Laoty: a learning experience
Upon checking the performance of my website, I discovered that my name appeared in a respectable art blog commenting on an episode of “Landscape Artist of The Year” that I participated in, which was broadcast in February 2025. The comment was brief but flattering: “Bassam Andari … He had a striking submission which was mostly about the light in the sky with the sun setting, which the Judges loved.” I was pleased with the word "striking" because it recognized the quality I work hard to present, which, unfortunately, I was not able to produce in the four hours I, and other artists, were given in the competition.
I must point out that, from my perspective, speed painting is not the best measure of an artist’s ability. There are times when a first-class painting can be done in two hours, and there are times when similar work takes months to finish. Various factors affect the result of an artist’s effort, and Landscape Artist of The Year highlighted some of them for me. What I am sharing here are lessons I learned from a brief experience that I hope some readers of this blog can find useful.
While I do paint landscapes that inspire me, I do not consider myself a landscape painter. However, when an email landed in my inbox mentioning the LAOTY competition, I was tempted. I had faced rejection from a few fairs last year and needed a boost of confidence. My application was a last-minute decision, and I submitted it minutes before the deadline. Two weeks after the application, I received a phone call telling me that I was among around 40 artists chosen from more than 2000 applicants to compete in the program, and a contract was sent to sign with strict non-disclosure conditions.
Mistakes to Avoid
I was given a date for recording and the location (St. Pancras Basin - London). I had never done plein air painting in my life, so I did not know what challenges awaited me. I visited the place and tried to predict what I would be asked to paint. I spent a long time thinking about a specific spot that I thought was the most interesting in a location that did not inspire me in the first place. That was my first big mistake.
On the day of filming, I found that I was positioned in a completely different spot than the one I predicted. The view from my pod, which was the second or third from the bottom of the line, was uninspiring. I knew within the first 20 minutes that I wasn't going to do well. Although I had the option to turn my easel in any direction, I was faced with an ugly bridge on my right and a partial view obstructed by other pods on my left. The strong sunlight offered no contrast to play with, and even the reflection in the brown waters was dull.
I struggled to find an interesting composition or colours that would enrich my painting. Despite this, I started panic painting straight away without taking time to consider my options as I do in my home studio, or at least to do an initial sketch to see if it was going to work. I had a 50x40cm canvas and decided to fill it with the full view, thinking that the variety of geometric shapes I was looking at could create interest and produce an impressive work of art. That was the second big mistake.
When working under pressure, the last thing you want to do is bite off more than you can chew. With my realistic style of painting, I was never going to fit everything in four hours and stay true to my style. Other artists knew better; they zoomed in on manageable parts of the scene and produced finished works or as close as possible to being finished.
The third mistake takes me back to my preparation. Preparing yourself mentally to paint in front of rolling cameras with passersby stopping to watch and make judgments about your work before being properly judged by professionals puts you under a lot of pressure. Can you manage to make mistakes in front of people? Would they judge you on your unfinished work? Would they understand that all paintings start ugly and do not reveal their beauty until you place the last layer? You overthink and start packing everything you think will help you look good and well-equipped for the occasion.
In my studio, I use a limited palette of eight colours or so, in addition to one medium and the inevitable brush cleaner. But for LAOTY, I packed every colour and medium I could think of. I had a full suitcase and other accessories that required a second person’s help. There wasn’t any logic behind that except panic. I ended up spending a long time unpacking and looking for the colours I needed as I was painting and, in the end, repacking everything I took with me. This is a mistake I will not repeat.
In addition to that, I believe I made the wrong choice when I used oil instead of acrylic paint. Painting wet on wet in oils without proper planning can be unforgiving. When I tried to correct mistakes and change certain shapes, my colours got muddy or mixed with previous layers to give me a different colour than the one I wanted. This does not mean that oil paint is to blame. It simply means that planning your painting is essential to make oil painting work.
On the other hand, acrylic colours dry quickly and allow you to apply new layers of paint faster and easily correct mistakes.
Despite these challenges, the experience was great. I would participate in the program again if given the chance, just to see how I can improve under pressure.
Below are links to the LAOTY episode I was in and to the art blog I mentioned above :
Landscape Artist of the Year | Season 10 Episode 4 | Sky.com