TORONTO — Blue Ant Media’s Makeful lifestyle channel will premiere a Canadian adaptation of the popular UK non-scripted series Landscape Artist of the Year in February.
Produced in association with marblemedia and the CBC, Makeful’s Landscape Artist of the Year Canada competition series will be hosted by Sook-Yin Lee. Airing as four 60-minute episodes, the series will bring together 18 of Canada’s best professional and amateur artists, alongside 50 wildcard hopefuls, to compete for a chance to be crowned Landscape Artist of the Year Canada. The all new original series will see the artists given just four hours to create a landscape masterpiece. The winning artist will walk away with a $10,000 cash prize and will have their artwork put on display at the prestigious McMichael Canadian Art Collection, home to some of Canada’s most iconic landscape art.
“The UK version of Landscape Artist of the Year has been a fan favourite on Makeful, so we decided to take that winning format and launch an original Canadian version for our audiences to enjoy,” said Jamie Schouela, Blue Ant’s president of Canadian media, said in the news release. “The franchise perfectly fits Makeful’s mandate to feature series that both entertain and inspire the creativity in all of us.”
Each episode of Landscape Artist of the Year Canada travels to breathtaking Canadian backdrops, from Muskoka’s picturesque Lake Rousseau to a rural country farm in Barrie, Ont. Two winners from each location will go on to compete in the final. However, these artists aren’t the only ones trying to impress the judges. The competition also sees 50 more artists descend onto each location to try their luck as wildcards, and if any catch the judges’ eye, they also have a chance to compete in the final.
Using their own material and style, the artists have just four hours to create their own rendition of the landscape before them. From oil paint to acrylic, collage work to mixed media, the artwork is as diverse as the artists themselves.
Alongside host Sook-Yin Lee, the series sees expert judges Marc Mayer, former director of the National Gallery of Canada, and award-winning artist and educator Joanne Tod determine the winners of each location until only one artist remains.
“At its heart, Landscape Artist of the Year Canada shines a light on our incredible artistic community and captures the natural beauty of our country through the eyes of these talented artists,” says Lee. “I’m happy the show has found a home on Makeful, it’s a creative and inspiring series that I think will motivate viewers to pick up a paintbrush and find a new appreciation for our stunning landscape.”
The world broadcast premiere of Landscape Artist of the Year Canada will air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, starting February 16, during Makeful’s eight-week free preview event running from February 3 to April 5 across Canada. Following the world premiere on Makeful, CBC will also air the series later this year.
