0:00:00 > 0:00:03Britain's top artists make big money.
0:00:03 > 0:00:05Their works can go for millions.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09Nine million five. Ten million. Ten million five. 11 million.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Up and down the country, thousands of ordinary people
0:00:12 > 0:00:14are also trying to get a piece of the action.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17They're putting their necks on the block for the chance
0:00:17 > 0:00:19to sell at the hottest exhibition in town.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23That would be the biggest exhibition I've ever been involved in.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26It'd be out of this world to see my work hung up on a wall.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Being here today is a dream come true for me.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32These artists could stand to make some serious cash.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36- £2,500.- £2,000.- 12,500 on it.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39But first, they need the seal of approval
0:00:39 > 0:00:41from three of the art world's toughest critics.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Who would buy it and why?
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Their hopes are in the hands of the Hanging Committee.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50I don't think this photograph is any good.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53It's monumental in a way, isn't it?
0:00:53 > 0:00:56It's time to Show Me The Monet.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Hello and welcome to Show Me The Monet.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Over the past few months, ambitious artists,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06both amateur and professional,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08have been facing our rigorous judging panel,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10the Hanging Committee.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Roy Bolton is an experienced art dealer.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16He's sold thousands of paintings over the years and has an eye
0:01:16 > 0:01:18for art that sells.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Emotion in art is what really matters.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21Art needs soul to be alive.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Charlotte Mullins is a contemporary art specialist
0:01:25 > 0:01:27who's hoping to uncover a new art superstar.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29I'm looking for originality.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Artworks that make me see the world in a completely new way.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36And David Lee is a no-nonsense critic who doesn't pull any punches
0:01:36 > 0:01:38when it comes to voicing his opinion.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Good technique through practise is essential.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Without it, they'll get nowhere.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46These experts were the gatekeepers to our exhibition.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Thousands of hopeful artists applied,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52but only the very best would hang their work at the Mall Galleries.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Definitely, yes.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Coming up on today's programme,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00an artist who's battled the odds to follow his dream.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04- I was diagnosed with a brain tumour when I was...- Oh, my goodness!- ..28.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Roy delivers a few home truths.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I don't think you're going to like what I'm going to say.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11And David is almost lost for words.
0:02:11 > 0:02:18It's so bad, I can barely think of anything to say about it.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Eltham Palace, south London, once home to the entire Tudor court.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26It was here
0:02:26 > 0:02:30when the kings and queens of Medieval England once resided,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32that artists from all over the country
0:02:32 > 0:02:34arrived to face the Hanging Committee.
0:02:36 > 0:02:41First up was 42-year-old Michael John Ashcroft, from Preston.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43He was an engineer for a major car manufacturer.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46He only started painting
0:02:46 > 0:02:49when something happened which turned his life upside down.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51I always wanted to be an artist,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55but it took a life-changing moment really to bring it on.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00- I was diagnosed with a brain tumour when I was...- Oh, my goodness!- ..28.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04And that was a shock out of the blue.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07I got diagnosed with a genetic fault after that,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10which causes multiple head and neck tumours,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12and I've had, I think, four since then.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14My goodness!
0:03:14 > 0:03:17But I've had radiotherapy and I'm fine, but throughout...
0:03:17 > 0:03:24throughout the ordeal, if you like, the illness, art has kept me going.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27See I'm absorbed already. I just love it. I love the power of it.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28Why come here, Show Me The Monet?
0:03:28 > 0:03:32To come and get the chance to show your work
0:03:32 > 0:03:34in front of some great critics.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37I mean, your public see your work,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40but it's not often you get the chance to show art critics.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44What would you do with the money if you did sell?
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Oh, I'd have to treat my two children and my wife.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52They've put up with a lot, take them on holiday. Absolutely.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55You are a fascinating character, and I love the fact
0:03:55 > 0:03:57- that art makes such a difference to your life.- It does.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01I wish you the very best of luck with those judges.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03- Away there, through that door. - Thanks, Chris.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Not only has Michael battled a life-threatening illness,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11this father of two gave up a steady job
0:04:11 > 0:04:13to dedicate his life to painting.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Has he made the right decision?
0:04:15 > 0:04:18He's hoping his oil on canvas painting
0:04:18 > 0:04:21will prove to the judges that he's got what it takes.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29- Hello, Michael.- Hello.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Would you like to introduce your work to us?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34This painting is called The Bridge
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and it's a painting of Canal Street in Manchester.
0:04:37 > 0:04:43It represents my fascination with light and dark
0:04:43 > 0:04:47and the emotional struggle that I've had
0:04:47 > 0:04:50when I was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1998.
0:04:50 > 0:04:56It's about the dark and light in the bridge, and crossing the bridge,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59and always trying to stay on the bright side of the street,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03and always slipping back to the darkness.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07That constant battle of trying to get back to the light.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Could you tell us what value you put on your...
0:05:10 > 0:05:12£2,500.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16And is that based on sales that have already been made?
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- It is. Yeah. Two of them. - Could we have a closer look?
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Please, please do.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Michael has poured his heart and soul into this painting,
0:05:25 > 0:05:26but to make the exhibition,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30it'll need to stand alone as a work of art.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35Will it be good enough to take him through to the exhibition?
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Michael's family has been through a lot.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39If he sells his painting,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42he's promised to take them all on holiday.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- What's your view of this painting? - Such confident brush strokes.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03I think... I love the trees.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06When you're sitting back here, there's a quiet stillness to it.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08But when you get up close to it, there's so much energy
0:06:08 > 0:06:12in some of those brush strokes. The trees are literally alive.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15And yet there still is this tranquillity of the water.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18I've got some issue with the tranquillity of the water.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Where the light is catching it, just under the bridge,
0:06:21 > 0:06:26that seems like a still canal or any body of water that's still.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28As you come closer, it almost feels to me
0:06:28 > 0:06:32like it's a section of frozen water, it's got a more mottled feeling.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34But yet it's still calm.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38The light was really to draw your eye towards the focal point,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40which was the bridge,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and about the passage from the dark to the light.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Michael has clearly been through a lot in his life
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and his work reflects the ups and downs.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52It's a highly emotional piece for him,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56- but will the judges make that connection?- I know this street.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57I remember it when it was...
0:06:57 > 0:07:03This was a squalid strip of open sewer with all sorts in it.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06I suppose in a way it's a symbol for the regeneration
0:07:06 > 0:07:08of a down-at-heel city.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15So, I'm predisposed to like it, for probably the wrong reasons.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19If I owned this picture and I looked at it every day,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22everything you're saying, without me having never met you,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25would, I think, be imparted.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28It all reflects a certain sense
0:07:28 > 0:07:33of subtle eeriness, depression, dark is bad.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37My only criticism
0:07:37 > 0:07:40is your emotional involvement with the work
0:07:40 > 0:07:42doesn't necessarily come over to me.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Very mixed reactions from the judges.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49There's a lot riding on this for Michael.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51He needs their approval to confirm he has the talent
0:07:51 > 0:07:53to make it as a successful artist.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01Is his painting good enough to secure him a spot in the limelight?
0:08:06 > 0:08:07Charlotte.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14I'm going to say, yes.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Charlotte didn't make the emotional connection.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20But the painting did enough to gain her yes vote.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21Just one more needed.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26I'm not going to reject it
0:08:26 > 0:08:31on account of its rather stolid traditionalism,
0:08:31 > 0:08:36because I think you've made a very good attempt at this,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39so I'll say, yes, as well.
0:08:39 > 0:08:45It's unnecessary now for me to say anything, but a qualified, yes.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49There are elements you should work on in the future, but it's yes.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50- It's yes.- Oh, thanks!
0:08:53 > 0:08:57It's a triumph for Michael. He's off to the exhibition.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01But will he sell his work and earn some cash for that family holiday?
0:09:02 > 0:09:04The Mall Galleries, London.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Michael's Manchester canal scene took its place on the wall
0:09:08 > 0:09:10at one of the hottest exhibitions of the year.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14The room was filled with dealers, collectors and the general public,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17and Michael was enjoying every minute of it.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Just to walk in and just have a little glimpse of where it is,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25yeah, it's a nice feeling, I must say.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29If anyone wanted to make an offer on his work, it was made in secret,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and was subject to a 10% sales commission.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34The picture of the Manchester canal,
0:09:34 > 0:09:35I think that's possibly going to sell.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- I think this is lovely. - Thanks very much.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41- It is the colours that attract one's eye.- Yeah.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45The results of the bidding were only revealed after the exhibition,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49when I opened a sealed envelope for the first time.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51- Michael, nice to see you. - Great to see you.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54You looked as if you were having a ball last night.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56It was a fantastic night.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Absolutely fantastic, we've thoroughly enjoyed it.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02- Got approached by a gallery, which was great.- Did you?
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- Yeah.- Oh, I like this. What did they say?
0:10:04 > 0:10:07They took a card, and they were interested in my work,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09and they were opening a new gallery in Richmond,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11so, we'll see what happens.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13So a bit of wheeling and dealing.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Because if I remember correctly, how much did you want to sell this for?
0:10:17 > 0:10:19It was £2,500.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- So about £2,500.- Yeah. - So, here we go.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Well Michael, you wanted £2,500 for this painting.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34You made contacts. You schmoozed.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36- You look as if you're building a career.- Yeah.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Did you make any money tonight?
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Well, we had one offer.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48And it was for...
0:10:48 > 0:10:50£1,000.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- Was it?- Mmm.- OK.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55- £1,000. What do you think? - Disappointing.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58So, £1,000. Is that enough for you?
0:10:58 > 0:10:59Not really for this piece.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04No, I know it'll bring the asking price. Definitely, for sure.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05- So, it's a no sale.- No sale.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Give this man a round of applause.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10So, Michael didn't sell, which was lucky,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13because after the exhibition he did get the full asking price,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and he's had his first major solo exhibition in Lancashire.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23For many aspiring artists,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26the Hanging Committee was the chance of a lifetime.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29But only the very best would win a place at the Mall Galleries.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Professional artist, Emma Fenlon, presented her sculpture,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35inspired by her childhood memories of houses.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39My granny lived in a... sort of like a manor house,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41which was mocked up like a castle.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43They used to lock us out and we used to go in
0:11:43 > 0:11:47one of the other 500 doors all over the place and explore and explore.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Roy just couldn't feel the connection.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52I spent my childhood rambling around ruined castles.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Loads of memories are very strong.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56I don't feel like I'm part of this in any way.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00But David had a very different response.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03I want to examine it, as I would with anything that was made
0:12:03 > 0:12:07with love and belief, as this is.
0:12:07 > 0:12:08I like follies, yes.
0:12:08 > 0:12:14But with only one yes vote, Emma didn't manage to make it through.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19Working mum, Pauline Yates, wanted £750 for her photograph
0:12:19 > 0:12:21of a busy Cambridge street.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24It encapsulates classic Cambridge to me.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28There's the bikes, there's the footfall, the students.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Charlotte thought it was an attractive image.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32That's beautifully done.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34I'm not criticising your technical ability.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37But she struggled with its originality.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39You don't make me see Cambridge in a new light.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41You're not surprising me.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44In the end, it wasn't quite enough for the judges.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47I think Pauline may be the kind of person
0:12:47 > 0:12:49who you need to see a body of work.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53- Not far enough for me, sorry. No. - OK.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Next up was professional artist, Perdita Sinclair,
0:12:56 > 0:13:01with her creatively-titled painting, Show Me The Manet.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04I wanted to do a version of Manet's famous painting,
0:13:04 > 0:13:09and set it in a very confused setting of the modern world.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13It was based on the well-known work, Le Dejeuner Sur L'herb
0:13:13 > 0:13:17by Edouard Manet, but it got off to a bad start with Roy.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Using a very famous painting as the skeleton
0:13:20 > 0:13:23turns me off right away, as a standalone, proper work of art.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Don't you feel that every artist, as they sort of progress
0:13:27 > 0:13:28through their career,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31should continually look back at other artists?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Charlotte agreed with Perdita's idea.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36I actually like contemporary painters who look back,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and look back at art history, so I feel like I'm in your camp
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- as much as I can be at the beginning. - But she didn't feel Perdita
0:13:42 > 0:13:45had achieved anything new with her painting.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48I'm just not sure you have communicated
0:13:48 > 0:13:52what you're trying to say with using this old image.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55- I am going to have to say, no, on this painting.- OK.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Professional artist, Jodie Philips, brought along her abstract painting
0:13:58 > 0:14:03of the Japanese nuclear disaster at Fukushima.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04I was very moved by the tsunami
0:14:04 > 0:14:08and subsequent nuclear disaster in Japan.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11David was unconvinced by the painting's abstract nature.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15I can't understand why you don't just paint what's there.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17I mean just the fact that we could identify as a power station
0:14:17 > 0:14:21would make it then a more interesting image.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24And for Charlotte too, it was Jodie's style that cost her
0:14:24 > 0:14:25a place at the Mall.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28It's a particularly loaded, heavy subject.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33And yet the palette and even the style, is quite decorative.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35And the pink sky with the white fluffy swirls.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37It's a no from me, Jodie.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40Next to arrive at the palace
0:14:40 > 0:14:43was 18-year-old Leon Cheung, from Shropshire.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47His interest in sculpture was sparked in the kitchens
0:14:47 > 0:14:48of his family's restaurant,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51and now he's decided he wants to become a full-time artist.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Welcome to Show Me The Monet.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54So, your family happy about that,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57that you're going into an artistic career?
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Well, there's been a bit of debate, cos they're quite traditional.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05- Right.- So they want me to do a more serious profession,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08like be a doctor or a lawyer, something along those lines anyway.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10So, how did you pick up an interest in art anyway?
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Well, I did loads of garnish sculpting.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15I did garnish sculpting for the restaurants,
0:15:15 > 0:15:16made them look pretty and stuff,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20and then, how can I apply my current skills and translate that
0:15:20 > 0:15:21into a different medium?
0:15:21 > 0:15:24So, you know, from carving carrots and stuff like that,
0:15:24 > 0:15:25I translated it to clay.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26Yeah, never have I asked myself,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29"What can I do with a carrot that I can do with ceramics?"
0:15:29 > 0:15:32but that's what an artist's life is like, I suppose.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34- Er, innovating!- Yeah, exactly!
0:15:34 > 0:15:36If you manage to sell your piece at the exhibition,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38what would you spend the money on?
0:15:38 > 0:15:40In handling money, I'm quite dynamic!
0:15:40 > 0:15:41I like to reinvest it in my work.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Good luck. The judges are through there.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46- It's been a pleasure meeting you. - We'll see you afterwards.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- Just through that door.- Thank you.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Leon is brimming with ambition.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55He's ignoring his parents' pleas to get a sensible career
0:15:55 > 0:15:58and is determined to become an artist.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00A place at the exhibition would prove to them
0:16:00 > 0:16:02he has made the right decision.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08His hopes rest with this polymer clay sculpture, entitled Sprint.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18- Hello, Leon.- Hi.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Please tell us about your work.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24For this piece, I wanted to, um...
0:16:24 > 0:16:26How did I start?
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Can we start again? I'm sorry.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31Erm...
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Sorry, I've completely forgot my line.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37It's fine.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43This sculpture was previously in another competition.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45I managed to secure third place in a national competition
0:16:45 > 0:16:47based around the theme of the Paralympics.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51For this piece, I wanted to draw on inspirations from
0:16:51 > 0:16:56the Renaissance artists, such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01In the Sistine Chapel there's a painting of a character, a figure
0:17:01 > 0:17:05on the left side of God, holding a skin in the clouds.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10And then, you know, I just based my ideas on that
0:17:10 > 0:17:14and how I can, like, incorporate it in this sculpture.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Leon, what's the price you put on this sculpture?
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Um...
0:17:18 > 0:17:19£5,000.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21£5,000.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22How did you come to that figure?
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I had a private offer of £4,000.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I would have snapped that up!
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- I would, too. - I didn't give an answer back.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Why didn't you take it? Is it because you wanted to see...
0:17:34 > 0:17:36I just wanted to see what, you know, what comes on my plate,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38as it comes, I don't know.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40We're going to come and have a look.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Wow! Leon's turned down some serious cash there.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48He said he wants to reinvest any money he makes back into his work.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Well, £4,00 would buy him quite a bit of clay.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54But perhaps he's hoping he'll get an even better offer
0:17:54 > 0:17:55if he gets through to the exhibition.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06- Are you studying art?- Yes.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Are you a BA student, or...
0:18:08 > 0:18:10I'm still doing my A-levels.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Are you? How old are you?
0:18:12 > 0:18:13Just turned 18.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Oh, my goodness! You look older, that must be useful!
0:18:16 > 0:18:19- Err, thanks! - Tell her the same thing!
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Yeah! Yes, thank you.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24I wouldn't, if I was you. Leon's got youth on his side,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27but has he won the judges over with his artistic skills?
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Why did you have him hoisted, dangling from that armature,
0:18:31 > 0:18:36rather than in a more earth-bound pose?
0:18:36 > 0:18:40No, I wanted it to be, like, dynamic, frozen in time.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Well, can't it be dynamic standing on the ground?
0:18:42 > 0:18:44But this is just, like, I wanted to express feelings
0:18:44 > 0:18:47of determination, focus and aggression
0:18:47 > 0:18:50at the very initial start of the race. That literal, like...
0:18:50 > 0:18:54It looks like they're doing the long jump at the moment, cos it's so off the ground.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Maybe, if that's your intention, have it lower.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Off the ground maybe, if you like.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59I just want to make it look dynamic.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Michelangelo, who you mentioned,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05made his sculptures look dynamic and didn't have them
0:19:05 > 0:19:08sort of looking as though they were leaping over the moon.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11I quite like the idea that this figure is flying through the air,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14only for novelty reasons, I don't think I've seen that,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17but I seriously dislike the pole stabbed into the back.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20I was just going to mention the modelling.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24It looks like plastic spaghetti to me,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28it doesn't look like muscle fibre.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30I chose this material over potters' clay,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34because the properties of this material are second to none,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37in terms of, like, holding and retaining the detail.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Really fine, intricate detail,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41which you can't achieve with traditional clay.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43- The detail's very impressive. - Thanks!
0:19:43 > 0:19:45You know, I hate my hat off to you.
0:19:45 > 0:19:4918, working on something like that - you know, it's ambitious.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51But it does look a bit like...
0:19:51 > 0:19:53a toy.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56A sort of superhero character from a game.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59I thought it the tackiest object I'd ever seen
0:19:59 > 0:20:03when it was unveiled, but it does have something new.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Well, David is intrigued by Leon's sculpture,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and Roy liked the novelty value in it.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11It's hard to predict how this vote will go.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Roy, would you like to go first?
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Leon, it just doesn't grab me.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22OK, thank you.
0:20:22 > 0:20:23David.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Yeah, I don't like this, at all.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38There's all sorts wrong with it.
0:20:41 > 0:20:42I'm going to say yes.
0:20:42 > 0:20:43Thank you, David.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Oh, Leon, you have one yes and one no.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55I'm afraid I'm going to say no.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57- OK, thank you.- Which means it won't make the exhibition,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00but it has been a pleasure to meet you, and to see your work.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03It's been a pleasure meeting the three of you.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- All right, thank you.- Cheerio.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Well, that's a blow for Leon. He hasn't made it through,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11but I hope his dreams of becoming an artist don't stop here.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15- Bad luck!- Ah, well.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Deep breath.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Sadly you didn't get to the exhibition.
0:21:20 > 0:21:21What have you learnt?
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Take on board what they have to say, respect it,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25and then just try again next time.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- Well, it's been a real pleasure to meet you.- Thank you.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29- Safe journey home.- Thank you.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- Take care.- Take care.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35The next artist hoping to impress our judges
0:21:35 > 0:21:39was 46-year-old former hairdresser, Maureen Domoney.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Maureen has dreamt of being an artist her whole life,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45but only started painting last year
0:21:45 > 0:21:48after finding the confidence to pick up a brush for the first time.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- You look a little bit nervous. - So nervous!
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Are you really? Welcome.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Are you a full-time artist?
0:21:54 > 0:21:56- I'm a full-time mum, and full-time artist.- Right.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59I left school when I was 16.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03My art teacher told me I lacked the imagination to go to art college
0:22:03 > 0:22:07and therefore I didn't think that I could, so I became a hairdresser.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11What would be your dream? What would you like to do in the art world?
0:22:11 > 0:22:15I would like to sell my paintings for quite a lot of money.
0:22:15 > 0:22:16OK!
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- So I can support my small family properly.- Right.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20You know, we struggle.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22I mean, what would it mean to you, then?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- I wouldn't believe it!- Yeah?
0:22:24 > 0:22:27I think I'd like to be told I'm not wasting my time.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Yes, yeah.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- A lot at stake. Good luck. - Thank you.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- The judges await. Keep smiling. - Thank you. OK.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40This is going to be quite an ordeal for self-taught Maureen.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42And with so much riding on the judges' decision,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45she's going to need nerves of steel.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48'I'm terrified of walking down that huge hall
0:22:48 > 0:22:50'towards the Hanging Committee,
0:22:50 > 0:22:55'and having to talk about my work, and justify my work.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57'I find that quite scary.'
0:22:57 > 0:23:00It's make or break for Maureen right now.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02She wants a straight answer to a straight question -
0:23:02 > 0:23:05is she wasting her time?
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Her hopes and dreams all rest on this oil painting,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11which she's called Water Baby.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- Hello, Maureen.- Hello.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24- Welcome to the Hanging Committee. - Thank you.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Please tell us about your painting.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Well this is a painting of my son, Freddie, in the bath,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32and it sort of was a happy accident, really.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35I was jut snapping away with the camera.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38I've been drawing for quite a few years,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40but I've only been painting for about 18 months,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44so I've been on a very steep learning curve.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48I started with acrylics, and this is my first oil painting.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51And what value do you place on this work?
0:23:51 > 0:23:53£300.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54300.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56We'll come and take a closer look.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Maureen's a bundle of nerves, and this can't be helping...
0:24:05 > 0:24:08..her very first oil painting just inches from the eyes
0:24:08 > 0:24:12of three of the leading critics in the art world.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Her dream is to be able to help support her family
0:24:18 > 0:24:20from the sales of her paintings,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23so a spot at the Mall Galleries would be the perfect place to start.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44I mean, for a first attempt that face is really...
0:24:44 > 0:24:46He's a cheeky chap isn't he?
0:24:46 > 0:24:47It's not bad.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50But the water is the problem for me.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51This is an image about...
0:24:51 > 0:24:53What, where the surface of the water actually is?
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Where the surface of the water hits the face
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and conveying the sense of water across the rest of the image.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59Yeah.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01It's like an abstract blue ground.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04It looks like a background, the rest of it.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06As I said, this is my first oil painting,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and my learning curve has been very steep,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and I'm learning each time.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13For a first oil painting it's...
0:25:13 > 0:25:16I think it's fantastic work, for a first effort.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17I'm astounded.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20But do you realise...
0:25:21 > 0:25:24..that this is a very freakish-looking image?
0:25:25 > 0:25:30Yes, I do. To me, it's not freaky. But...
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Mmm, that's what I thought.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Some of my friends, my son's friends, yeah, find it quite spooky.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37That's what I thought.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39This is the problem with painting from photographs,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42that you get the shadows, the lighting that was at that moment.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44This is lit from underneath.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46It's a horror, it's a horror image.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50It doesn't say any of the things that I think you see in it because you see them.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51OK, yeah.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52A horror image?
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Steady on, Roy, that's Maureen's son you're talking about here.
0:25:57 > 0:25:58What was wrong with the photograph?
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Are you saying that I should just use a photo?
0:26:03 > 0:26:07What does a painting add that you don't get from the photograph?
0:26:08 > 0:26:10I think, for me, with this photograph
0:26:10 > 0:26:12I just thought I could add more depth.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18And I just had the overwhelming desire to paint it.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21It's a tricksy idea to try and paint a child in the bath.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24The water isn't successful, but the face is,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27and for a first attempt I really think you've got something
0:26:27 > 0:26:29as a portrait artist.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31So I would say, cut out the tricks,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35and stick to simple portraits of your son, or other children,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39because, actually, that's very good, and could be really good.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Thank you.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44It was quite important for me to feel that I'm not wasting my time...
0:26:44 > 0:26:46- No.- You're not at all.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49That's what I really wanted to hear, so thank you.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51OK, well we are going to take it to a vote.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53We'll just consider your work one last time.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55You're going to say no!
0:26:55 > 0:26:57You never know with us!
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Hang on in there, Maureen.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04The judges haven't pulled the plug on your painting yet.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Let's see if you're right. Roy.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Maureen, I look forward to seeing you next year.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12When you have a new and better painting.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14This time, no.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18- David.- Yeah, bring us a painting next time. No.
0:27:18 > 0:27:19It's no from me.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22You were right, but thank you very much, Maureen, it's good to see it.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23- Thank you.- Keep it up, seriously.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Kind words, also. Thank you.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28- You're certainly going in the right direction. - Thank you. Thank you.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Maureen won't be joining us at the exhibition,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33but she has got what she came for -
0:27:33 > 0:27:36she's definitely not been wasting her time.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Oh! Come here, come here. I'll give you a hug!
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I could see that was quite tough work for you, wasn't it?
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Yeah, I was really shaking. Yeah.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Deep breaths, deep breaths. How was it for you, then?
0:27:48 > 0:27:49Better than I thought.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53I will never have a critique like that again, you know, so...
0:27:53 > 0:27:56- Next year?- You never know. - Come back and show another one?
0:27:56 > 0:27:57- We'd love to see you again.- OK.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- Cos we'd love to see how you've progressed...- Yes.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02..and maybe you might have something next time
0:28:02 > 0:28:05- magical enough to be at our exhibition.- That would be good.
