Artist David brushes off rivals to claim TV spot
ATALENTED artist from Hyndburn will be seen on TV screens next month when he competes in the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year competition.
David Youds, who works as a site supervisor at Accrington Academy, beat off hundreds of painters to earn a place in the heats of the popular series.
The dad-of-five will be one of eight artists appearing on the programme on Tuesday, November 12, and was tasked with painting the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle.
Filming for the series was held in July and David, from Great Harwood, is remaining tight-lipped on his progress.
He told the Observer: “It seems a long wait. I’ve only just been able to start telling people about it and when it’s going to be on.
“It was a good experience.
“I’ve never done anything like that before.
“I was really thrilled to be selected. It’s quite a high standard and there are a lot of professional artists on there as well as people like myself who squeeze it in when they can.
“I have got a big family with five daughters, I work full-time and so does my wife. It’s a challenge a lot of the time to fit it in.
“A few years ago I would have said that you’d never get me on there. I would have been like a shaking leaf. I maybe surprised myself with how well I did and how well I coped with it all.”
David, 37, said he enjoyed meeting the presenters Stephen Mangan, Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner and was quizzed by them during the four-hour painting challenge.
He said: “I got to meet all of the presenters. They came round and asked me how I was getting on and wanted to know about me.
“It was quite a novelty. They were all really nice people and really positive. I didn’t feel uncomfortable even though there are cameras, lights and big microphones on you.”
Former Dunkenhalgh Hotel worker David previously studied a graphic design course at college and a fine art degree at university.
In recent years his paintings have been displayed by The Royal Society of British Artists and The Royal Institute of Oil Painters in London and the Royal Scottish Academy.
He also won first prize in an inter-school competition organised by Accrington Academy sponsors United Learning.
David said he has watched by the Sky Arts Landscape and Portrait Artist of the Year competitions and was keen to test himself
He said: “I always thought ‘what would I did in that situation’ with the scrutiny and being under pressure with the cameras on you.
“For my application I sent in a view from my front window across the street painted at night. It wasn’t your typical subject so far as landscapes are concerned.
“When I got the call to say I had been selected there was a lot of excitement, fear and anxiety.”
The series will begin on the Sky Arts channel on Tuesday, October 15, and the winner will receive £10,000.