Professional artist Susan Isaac paints Upton in final of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 hosted by Stephen Mangan

An artist showcased the Newark area during the final of a television painting competition.

Professional artist Susan Isaac was challenged to paint a picture of Stonehenge in the final of Sky Arts’ Landscape Artist of the Year shown tonight (Wednesday, March 12) - a challenge described by host Stephen Mangan as “monumental”.

Susan missed out on the £10,000 prize to paint a commission for The Courtauld Gallery in London to Ben Macgregor, from Surrey, who runs a bespoke furniture company.

But during the programme, the three finalists were also asked to produce a piece from close to their home to show what they can achieve outside the four-hour time limit.

Susan chose a spot on her family’s farm in Upton, featuring a pylon and powerlines leading to Staythorpe Power Station beyond and said the piece “achieved what I wanted it to”.

A former archaeological illustrator, Susan first competed in the show in 2022. Her submission into this year’s competition was a passageway in Cambridge and her heat painting captured King’s Cross Station in London. In the semi-final - featuring the six heat winners and a wildcard winner - at Portsmouth’s historic dockyard, her artwork was praised for its “drama and energy”. She said reaching the final of the competition had been a “huge confidence boost”.

The final followed the three competitors as they painted Stonehenge in Wiltshire.

“This morning arriving here I’m feeling full of trepidation, excitement and nerves,” Susan said. “Compared to the other heats, it feels like the ultimate moment.”

The artists were able to spend some time inside the stone circle, made up of about 90 stones.

“It feels rather awe-inspiring to be in the middle of this megalith. It feels special,” said Susan as she sketched the stones, ahead of the four-hour challenge beginning.”

Susan, who described herself as “swotty” said she hoped to capture a “sense of the weightiness of history” as she began her artwork. “I’ve never painted anything quite so interesting or quite so iconic.”

Her Stonehenge painting began on a burnt orange canvas and at the end of the first hour of the four hour challenge, she laughed nervously: “Colour will be happening soon - hopefully.”

“The sky will surround the stones in a gentle and complimentary way,” she said of her painting, later adding: “It’s got a very primal feeling about it.”

“My biggest worry is that I will turn around and come back and think it’s appalling so perhaps I won’t look at it fresh from now on. It will be what it will be,” she said as host Stephen called time.

“It’s been an interesting and lovely day. I’ve done the best I could have done and that’s all I can ask for. Have I done enough to win? I’ve no idea, we’ll wait and see.”

The competition is judged by award-winning artist Tai Shan Schierenberg, independent curator Kathleen Soriano and art historian Kate Bryan.

Kathleen reflected: “We’re so lucky today - we’ve got three such distinct styles. They’re all so zen.”

At the half-way stage in the final, Tai said he could feel the “weight of history” from Susan’s Stonehenge painting.

“The calibre of artists as we reach the 10th anniversary of the programme is amazing and all three artists had a distinct language,” said Kate.

She also competed against Kieran Guckian, a web designer turned full-time artist from Dublin and Ben Macgregor, from Surrey, who runs a bespoke furniture company. More than 2,000 artists competed for this year’s programme. Winner Ben said he had come to landscape painting from watching the programme and said the win was “indescribable”.

“I thought Ben’s work looked really interesting. I think they made a good choice,” said Susan of her competitor.

Susan currently has an exhibition running at Gallery 6 in Newark.

Landscape Artist of the Year is available to view on Sky Arts and Now TV.