LANDSCAPE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
This page offers an insight into my experience on Landscape Artist of the Year 2026.
I took part in series 11 episode 5, painting aboard HMS Wellington on the Thames.
Landscape has long sat at the centre of my practice, though usually in a much quieter way - alone, outdoors, gathering sketches and impressions that later evolve into larger studio paintings.
Alongside painting, much of my professional life has involved directing documentaries in difficult and unpredictable environments. I’m used to working in gnarly situations: remote locations, difficult weather, changing conditions and making creative decisions under pressure.
In theory, this should have prepared me well for Landscape Artist of the Year. In reality, painting against the clock while being filmed, interviewed and observed felt wildly outside my comfort zone.
The setting itself was far from straightforward. HMS Wellington shifted constantly beneath us, the wind repeatedly threatened to carry off canvases and equipment, and the Thames had a drama of its own that kept pulling my attention away from the city skyline.
Rather than attempting a faithful rendering of every building, I found myself drawn to what felt most instinctive: atmosphere, movement and mood. The dark water, shifting light and instability of the day became more compelling to me than the architecture itself.
The painting progressed to the shortlist during filming, and the judges responded warmly to its mood and atmosphere. Eva Langret described it as “full of drama and darkness” that “sweeps you off your feet, the brushstroke work is really incredible” while Kathleen Soriano commented on its “lovely abstraction” and "the balance in the palette." Tai Shan Schierenberg praised the painting’s atmosphere and emotional quality.
Although I didn’t progress beyond my heat, reaching the shortlist felt genuinely surprising given how far outside my comfort zone the whole thing was. More than anything, the experience pushed me to work differently, think faster and trust instinct over certainty.
Here are both my submission painting and the work created during the programme.
