You can relax – this is not like last week!
This episode of Series 12 of Portrait Artist of the Year 2025 is a better one with a number vying for shortlisting – although uneven in their contributions of both self portrait and heat painting.
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| Judging the artwork in Episode 7 |
Episode 7: The Sitters
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| The sitters for Episode 7 (bottom left) Jack Dee; (top right) Jacob Collier (bottom right) Fatiha El-Chorri |
The three sitters in Episode 7 are as follows:
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Jack Dee
– an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter, and writer known for his
sarcasm, irony, and deadpan humour. He’s now rated as a comedy legend. He
brought his radio – obviously still a dedicated analogue man! -
Fatiha El-Chorri (b.1981) – a British comedian and write who was born in Hackney.
Currently a rising star on the comedy circuit and television presenter on
Channel $’s Taskmaster and Sky “Mr Big Stuff”. She bought a family
plate she was given when she got married. -
Jacob Collier (b.1994) – an English singer, songwriter,
multi-instrumentalist, producer and educator. He is known for his
energetic live performances. He has won 7 Grammys and has 15 Grammy
nominations. He brought three instruments with him.
I must confess I’d never ever heard of the two younger ones – but maybe I’m
showing my age!
showing my age!
Episode 7: The Artists
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| The artists participating in Episode 7 of PAOTY 2025 |
All the artists are listed below alphabetically by surname – but
are not differentiated between professional and amateur. The link to their
main ‘contact’ site is embedded in their name and social media sites follow –
if available.
The mini bio provided in the programme skips over
some rather important information about some of the participating artists. As
always I’ve dug around online, and these profiles provide more information
than the programme does.
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Sarah-Lee Bailey (Facebook) – from County Durham. She produced her first ever portrait to apply for
the competition. It depicts her asleep with her new baby daughter, a doll
and the family cat – all snoozing away! -
Hannah Broadhead
(Instagram) – a professional artist who took part on PAOTY 2023 (painting Shirley Ballas). She graduated in 2007 from Staffordshire University and won her first art prize in 2017 (People’s Choice award Lichfield Art Prize). Her artwork was selected for the Royal institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition in 2025. Her practice explores observation and narrative. Her self portrait was a complex one of a full size self sat on the floor with her easel and art materials.
- Joe Capps (Instagram) – a Literature graduate and practising screenwriter. His formal study stopped at A-Level and he is self-taught after that. His route to becoming a freelance artist has been defined by media exploration and stylistic refinement, culminating in a 2019 solo show, Atlas, in Kendal. He now lives in Edinburgh, where he enjoys engaging with local art groups and attending life-drawing sessions.
- James Isaacs (Instagram) – a designer and artist living in North London with his wife. Painting has always been a part of his life. During Covid he pursued portraiture and painted friends via webcam. When he’s not being an artist, he’s a multi award-winning designer and art director with 15 years industry experience currently working for on internationally focused content and data driven music media.
- Hamley Jenkins (Instagram) – She is passionate about drawing and music and works as a live sketch artist in jazz clubs. In 2018 she began a residency at Jazz Live at the Crypt in Camberwell – and never really stopped!. She graduated from Bath College with a BA (Hons) in Design and Illustration in 1993. Her large self portrait was painted in just 4 hours.
- Bernie Liumako (Instagram) – a fine artist originally from Tanzania, now living with his young family in Llangollen in Wales (and somebody teach Stephen Mangan how to saw words which are Welsh! I cringed every time he said ‘langollun’)
- Nazreen Nazir (Instagram) – she works as a civil servant in London. She completed her self portrait using W&N Promarkers.
- Vincent Stokes (Instagram) – b. 1996 in Walsall in the West Midlands. He completed his BA in Fine Art (1st Class) from Birmingham School of Art (2014-2017); BCU in 2017, and achieved his Masters in Fine Art (Distinction) in 2018. He’s a regular exhibitor in and around the West Midlanda, botably with the RBSA. He works on themes for a series of drawings – with many related to his personal life. I RECOMMEND you take a look at his instagram account!
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Millie Wilkins
(Instagram) – An artist, illustrator and studio technician who has travelled and is
now based in Cornwall. She did a 3D Design BA(Hons), Falmouth University
and various short courses on portraiture and drawing for a graphic novel.
She aspires to illustrate books and is working on some children’s
book submissions, represented by Gill McLay at Bath Literary Agency.
