0:00:02 > 0:00:04Britain's top artists make big money.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05Their works can go for millions.
0:00:05 > 0:00:089.5 million. 10 million.
0:00:08 > 0:00:1010.5 million.. 11 million.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Up and down the country, thousands of ordinary people
0:00:12 > 0:00:15are also trying to get a piece of the action.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18They're putting their necks on the block for the chance
0:00:18 > 0:00:20to sell at the hottest exhibition in town.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22It would be amazing. Absolutely amazing.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- I feel like I've got more to offer. - Are you confident?- Yeah.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27- How confident?- Very.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30These artists could stand to make some serious cash.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33The rich will like this. So make them pay.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35But first, they need the seal of approval
0:00:35 > 0:00:38from three of the art world's toughest critics.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43Phrases like "challenging perceptions of reality" make me want to throw up on the floor.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Their hopes are in the hands of the Hanging Committee.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Who is going to buy an artwork
0:00:48 > 0:00:52made from second-hand cigarette-butt filters?
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Is it enough to be, to be art? I don't know.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57It's time to Show Me The Monet.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Hello and welcome to Show Me The Monet.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Over the past few months, artists eager to sell their work
0:01:07 > 0:01:10have been braving the Hanging Committee.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15Amateurs and professionals from across the UK have tried to convince our panel of experts
0:01:15 > 0:01:17that their work deserves a place on the walls
0:01:17 > 0:01:19at our prestigious exhibition.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21But to get there,
0:01:21 > 0:01:25they have to impress three of the most demanding critics in the business.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Charlotte Mullins has written ten books on contemporary art,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33she's judged some of the UK's most prestigious competitions.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34I'm looking for originality.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37I want a work to make me sit up in my chair and take notice.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39All great art should do that.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Roy Bolton is an art dealer.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Our resident money man,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47he can spot an artwork's commercial potential at the drop of a hat.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49The artist has to connect with me emotionally.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Everything else, really, it's just detail.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55David Lee is the editor of a satirical art magazine
0:01:55 > 0:01:58and is renowned for his no-nonsense approach.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01If he thinks something's rubbish, he'll come right out and say it.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06To some shallow people, technique is overrated, but not to me.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I want artists to impress me with how skilful they are.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Thousands of hopeful artists applied, but only the very best
0:02:12 > 0:02:16will be selected to show their work at The Mall Galleries.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Sorry, I find this really hard.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28Coming up on today's programme, David lets rip...
0:02:28 > 0:02:30It's terrible.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Absolutely terrible.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I thought that kind of thing had gone out with the ark.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38..and the judges discover an extraordinary talent.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41This is why I sit on this panel, to find artists like you.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44If you can maintain this level of work,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46you will be in every collection I can think of.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Eltham Palace, London.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57One of the few surviving medieval royal palaces in England.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00It was here that the judges set up their Hanging Committee
0:03:00 > 0:03:02in the 15th-century Great Hall,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04where kings and queens once dined.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Artists from all over the country arrive to face the judges.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Starting with 47-year-old carer Paul Cheshire from Coventry.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Five years ago, Paul gave up his job as a graphic designer
0:03:18 > 0:03:20to care for his elderly mother.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Now, in between looking after his mum
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and renovating a house for himself and his girlfriend,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28he's itching to get his hands on a paintbrush again.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29Hello.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- Have you got withdrawal symptoms? - I have a little bit.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35I've kind of um, yeah, I just need something else to do,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38other than plastering and smashing things up, would be great.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41So is it a hobby? Or is an ambition you'd like to do professionally?
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Er... Well, if I can make money out of it,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45I'm a bit of a tart for that really.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49- So you want us to show you the money really, don't you?- I would. That would be very nice, please.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52OK, so we've got three critics in there that you've got to convince
0:03:52 > 0:03:55to get your piece in our exhibition,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58which will be obviously a natural step to, to making some cash.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Are you ready for that sort of head-on critique?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- I don't know.- Right.
0:04:03 > 0:04:04I'll just see how it goes.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Well, you've got, you need two yes votes to get to the exhibition
0:04:07 > 0:04:10and if you sold at the exhibition, what would you spend your money on?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Well, we do need a new car,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15cos...especially for transporting the paintings around.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Um... And for the house would be great.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21And just to live would be nice.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23- To live, to eat and drink would be nice.- Yeah.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25HE CHUCKLES
0:04:25 > 0:04:27- Good luck.- OK, thanks again. - Wish you all the best.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29- And the judges are just through that door there.- Right.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31- Go and convince them.- OK, bye-bye.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- See you later.- See you then. Bye.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Paul gave up work to become a carer.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Now, this is his chance to do something for himself.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44But will the judges like his painting,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46which he's called Pre-Raphaelite,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49and is Paul ready for this kind of critical scrutiny?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I'm feeling very apprehensive at the moment.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57I have no idea what they're going to say.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Criticism is probably a bit hurtful, but, you know, it has to be done.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Paul, welcome to the Hanging Committee.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Would you like to tell us something about your sea nymph?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Basically, I quite like old paintings,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15so it's kind of in that traditional sort of Victorian style.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17I think what I'm trying to do in my paintings
0:05:17 > 0:05:20is produce work that I feel
0:05:20 > 0:05:23is very pretty and beautiful.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25I think very often artists,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27even when they can draw,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29end up producing work
0:05:29 > 0:05:31that is quite ugly
0:05:31 > 0:05:33and kind of a little bit grotesque.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36So, in a way, I think my work is kind of the opposite to that.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37What price do you put on it?
0:05:37 > 0:05:3914,000.
0:05:39 > 0:05:40- 14,000.- Yeah.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42We'll come back to the pricing later.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45- We should have a close look before we do that.- I'm open to offers.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49That's a high price for an unknown artist.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51To justify a price like that,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Paul's work will have to be pretty exceptional.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00And it'll have to fulfil the judges' criteria of originality,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03technical skill and emotional impact.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24£14,000... That's a...
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- It's a bit big, isn't it?- Yes.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- Have you sold paintings before? - Yeah. Er...yeah.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32What was the most you've sold for before?
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Well, I'm selling prints of this now.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Um... They've been going for £700.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Where are you selling those?
0:06:40 > 0:06:43- That's in, just in Leamington. - What kind of prints?
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Same-size reproductions over-painted on canvas.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50So your paint, you are printing onto canvas
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- and you're painting on the top? You, yourself, painting on the top?- Yeah.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- And you're selling that for 700. - Yeah.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59And you want someone to come along and buy this,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02which admittedly is the original, but for £14,000,
0:07:02 > 0:07:03when they can have a copy printed
0:07:03 > 0:07:07but also over painted by you to look the same for 700.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- Yes, but this is the, this is the original. - But can you see my point?
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Yes, and an original's an original, Charlotte.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16You can't argue with that.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19I suspect most people will think this is a very attractive picture,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21because you've gone for beauty.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23You've gone for a beautiful image and a lot of people respond
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- to, to what you've done.- Right.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27In the way that you do.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31I think you should never underestimate the gullibility and stupidity of the public.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34They spend nine seconds in front of paintings in the National Gallery,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36so let's forget about what the public think.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Steady, David, you can't write off the entire British public.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42I'm getting the impression Mr Grumpy
0:07:42 > 0:07:45doesn't like Paul's painting very much.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48But he's not the only person on this panel.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Paul needs two yes votes to go through to the exhibition.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55So if Charlotte and Roy like this painting, he's in with a chance.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Do you work from sketches to build the composition?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02I mainly work from photographs.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05OK, because that, I get a real sense of it's built like a stage set.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- Yeah, probably.- In a way. You get the grasses, the water, the bank,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- the model, the bank, the trees. - Yeah.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14And the light is totally inconsistent across it all.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Um...
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Paul, Waterhouse painted countless numbers of this sort of scenes.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24- Yeah.- This sort of water nymphs resting in glades like this
0:08:24 > 0:08:26and you can see them in the Tate, Tate Britain
0:08:26 > 0:08:27and lots of other places.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Do you not think we have enough of them already?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33I'm not trying to produce something that's just purely representational,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36because I think it's, that's kind of, you know,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38you can take a photograph if you're going to do kind of thing.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41And it may be kind of dismissing my own work here,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43but it is um...
0:08:43 > 0:08:46meant to be a decorative piece of work.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Umm. So Roy thinks it's a rip-off
0:08:48 > 0:08:52of the well-known Pre-Raphaelite painter John William Waterhouse.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Definitely not original then.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Charlotte thinks it looks like a stage set.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59So not technically up to scratch.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02And I'm bracing myself for what David's got to say.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04It's terrible.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Absolutely terrible.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10You're not a bad painter of flowers and still life and so forth.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13It's perfectly plausible. The figure is appalling.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18The dress is as badly painted as ever I've seen any fabric.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20It looks as though it's painted in onion sauce.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23And as far as the head and shoulders are concerned,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27you've changed something which was potentially ideal and perfect
0:09:27 > 0:09:32into a person which is cheap and lascivious.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42HE SIGHS
0:09:42 > 0:09:46I'm...a bit disturbed that you think I'm such a crap artist.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Paul, I don't think you're a crap painter,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53but I suspect that all three of us sitting here have,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56have issues with the subject matter.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58It was done to death 100 years ago and it's,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00it's so obvious it's almost painful.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03It kind of disturbs me slightly, your attitude. If you're sort of saying,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07"Oh, this subject matter is verboten, can't be done
0:10:07 > 0:10:08"and nothing can be decorative,"
0:10:08 > 0:10:11then that's kind of quite depressing
0:10:11 > 0:10:13and it's a depressing way of looking at the world, really.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18It can be decorative. And if people want to buy it as decoration that's, that's all well and good.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20But we are selecting for an art exhibition
0:10:20 > 0:10:23and there is a difference between decoration and art.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Umm.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27- The problem is with the figure you see.- OK.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30It was about the spirit of the figures in the Pre-Raphaelites.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34It was what they were signifying.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Something beyond their appearance.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40This is just about sort of tacky, fashion-plate stuff.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46If you want something which is slightly more profound, say,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49or spiritual, or mysterious,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52you don't produce a cliche of the fashion world.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Yeah, I, I would...
