Landscape Artist of the Year: Sky Arts

We were also disappointed with the work of the finalist. We were not impressed with her previous work as the competition progressed. Most of it looked like a cop out, especially that bridge she did which looked a hazy mess with no attempt at any detail. As for the commission you had to look hard to find the canal and certainly showed no domination of the subject. She had so many other opportunities given to her on the canal journey but in the end it seemed to be another cop out.

I haven’t watched the final yet, but I wasn’t impressed by the judges’ choices so far. As a non-artist, I’m interested to see how the paintings develop from a few sketchy marks.
For real skill though, I prefer to watch The Great Pottery Throwdown. The contestants put a great deal of personal feeling into their pieces; it’s quite emotional to watch, and judge Keith Brymer-Jones is sometimes in tears with the results (in a good way!). By the end of the series you feel as though you know the contestants. I love it! ? ?

I think the judges picked her out at the beginning, they were all over her. Didn’t like her hr painting, thought it was quite insipid? And where on earth was the canal in the final one?!

So pleased to see that the majority of the posters feel the same as me! I was really shocked at her landscape - and the fire? Someone on here mentioned Emperors New Clothes - couldn’t agree more! Think I’ll stick with Portrait Artist of the Year in future.

Being Cornish what upset me was her painting of the Eden Project, there were three white blobs on the canvas. Other artists worked meticulously at getting the domes right which after all ARE the Eden Project!!! I will stick to Portrait Artist in future.

Another Mrs Disappointed here. I agree that this was a real let down and she seemed overwhelmed and subsequently 'choked'.

I often wonder what the judges are looking for and sometimes they appear to want to have something different for the sake of it.. Not long ago, Joan Bakewell gave her two pennyworth when she said as much to Kathleen.

We often try to guess the winner of each round and always get it wrong. Would never have picked this one and thought maybe they had seen something we had not.

I do not think Manchester will be too chuffed. What a shame.

Also 'Mr and Mrs Disappointed' here!

Although we were pleased to see that the sketches made by Elisha in preparation for her final work were much better than we had been led to expect (judging by her competition offerings) we were hugely disappointed by her finished painting.

Not only did it not give enough reference to the industrial heritage and the stunning beauty of the canals and countryside, inclusion of fire (at which she is excellent) was out of place. Yes, the building was burnt by arson but this was recent and nothing to do with its heritage etc.

We wonder whether Elisha needs glasses, as every painting for the competition was blurred....... Just a thought. Nice girl but out of her depth and we are puzzled as to how the judges thought she was a worthy winner.

Does anyone else scream 'Nooooooo!' at the television when their preferred winner is not chosen? We did this a fair bit this season!

I agree, the fire was completely pointless, and I didn't think the painting met the brief at all!

Agree with early post the lad who won portrait Artist last year his commision was stunning.

Yes - the landscape painter who won is poor and obsessed with muddy greens, whatever she is presented with.

I find the sister portrait programme much more interesting. I am watching it all on YouTube atm - you can go right back to the first series, and no ads.

The other two finalists were Thomas MacGregor and Afsheen Nasir. The newly-developed Castlefield Basin would have suited MacGregor’s preferred red green palette and the way he paints buildings. Nasir would have revelled in the geometry of the canal architecture and basin and maybe painted some interesting cutaways as she did at Levens to show what lies beyond.

I liked Desmond Downes work too. A look at his paintings here tell me he’s good at contemporary urban and more pastoral scenes and can blend the two.

desd.ie/index.html#/

I feel your pain Mummer and made the point upthread about how Enfield has ignored people altogether.

I’m still wondering about the fire and I suspect the gallery curator is too. We know Enfield likes to paint fire but it has no place here. Yes, one of her guides described and showed her how the cotton mill at Littleborough had been the subject of an arson attack. We know about the harsh working conditions of mill workers but the fire wasn’t a political act - just teenage vandals as far as I can tell from news reports at the time and nothing to celebrate. In any event she’s put the fire in the hills not by the canal where the mill would have drawn its water from. Symbolically, we might think of fire as cleansing - phoenix rising from the ashes and so forth but the mill is still sitting there in a derelict state. Are there any plans to restore or convert it?

Like Maybee, I enjoy industrial landscapes. In my younger days, an enthusiastic narrowboater fascinated by the locks and bridges and the sheer graft that went into building and later restoring the network. Ancestors were working bargemen,. Maybe why I feel so disappointed with this painting.

Over the last two years, there have been some offshoots from the main competitions - the portait paint-alongs during lockdown, for example. I’d love to see what MacGregor, Nasir and Downes would have made of this opportunity.

Just seen it .

I'm also disappointed in the final artwork .

She is a gifted artist ,but I don't feel that it captures the essence of the Rochdale canal .
I know that part of Yorkshire very well .

It's my favourite place in the UK .

I find great beauty in industrial landscapes and make a point of going round photographing rusty bridges etc. And I love canals, I grew up by ‘the cut’ in Birmingham, then Worsley and live near one now. That’s what I was expecting.

