Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Competition

Absolutely delighted to tell you all that I have been shortlisted from over 2000 entrants for the first heats of the Sky Arts National Portrait Artist of the Year award!
Emma Rimmer, producer for the programme, rang me on Monday afternoon, to tell me the good news. 
I confess that when I answered my mobile, having not recognised the number, and expecting it to be yet another 'mis-sold PPI' type call, I barked my name down the phone "HELLO? Sue McDonagh? Who? WHO?? Where are you from again???" swiftly followed by some massive overcompensating as Emma explained slowly and carefully who she was.  Groan. 
I bet she thinks I'm totally bonkers now.
Although come to think of it..... anyone brave enough to step up to the mark to paint an unknown sitter in front of film cameras and an audience - in only fours hours has got to be a bit bonkers...

But anyway - let me tell you about the competition.
In the first instance, entrants were asked to send in a self portrait, together with other work of their choice.
From those first 2000 (two thousand!!) entrants, there are now 84 artists, that's 21 for each region: England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
The first heat for me takes place in Cardiff in early July, where I will be arriving about 7am, and at sometime during the day, will be producing my masterpiece (gulp) of the unknown sitter, within the allowed 4 hours.  Filming will be going on til the evening - so I can only imagine all the stopping and starting and moving about and chatting etc which will no doubt be occurring during that time.

From each of the 21 artists, a panel of expert judges will select 4 (I think) artists to go through to the next level.
That heat takes place abroad, and the artists are whittle down further until the finals, which will be held in London.
The winner will go on to receive a £10,000 commission to paint author Hilary Mantel.  The portrait will hang in the British Library.

Luckily for me, I've been demonstrating to Art Societies for years and I rather enjoy the adrenaline of 'performing' in front of an audience.  I used to sit on the sea-front at Porthcawl and do portraits on the spot for a fiver many years ago!

Anyway - want to see the self portrait I sent in? here we go...

It's acrylic on canvas.
I chose acrylic as I wanted to use something that I could express myself in rapidly.  Oil is lovely, but takes so much longer to paint - and there wasn't much time to actually submit the entry. 
Being so used to painting children, with their round little features and soft contours, it was quite a challenge, not to mention a bit unnerving, to be inspecting my own lines and wrinkles and hollows! But after a little while, I found myself just looking at the collection of shapes and colours, and the usual thousand thoughts that go through my mind when I paint "what's this colour, is this in the right place, is this edge soft? does it go forward or back? where is in relative to this bit" etc kicked in.

When I paint portraits of other people, I always know when I've got a likeness when the portrait 'winks' at me (I said I was bonkers)
I think it's to do with how your brain processes a face or something.  Whatever it is, it's a reliable signpost for me!
There's a definite buzz in getting to that point.
However, it's somewhat weird to have your own face winking at you......

Anyway.
I'm so excited about it, I've hardly slept since.
Wish me luck!

pochade painting at Ogmore by Sea

A severe weather warning for Wales gave way to the most beautiful evening last Thursday, and I rushed out with my pochade box, already pre-loaded with panels and paint, packed safely into my rucksack - how organised is that. I stopped only to make a flask of coffee, and headed off to the coast. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, having visited the spot many times in the past. I've photographed from here, gazed over the rolling headland as the sinking sun turned the cliffs to pink and orange, and irritated the hell out of following drivers by moseying along at low speeds, admiring the scenery.
Perched on top of the cliffs, nobody but sheep for company, I had my pochade box out in a jiffy, and aware of the need for speed in the evening light, rapidly put down the dark areas. Painting as small as this really makes me focus. There's no room for fiddling about with marks, you have to put the stroke down and leave it. Well, that's the plan anyway. The sunlight skittered across the water, leaving me dithering about lights and darks - "ooh, that's lovely....no, that's better, oh, cloud shadow hmmm, that's interesting" and so on. I did my best, had a quick coffee and a stretch, suprising how chilly you get sat in one position for half an hour (well, I have no idea how long I sat there, I seem to lose all track of time) Decided to do another one, see if I can distill the scene more effectively. The sun was beginning to sink, and the characteristic orangey glow lit up the cliffs, as I struggled to stay ahead. This time, my brush started to feel more familiar, I had more control over the colour mixing, didn't squeeze out so many diferent colours, and actually began to enjoy myself.

Brecon Beacons pochade

Took myself off to the Brecon Beacons on Monday, to check out a route for my Nordic Walking Group. The walk was spectacular -except for the biggest bull I've ever seen in one of the fields I was crossing - I expected to feel his breath on my neck the whole time I was slogging uphill in my rush to get to the gate - and then a sign warning dog owners and walkers to beware of cattle in the next field had adrenaline lending unaccustomed speed to my Nordic Walking poles.....so I've decided not to do that particular walk for the group. But anyway, this isn't the Nordic Walking Blog (which you can read elsewhere, see links on the right), and I spent a couple of very happy hours with my pochade box, (see link on sidebar if you also want to buy one) absorbed in trying to paint the fabulous mountain scenery around the Brecon Mountain Centre. Once again, the fact that I am finding this quite difficult is proving the draw (geddit) (sorry). I found the marks from my filbert brush somehow more satisfying than my flat brush, which suprised me, as I've always tried to emulate my pastel marks when painting. I also preferred the unprimed, more absorbent surface, as the paint became too slippery on the primed board.

A very quick oil sketch sitting in a meadow whilst the dog capered around me playing hide and seek in the long grass. The board absorbed the paint so quickly, it dried more quickly than a watercolour!

My first Pochade Paintings!

Earning a living from your art somehow involves more than just being able to paint. It's about marketing, computer skills, admin, packing up orders, invoicing, designing adverts, e.mailling and meeting customers. When I saw http://www.pochade.co.uk, I was immediately lured by the idea of getting back to basics.
So I bought the pochade box - and then realised I didn't have paint in small enough tubes to fit into it. No matter, a bit of retail therapy amongst the Great Art pages, and I soon had a box full of goodies, and was keen as mustard to get out there and paint en plein air.
Hmmm. What to put it all in? My much loved, used and abused Nordic Walking rucksack just wasn't big enough to get the box in, plus waterproofs, spare jumper, map, teensy flask of coffee, sarnies, super-lightweight folding stool, mobile phone, camera, compass, kitchen sink, dog ball, hydration bladder...I think that's the lot....so another trip to the shops carrying that lot with me so I could pack it in and out of various rucksacks finally culminated in the purchase of a 28 litre Vaude sac. Lovely, light as air, hardly felt it on my back. The pressure was on now, as I had spent a considerable amount of money in an attempt to simplify my painting life - how ironic is that.
Now. Where to go???? Maps and walking guides out, my favourite things -here? there? dithered and watched the rain lashing down outside - worried about not being in front of my easel in my studio completing commissions and earning proper money (and people think the life of an artist is all dreamy and airy fairy), finally, shouldered the rucksack, and strode off to .....the local beach! a round trip of just over 5 miles, with cliffs and scenery and ice creams and all that - found my spot on the very top of the cliff, sat on my super lightweight folding stool - and started to paint, at last! Oh joy. I had forgotten just what a marvelous, simple delight it is, sitting and absorbing the view, painting just to explore the surroundings, to really see, instead of glancing and relying on the modern sketchbook of the digital camera.
So I'm hooked. I don't think I'm very good at it, which is further incentive to keep doing it. I struggled with colour mixing, making greens far too readily, unaccustomed paints having different properties to my usual manufacturer. I'm far too fiddly with my mark making, and yet, I am absurdly proud of my first offerings, and can't wait to get out again. Watch this space!