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The over-made-up girl with red lipstick looking at you
0:10:57 > 0:11:00in a kind of come-and-get-it way.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02I... You know, it's just horrible.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06I thought that kind of thing had gone out with the ark.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07Oops.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Well, Paul has put up a robust defence
0:11:12 > 0:11:14of his pretty Victorian-style painting,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17but I'm not sure it'll be enough to get him a place at the exhibition.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22I think we'd better go to a vote before David explodes.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29David, would you like to cast your vote?
0:11:29 > 0:11:36This is high art for the consumers of low culture.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39And... I don't like low culture.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40Sorry. No.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45- Charlotte.- No.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47I'm sorry, Paul.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49No.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Oh, what?
0:11:51 > 0:11:52Wow.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Thinking about it myself,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56I don't really agree with what you're saying.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58It does kind of disturb me and it kind of disturbs me
0:11:58 > 0:12:01what you've actually said about the public as well.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04I think it's kind of a bit sad, really.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07OK, that's it anyway. Thanks very much.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Paul's been slammed for trying to create something beautiful.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Damn you!
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Sometimes, there's no pleasing these judges.
0:12:17 > 0:12:18Jesus Christ.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27- Are you OK?- Er... Yeah, well, you know, a little bit disappointed, you know, and everything.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32They kind of implied that I wasn't very good as an artist. It was kind of said.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34And I don't really agree with that at all.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39I was kind of expecting them to, um...throw the thing out.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42That it was very er...trite and traditional and decorative.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45And it was kind of obvious that they'd respond in that way
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and they did. And I felt disappointed.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Is there anything that you're going to take away from today that you might say,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53"You know what? Next time, that is what I'm going to think about."
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Not really.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57- The stuff I'm doing now is selling very well.- Mm.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01So, to be honest, I don't really need to take this, their,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03what they're saying.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07And if I'm just producing...trash for the masses,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10then it's kind of OK.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17One artist after another
0:13:17 > 0:13:20brought their work along to the Hanging Committee
0:13:20 > 0:13:22in the hope of impressing the judges
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and the standard of the art was incredibly high.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27But not everybody made it through.
0:13:27 > 0:13:3032-year-old personal assistant Roxanne Grant
0:13:30 > 0:13:34appeared before the committee with a kaleidoscopic photo called Fish,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37taken during a family holiday in Kenya.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40And it seemed at times like she was in calm waters.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42As a self-taught photographer,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45you obviously have an eye for colour and shape.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47But it was only a matter of time
0:13:47 > 0:13:49before one particular shark began to circle.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54So you've been to an aquarium or a marine park of some kind
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and it looks like a painting. Is that it?
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Even if it was just say a pool or something,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I don't think it detracts from what this picture actually means to me,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06the whole experience of why we were out there.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09It's a no from me. But keep taking photographs.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Photography graduate Frances Baker brought along a photograph
0:14:14 > 0:14:17of her brother and sister posing in a hotel room.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20The title of the piece - The Couple.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22And it causes some discord.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24The title tells us, "The Couple."
0:14:24 > 0:14:27No, the title tells us to read it as a couple.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30But the fact that they turn out to effectively be actors and your brother and sister
0:14:30 > 0:14:33completely destroys the integrity of the work for me.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34- Oh, I don't think it does.- Sorry.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38I don't think it does, because in the end we are judging the work,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40not your story of the work.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- Frances, I'm more on the borderline in many ways. But I'm afraid I have to say no.- OK.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47I was going to say yes. It's a disappointment to me you won't be in the exhibition.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Thank you so much.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Former architect Eliza Southwood wanted £1,200
0:14:52 > 0:14:56for her collage entitled Shipping Containers.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00But David couldn't contain his frustration.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02I can't see how what I'm looking at
0:15:02 > 0:15:05relates to anything which Eliza has said.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09It looks to me, for all the world, like something that could have been designed by a machine.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I can actually draw quite well and quite figuratively
0:15:12 > 0:15:16and that sort of gave me the confidence to try
0:15:16 > 0:15:19and do something that was purely abstract, completely different.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Charlotte was on Eliza's side.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25I do read this as Shipping Containers.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27I can see what you're trying to achieve in this.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30But with only Charlotte's vote behind her,
0:15:30 > 0:15:31Eliza didn't make it through.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Chef Aidy Brook's detailed pencil drawing was a puzzle,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41which could be interpreted
0:15:41 > 0:15:42in myriad ways.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46I'm not sure I'd ever get to know what you thought, really.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48But I'm intrigued.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Charlotte admired the ambition of the piece.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53But she wasn't to be drawn.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55I don't care enough to want to spend
0:15:55 > 0:15:56the time you need to to unpick it.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Right, right.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00And when it came to the voting,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Aidy's pencil maze led the judges in different directions.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05I must say no, I'm afraid.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Aidy, I'm also going to say no.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11And I would have said an absolute resounding yes.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- Thank you for your time. - Thank you, bye-bye.- Good bye, Aidy.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23We received an amazing array of artwork from all over the country.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27There were paintings, photographs, drawings and sculptures,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31all sent in by artists hoping for a spot in the limelight.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Next to face the judges was 44-year-old Kerri Pratt,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44a part-time college admissions officer and mother of two from Heanor in Derbyshire.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Kerri came to art late in life, when the college she worked for
0:16:48 > 0:16:52gave her the opportunity to take a course for free.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56She chose A-level art and discovered she had a bit of a talent.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59She went on to complete a degree in Fine Art at Derby University
0:16:59 > 0:17:03and now dreams of becoming a professional artist.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Well, I kind of came from a working-class family
0:17:06 > 0:17:10and when it came to, you know, the time when you leave school,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13art wasn't really kind of a real profession
0:17:13 > 0:17:17for someone from, from my area.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19So it wasn't even really a consideration.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22So you put that aside and got a proper job, did you?
