Nerissa shines on Sky Arts show | News

A member of our Royal Surrey family has enjoyed a moment in the spotlight after appearing on a popular television programme.

Nerissa Deeks, fundraising manager for GUTS, one of the Trust's partner charities, appeared on the Sky Arts show, Sky Portrait Artist of the Year.

The show has an open competition for entry – people are invited to submit a digital image of a recent self-portrait and one other recent painting.

More than 1,000 entries are received each year but only 63 people are selected. There are seven heat rounds and one winner goes through to a semi-final from each heat, chosen by the three judges on the artwork they produce on the day and their self-portrait.

Nerissa, with two other contestants, was given four hours to paint TV presenter Richard Madeley. Nerissa said it was a fantastic experience.

She said: “Once I got started I didn’t feel nervous at all – maybe that was because I had virtually no sleep the night before.

“The other two artists took photos and worked from those but I prefer to work directly from the live model. Unfortunately for me he turned out to be a real fidget so it was pretty challenging.

“The painting was ok but not as finished as I would have liked –I know I could have done better but I didn’t embarrass myself, which was probably my main aim!

“Two high spots for me were that one of the judges described my self-portrait as ‘a postage stamp masterpiece’ which was rather nice.

“The other thing was that the presenter, Stephen Mangan, also really liked my selfie. He wanted to buy it but instead I gave it to him and in return he attended a fundraising lunch for GUTS during the summer, which raised £4,000 for the charity.

“On the whole it was a really positive experience - the crew, presenters and other artists were fabulous.”