New Forest Marque Inspired Artist Heather Jolliffe appears on Landscape Artist of the Year 2026

We are delighted to reveal that one of our talented New Forest Marque Inspired artists – Heather Jolliffe, is making an appearance on your tv screens this January!

Heather will be painting in the new series of the popular competition show Landscape Artist of the Year, as she was lucky enough to get selected as one of the ‘wild card’ entries.

In an episode filmed on a hot summer’s day last year in St James’s Park, Central London, Heather paints the lush park scene with St James’s Palace in the background. She is up against the other artists around her – all vying for a place in the next round. Will Heather be selected? Tune in or watch on ‘catch up’ to find out! The show will be aired on Wednesday 21 January in the early hours 2am – 3am on SkyArts – Freeview Channel 36, or available to be streamed on Now TV.

Curious to know more, we asked Heather to share details of her amazing experience:

How did you apply to be part of the show?

I entered the single point of entry for the competition, which had a deadline back in May 2025. Whether you are selected as a main ‘pod’ artist or considered a ‘wildcard’, the initial application process is the same – complete a form and submit one painting.

First the pod artists are chosen for all the different filming locations and then the submission process opens again for the 50 wildcard entries per location. I was lucky to get chosen as a wildcard artist from a total of about 2000 people.

How many artists take part?

There are six different painting days, with eight pod artists and fifty wildcard artists too at each venue. Each day is a commitment whatever the weather; there is no rerun for filming on the day.

How did it feel to be filmed?

It was a fun and attentive day, with the film crew being absolute professionals, running a well-oiled machine and really looking after everyone involved. The filming crew meandered through and amongst the artists throughout the day, chatting with people and then filming some in more detail. I was filmed having a chat with one of the judges, Tai Shan Cherenberg, who talked to me about my materials and my painting.

What materials did you take with you / use ?

I took both acrylics and oil paints on the day, uncertain which I might prefer to use. It was a hot day but I did choose to paint with my favourite medium of acrylics, and managed to keep using them despite the heat.

Where was the setting / landscape?

The location was St James’s Park in central London, we arrived at 7am and stayed until the late afternoon. The specific setting was a grassy mound that was nearer the Palace end of the park. There was not a clear view to the Palace but a lot of trees and greens.

What did you enjoy most about the experience?

The camaraderie amongst the wildcard artists on the day was fantastic and the mood of the day quite infectious; almost a bit of a mini festival atmosphere. There was lots of chat between the other wildcard painters and general interaction on the day of the shared experience.

This was definitely helped by the very professional approach and arrangements the film crew had in place. Our location was not fenced off in any way, so in being in a public park, we had members of the public wandering through the wildcard artists painting area and asking questions, which was an added element of the day.

Plus being so near to the army barracks on the edge of the park, we had the accompaniment of two marching army bands too! An amazing sound, as one lot marched down the entire length of The Mall and a separate troop practiced close by. That followed by the landing of a helicopter in the grounds of the army barracks, which sent everyone rushing to watch it, made for an eventful day.

It was also a massive help that my brother Brian was with me throughout the whole experience, being a ‘goffer’ and support in helping get my materials to the venue, being company through the filming and very importantly, going for those much needed ice creams in the hot weather!

Landscape Artist of the Year is on SkyArts (Freeview channel 36) or Now TV. Heather’s episode will be aired in the early hours of Wednesday morning – 21^st Jan, at 2am – 3am. You can record it or watch on ‘catch up’.

Heather is a teacher of art and runs her own weekly art sessions locally in Lymington and Everton, one to one tuition and day workshops. Follow Heather on Instagram @Heather_Jolliffe_Art

Upcoming day workshops in Everton: