Sky Arts 2014

In 2014 Louis Smith was selected for the Sky Arts ‘Portrait Artist of the Year’ Competition. To enter the competition, artists had to send in a self portrait. On acceptance, the shortlisted artists were required to attend national heats, painting a portrait of a celebrity in 4 hours. The winner of each regional heat would then go through to the finals.

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The Competition
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Louis and three other contestants were required to paint BBC Presenter John Humphreys.

Below is a time lapse video of the artists painting John Humphreys at the Sky Arts ‘Portrait Artist of the Year Award’ regional heat held at the Wallace Collection London.


Preparation 
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To prepare for the competition, Louis gathered a group of volunteers to sharpen his skills, and get used to working under pressure to complete an Alla Prima portrait within a narrow time frame.