0:28:05 > 0:28:06You better. Good.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08- Lovely to meet you. - Thank you, take care.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10- See you. Safe journey home.- Bye.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13We invited artists from all over the country to send in their work,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16and we were overwhelmed with the response.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Paintings, photographs, drawings and sculptures,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22all of an incredibly high standard.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Next up at the palace was 18-year-old student Mark Izatt.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32Mark's dream is to show his art in galleries all over the world.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36But he's not actually studying art - he's studying English literature.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39- Hi, Mark. Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you too.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42I thought it'd be great to have a sort of academic basis to my art.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Was it a bit of a struggle?
0:28:44 > 0:28:48Yeah, a really hard decision to choose between art and English,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50but I think it's good to read a lot and use that
0:28:50 > 0:28:53as a basis of creating art.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55- No regrets so far?- No, not yet!
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Good, that is a good sign.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59What would it mean, then, for you,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02if you can get two yeses from the judges, to get to the exhibition?
0:29:02 > 0:29:06It would mean that my work has a bit more credibility.
0:29:06 > 0:29:07It would give me confidence.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10If you sold at the exhibition, what would you spend it on?
0:29:10 > 0:29:12I'd love to go on a trip to somewhere like Iceland,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15see the Northern Lights, something really inspiring like that.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18OK, well I wish you the best of luck. Give as good as you get,
0:29:18 > 0:29:22- and the judges are awaiting through that door.- Thank you very much.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Literature student Mark has a real opportunity here.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29A career in the art world and a trip to see the Northern Lights
0:29:29 > 0:29:31are both within his grasp
0:29:31 > 0:29:33if things go his way in the next few minutes.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35He's brought along this pencil drawing
0:29:35 > 0:29:38he hopes will impress the hanging committee.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51- Mark, hello.- Hi.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Would you like to tell us something about your drawing?
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Yeah, this is my illustration of Dido from Virgil's Aeneid.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01And it's the moment when her lover, Aeneid, has left her,
0:30:01 > 0:30:03and she's killed herself, and kind of,
0:30:03 > 0:30:07she's pinned to the bed, and to the domestic setting,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10and I made her out of tights to kind of, as a symbol of femininity,
0:30:10 > 0:30:12and as a victim, I suppose.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17And how much would you charge someone who was buying this drawing?
0:30:17 > 0:30:21- I wouldn't want to let it go for anything under about 650.- Right.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25I would suggest, in a gallery setting, that that's far too cheap.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27OK. Could I ask what sort of price you might put on it?
0:30:27 > 0:30:31It would not be out of place at two, or even three times that price.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36Phew! If student Mark makes it to the exhibition
0:30:36 > 0:30:38he might want to rethink that price tag.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44His intriguing drawing is inspired by an ancient classic epic
0:30:44 > 0:30:46written by a Roman poet,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50a tragic love story in which Dido - Queen of Carthage -
0:30:50 > 0:30:54takes her own life after being dumped by her lover.
0:30:54 > 0:30:55Pretty harrowing stuff.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59But will the judges be able to read all that in the drawing?
0:31:12 > 0:31:18Mark, in my remembrance, Dido killed herself from lost love.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21She killed herself falling on her own sword.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23It seems to be a working of that from the inside,
0:31:23 > 0:31:28it's her entrails being taken out with a pitchfork, literally.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Then there's the boat that her lover sailed away on.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35You've obviously made this, it's a very suggestive figure,
0:31:35 > 0:31:37in terms of the parts look kind of almost intestinal,
0:31:37 > 0:31:41or anthropomorphic, but we do not have a woman
0:31:41 > 0:31:45pinned on the bed with a pitchfork, it's your interpretation of it.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47But you made this, a sculpture...
0:31:47 > 0:31:48Yeah.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50..to then draw.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53Why did you not just present the tights as the sculpture?
0:31:53 > 0:31:57I think I just wanted to guide people of how to look at it,
0:31:57 > 0:32:03and a composition with the angles and the certain folds of the fabric.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06- It seemed to me to be entrails, and that makes sense to me.- Yeah.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Did it cross your mind that that would have been a better prop?
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Do you mean real entrails?
0:32:10 > 0:32:12- Yes.- Oh!
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Yeah. Less practical.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17THEY LAUGH
0:32:17 > 0:32:21Yes, it's not often we discuss entrails on Show Me The Monet.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Roy's really getting into the subject matter here.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30Do we think this is rather, rather an interesting,
0:32:30 > 0:32:33- surreal take on the classics? - I am fascinated by it.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37- Yeah.- And he obviously, has read and appreciated the classics,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39which I would say is fairly rare these days.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41I don't think you need to know about the classics.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46It's a startling image without the classical allusion.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Are you a student? Have you just graduated?
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Yeah, I'm a lit student, in my first year at the moment.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54- A what student? - English literature.
0:32:54 > 0:32:55- Really?- Yeah.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Did you study art before that?
0:32:57 > 0:32:58Yeah, I did it up to A-level.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00- And that's all?- Yeah.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04The work is very mature for someone who's not studied beyond A-level.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08You can see your understanding of drawing,
0:33:08 > 0:33:13that you've looked properly at old master drawings,
0:33:13 > 0:33:17just the way you use the colours, the technique - it's assured.
0:33:17 > 0:33:18Thank you.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22The judges seem surprised by Mark's limited art training,
0:33:22 > 0:33:25and impressed by his literary knowledge.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28But is his work good enough to grace the walls of the Mall Galleries?
0:33:28 > 0:33:29We're about to find out.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35- Mark, absolutely. Yes.- Thank you.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Charlotte?
0:33:38 > 0:33:39You have a rare talent, yes.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41Thank you.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44- Definitely, yes. - Thank you very much.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46- See you at the Mall.- Goodbye.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Unbelievable. Three yeses - Mark is off to the exhibition.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54But will he make a sale and raise some money for that trip to see the Northern Lights?
0:33:54 > 0:33:57He's going to go far.
0:33:57 > 0:33:58The Mall Galleries, London.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03Mark's drawing took its place on the wall at our prestigious exhibition.
0:34:03 > 0:34:0618-year-old Mark was the youngest artist to hang his work
0:34:06 > 0:34:09and was enjoying his moment in the limelight.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13I mean it's really weird to see people looking at my art and talking about it.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15But it's really exciting at the same time.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19His work was attracting a lot of attention,
0:34:19 > 0:34:21but would anyone want to take it home with them?
0:34:21 > 0:34:25I think, for a young lad of 18, producing this imagery today...
0:34:25 > 0:34:30This pencil drawing is superb, absolutely superb. Very impressed.
0:34:30 > 0:34:31Any bids were made in secret
0:34:31 > 0:34:34and were subject to a 10% commission on the final sale.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38The results of the bidding were handed to me in a sealed envelope
0:34:38 > 0:34:42and only revealed to the artist after the exhibition.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45Mark, nice to see you again.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47- Nice to see you.- How old are you?
0:34:47 > 0:34:50- I'm 18. - So, obviously just beginning.
0:34:50 > 0:34:51Just starting out, yeah.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Must have been a great experience for you.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56Yeah, it's the first time I've ever hung anything in an exhibition
0:34:56 > 0:34:59or even had a chance of selling, so it's been really good.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03And were you surprised by yourself, how easy you found it to speak to people?
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Maybe sell, do some business?
0:35:05 > 0:35:08The free wine helped, as well, but it was good.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10What did people say to you? Did they swap cards?
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Did they say "Contact me, give me a call, or email me?"
0:35:12 > 0:35:18I got a few cards, interest, yeah, for future work.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21So just remind me how much you wanted for this.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25In the Hanging Committee I said 650, but I really took the judges' advice
0:35:25 > 0:35:27on board, cos they thought I should go higher.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30So I went up to £1,200 for the exhibition.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33- Yeah, cos they did say 650's nothing.- Yeah.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35OK, well we'll see.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39OK then, Mark.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43- You wanted £1,200.- Yes.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50- You didn't get any offers. - That's OK.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52CROWD: Ohh!
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Cos we think it's fantastic.
0:35:54 > 0:35:55Well, thank you.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57No, it was such a good experience,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00and I wasn't really expecting to come away with any money,
0:36:00 > 0:36:02so I'm just happy to have got this far,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05and really proud that my work's hung in a gallery, and stuff like that.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07- It's been a pleasure to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09I'm sorry we didn't sell,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12- but to get to our exhibition was fantastic, and good luck in the future.- Thank you.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14APPLAUSE
0:36:14 > 0:36:16No sale this time for Mark
0:36:16 > 0:36:18but what an experience for the young artist.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28Next to face the Hanging Committee was 70-year-old John Ross,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30a retired vicar from Wickham.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Now, if you're thinking he looks a bit familiar,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36it's because John is no stranger to Show Me The Monet.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39He made it through to last year's Hanging Committee,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43but his painting of an elephant didn't get the reaction he was hoping for.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Have you observed elephants in the wild yourself?
0:36:46 > 0:36:47No, I haven't.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51There are too many random elements that don't tie in together.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55It looks like a giant shrew to me.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57Go back to the drawing board, literally.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00In the end, John, serious artists don't paint elephants.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02It's no, I'm afraid.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06Well, John's back, hoping to prove that the judges made a big mistake.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09You got a rough ride and this would probably be
0:37:09 > 0:37:11the last place I'd come back to.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14- Can you remember it? - Yes, I remember it.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17- Now, you've got to go back and face these judges again.- I have.
0:37:17 > 0:37:18- You've done it.- I have.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Be honest, who do you fear the most in terms of the judges?
0:37:21 > 0:37:22It's not fear so much
0:37:22 > 0:37:26but David certainly came across as the most stringent.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Yes! I love the use of the word "stringent", yes.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32OK, if you did sell, what would you do with the money?
0:37:32 > 0:37:33Oh, put it on canvases.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36- All right, well, good luck. - Thank you.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40I'm really looking forward to Show Me The Monet Two, involving you!
0:37:40 > 0:37:43- Away you go, through that door. - Thank you now.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48You have to admire John.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52It takes guts to go in front of the Hanging Committee once,
0:37:52 > 0:37:54but is it madness to go in front of them twice?
0:37:54 > 0:37:56And this time he's brought a colourful piece
0:37:56 > 0:37:59entitled Late Autumn Trees.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03So, will the judges have a better reaction to this year's painting?
0:38:04 > 0:38:07- John, welcome back. - Thank you very much.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09- You must be a glutton for punishment.- I certainly am.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Would you like to introduce your painting for us?
0:38:12 > 0:38:17This painting came about because I was driving through Northumberland, the countryside.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19And about a mile away on the right I saw the hill,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22and I saw these silhouetted bushes or trees.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25I thought I'd like to paint those, there was something rather special about it.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27It didn't turn out quite the same as what I was looking at
0:38:27 > 0:38:32in the camera because, in fact, this here wasn't a cliff,
0:38:32 > 0:38:34it was green fields,
0:38:34 > 0:38:38it wasn't this crimson red with the leaves, in fact it was green leaves.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40Everything was a bit lifeless.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42I changed the blue, it was a kind of wishy-washy ultramarine
0:38:42 > 0:38:46when I was looking at it, so I changed it to that.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48I thought I took the best of nature, really,
0:38:48 > 0:38:52and tried to put a two pennyworth of myself into it.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55OK, thank you. What price do you put on this?
0:38:55 > 0:38:58About 550, I thought, but I really don't know.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Well, we'll come back to that after we've had a closer look at it.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04I love John's style -
0:39:04 > 0:39:08the real world just isn't colourful enough, so he changes it.
0:39:08 > 0:39:09Why not?
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Once again, his work will be judged on its originality,
0:39:12 > 0:39:15his technique, and if it has an emotional impact.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18And John will still need two judges to vote yes
0:39:18 > 0:39:20to make it through to the exhibition.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39John, I do admire the way that you take nature
0:39:39 > 0:39:41and completely rearrange it to your own ends.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44It takes a lot of guts to do it,
0:39:44 > 0:39:47but it takes a lot of skill to do it convincingly.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52My question is, why did you choose...
0:39:52 > 0:39:55to get rid of the foreground, make it black?
0:39:55 > 0:39:58Are they leaves, the pink dashes on the black foreground?
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Yes. I might say, this is the third painting of this.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06The first one was very much as I photographed it,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10although I had to brighten it up because the leaves and the grass were so...
0:40:10 > 0:40:12- I don't know what the word is. - Sorry, just let me get this right.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15- You based that on a photograph? - Oh, yes.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17What kind of trees are they?
0:40:17 > 0:40:20From a distance they look like small trees,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23- but I think it may have been a hawthorn hedge.- Small pink ones!
0:40:23 > 0:40:27- Well...- Frankly, John has said he's changed the foreground,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29the sky, the tree colour.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31This is an imaginative landscape, I don't think we should be
0:40:31 > 0:40:34getting hung up on what kind of trees these were.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36- They're bushes.- let's move on to the sky, in that case,
0:40:36 > 0:40:40which looks like he's been painting a door to me.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44I mean, where the sky meets the floor, between those trees,
0:40:44 > 0:40:45I mean, it's...
0:40:45 > 0:40:48I mean, it's just a kind of blue thing.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52John, since we last saw you, have you sold work?
0:40:52 > 0:40:55The last time was after this programme.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57A viewer phoned up, contacted me
0:40:57 > 0:40:59and bought the painting of the elephants.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01- Oh, how lovely! - The elephant, by the way.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Oh, it was an elephant was it?
0:41:03 > 0:41:06- Oh, yes, definitely an elephant. - I seem to remember it was mouse.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10And another one from my work, as well.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12- LAUGHING:- Look at David's face!
0:41:12 > 0:41:14I think the word is "speechless".
0:41:14 > 0:41:18You see, despite all last year's criticism,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21there is clearly a market for John's work out there.
0:41:22 > 0:41:28John, the way you paint and the way you've reinterpreted this doesn't...
0:41:28 > 0:41:32It just isn't of the standard that I'm looking for for the exhibition.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35John, this falls down in more places
0:41:35 > 0:41:38than the last picture that we saw, I fear.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42I find the foreground inexplicable.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45John, I'm sorry, it's so bad, I...
0:41:47 > 0:41:50..I can barely think of anything to say about it.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54So, we're going to take it to a vote now about whether we want it in the exhibition.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57I don't know how but I think the judges like John's
0:41:57 > 0:42:02colourful landscape even less than his infamous elephant.
0:42:04 > 0:42:05David.
0:42:05 > 0:42:06No.
0:42:08 > 0:42:09It's no, sorry John.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11- John, it's a no from me, I'm afraid. - Yes, indeed.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14But thank you very much for bringing it in.
0:42:14 > 0:42:15It's been interesting to see it.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19- Do you know what that painting needs, John?- Sorry?
0:42:19 > 0:42:21- Do you know what that painting needs?- An elephant.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24It needs an elephant between those trees.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27Are you sure you'd recognise an elephant now?
0:42:27 > 0:42:28- Thank you.- Cheerio.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34Now, you may be mocking, David, but that elephant sold for £300,
0:42:34 > 0:42:38so John could still have the last laugh with this painting.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40Do you realise what's happened?
0:42:40 > 0:42:42We've created a star!
0:42:42 > 0:42:43Well!
0:42:43 > 0:42:46- I've been here before, haven't I? - You've been here before.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49- I'm not going to say, "How do you think that went?" - I know how it went!
0:42:49 > 0:42:51It was about as tough as last time, wasn't it?
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Yes, I know. We'll have to change the judges, I think.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57We'll turn one of them on your side.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59I'll have to think of something else.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Another elephant might do.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Another elephant!
0:43:03 > 0:43:05Thank you very much indeed. Lovely to see you.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08- Safe journey back to the north east. - You take care.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Well, that's it from us, but join us next time,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17when the judges could be giving an artist the chance to show
0:43:17 > 0:43:20and sell their work at the Show Me The Monet exhibition.
0:43:20 > 0:43:21See you then. Bye bye.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd