Brush With Fame

The artistic answer to Great British Bake Off has had a celebrity makeover. RACHAEL FUNNELL joined a masterclass to find out more about the famous contestants’ passion for painting

- Rachael Funnell

Earlier this year, six famous faces put their artistic skills to the test in a bid to be crowned champion of the Celebrity Painting Challenge. Each week they completed a series of painting tasks, teaching them the integral skills to master their medium and compete for a spot on the gallery wall, winning them a place in the final painting challenge. With only three spots on the wall available, it was a battle week-on-week to impress the judges – BP Portrait Award winning artist Daphne Todd OBE and Scottish artist and TV presenter Lachlan Goudie – and edge one step closer to the title of Celebrity Painting champion.

The tasks encouraged the artists to be bold. From painting Keith Allen in the nude to capturing movement in a flock of chickens, they were encouraged to approach their canvases with the perception and technical skills of a professional. With many of the celebrities being a little out of practise in their practice, they were offered a lifeline in the form of their art mentors: the artist and curator Diana Ali and the designer and lecturer Pascal Anson. Both were on hand to offer practical tips and advice and, on occasion, to simply recommend that starting from scratch might be the best course of action.