A Hope final-year Fine Art student has appeared on national television after securing a place on Sky Arts' competition, Portrait Artist of the Year.
Sam Reeves was selected to compete alongside talented artists from across the country, putting his portraiture skills to the test in front of the programme's judges in an episode which aired Wednesday 14 October 2026.
Having applied to take part in the competition for several years, he was delighted to finally receive the call confirming his place.
He said: "I've been applying every year for so many years now that I can't even remember the first time I applied. I applied again as normal, not really expecting anything to come of it, so when I got the phone call, it was surreal. I couldn't believe I'd actually managed to get the opportunity."
“My family are so proud, especially my mum. My university lecturers were also excited when I told them the news and I found out that a recent Liverpool Hope graduate, Harry Garner, was also set to appear on this season of the show. I got in contact with him straight away. I’m a big fan of his work and it’s so inspiring to see where he’s ended up.”
Filmed in London, the competition saw artists challenged to complete a portrait of a celebrity sitter in just four hours, while navigating the added pressure of television cameras, interviews and a busy studio environment.
For Cheshire-born Sam, who usually creates portraits using photographs as references, the experience presented an entirely new challenge.
He explained: "This was the first time I'd actually had a sitter there in front of me. It gave me a really good insight into what I could do from life, and it's something I might explore further down the line."
Despite the demanding schedule, which involved a 12-hour filming day and a four-hour journey home, he described the experience as inspiring, particularly the opportunity to meet other artists and learn from their different approaches.
"It was really good to meet the other artists and see how differently they worked. They were all so impressive. We've all followed each other on social media and have a group chat now, so we've kept in touch and continued supporting each other."
Developing his artistic style at Liverpool Hope
Having had a passion for art from a young age, Sam began painting at college and has since developed a particular interest in portraiture, alongside creating commissioned artwork and pet portraits.
Growing up with a hearing impairment, he found that art provided an opportunity to express himself and pursue an interest independently.
He said: "Having a hearing impairment meant that more social hobbies weren't really for me, so having something I could do on my own and just focus on that without distractions was really helpful growing up."
Since joining Liverpool Hope, he has continued to develop his skills and experiment with new artistic approaches, crediting his lecturers with helping him move beyond his original focus on photorealism.
He explained: "I used to aim for photorealism. I'd do coloured pencil portraits and try to get them as close to the original photograph as possible. Since coming to university, I've discovered so many new artists and experimented with different techniques.
"The self-portrait I created was based on conversations I'd had with my tutors and experimenting with the things they'd suggested. Being a student here has given me a really good opportunity to expand my practice."
Reflecting on how his style has evolved throughout his degree, he added: "If you look at my work from first year, it was very strict and focused on copying a photograph as accurately as possible. Now I'm trying to broaden that approach so the work isn't just a copy of an image. I want it to be something more."
Building a portfolio of achievements
Alongside his television appearance, Sam has already enjoyed success exhibiting his work, including having had a portrait of his grandmother displayed in London on two occasions.
His artwork has also received a People's Choice Award in a London Graphic Centre art competition.
He said: "My favourite portrait is probably the one I did of my nan because it means so much to me personally. It's also opened up a lot of opportunities. It's been exhibited in London twice and won me a People's Choice Award."
He hopes to build on these achievements by continuing to enter competitions, respond to exhibition opportunities and grow his presence as an artist.
"I'm still trying to grow my social media presence and take every opportunity I can. I'm always looking out for open calls and competitions that I can enter. Putting in that extra effort to find opportunities, submit work and attend exhibitions has opened a lot of doors for me."
Looking to the future
Due to graduate in summer 2027, Sam recognises the challenges of establishing a career in the creative industries, but his ultimate ambition is to work as a full-time artist.
"The dream would be to work on commissions full-time, ideally building up to high-end commissions," he said. It's definitely something I'd love to do, but I'm realistic about the challenges."
Having secured a place on national television while still completing his studies, he hopes his experience will encourage other aspiring artists to pursue their creative interests.
Offering advice to students considering studying art at university, he said: "I think you should do it if it's something you're genuinely interested in.
"There's sometimes a lot of pressure to know exactly what you want to do after college or university, and to figure out what job you want. But I think it's important to focus on doing what you want to do and hope that the opportunities and jobs will follow. While you're young, you should enjoy the opportunities you have to create things for yourself and explore what you're interested in."
Sam Reeves and Joshua Mackin have an upcoming exhibition at The Bakery, Marvin Street, Kensington, Liverpool, L6 1NF, titled Chemical Reactions, inspired by Breaking Bad. The exhibition will be open November 9-10, 6-9 pm.
Find Sam Reeves on Instagram: @sam_reeves_art
Find out more about studying BA (Hons) Fine Art at Liverpool Hope University: