Competition judge Kathleen Soriano keeps a close eye on Rod Coyne’s work.
Sky Arts Landscape Artist
“Year two of Sky Arts stunning landscape painting TV show is here and I wasn’t going to pass up my opportunity to take part. No spoilers here, don’t worry I was contracted to secrecy upon pain of death…sort of. So I will have to remain vague in certain key details. Last years the Sky Arts pilgrimage took me to south Cornwall and this year it was north to Cumbria.
My excitement always mounts when I drive into the belly of the ferry – finally the preparations are over and the odyssey begins. From the upper deck I can survey my childhood haunts while feeling quite touristy despite the fact I am on a mission.
After a ferry ride, a trek through Wales and northern England, then getting lost for an hour in the stunning Lake District I finally arrive at Wray Castle on Lake Windermere. I won’t find out till the following day where exactly we’ll be painting but it’s a great opportunity to get a feel for the place soak up the landscape aura.
The next morning I load my gear and head down to the Ambleside quay where we are to boat across to the estate. The weather is calm and mystical cloud drags through the surrounding jagged mountains.
Under the constant gaze of cameras and directors our motley crew of fifty artists with mountains of gear dock and troop up the hill to Wray Castle. It’s not a race and I hang back.
This is a part of the UK I’ve never visited before and I am completely enchanted. Under the protection of the National Trust the castle is perched on a steep slope above the lake inspiring awe and menace.
The craggy mountains attract my painters eye more than the castle so I set up between two ladies facing the same direction, only to discover one is Niki Purcell, neighbor and mutual friend from Wicklow. I am in esteemed company when I realise Writer and Sky Portrait Artist Catherine Edmunds is on my right.
A busy silence descends on the field as we all go to work. They have allotted us six hours which will be enough for a few paintings in my case, while I’m guessing others will struggle to finish one. I’m kinda happy with my first effort, but mostly because it informs what I really want to paint and how I will go about it.
With time on my side I take a wonder to see what everyone else is up to. Fortified with coffee and armed with a clear game plan I go to work on canvas number two.
Later my neighbour informs me that wild card judge Kathleen Soriano christened us the Gothic Corner while doing one of her rounds – I like it! I am focusing in tight on the distant Langdale Pikes as the weather clears and the mist peels off the mountain tops. Unbelievably the picture goes to plan and I am delighted with the results – this is the absolute exception to the rule for me, but I gladly take it with both hands.
It’s impossible not to feel a little smug as we tuck into a late lunch in the sunshine. On the flip-side I’m suspecting the judges might prefer to see a more tortured artistic experience giving birth to a winning painting.
There’s no question that the judges have been keeping a close eye on our work and it’s not ridiculous to think we might be in with a chance. Only one wild card will progress. But I promised not to spoil the surprise or say any more about the day’s winner. All will be revealed on Sky Arts TV this autumn.
Tired and happy I pack for the homeward journey. I think to myself it really has been a great experience – but I don’t come for the experience, I come because I believe I am a contender.”
-Rod Coyne