Local artist whose work has impressed celebrities to appear on TV show

Mother of four Shiryn Wynter, who has impressed celebrities including Kerry Katona and Strictly's Nadia Bychkova with her brush skills, is set to appear on Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year (2023). She was chosen as one of 50 wildcard entrants where the judges - award winning portrait artist Tai Shan Schierenberg, curator Kathleen Soriano and art historian Kate Bryan, will assess their progress and choose who will advance to the semi-final. Three artists in the finals will then compete for the Landscape Artist of the Year 2023 title and a £10,000 commission to paint a specific location yet to be announced.

Having used her passion for art to help children with behavioural difficulties express themselves and had experience running 'GetMessy', an after school and holiday art workshop in Preston, she went on to study Fine Art alongside her talented son Shailan at UCLan. She began displaying her work in an empty space in St George's shopping centre a couple of years ago and has since had her work showcased at UCLan as part of her Master's degree and even shared by TV journalist Dan Walker. She was also commissioned to work on a piece for TV star Kerry Katona and has hosted art workshops for the Harris Museum.

Speaking of her dream-come-true moment, abstract and surreal artist Shiryn who 'hides' things in her portraits, said: "I can't believe I am going to be on TV. A few months ago I entered a competition with Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year and was lucky enough to be selected as a wildcard out of hundreds of entries to secure a place in the competition painting Blackpool Pleasure Beach, alongside around 30 other contestants from all over the country.

"It started off well with sunshine but soon descended into gale force winds and torrential rain but the experience was fab and despite the awful weather I really enjoyed myself. It screens next year I'm not allowed to show you the painting until after the program goes out but exciting times are ahead."

She creates larger than life pieces showcasing abstract imaginary landscapes with the illusion of being able to 'step into' the paintings and creates pocket sized pieces that are so detailed that the observer sees something different every time they view it.

Shiryn, who uses a combination of traditional oil paints and charcoal combined with contemporary spray paint and inks, added: "My main thing is hiding things - 'Hidden Treasures' in my work. A lot of customers ask me to hide really odd things such as a pint of Guinness or putting a Tardis in a field of flowers. My landscapes draw inspiration from my surroundings, but my imagination decides on the composition of colours. I like to paint flowers and landscapes using bright clashing colours, often purple and greens mimicking the clashing colours we find in nature. I like to think that by looking at my work you get the sense of another world."

The popular show now in its eighth series will be available to watch on Sky Arts Wednesday, January 11. It will then be on every Wednesday evening at 8pm for the rest of January and February.