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Yeah, I worked mainly in sort of an office environment
0:17:26 > 0:17:30and then I went into retail and then obviously I started my family.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32So where are you now then?
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Are you full-time, are you thinking of going full-time?
0:17:34 > 0:17:36I've just started working as a, as an artist, really.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Just moved into a studio.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- Excellent.- About three weeks ago.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45- Um... So, yeah, I'm trying to do it for real.- Right.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- So this would be a massive stepping stone, wouldn't it?- Yeah.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Because there's not loads of high-profile stuff happening in the East Midlands necessarily.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54So to get into an exhibition in London
0:17:54 > 0:17:57would be just a fantastic opportunity.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01But if you managed to get to the exhibition and you sold, what would you do with all that money?
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Oh! Um... Well, if it was picking something from my wish list,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08I think I'd book a trip to New York.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- Well, good luck. - Thank you very much. - The judges await.- OK, thank you.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- Through that door.- Thank you.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18When Kerri was offered a free course by her employers,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22little did she know where this opportunity would lead.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Six years later, she's about to show her work
0:18:25 > 0:18:28to three of the most respected art critics in the business.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Kerri, welcome.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Could you introduce us to your painting, please?
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Yes. This painting is called Reconstruct.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50It's taken from a series of six paintings
0:18:50 > 0:18:52examining the urban landscape.
0:18:52 > 0:18:58It's inspired by my personal encounters with new places.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Notably city environments.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06When I was making this work, I sort of developed a drawing process
0:19:06 > 0:19:08whereby I deconstructed the landscape
0:19:08 > 0:19:10and sort of took it down
0:19:10 > 0:19:13to its very simplest form.
0:19:13 > 0:19:19The resulting work is intentionally ambiguous,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22verging on the abstract.
0:19:22 > 0:19:28And I feel creating a real sense of the place and my experience of it.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31Thank you very much.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38What price do you put on a painting of this size?
0:19:38 > 0:19:41I've priced this painting at £1,500.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Is that based on former sales?
0:19:45 > 0:19:49I have sold a couple of pieces from this series, yes.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51So what did you sell the other two for?
0:19:51 > 0:19:53I sold them at the end of my degree show
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and it was the University that bought them off of me.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Oh, right. Well, that's an accolade.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- Do you mind if we have a look? - No, please do.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Kerri comes from a small, former coal-mining town in Derbyshire,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13where there aren't many opportunities for exhibiting art.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18A place at a major London exhibition would give her incredible exposure
0:20:18 > 0:20:21and a nod from three highly-esteemed critics could launch her
0:20:21 > 0:20:23in her artistic career.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45How do you go about working from the landscape?
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Do you work from sketches you've done,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49or from photographs you've taken?
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Yeah, I take my camera with me everywhere I go.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53I take lots of photographs.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56As my children always say, very boring ones,
0:20:56 > 0:20:57because they're all of architecture.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01But then, I use the photographs and I start this drawing process
0:21:01 > 0:21:05where I sort of start simplifying it into a series of, of lines.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Sometimes, just vertical lines, horizontal lines,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11just really breaking the landscape down.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15- The ambiguity you talk about... is certainly there.- Yeah.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20There's only one feature I think I can identify in this
0:21:20 > 0:21:25and the rest is an assemblage of vertical,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29horizontal and diagonal lines and chunks.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30I think I'd like a bit more.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34You know, it goes too abstract for me to be able to connect.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Everything Roy finds difficult about that, I actually like about it.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Oh, good.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41The ambiguity is where I start to get interested,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45because it's not a literal painting of a derelict site
0:21:45 > 0:21:48or, you know, a view we've seen a thousand times.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50This is doing what painting does best.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52It's suggestive, not literal.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Kerri has clearly impressed Charlotte.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58But she's left Roy wanting more.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00She only needs the approval of two judges though
0:22:00 > 0:22:03to get a place of the exhibition.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06So if David likes her painting, she could still go through.
0:22:12 > 0:22:18I'm impressed by the way you get space and flatness at the same time.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21The way I'm pulled backwards and forwards the whole time.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25It's almost the hallmark of the sophisticated painter that.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Praise indeed. But is Kerri's painting sophisticated enough
0:22:28 > 0:22:30to get her a place at the exhibition?
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Roy?
0:22:46 > 0:22:47Yes.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- Charlotte?- Whoever bought two of your paintings from this series for the university,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57I think they had a very good eye. And I think you're one to watch for the future.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Absolutely yes.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Yes from me. That's three bells.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03You've won the jackpot.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Ooh! Thank you!
0:23:06 > 0:23:09It's a hat-trick for this mum of two from Derbyshire.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Who said art's not a proper job?
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Kerri's painting will be going on show at The Mall Galleries.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18The question now is, will anyone what to buy it?
0:23:27 > 0:23:29The Mall Galleries, London.
0:23:29 > 0:23:35And Kerri's dream of exhibiting her art in a major London exhibition has come true.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38To see the work on show in a gallery like this is like,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41it's almost like the highlight of my career so far.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44I hope that this is a sign of things to come.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47The exhibition was open to the public, art dealers and collectors,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51and Kerri's painting was a hot favourite.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55What I like about this one is that you're not absolutely sure what you're looking at.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57You know, it could be all kinds of things.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01There's a great deal of depth and very nice tonal work in it.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04So this is probably the one that I like most in the show.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06My favourite picture is this one by Kerri.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Quite abstract, but with realism in it.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11So you can actually see, you know,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15lots of different pictures within the picture.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16I think she's interesting,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19because she's only come to the art world in the last six years,
0:24:19 > 0:24:25having brought up a family and I think her work shows great spirit.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28If anyone was interested in buying Kerri's work,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31they had to make a secret offer to an independent agent,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34who would take a 10% commission of the final sale.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Any bids were handed to me in a sealed envelope,
0:24:37 > 0:24:41to be revealed to the artist on the final day of the exhibition.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43It was the moment of truth for Kerri.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50- Now, I saw the grinning man behind you there, who was very proud. - Yes, yes.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- And remind us who he is.- This is my husband, Lee.- Lee, nice to see you.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55- I bet you were proud. - Oh, yes.- Yeah, yeah.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56Number-one fan.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Well, I hope we have good news for you. How much money were you looking for?
0:25:00 > 0:25:02I priced it at £1,500.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- £1,500?- Yeah.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09- And what were you going to spend the money on?- Really on my wish list would be a trip to New York.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Because all my work is inspired by travel.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13- You should have seen your husband's face.- Like, "Yay!"
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Yeah. All right. Let's find out then.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19And inside this envelope, we'll find out whether you've got any cash.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Right. OK.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24OK. So you wanted £1,500.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Yep.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32We didn't get any offers.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34- Ohh. - ALL: Ohh!
0:25:34 > 0:25:35Not to worry.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37A lot of people did love it.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40- Yeah, we knew that, yeah.- And the interest you got was amazing.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43I got a lot of positive er, a lot of positive comments about it.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47I'm not disheartened at all, you know. Somebody will like it.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Well, lovely to meet you and I'm sorry you didn't get any offers.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Oh, you too. No problem.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- We'll give her a big hand of applause.- Thank you, thanks.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56'No sale for Kerri,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00'but I think it's safe to say her life has been transformed.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03'She's impressed the judges, gallery owners, dealers and collectors
0:26:03 > 0:26:07'and silenced the doubters who said art's not a proper job.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10'And it all started just six years ago,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12'when her employer offered her a free course.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15'I bet she's thanking her lucky stars
0:26:15 > 0:26:17'that she took them up on their offer.'
0:26:23 > 0:26:25The Mall Galleries are a showcase for work
0:26:25 > 0:26:27by both established and emerging artists.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30It was the chance of a lifetime for our artists
0:26:30 > 0:26:32to have their work displayed here,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35but only the very best would make it through.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39The next person to face the panel at Eltham Palace
0:26:39 > 0:26:41was former recruitment consultant Belle Burns
0:26:41 > 0:26:44from Kirkcaldy, in Scotland.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45Belle went to art school
0:26:45 > 0:26:49but gave up on being an artist when she got married and had kids.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Now, at the age of 54, she's just been made redundant.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56So she's decided to have a second bite at the artistic cherry
0:26:56 > 0:26:59and see if she can make a living from her art.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02So what does Belle want to do? What are your ambitions?
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Certainly, as far as this is concerned, to exhibit.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08I think for me it's, it's just trying to be confident now.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11So have you ever had anything exhibited?
0:27:11 > 0:27:14When I left college, you have a final-year show.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16So I've had that.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18And when was that?
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Um... Oh, a long time ago.
0:27:21 > 0:27:231979.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Oh, recently?
0:27:25 > 0:27:27- Recently.- Recently, 1979. OK.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30It's about time you went to another exhibition, I think.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31I would think so.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32THEY CHUCKLE
0:27:32 > 0:27:36What would you do with the money if you did sell at the exhibition?
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Oh, that's easy.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40My, my oldest daughter is doing a post-graduate
0:27:40 > 0:27:43and she didn't get any fees paid for her.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46So any money that I would make would help pay for her fees.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48- Plough them back into the kids. - Yeah.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52- Belle, it's been brilliant meeting you.- Lovely.- Good luck.- Thank you.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Those horrible judges, I mean, those lovely judges are just through that door.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58- That's lovely. Thank you. - Good luck.- Thank you.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03This is a big moment for Belle.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06It's her chance to kick-start the art career
0:28:06 > 0:28:08she gave up on 33 years ago.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11She just needs the confidence to do it.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Belle, would you introduce your piece please?
0:28:24 > 0:28:28This is an embroidery piece
0:28:28 > 0:28:30and it's called Man In Topiary.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32And it was inspired
0:28:32 > 0:28:35by a character that I met
0:28:35 > 0:28:38when I was out sketching in Kelvingrove Galleries in Glasgow.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Quite an austere, sinister-looking character
0:28:41 > 0:28:46that was constantly just standing, peering into the exhibits.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49And it just captured my imagination.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53And what do you charge for a work of this nature?
0:28:53 > 0:28:58For a work of this nature I would charge £900.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00- We'll come and have a look at it. - OK.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06That's a significant price tag.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08But if Belle did sell, that money would really help
0:29:08 > 0:29:10with her daughter's university fees.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Is this made by hand?
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Right. You're a right-hander, aren't you?
0:29:36 > 0:29:38- Yes.- Do you know how I know? - Because of the direction.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42Exactly, yeah. You do it, it's exactly the same with drawing.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45- You can tell somebody draws right-handed.- Absolutely.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50You're using your elbow as a fulcrum to, to shade as it were.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54Belle, I imagine this has taken a huge amount of time to create.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56How many hours would you, would you reckon?
0:29:56 > 0:29:59It's about a 120 hours in total
0:29:59 > 0:30:03and I try to keep a record as I'm working.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05120 hours!
0:30:05 > 0:30:06Yeah.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08- That's patience for you.- Yeah.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10This embroidery picture
0:30:10 > 0:30:13has clearly been a labour of love for Belle.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17But will the judges see a place for it in their exhibition?
0:30:17 > 0:30:22There seems to be a sort of on the decorative end of, of things.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24It's quaint and almost as though
0:30:24 > 0:30:27it's sort of souvenir in search of an identity.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Well, I don't know where David holidays.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33But I've never seen a souvenir like this.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35I mean, I am, like David,
0:30:35 > 0:30:37on the cusp of thinking it's decorative
0:30:37 > 0:30:39or I wouldn't be surprised not to find it
0:30:39 > 0:30:41on a greetings card or something.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43But it's really lovely and refreshing
0:30:43 > 0:30:47to see embroidery used artistically.
0:30:47 > 0:30:52How she described how the piece came about, was really different to my reading of it.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55I saw the man outside in his pyjamas had been kicked out
0:30:55 > 0:30:58and I, I read these, these plants in the foreground
0:30:58 > 0:31:01as kind of stand-ins for family members.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04I thought it was the sort of husband of the house outside in the garden
0:31:04 > 0:31:08in pyjamas and dressing gown and his slippers, blowing a kiss through the window.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10THEY CHUCKLE
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Ah, Roy's such a softie.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18But, actually, if you say this is a sinister character that you, you'd stumbled across,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21presumably this isn't old-fashioned pyjamas and dressing gown,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24it's a shirt and a tweed jacket.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27I was just thinking of the shapes and the colours
0:31:27 > 0:31:29when I put it together.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32- Oh, OK.- Still retaining the, the sinister look to it.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35So it isn't pyjamas and a dressing gown?
0:31:35 > 0:31:38What was in my mind was... somebody that had escaped.
0:31:38 > 0:31:39Right, yeah.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42So he's escaped from a nuthouse in his pyjamas
0:31:42 > 0:31:43and he's peering through the window.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45THEY CHUCKLE
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Belle's work has got the judges' imaginations in overdrive.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51But is that enough to get her through? It's time for the vote.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Roy?
0:31:53 > 0:31:58Belle, I'd love to say yes, because I think what you're doing is great.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01But, on this image, there's not enough art in there for me.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03- OK.- Fine.- So, no.
0:32:03 > 0:32:04Charlotte?
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Gosh, I find this much harder than I thought I would, Belle.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14I think it's just a no.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16- I'm sorry.- OK.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19I would have said no as well. Thank you very much.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21That's lovely. Thank you.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25It's the end of the line for Belle. Her piece has made an impression on the judges
0:32:25 > 0:32:28but they've decided it errs more on the side of decoration
0:32:28 > 0:32:29rather than art.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34Oh, Belle, Belle, Belle. Bad luck.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38- Not to worry. Not to worry. - It's just not what they're looking for for the exhibition.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41I'm quite sure that they have a thought process
0:32:41 > 0:32:42belonging to that exhibition
0:32:42 > 0:32:45and if that's no' the piece for that exhibition, fine.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Yeah, it's always finding this embroidery,
0:32:48 > 0:32:52this decorative art and finding it a place in a fine art gallery.
0:32:52 > 0:32:53Exactly.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55Is it a bit of snobbery, do you think?
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Hmm... Possibly.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Yeah, you can speak your mind, they can't hear.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- There's a lot of snobbery in art anyway, but that's fine as well. - Yeah.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05- It's been lovely to meet you. - Smashing.- Safe journey back.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08- Smashing, smashing.- Away you go. - Smashing, thank you.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Artists of all ages and backgrounds, both amateur and professional,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19presented their work to the Hanging Committee.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22But only the very best made the grade.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26Next up was 22-year-old Charles Moxon from London.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Charles is currently an art student,
0:33:29 > 0:33:32but his dream is to follow in his grandparents' footsteps
0:33:32 > 0:33:33and make art his profession.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36- Nice to see you.- Thank you very much. Nice to meet you.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38So art is in the family. Tell me about that.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43My grandmother studied at art school and she was a fashion designer.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46And my granddad also studied at art school and he,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50he kind of made jewellery for, when he was younger, so.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52- So it missed a generation. - It did miss and then it came to me.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54THEY CHUCKLE
0:33:54 > 0:33:58- Were there any doubts about being an artist? Like, "No, I'll do something sensible?"- Never, never.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00OK, so what are your ambitions then?
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Well, I want to be an artist.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04You know, I want to be successful at what I do.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06What would you do with the money if you did sell?
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Well, I think I'd buy a suit.
0:34:09 > 0:34:10A suit?
0:34:10 > 0:34:12- A suit, yes.- Lofty ambitions.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Maybe a Savile Row suit as well.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16I like it. I like your style, sir.
0:34:16 > 0:34:17Good luck.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19Thanks very much.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21The judges are through there. It might get a bit tough.
0:34:21 > 0:34:26- That's all right, I'll... - But you'll be all right.- I'll be. - Good luck.- Thank you.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28Charles may have his eye on a new suit,
0:34:28 > 0:34:30but this could mean so much more.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33A place at the exhibition would be a huge leap for such a young artist.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36His hopes rest on this oil painting
0:34:36 > 0:34:38he's called National Anthem.
0:34:50 > 0:34:51Charles.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54- Hi.- Hello. - Nice to meet you.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56Could you introduce your painting for us?
0:34:56 > 0:34:58It's a portrait of my grandmother.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02Um... And what originally inspired me to,
0:35:02 > 0:35:05to paint her was her life story, really.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09After serving in the Second World War, she...
0:35:09 > 0:35:13about the age of 40, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17And, unfortunately, she had to have an operation
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and this left her paralysed down one side of her face.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26And doctors really didn't give her a huge amount of time to live after the operation,
0:35:26 > 0:35:30but she managed to live for another 47 years.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35And er, and sadly, she's just passed away about two weeks ago.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39So it means quite a lot, you know, given, given the timing.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Um...
0:35:44 > 0:35:48OK. Um... How much would you charge for a work like this?
0:35:48 > 0:35:54Um, well, I think, I think I would put a price of £2,500 on it.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56OK. We'll have a close look at it.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58Yes.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05It's a deeply personal piece
0:36:05 > 0:36:08and any criticism could be uncomfortable for Charles.
0:36:33 > 0:36:34When I saw this work for the first time,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37and then you walked through the door,
0:36:37 > 0:36:39I expected you to be twice as old as you are.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43In terms of tackling a subject,
0:36:43 > 0:36:47um...a woman who's old
0:36:47 > 0:36:49and dealing with disability,
0:36:49 > 0:36:51that's quite a good piece of work.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54Thank you.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56Wow. That's a great start.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Charlotte has been blown away by the maturity of Charles' portrait.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03But what about the price tag Charles has placed on this work?
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Is it too much for an unknown artist?
0:37:08 > 0:37:102,500 quid.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Roy, what's your expert view as an art dealer on that?
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Well, as an image, it's infinitely uncommercial.
0:37:17 > 0:37:22Uncomfortable imagery in art is, is important,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25but, if we're talking about its value in a commercial sense,
0:37:25 > 0:37:27it's always tricky.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Ah, I knew it was going too well.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Our art dealer Roy has spotted a potential problem.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37The portrait has huge emotional value for Charles,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40but is it just too personal to sell?
0:37:42 > 0:37:45I think you could work on the background.
