BARNSLEY could be home to the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year.
But we won’t know for sure until Tuesday, when Barnsley College tutor and artist Richard Kitson will appear on the Sky Arts programme.
Richard, 36, from Birdwell, entered the competition on a whim after being recommended by friend Jemma Conway from Barnsley Museums.
His submitted self-portrait impressed producers so much that in April last year, he was whisked away to London’s Wallace Collection to take part in the programme.
He was tasked with painting parasport athlete Kadeena Cox along with eight other artists and two other celebrity sitters, actresses Fiona Shaw and Elizabeth McGovern.
For Richard, who usually spends upwards of 30 hours sitting with and painting his subjects, it was a challenge to cram his work into just four hours.
But he took it on with a sense of humour.
“I am used to making a pillock of myself in front of my students, so doing it on TV wasn’t too much of a stretch,” Richard said.
“One thing I tell my students is to push themselves to try things which are less familiar. So I thought I should practise what I preach.
“I had a good laugh with Frank Skinner, who is one of the presenters. It was uncomfortable and weird to be watched while I worked but I enjoyed it.”
After Tuesday’s show, the public will know whether Richard has made it through to the semi-finals of the competition.
“The timing of the show has been quite serendipitous because my first solo exhibition is going up at the Cooper Gallery in April.
“The exhibition will feature a selection of my portraits from 2008 to this year. My sitters are predominantly family and friends but towards the end of last year I painted a portrait of Dan Jarvis who came to sit at my studio on Eastgate.”
Portrait Artist of the Year is on Sky Arts on Tuesday at 8pm.
