Cork artist to feature on Sky Arts TV show

Cork artist Eileen Healy is set to feature in the Sky Arts TV show and competition Portrait Artist of the Year, later this month.

Ms Healy, an art tutor at the Crawford College of Art and Design, took part in the series’ 12th edition, showcasing her work for a chance to win a £10,000 commission to paint mathematician and broadcaster Hannah Fry for The Royal Society.

This year’s iteration of the show sees participating artists create portraits of famous figures in each episode, with ‘sitters’ including actors Adjoa Andoh and Brian Cox from Bridgerton and Succession, respectively, along with musician Yungblud, TV presenter Alex Jones, dancer Reece Clarke, and astronaut Tim Peake.

The competition, presented by Stephen Mangan, is judged by three industry experts, Tai Shan Schierenberg, Kathleen Soriano, and Kate Bryan.

Ms Healy, a graduate of fine art at the Crawford College of Art in 1988, and member of the Backwater Studios, has had her work feature across a range of exhibitions, including the Arnott’s portrait award, RHA annual show, Iontas Small Works, the Backwater group shows, Crawford Art Gallery, UCC, Triskel Arts Centre and has been featured in shows in Brittany, Berlin, Latvia and New York.

Ms Healy’s landscape work is a part of the Crawford’s permanent collection and her work is also in the art collections of UCC and The OPW.

She has taken part in many residencies in Ireland, including at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Burren Art Centre and Cillriallig, and in 2010, she was invited to be artist-in-residence at the prestigious Art Student’s League in New York.

She has also previously been commissioned to do a portrait of Cork playwright and novelist, Conal Creedon, for the Crawford Gallery series of Irish writers by Irish artists, with the image used for the cover of his publication, 2nd City Trilogy, which was launched both in Japan and New York.

Ms Healy will feature in the next episode of the show, airing on October 15 at 8pm. The Portrait Artist of the Year series can be streamed on the Sky Arts channel and on the streaming service NOW.