0:37:45 > 0:37:46This is a very minor point.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50I think this is a phenomenal painting.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53The most important criteria to me is emotional impact
0:37:53 > 0:37:57and this has it oozing out of every pore.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00I feel for her. I want to know about her.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03But it makes me reflect on my own mortality
0:38:03 > 0:38:06and I can't give higher praise than that.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Charles, all I would say is...
0:38:08 > 0:38:10don't be a child prodigy.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13The, the young actor that's never seen again
0:38:13 > 0:38:15after they do their first blockbuster.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18If you can maintain this level of work,
0:38:18 > 0:38:20you will be in every collection I can think of.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21Thank you.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25It comes to me as always to bring you down to Earth a bit.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28- All right.- And Masaccio completely rewrote the rules of painting
0:38:28 > 0:38:32and was dead at the age of 27.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34- But you are pretty good. - That's rather morbid.
0:38:34 > 0:38:35THEY CHUCKLE
0:38:35 > 0:38:39Well, that is some of the highest praise
0:38:39 > 0:38:41we've heard on Show Me The Monet.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45Charles is on the brink of earning a place at his very first exhibition.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Fingers crossed he might be needing that suit.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52Charles, I suspect your parents will never forgive you if you sell this at an exhibition,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55but I think you should give it a try. It's a yes.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57- Thank you.- Charlotte?
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Charles, this is why I sit on this panel, to find artists like you. It's a yes.
0:39:01 > 0:39:02Yeah.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04See you in The Mall.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07- Brilliant.- Thank you so much.
0:39:12 > 0:39:13Three yes votes
0:39:13 > 0:39:19and Charles will be taking his very personal portrait to the exhibition.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21The big question now is, can he sell it?
0:39:27 > 0:39:29The Mall Galleries, London.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32Charles' portrait took its place
0:39:32 > 0:39:34amongst the other successful artworks
0:39:34 > 0:39:38and everybody wanted to know more about the lady in the picture.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41That's what she went through and meant for me. It's sort of that
0:39:41 > 0:39:44stiff-upper-lip generation of the wartime era
0:39:44 > 0:39:46and that sense of coming through everything,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49you know, regardless of the odds.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Well, I spoke to Charles about his piece and what I really liked
0:39:51 > 0:39:56was the fact that he had captured his grandmother, who has since died,
0:39:56 > 0:40:01and it resonated with me because she reminded me of my grandmother as well
0:40:01 > 0:40:05and it was really, I think it was a really lovely, lovely picture
0:40:05 > 0:40:10and it captured her wisdom and her kindness and her experience.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14The lady in the old ages,
0:40:14 > 0:40:15they look like that.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Because really you can see her soul inside.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23But would anybody want to buy Charles' very personal portrait?
0:40:23 > 0:40:26On the judges' recommendations, he upped his asking price
0:40:26 > 0:40:29from 2,500 to £3,000.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Any offers will be subject to a 10% commission,
0:40:32 > 0:40:33to be paid to an independent agent.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37As the exhibition drew to a close, it was time for me
0:40:37 > 0:40:41to reveal to Charles the results of the secret bids.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47- How do you think you got on last night?- I don't know. I'm not sure.
0:40:47 > 0:40:48Any bidders, do you think?
0:40:48 > 0:40:50Well, I'm not sure, I don't know.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53A lot of people were interested, but I don't know if that turned into a sale.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56The answer's in here. OK.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58- Fingers crossed, Mum.- Yeah.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Fingers crossed everybody over there.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03How much did you want again?
0:41:03 > 0:41:043,000.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06- 3,000.- Yeah.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08I'm really nervous.
0:41:08 > 0:41:09OK.
0:41:11 > 0:41:12Well, you got two offers.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14- Oh, I did? Wow, yeah.- OK?
0:41:14 > 0:41:16That's good.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19And the first offer...
0:41:23 > 0:41:26..was for £2,500.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30That's all right, yeah. That's quite good, yeah.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Just remind me what you were going to spend the money on.
0:41:33 > 0:41:34Well, I was going to get a suit.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37I'm without a jacket, so.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41OK. OK. And then you had another offer.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45And this offer...
0:41:48 > 0:41:52..was for £3,950.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54ALL: Oh! Wow!
0:41:54 > 0:41:56- Oh, my God.- You're a rich man.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Mate!
0:42:10 > 0:42:14£3,950.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Yeah, that's not too bad for a penniless student, was it?
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Do you want me to give you directions to Savile Row? It's not far from here.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22I'm so pleased for you.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25- Oh, thank you so much, Chris. - Well done. Well done.- Thank you.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28'What an amazing result for Charles.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32'He sold his painting for more than he ever dreamt it could be worth.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35'He's already received requests for commissions for his work
0:42:35 > 0:42:38'and he's still only 22 years old.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41'I suspect if his grandma was here today,
0:42:41 > 0:42:43'she would be extremely proud.'
0:42:46 > 0:42:49That's it for today, but join us next time on Show Me The Monet,
0:42:49 > 0:42:54when the judges will be meeting more hopeful artists in search of success.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd