MUMBAI, Sherlock actress and amateur artist Una Stubbs is joining forces with BBC Radio 5 live presenter and keen art collector Richard Bacon to lead a nationwide search for Britain’s best amateur artist in new, primetime BBC One series The Big Picture (w/t).
Una and Richard will be joined by established artists Daphne Todd OBE, and Lachlan Goudie, who will judge the competitors’ artwork as, each week; they face new challenges in different artistic mediums from oils, acrylics and watercolours, to pencils, charcoal and chalks.
Airing in spring 2015, this exciting six-part series proves you don’t need to be world-famous to create fantastic paintings. From almost 6,000 entries received, 10 passionate finalists have been selected to put their talents to the test with a series of art challenges designed to push their artistic skills to the limit.
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Each programme in the series will come from a different location across the country, reflecting the rich diversity and stunning landscapes of Britain. From Northumberland to Liverpool, London to the coast, every week the artists will face very different painting and drawing challenges, covering every type of figurative art, from landscapes and still life to portraiture and life drawing.
As part of the recently announced partnership between the BBC and the Tate, following transmission of the series on BBC One a display of works – chosen by the BBC from the finalists and the overall winner – will be hosted by the prestigious Tate Britain on London’s Millbank.
Una says, “This is such an exciting series. I can’t remember being so excited about a job. I’m really looking forward to watching the amateur artists as they work, and as well as following their journeys, this series will also be learning experience for me! I paint, but only use watercolours so I’d love to learn how to do oil painting… and of course, get Richard learning to paint as well.”
Richard says, “I love art, I’m absolutely fascinated by artists and the art world has become a surprisingly big part of my life over the last few years. In this series we follow amateur artists but those who are already very good at it. I saw the audition work of some of the artists. Seeing this got me excited for the show because they were completely different interpretations of exactly the same thing. Those interpretations said so much about the artists’ personalities. For me as a presenter it’s about finding out about people, what makes them tick and who they are through their work.”
Daphne says, “I was delighted to learn of this new series celebrating the amateur painter, because it will help spread the word that painting from observation is such an enthralling, totally absorbing and ultimately, life-enhancing activity. Some of our greatest minds have been amateur painters, Churchill painted for pleasure; Prince Charles consistently makes time in an unbelievably hectic schedule to dash off a landscape. If THEY can, WE can!
“I shall be looking for a sense of personal development in the finalists, a sense that they will pursue and defend their own vision, whether they are attracted by detail or the broad sweep, by the story element or by abstract qualities. Above all the challenges will be great fun!”
Lachlan says, “In Britain we have extravagant and headline-grabbing art that gets attention, but I think it’s important that people, amateur artists, who fulfil this as a passion – an interest, a love, a therapy or a hobby, are recognised too. There is a fierce passion for painting sustained very widely in Britain.
“Portraiture, in my view, is the most difficult, and by portraiture I mean the face and the eyes – you’re not just trying to capture resemblance but to capture a little bit more. Portrait painting has to be anatomically correct, but it has to have a little bit more zest, as it captures a living, moving person that you feel might move out of the canvas. It’s also a real challenge to paint outdoors – it makes for a really exciting experience as you never know how the weather might impact the process of painting – it’s the luck of the draw. Will the sun be out? Is it raining? Are there shadows? How do the clouds look? Is the light fading… all those elements. It’s just you and the elements.”
Mark Bell, BBC Head of Arts Commissioning, says, “This series will go to show that not only should art be for everyone, but it can even be by you and me. The BBC makes fantastic programmes about the context and history of art; what’s particularly exciting about this new series is that it will show what a rich and rewarding experience the making of art can be – and hopefully it might even inspire people to pick up a brush themselves.”