I'm at it again! Looking at this messy offering, where's the canal? Canals are cut dead straight into the earth with strongly defined edges they don't 'peter out' in the distance! And has anyone asked her WHERE is this? Don't recognise it, or is a generic idea she's had to do some fire on the side of some hills some badly drawn cottages right up to the edge of the cut which is not done( where do the horses go?) And what looks like an overgrown stream !? I'd like to know the location please! Can you tell I'm not happy? Being the descendant of Irish who came over specifically to navigate the Manchester ship canal I'm slightly livid.....

Parsley3

I didn’t think it fulfilled the brief either. It was meant to be a celebration of the canal but it was more of a generic landscape imo.

Quite, a muddy overgrown aerial view of what exactly? Cannot even make out the cut! And fire on side of the hill? What's that supposed to be? Has got nowt at ALL to do with the canal heritage. I did notice a few in the gathered assembly darting some knowing looks when it was unveiled, and not complimentary either, emperor's New clothes?

I agree the painting didn’t have enough of anything. The canal journey showed so much character in the area. The Guy in the final painted really unique colours. The green in his submission painting was stunning. I love the programme the judges are rubbish better without them waffling. But I do like Tai-Shan.

Tbh I've been disappointed with all these comps since they became a free advertising vehicle for their businesses!! I much preferred them when amateurs were showcased for the astonishing hidden talents!
We know they're all 'good at painting' because they make a bloody living from it! The latest squeeze Elisha? Well I don't care about her 1st in fine art , what I do care about is her 'muddy' Leven's offering. Her obsessive repetitive little fires she lists as her art(?) The impression I get is of an over indulged late baby who's been forever told how good she is at everything and her total lack of ability to grasp any sort of understanding of industrial north of England, never heard of Valette? Dear dear, well had she any idea about Lowry? Nope! She seemed genuinely surprised when she viewed his works so-howling gaps in her knowledge of the art world particularly northern artists too.one trick pony I'm afraid. So WHY was she chosen for this commission? Complete mismatch, her childish nervous giggles said it all.out of her depth in anything deeper than copies of photos of......bonfires? She even said the canal was more beautiful and "serene" than she thought? Wtf did she 'think' lined with boards of northerners knocking seven shades out of each other? Water red with blood?? mind boggles! Never seen a lock before....a total vacuum in the historical intelligence department....Utter wasted opportunity for other artists millennia ahead of her . Shame on the judges. Don't think I'll bother watching again, I'd rather walk around at home viewing my own work ???

I don't think she should have been the winner. There were others artists who were better, such as Desmond Downes. Her painting of the Forth Bridge was awful - his was great.

Having said that, I liked her commission better than her other paintings (not saying much) but I agree that it didn't suit the brief and the fire was an odd addition.

Am afraid me & husband also underwhelmed by the finalist painting....I thought that she would have put in the disused mill, ghostly mill workers that people described in the programme, that amazing bridge...and a closer view of the canal ...so much there as subject matters but just ignored!!!

Stephen Mangan has three things in post production so I'm expecting him to pop up in one with grey hair - The Inn at the End of the World, perhaps?

I tend to record Sky Arts programmes on my Humax box so I can whizz though the many ad breaks. Always worth keeping an eye on the schedules for repeats. Otherwide catch up with past series via the Now app.

You can watch Green Wing on All4 or without ads on Britbox if you have it.

Maybe it’s for a role he’s playing? I didn’t spot the moustache. Maybe it was filmed in Movember?

I haven’t watched the series for a while,I prefer the Portrait Artist of the year. Having read this thread I was curious so just caught the great unveiling on catch-up. Had a cursory look at the commissioned painting which, to me was just a muddy daub with a fire. What caught my eye was Steven Mangan’s hair, when did it go grey? Last time I looked he had a luxuriant crop of curly dark hair. Now it’s grey, and worse still he’s sporting a nasty little bristle of a moustache. Steven, how could you ?

b1zzle

The fire seemed to dominate to my mind so the rest became a bit of a blur. Wish I'd seen Olivia Redpath's programme as the winner, but missed it and there doesn't seem to be a second chance. Really enjoyed the young man who painted the violinist's portrait last year (but thought his submission was even better). Thoroughly enjoyed the recent Michael Ball et al Portrait Artist of the Year (but please could they bring back Steven Managan...)

That portrait was astounding! Yes, I like Stephen Mangan (sp) and, yet again must see if Green Wing is on catchup. The people in it have all gone on to great things.

The fire seemed to dominate to my mind so the rest became a bit of a blur. Wish I'd seen Olivia Redpath's programme as the winner, but missed it and there doesn't seem to be a second chance. Really enjoyed the young man who painted the violinist's portrait last year (but thought his submission was even better). Thoroughly enjoyed the recent Michael Ball et al Portrait Artist of the Year (but please could they bring back Steven Managan...)

I quite liked her other work in a quirky sort of way, bit the commission was rather "meh" and sticking a fire in it - other than the fact that she likes.painting them was just odd. I'd have preferred a more canal type view