Sky's the limit for Ballyshannon based artist Neil Hamilton

It is one of the most popular painting shows anywhere on television.
But for the many thousands that will tune into the Sky Arts channel tonight, they will see Ballyshannon based artist Neil Hamilton exhibit his painting skills after the original entrants were whittled down from thousands to just 64 for this series.
And that is an amazing achievement in itself.
“You had to send in a self portrait to get on the show, so I sent in my painting called the Luker and that was enough to get them interested in what I had to offer,” he told donegallive.ie.
He has described Portrait Artist of the Year as being “like the Bake-Off… but for portraiture”, as you are limited to finishing your portrait on the allocated day in just four hours.

The self portrait that saw him get his spot in Sky Arts, 'Portrait Artist of the Year'

Photos courtesy of Neil's FB page 

Neil is a native of Banbridge in Co Down and he followed his passion in painting with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Fine Art, from the University of Ulster, Belfast, graduating in 2014.
If was only a after a three-year sabbatical in Spain with the occasional commission that he began to take his passion up on a more serious level.
Then love and a job in south Donegal saw him settle in Ballyshannon some three to four years ago.
He works with the language school in Bundoran and is very happy as he has greater focus on his professional career in the years ahead.

Neil in full concentration in tonight's programme and celebrity sitter.

Photo: Sky Arts 'Portrait Artist of the Year' 

Neil has also been selected as one of the exhibitors at the 2022 annual exhibition of the prestigious Dublin Painting and Sketching Club which ran from mid September to the beginning of October.
He is beginning to garner continuing interest and commissions from both home and abroad, as his reputation as an artist gains further momentum.
His eclectic mix of portraits with what he calls the occasional diversification into “creepy” are his signature.
“Some of the stuff that I do is weird,” he says, belying the amazing depth and dexterity of his many paintings to date.
Asked what he was doing at this moment in time, he said that he was helping young at heart painters over the age of 65 realise their latent potential at the Bundoran Community Centre.

Neil Hamilton with his fellow nine artists participants who will appear on tonight's Sky Arts show at 8pm.

Photo: Sky Arts, 2022 'Portrait Artist of the Year' 

More recently he has also been displaying another of his works as part of the Royal Ulster Academy (RUA) exhibition at the Ulster Museum and that runs until January 3, 2023, if you happen to be visiting those parts.
As to what happens in his efforts to advance on Portrait Artist of the Year, you will have to have to watch the programme on Sky Arts at 8pm.
“It was an amazing experience, with the added drama of television cameras and time limits, but it was another step for me on what was a great adventure,” he said.

Bruno Tonioli, Yolanda Brown and Helen Sharman are tonight's celebrity guest sitters. The competition continues as the artists create and present to the judges. (S9, ep 4)

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