition
25:57of the sky coming in now
25:58and actually you want to
25:59understand the paint
26:00on the surface a bit more.
26:02Carmen looked at this view
26:03this morning
26:04and was panicked by it
26:05how she got on.
26:06I think of all the artists
26:08Carmen has done the scene justice.
26:10There's something messy about it.
26:13There's chaos down there
26:14and it's reflected
26:15the way the marks
26:16have gone on.
26:17She's made some
26:18really clever choices.
26:19She's sort of sandwiched
26:20the challenging area
26:22for her
26:22between the foliage
26:23and the sky.
26:26And so now I think
26:26the challenge is
26:27the industrial middle part
26:28and how to render this
26:29with her style.
26:31Prasad has this whole
26:32marbling thing going on.
26:33Is that working for you?
26:35You know the marbling
26:35is very beautiful
26:36and very dense.
26:38Dark green in particular
26:39has been placed
26:40in very particular areas
26:41in the composition.
26:42For someone who
26:43talks about
26:44the marbling technique
26:45being something
26:46he's got no control over
26:47he knew the shape
26:49and the area
26:49that he wanted to cover
26:50so there is control
26:52that he has over it.
26:54I think that's
26:54the real challenge
26:55for Prasad
26:56is to get out
26:58of one's head
26:59and to tackle reality, right?
27:02It feels like
27:02it still needs
27:03a lot of resolving
27:04between now
27:05and the end
27:05of the competition.
27:06Pauline,
27:07those two terminals,
27:10are they working?
27:10You need to get
27:11all the colours
27:12and tones in place
27:12for that little zing
27:14to happen
27:14and it hasn't happened yet.
27:16I think she's
27:17a really keen observer
27:18and she's really managed
27:20to capture the landscape
27:21by reducing it
27:23to its simplest elements.
27:25Colours,
27:27flatness,
27:28geometric shapes
27:29but at the same time
27:30I think it really
27:30still captures
27:31the scene today.
27:33Charmaine is giving us
27:34this sort of
27:35swirly sense of order.
27:38It was interesting
27:38this morning
27:39to see what came first
27:41because I thought
27:41maybe the swirls
27:42came in towards the end
27:44but actually
27:44they're there
27:45right from the beginning
27:46and they do relate
27:47to her composition
27:48so it's got rigour to it.
27:51She uses them
27:51to bring the entire
27:52painting together
27:53and almost as
27:55a link between
27:56the earth
27:58and the sky
27:58and the various elements
27:59but that's not
28:00how I read it.
28:01To me it's just
28:02something extra
28:03that's maybe not
28:03needed.
28:05Steve's painting
28:06is making me
28:07want to go on holiday.
28:09The boat,
28:10the gap in the harbour wall,
28:12let's go!
28:13We don't need gear,
28:15we can get a toothbrush
28:15in France.
28:17I think Steve's
28:18composition
28:19is inspired.
28:20Just looking at
28:21this horizontal
28:22working port
28:23and going
28:24okay what is this about?
28:25and it actually
28:27starts on the
28:27left-hand corner
28:28you know
28:28it really leads you in
28:30and the boat
28:30is chugging off
28:31it tells the narrative
28:32it's pattern
28:33it's weight
28:34is just perfect.
28:35I completely agree
28:36and I think
28:37Steve is really
28:37thinking about
28:38the journey
28:39in his painting
28:39and that to me
28:40is really interesting.
28:50Chris, how's it going?
28:52It's chaos down there
28:53and you've found
28:54a rather beautiful
28:55way of getting it across.
28:56It is a balancing act
28:57I mean there have been
28:58a number of times
28:59where I've gone in
29:00and put more detail in
29:01and I just haven't
29:01liked it.
29:02I've covered my hands
29:03in paint
29:04just knocking things
29:05back all the time.
29:06So you have been
29:06drawn in
29:07in that time.
29:08I love it.
29:16I've taken off
29:17my masking tape
29:18the masking tape
29:19was doing its primary job
29:20which is masking an area
29:22because I wanted to
29:23keep it quite clean.
29:25Now I'm slightly redrawing
29:26and tweaking
29:27the port walls
29:28and then
29:30as I'm working
29:31through that
29:32I'm sort of
29:32working into the detail.
29:36The details that have been
29:38added are
29:38the darker areas
29:40and the foliage
29:40so just to give them
29:41a little bit of life
29:42and then there's a little bit
29:43of detail coming in
29:44with some houses
29:45but for me
29:46it's just getting that
29:47emphasis in foliage
29:48that I wanted to show.
29:49Pauline, you're more interested
29:56in flat areas
29:58flat areas of colour
29:59something that feels
30:00reduced
30:01you know.
30:02Exactly, I'm going to reduce.
30:03Yeah, okay.
30:04So I'm just kind of looking
30:05at colours
30:05sitting beside colours
30:07and thinking about
30:08the whole thing
30:09and whether or not
30:10it sets together.
30:11on the grass
30:15overlooking the port
30:16a growing audience
30:17of art lovers
30:17are keeping a sharp eye
30:19on the action
30:19in the pods.
30:21Who's going to win today?
30:22No, I've got my money
30:23on this lady here.
30:24Right, okay.
30:26And I like the chap
30:28who's got the ferry
30:28leaving the port.
30:29Yes, love it.
30:30Who's supposed to be
30:31sitting here by the way?
30:32Um, Debbie's husband.
30:33Oh really, he got the boot?
30:35He did.
30:36Only for you.
30:37Sorry mate.
30:40Below the pods
30:41the wildcards
30:42have almost finished
30:43their day's painting
30:44but first
30:45they must deal
30:46with a few
30:46unwelcome visitors.
30:48I'm having a lot of flies
30:50land on my painting
30:51and they look like
30:52little additions
30:53of black dots
30:54so it's a bit
30:54of a strange one.
30:56I think if I look
30:56too closely
30:57I'm not as pleased
30:58with it
30:58but further back
30:59it's good.
31:05I think it's
31:05very beautiful
31:06it's elegant
31:07it feels a bit
31:08French so
31:09um
31:09There's a French artist
31:10I'm trying to
31:11be inspired by
31:12and I've come over his name
31:13but he's done.
31:13Oh that's a pity
31:14I was heard of you.
31:16Only one wildcard
31:18can be chosen
31:19as today's winner.
31:27Oh Deborah
31:27I think it's you.
31:29I think you've won
31:29the wildcard today.
31:31Oh my gosh.
31:32Well done.
31:34Well done.
31:34You did a great job.
31:36We just really love
31:39the painterly approach
31:39you're really brave
31:40you dropped everything
31:41far down
31:42you gave us this
31:43great expanse
31:43of sea and sky
31:44that mash up
31:45into each other.
31:47To be here
31:48means the world
31:49and even to win
31:50was like beyond anything.
31:52My mum
31:52she wasn't there
31:53to see her
31:53which is quite sad
31:54because she went up
31:54to the car.
31:56Deborah Frank
31:56from Epping Forest
31:57will enter a pool
31:58of wildcard winners
31:59one of whom
32:00will be chosen
32:01to compete
32:01in the semi-final.
32:17I think I procrastinated
32:19a little bit
32:20in tackling
32:21the grey bit
32:22in the middle
32:23which is the fairy pot
32:24and I'm working hard
32:26to work on that bit
32:27now.
32:33So I've been building
32:34up my layers
32:35trying to add texture
32:36and depth.
32:36I feel like I'm leaving
32:37more fluorescent colours
32:39coming through
32:39than usual
32:40but it's working
32:41in my favour.
32:42There's parts I like
32:48there's parts I don't.
32:50I could do a lot more
32:51but I'll just keep on
32:53going until you
32:54tell me to stop.
33:08Eight artists
33:09are approaching
33:09the end of their day
33:11capturing this
33:11eagle eye view
33:12of Dover Ferryport.
33:15You've got a lot to do?
33:16A few lines.
33:16A few lines, OK.
33:17Yeah, a few lines
33:18that need to get straight
33:19and not to ruin
33:20the whole painting.
33:21I see.
33:21You'd rather be doing that
33:22than talking to me,
33:23wouldn't you?
33:23Yeah.
33:24Yeah, I'll let you get on.
33:25All right then.
33:26OK.
33:29It's going OK so far.
33:30I need to speed up a bit,
33:32I think.
33:32It's a lot of finessing
33:33to do in the areas
33:34that I've already painted.
33:36I think probably
33:37I'll be OK.
33:39I've got a relatively
33:39smallish canvas.
33:40Just kind of getting
33:42on with it.
33:45I'm using pastel pencil
33:46to add some saturated
33:48touches of colour
33:49just to give some pops.
33:57Artists,
33:58it ain't over
33:59till it's Dover.
34:00You have five minutes left.
34:02Five minutes.
34:03OK.
34:05I'm going to try not to do
34:06any major edits
34:07at this stage.
34:09Panicking.
34:11It's got to that point
34:13where I've just got
34:14exercise control.
34:15Just try to not overdo it.
34:18No, I don't think
34:18anything could go wrong now.
34:19At this stage,
34:20it's just about getting
34:22the right details in.
34:24So just being selective
34:25is quite difficult.
34:25We're almost at the end
34:31now, so I think
34:32it's probably safer
34:33to not mess about
34:35too much.
34:36He says messing about
34:36with it.
34:42Artists,
34:42your time is up.
34:44Please stop what you're
34:45doing and step away
34:46from your artwork.
34:47I just had the best time
34:56and met the best people
34:58and my expectations
35:00exceeded with how
35:01fantastic today was.
35:05Just one of these
35:06eight artists can go
35:07through to the semifinal
35:09and be in the running
35:10for the coveted title
35:11of Landscape Artist
35:12of the Year.
35:14Our overall winner
35:15will make the journey
35:16to the west coast
35:17of County Mayo
35:17to paint Ireland's
35:19famous mountain,
35:20Crowpatrick.
35:22Scaled by thousands
35:23of people every year,
35:24the mountain towers
35:25over the town of Westport
35:27where the community
35:28feel truly connected
35:29to the landscape.
35:31A connection our artists
35:32will need to explore
35:34in their commission
35:35for the National Gallery
35:36of Ireland.
35:44For now,
35:45at Dover Ferryport,
35:46it's time for
35:46the judges
35:47to cast their eyes
35:48over the eight
35:48completed artworks.
35:50Before choosing
35:51who will move forward
35:52to this year's semifinal,
35:54they first select
35:54a short list of three.
35:59For many of those artists,
36:00these are not
36:01usual landscapes.
36:03I feel like this was
36:03the big challenge
36:04for many of them
36:05who are used to
36:06either working from
36:08their mind
36:08or looking more at nature.
36:10And also the scale.
36:12scale, it's an enormous scale
36:14to deal with
36:15and sort of
36:16to find a way
36:17to reduce it.
36:19I thought
36:20Charmaine made a rod
36:21for her own back
36:22by giving us
36:22so little land
36:24and concentrating
36:25and concentrating
36:26on such a huge
36:27expanse of blue.
36:28But I think
36:29she's got
36:29a phenomenal
36:30sensitivity
36:31to the slightest
36:33tonal variations.
36:35It's difficult,
36:35isn't it,
36:36when people have
36:36these devices
36:37that becomes
36:38their signature style
36:39and then it's
36:40very difficult for them
36:41to step away from it.
36:43But actually,
36:43that centre point
36:44that she draws
36:45the eye to
36:45between the harbour arms
36:47I think is really effective.
36:51Alison, I think,
36:52is someone
36:53who's really
36:53inspired
36:55by green nature.
36:57And again,
36:58we've given her
36:59blue
37:00and flat
37:01and so I think
37:02it was a challenge
37:02for her
37:04to figure that out.
37:05You know,
37:05she's possibly
37:06the one
37:07who's got
37:08the grittiness
37:09of the port best
37:10and that
37:10the sort of
37:11the darkness
37:12under the harbour arm
37:13that goes out and round.
37:14They are beautiful.
37:17Looking at Katie's work,
37:20the way the eye
37:21meanders
37:21across the cliffs
37:22on the right
37:23and through
37:23that bridge underneath,
37:24it's a very well-constructed piece.
37:26The colour was sort of
37:27bleached out
37:28a lot of the day.
37:29She sort of
37:29amped it up
37:30and I'm glad
37:31that she managed
37:32to get some of the textures
37:33in towards the end
37:33of the day as well.
37:37I feel what works
37:39with Steve's painting
37:40is the story.
37:41You know,
37:41the entire painting
37:42is geared towards
37:44that moment of departure,
37:46the boat leaving,
37:47the entire composition
37:48is leaning into that
37:50and to me
37:51this is a moment
37:52of, you know,
37:53hope.
37:53I love the strange tilt
37:55which gives us
37:55a sense we're looking down
37:57and that blockiness
37:58of that boat.
37:58It's just fantastic.
38:03There's a lot
38:03I like about Chris's
38:05actually
38:05and I think
38:05it was genius
38:06the way he went in
38:07to that sort of
38:08particular composition
38:09and I love the diagonal,
38:12you know,
38:12anchored with this
38:13lovely ferry
38:13sort of hesitantly
38:14painted on the
38:15left-hand side.
38:17It's interesting
38:17how I thought
38:19those pale colours
38:20were very romantic.
38:21From this distance
38:22it looks very slight.
38:24I would have liked
38:24a bit more oomph.
38:29I like the idea
38:30that Carmen
38:30could tell us a story
38:32about the port
38:33and the feel of it
38:34without being
38:35descriptive and precise
38:37and the way she's used
38:38the vegetation
38:39in the front
38:39to lead us through
38:40into the open space
38:42is very well resolved.
38:44You can really feel
38:45the sort of humidity
38:47in the air
38:48and, you know,
38:49this sort of light
38:49that you get here
38:50around the seaside.
38:51so I think she's done
38:52a really great job
38:53at capturing all of this.
38:58Pauline's an abstract artist
39:00and you can sort of see
39:01the way she's trying
39:02to sort of
39:03deconstruct the elements.
39:05I love the mechanistic nature
39:06of those two towers
39:07in the foreground
39:07and I think maybe
39:09she ran out of time
39:10to give the level
39:11of finish to this
39:12that she wanted.
39:13It's really a reduced
39:14landscape in its simplest
39:15term,
39:15but at the same time
39:16I think it really
39:17still captures
39:17the scene today.
39:22Prasad's use
39:23of marbling,
39:25it's an odd one,
39:26but there are passages
39:27in there
39:28which couldn't have
39:29been made
39:30any other way
39:31and they are sublime.
39:34So that distant headland
39:36is just spot on
39:38and underlying it
39:39is this beautiful swirl
39:40that he got
39:41from the marbling.
39:42I think the other thing
39:42that's really working
39:43there also is that
39:44it's half dream,
39:45half reality,
39:46and I think he really
39:47nails this sort of
39:48midpoint between the two.
39:58Artists,
39:59we've had a wonderful day.
40:00It's been an absolute joy
40:01watching you all work.
40:03The judges have now
40:04decided on a shortlist
40:06of three.
40:07The first artist
40:08they have selected
40:09is...
40:10Katie Sims.
40:13The second artist
40:23on the shortlist
40:23is...
40:25Prasad Bevan.
40:31And finally...
40:35Pauline Patrick.
40:37That was a great result.
40:46I'm so delighted
40:47to be in the last three.
40:48It's amazing.
40:50If I go away with that
40:51I'll be just happy.
40:55The judges now
40:57have the difficult task
40:58of picking the day's winner.
40:59In order to help them decide
41:01which artist to send
41:02through to the semi-final
41:03they also take into consideration
41:05the selected artist's submissions.
41:10Not many boats on display
41:11considering we've seen
41:13dozens of the things today.
41:14We were talking about the view
41:15early on today
41:16and it was just
41:16there's so much
41:17and so it became
41:18a kind of interesting exercise
41:20and see how an artist
41:21who isn't used to this
41:23kind of landscape
41:24would adapt.
41:25Katie's gnarled
41:27living
41:29breathing tree
41:30on the left
41:31obviously interested
41:33in nature.
41:35What did you like
41:35about what she did today?
41:36I think Katie really
41:37ramped up the colour
41:38today.
41:39So she stayed true
41:40to the palette
41:41that she likes working with
41:42so she found that vegetation
41:43she found the organic
41:44that she likes working with.
41:46I feel somehow
41:46a kinship between this
41:48and what she's done today
41:49with the landscape
41:50using those jewel-like colours
41:52and turning this
41:53into something
41:54really quite extraordinary.
41:56So Prasad
41:57his submission
41:58is this landscape
42:00of the mind.
42:01We gave him
42:02Dover Port.
42:04Why have you picked him?
42:05I mean the submission
42:06is a beautiful
42:07evocative piece
42:08it makes me think
42:08of symbolist painting.
42:10The thing I admired
42:11most about Prasad
42:12is that he could have
42:13given us another
42:14sort of imaginary landscape
42:15in exactly the same
42:16stylistic way
42:17but he understood
42:19that he had to give us
42:20something that looked
42:20like place.
42:22Artists often
42:22make a mess
42:24and find
42:25the image
42:26that they're looking for
42:27and it's an interesting
42:28way of working
42:29and I think
42:29he is making patterns
42:31and within the patterns
42:32he's made it work.
42:34So from Prasad
42:35to Pauline
42:36you can't get
42:36a bigger contrast really
42:38in style
42:38subject matter
42:40approach.
42:41She's managed
42:41to really tune out
42:42the noise
42:44tune out the detail
42:45and focus on
42:47a few carefully chosen
42:49elements
42:49that really capture
42:51the spirit
42:52of the landscape.
42:54Pauline's submission
42:55it is so simple
42:56no it looks so simple
42:58and yet it's sublimely
43:00cleverly crafted.
43:02In its most basic
43:03building blocks
43:04it does something
43:06that only painting
43:08can do.
43:08it elevates
43:09a slab of grey
43:11into a building
43:11and she's brought
43:13that kind of
43:14abstract sensitivity
43:15to bear today
43:16because there is
43:17an abstract quality
43:18to all that stuff
43:19down there
43:20and she's picked up
43:21on it and made it
43:22into something else.
43:23I think it's wonderful.
43:23Katie, Pauline, Prasad
43:30huge congratulations
43:31on making it
43:32to the shortlist
43:32but there can be
43:34only one winner
43:35and the judges
43:35have decided
43:36which of you
43:37will be going through
43:37to the semi-final
43:39and that artist
43:40is
43:41Prasad Bevan
43:48to be honest
43:59it's quite emotional
44:00I don't know
44:02what to say
44:02Prasad, congratulations
44:03how about that?
44:05There was a lot
44:05of things that could
44:06go wrong
44:06because of the process
44:07the way I worked
44:08but I managed
44:09to get a good balance
44:10of the marbling
44:11the abstracting
44:12and get in
44:13some of the
44:14white lists
44:15Yay!
44:16Well done, well done, well done
44:17We're thinking about
44:18those artists
44:19who we meet
44:20in the pods
44:21we're also always
44:22thinking about
44:22what could they do
44:24with the commission
44:25Prasad's submission
44:27was already
44:27really strong
44:28this is someone
44:29who is working
44:30with a fairly
44:32unusual technique
44:33and I think Prasad
44:34today really
44:35demonstrated
44:36that he can adapt
44:37whilst really
44:38staying true
44:39to the nature
44:41of his practice
44:42If you'd like
44:45to find out
44:45more about
44:46taking part
44:47in the programme
44:47or the work
44:48of the featured
44:49artists
44:50visit our website
44:51skyartsartistoftheyear.tv
44:54Next time
44:58eight brand new artists
45:00set off
45:01for the mountains
45:01of the Lake District
45:02I'm feeling
45:04really ready now
45:05I can't wait
45:06to just get some
45:06paint on this board
45:07But as temperatures
45:09soar
45:10I've got a healthy
45:11bit of stress
45:12going on
45:13Yeah, I'm feeling
45:14a little bit
45:14Who will catch
45:17the eye
45:18of the judges
45:18I don't know
45:21what the man
45:22is doing
45:22but I love it
45:23And who will
45:24lose their cool
45:25Things are
45:27in the balance
45:28I'm panicking
45:29all the time
45:30I'm panicking
45:31all the time
45:32scientific
45:33I love it
45:33And who will
45:47see you
45:48next time
45:51Bye
45:51Bye
45:53Bye
45:54Bye
45:55Bye
45:56Bye
45:58Bye
45:59Bye
46:00Bye
46:01Bye
46:01Transcription by CastingWords
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