Landscape Artist of the Year Heat: Liverpool, The Three Graces
Applying to the Programme
When I first applied to the programme, I had recently moved from Gibraltar to Guildford. My partner Jack and I had just moved into our first home together and I had started a new job. I felt very overwhelmed with all the new changes but one of my goals for 2023 was to apply to the programme, so I set out to paint my submission. The only other time I had entered was during my final year of University.
As all of my art equipment was currently travelling in transit from Gibraltar, I had to buy a few bits to tide me over until it arrived. I had one week to create my submission before the deadline and I just could not get my paintings to the standard I wanted. The night before the submission date I told Jack that I was going to skip this year and apply next year but he pushed me to send in an old painting. I chose the piece ‘Green Shutters’ from a tile collection I completed for an exhibition in London in 2022.
I sent off my application in hopes of a wildcard place as I thought it would be good practice! I certainly did not feel ready to be in the pods.
Three weeks later I had a missed call and a voice message from an unknown number asking me to be a pod artist (!!!!!) for the heat in Liverpool. I’m very grateful I was at home when I received the news as my scream would not have been appreciated at work.
There were several weeks between the call and my heat, so I set out to practice as much as possible. There were lots of emails and calls during this time with an extensive artist questionnaire all about my background, painting technique and personality.
We were told our location was along the Liverpool waterfront so after looking on google maps, I assumed it was going to be either the Albert Docks, The Liver Building or the Liverpool Museum. After studying the blogs of previous episodes on Making a Mark (which I suggest any artist who is going on the programme to do), I practiced painting in the 4 hour window.
My biggest concerns were the weather and choosing the correct composition. The weather was a concern as my work revolves around harsh sunlight and vivid colours so if we got a grey day, I would have to find another way to avoid a flat and dull painting. The correct composition was also a concern as it is such a short time period, that making the wrong decision at the beginning of the day can make or break your final painting.
The two paintings which I completed in four hours before the show were of the Liverpool Museum and The Three Graces which was completely coincidental! One painting was on a grey day and the other was in sunshine. Looking back, these two paintings were vital in my decision making on the day.
The Evening Before the Heat
Jack and I drove up the day before as it was nearly a 5 hour journey to get from Guildford to Liverpool. As we were staying close to the waterfront, we walked down to see the pods and bumped into a few of the other artists and wildcards. You could feel the nervous energy but also a sense of excitement about what was to come. It was inspiring finding out just how far people had travelled to take part in the programme. As we were leaving, a huge storm cloud came over the River Mersey and it poured down.
The weather forecast for the next day said clear and hot so I was really hoping this was the only rain we were going to see during our time in Liverpool.
Here We Go!
So the day had finally arrived after weeks of anticipation. Jack walked me down to the Liverpool Museum which is where we were told to meet and we said our goodbyes. The next time he’d see me I’d be standing in a pod!
After meeting the other artists and getting miked up and briefed, it was time to get into the pods. One of the highlights from the day was meeting and chatting to all the other artists. I was so gutted that I didn’t find the time to wander around the wildcard area as they are usually my favourite part of the programme!
My game plan was to spend 45ish minutes drawing and then spend the rest of the time painting. I knew we had roughly 6 hours as we are allowed to work during lunch and during the 15 minute breaks the crew take after each hour of filming.
This plan went swiftly out the window…
As soon as Stephen announced the start of the competition my brain went into panic mode. The view was so overwhelming as there was so much to include in the painting. I took a few photos from my pod but I couldn’t find a composition that stood out so I went for a better vantage point on the steps of the Liverpool Museum. From there, I got a great view of the Port of Liverpool building. The shadows on the columns really captured my attention so that is what I decided to go for. I very quickly decided that I was not going to include the bright pink octopus as I didn’t think it made sense for the composition I chose.
End of the First Hour
It was the end of the first hour and I was still drawing (oops). It took me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get the drawing right before I put any paint on my board. This is when the heat really started to crank up and my acrylic paints were struggling as well as myself. Luckily the crew provided lots of suncream which my pale skin was grateful for. They also provided a fan which seemed like a great idea and although the air was keeping me cool, it was making my paints dry out even quicker.
Lunch Time
Once the crew broke up for lunch, I felt like I had finally gotten into the groove of painting. I was still running behind so I decided to get the sky in as it was a relatively big area of the board. The colour I mixed turned into this really vivid blue with hints of green and I remember thinking ‘I’ll go over that when I've finished the building’. Spoiler: I did not have time to do that.
We were asked if we wanted our lunch brought to our pods rather than eat in the museum and although I needed a break from the heat, I simply did not have the time. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I left the vicinity of the pod all day! I was worried if I saw the other artist’s work I would start questioning my decisions. I knew I was already taking a risk by cropping the building so aggressively. Looking back at it now, I wish I had put in more of the dome. The time restriction means you have to commit to your composition early on otherwise you risk running out of time. I did not have time to stop and let doubts creep in. The adrenaline to get your painting completed prevents any of that!
The Final Hour
The last two hours were a blur of painting and trying not to overthink everything. I found my headphones were a saviour as the crowds were getting bigger and bigger around the pods. One of the most challenging parts of the day was the interviews. As an artist, it is completely foreign territory being filmed whilst painting and being asked questions on your creative decisions. I found the pressure to say the right thing or make a coherent sentence a struggle at times. Not sure if that was nerves or the heat!
Once Stephen announced the end of the competition, I felt like I had taken my first real breath since 7am. Walking out of the pod I knew I had given it my all. My one goal going into the heat was to not mess up on national television so I was happy to have finished with a painting I was proud of.
I was so grateful to experience and be part of one of my favourite programmes so that in itself already felt like I’d achieved enough. We were given a selection of snacks and for the first time that day, I was able to catch up with all the other pod artists and found that we had all had a pretty similar experience. A very hot and sweaty one!
After final interviews and more filming, we were asked to head to where the judges were.
Exhausted was not the word!
The Result
As we all lined up, I remember being so blown away with what everyone had achieved in the small amount of time and in the conditions. Nothing could prepare me for Stephen to call my name for the final three and then again as the heat winner.
Liverpool is where my Mum is from and it felt extra special that we were together to celebrate. It was even more special knowing she’d flown over from Gibraltar for it. I was so grateful for the support from everyone and especially Jack who had been my rock throughout the day.
Overall it was such a special day and I was very glad to have a few weeks to recover for the semi-final which I knew was going to be a tough landscape for me. The location was Bucklers Hard which is a stark contrast to The Three Graces but I was looking forward to taking on the challenge!
Catch the semi-final on the 21st of February on Sky Arts or channel 36 on Freeview.