Dunedin, NZ. ▪ Photo contributed
Former Cobar resident and artist, Seigrid Peters, who now calls Dunedin in New Zealand home, is one of the contestants on the ABC’s Portrait Artist of the Year Australia reality TV show which airs next month.
Hosted by Miranda Tapsell and Luke McGregor, Seigrid is one of 54 amateur and professional artists competing in heats, who have just four hours to capture the likeness of well-known Australian personalities.
Seigrid “let the cat out of the bag” last week airing one of the show’s promos on her social media.
Seigrid applied to be a contestant late last year but kept it under wraps as she didn’t expect much to come from it.
“Needless to say, I was pretty surprised when I got the call!” Seigrid told The Cobar Weekly.
“The application involved submitting a self-portrait along with a few questions about myself and my art. The self-portrait I entered wasn’t even painted for the competition.
“I’d painted it after moving to New Zealand because I was missing home. It was a portrait of me back on our farm outside Cobar and had simply been hanging in my bedroom. I thought, ‘Why not?’ and entered it.
“After my application, I was invited to interview with the casting team over Zoom.
“We did spend a bit of time chatting about where I grew up and how my journey as an artist began. It was lovely to be able to share a little bit about Cobar and how growing up there has shaped me as an artist,” she said.
It was early this year that Seigrid found out she’d been selected.
“With so many applications, I honestly never expected to get the call. I just threw my hat in the ring and hoped for the best!”
Seigrid said filming took place in March, in a historic railway workshop in Sydney and it luckily occurred in the same month she was back in Australia running three art events, including Palettes and Palates in Cobar.
“It was one of those moments where everything seemed to happen at once!” Seigrid said.
“Instead of cancelling anything, I somehow made it all fit into the one trip.
“Looking back, I still don’t quite know how I pulled it off!”
Seigrid explained the reality TV competition is run in a series of heats, with artists progressing through to the semi-finals and final.
“Artists compete for the title of Portrait Artist of the Year. The winner receives a major portrait commission that’s displayed in the National Portrait Gallery, which is an amazing opportunity for any portrait artist.”
Seigrid said they had no prior knowledge of who they would be painting until the sitter walked through the door.
“We arrived with our own materials and had to be ready for anything, which definitely added to the challenge,” she said
Seigrid said the four hour timeframe they were allocated to paint their subjects actually suited the way she works.
“The biggest challenge wasn’t the painting itself, it was doing it while cameras were rolling, the judges and hosts were chatting with us and there was an audience watching.
“It was definitely pressure, but the good kind!” she said
“I tend to zone in when I’m painting.
“If someone came over for a chat, I’d happily keep painting while we talked.
“Painting murals in public has probably prepared me well for that!”
Seigrid said she absolutely loved the whole experience.
“I’m incredibly proud to represent our little town on a national stage. If my journey encourages another country kid to throw their hat in the ring, back themselves and see where it takes them, then that’s something I’ll be really proud of too.”
Seigrid said she can’t reveal who her subject was and how she went.
“I’ll leave the finer details for everyone to discover when the show airs!” she teased.
