AN East Cornwall artist showed off his talent on national television on Tuesday as a contestant on Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year series.

Colin Pethick, a 57-year-old professional artist from Gunnislake, was chosen from hundreds to compete against eight other artists in the eighth and final heat of this year’s series — an opportunity which helped him through a period of grief after losing his wife to cancer.

Colin applied for the series after encouragement from his artist wife Zheng Fu, who was an avid fan of the show, and got the call to say he was successful just weeks after she died.

‘I was going through a period of grief after losing my wife last year. She loved the programme and told me to apply. I had completely forgotten about it while she was ill until I got the phone call not long after she died to say I was in.

‘It was very inspiring and I thought “I’m going to do it for her”.’

The show sees 24 celebrities from the world of film, television, music and sport sit for portraits over eight weeks of heats.

Each heat involves eight artists who battle it out to be winner and go through to the semi-final.

On Tuesday’s episode, