Sky Arts Brushes Up for Series 11 of Portrait Artist of the Year with stellar line up across screen, stage and arts

We are delighted to let you know that Heather Mills episode of PAOTY shall be airing on Sky Arts Freeview Channel 36 at 8pm on 20th November 2024 + On Demand. 

We do hope you would like to share this and a comment from Heather is here too:

Heather says:

“Being part of Portrait Artist of the Year was an amazing experience.

Watching such talented artists bring their own vision to life was truly inspiring. I loved posing in my record breaking ski outfit…… it represents a very special time in my life and the passion that drives me every day.

Huge thanks to the artists and the entire team for making the day so memorable and for celebrating incredible art and the stories behind them all too.”

Heathers main focus now is Alternative Stores - aiming for this to become the largest British vegan online store to support family run businesses. 

Heathers main focus now is on Alternative Stores: https://alternativestores.com - an online vegan store to support family run businesses.

Heathers record breaking ski achievements are here too.

Heather took up skiing to prove that vegans are strong and get plenty of protein!

Palettes prepped and canvases primed, the 11th series of Portrait Artist of the Year is ready to make a splash on Sky Arts, Freeview and NOW. The nation’s favourite art competition returns to the iconic Battersea Arts Centre for its eleventh series on Wednesday 9th October with much-loved host Stephen Mangan.

This year’s Portrait Artist of the Year promises a thrilling showcase of talent as aspiring artists from across the UK vie for the coveted 2024 title. With celebrity sitters spanning the worlds of stage, screen, sport, literature, and politics, the competition is set to be as dynamic as ever.

Over eight intense heats, these artists will put their skills to the test, aiming to dazzle our expert judges—Tai Shan Schierenberg, Kathleen Soriano, and Kate Bryan—and prove they have what it takes to capture the essence of their famous subjects.

Taking the famous sitter’s chair this year are: 

Hannah Waddingham (Actor) , Richard Madeley (TV Presenter), Saskia Reeves (Actor), Cush Jumbo (Actor), Baaba Maal (Musician), Carly Paoli (Musician), Dan Snow, (TV Presenter) Layton Williams (Performer), Steven Frayne/Dynamo (Magician), Rosie Jones (Comedian), Linton Kewsi Jonhson (Poet), Andy Cole (Sports Personality), Lucy Worsley (Historian), Ricky Hatton (Sports Personality), Musa Motha (Dancer), Jill Scott (Sports Personality), Jimi Famurewa (Food Critic), Heather Mills (Activist), Kevin McCloud (Designer / TV Presenter), Martha Kearney (Presenter), Rebecca Taylor/Self-Esteem (Musician), Emma Thynn (Marchioness of Bath), Dr Karan Rajan (Public Health Advocate).

The heat winners will advance to the semi-final, where they’ll face the thrilling challenge of painting acclaimed actress Joely Richardson. But the real showdown awaits in the grand finale, where the top three finalists will battle for the title by capturing the essence of one of Britain's most iconic acting duos, Andy Serkis and Lorraine Ashbourne. It’s a high-stakes race to the finish, with artistry, passion, and prestige on the line!

This year’s winner will receive a £10,000 commission to create a portrait of renowned broadcaster Lorraine Kelly, which will be exhibited at the National Galleries Scotland: Portrait.

Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts, said: 

“Series 11 of Portrait Artist of the Year returns to Sky Arts this autumn, with more incredible artists and celebrity sitters than ever. We are immensely proud of the impact this series has for artists in the real world. Our judges Kate Bryan, Kathleen Soriano and Tai Shan Schierenberg never fail to discover brilliant new talent whose work proudly hangs in some of the major art galleries in the country.”

Chairman of Storyvault Films, Stuart Prebble said:  

"Series 11?  Wow.  How did that come around so soon? And yet the properly wonderful thing about working with all these immensely talented artists is that they constantly surprise you, so that what happens in every show is always fresh and never predictable.  And watching these household name celebrity sitters interacting with their artists, giving of themselves, rooting for them to do their best work, is compelling and inspiring. There’s something about watching genuine creativity in motion – faces and images coming to life before your eyes - which is a little piece of magic every time.” 

Portrait Artist of the Year is commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts. The Commissioning Editor for Sky is Benedetta Pinelli. Portrait Artist of the Year is produced by Storyvault Films. The Series Editor is Nelda Sale, the Series Director is Southan Morris and the Series Director of Production is David Buckley. Executive producers are Danielle Graham, Samantha Richards and Stuart Prebble.

Portrait Artist of the Year airs weekly on Sky Arts, Freeview Channel 36 and NOW from 9th October

For more information on Portrait Artist of the Year:

Kwabena.Agyare@premiercomms.com / mike.thomas@premiercomms.com

NOTE TO EDITORS

All artists who competed in this year’s series are listed below:

Amy Sasaki-Fletcher

Asa Medhurst

August Lamm

Benjamin Wilshaw-Quinn

Bessie Kirkham

Beth Kaiden

Bran Sivakumar

Brianna Lois Parker

Brogan Bertie

Caroline Pool

Chris Draper

Conor Quinn

Cristina Vercesi

Dónal Geheran

Donna McGlynn

Ed Simkins

Emilio Bartolome

Erin De Burca

Fletcher Sibthorp

Gabriella Moxey

Geoff Shillito

Georgia Huxley

Glen Gashi

Giulia Quaresima

Helen Lee Robinson

Imogen Alabaster

Jack Gavin

Jack Hewitt

Jason Munro

Jemima Spence

Jenna Waldren

Jennifer Anderson

Jione Choi

Josh Thomson

Julia Karl

Katie Gall

Kiana Manu

Kirstin Mackinnon

Kitty Bellamy

Lizzie Little

Lloyd Anthony Lewis

Lorna May Wadsworth

Luca Guarino

Manvir Dobb

Matthew Watts

Michelle Pang

Mick McNicholas

Mijnoo Kim

Nadia Padayachy

Neil Rogers

Neil-Jack Alphonsus (Niel Hamilton)

Nerissa Deeks

Paul Lee

Paul Martin

Pierce Rhodes

Polly Pincott

Rachael Stedman

Rachel Chen

Rob Perry

Rosie Philips

Seana McEvoy

Shyem Ramsay

Simon Rory Painter

Sofia Lipskerova

Sophia Ambrose

Sophia Kaur Hambleton-Grey

Steven Mackus

Tamzin Hennessy

Tussi Dunstall

Vincent Michael Brown

Yishu Wang

Zully Mejia

Ends

Editors notes

Heather Mills is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, activist and world-record holding athlete.

Heather took up skiing to prove that vegans are strong and get plenty of protein!

Her main mission in life has been (and continues to be) the creation and supply of healthier, sustainable, plant based alternative consumer products across the food, nutrition and cosmetics industries. This is coupled with tireless charity campaigning that embodies her vehement passion to support those negatively impacted by war and other forms of oppression or physical debilitation in 'overcoming adversity'.

Heather has manifested these goals through the creation of market-leading plant based businesses and numerous charities across the globe.

Having suffered the amputation of her left leg following a collision with a motorcycle in 1993, Heather adopted veganism to aid her recovery which subsequently gave birth to the VBites Food business. VBites is now one of the world's largest manufacturers of meat-free, fish-free, and dairy-free plant based alternatives, currently servicing 24 countries and growing in both the B2B and B2C consumer segments.

Expanding on her plant based mission, Heather has also created a vegan algal oil business, V-Omega3, vegan makeup business, Be@One, as well as investing in numerous other plant based start-ups as part of her 'VBites Ventures' portfolio.

Heathers main focus is Alternative Stores the aiming for this to become the largest British Family supporting Family vegan online “V-Bay” Type Store.

Despite these successes, Heather is most proud of her work in the charitable sector which has included the founding and patronage of 'Adopt A Minefield' which was responsible for clearing 21 million square metres of landmines in war-torn areas around the world.

Heather is also the originator and patron of many amputee clinics around the world, has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in the face of atrocities such as the Twin Tower attacks and the Gujarat earthquake in India, and was responsible for driving through the EU ban on dog and cat fur procurement.

Heather has also found time to pursue her sporting passion of ski-racing and at the age of 47 became the only disabled skier ever to achieve x3 world records in downhill, skeleton and ski-jumping disciplines. Heather also holds x4 gold medals for downhill and slalom skiing at the skiing world championships.