A Royal Conservatoire of Scotland student swapped the art studio for the screen in the current season of Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year.

Mario Cervantes Garrido features in episode five of the series which follows a panel of judges as they travel across Europe in search of the brightest emerging talent in the art world.

Artists enter with a self-portrait created within the last five years and are selected on merit by a panel of expert judges. Each episode features a regional competition where the contestants are given four hours to paint a surprise celebrity sitter – Mario was paired with actor and musician Max Beesley.

“Being part of an inspiring TV show was a privilege,” said Mario, who joined the Production Arts and Design degree – specialising in Scenic Art – in September this year.

“It’s a great programme to see how different people approach painting, and it’s also free to enter, so I thought, why not?

“It was quite strange not knowing who I’d be painting for four hours, as was the very early morning start, but in a way, it added to the excitement.

“Painting from life in a filming environment was challenging because of the physical obstacles between the canvas and the model. Having to stop frequently for interviews was quite disruptive to my process but it was fun to be challenged in that way too.

“Max Beesley was very committed to the painting process, and the judges were very kind throughout and after the shoot. I was grateful for their comments on and off camera.”

Mario studied Fine Art at the Complutense University in his birth city of Madrid from 2009 to 2013. He continued painting and drawing during his travels in Mexico, and in 2017, he returned to England, where he grew up. After spending a few months painting in Crete, he moved to Glasgow in 2021.

Visit Mario’s website to view his work.

Images © Sky Arts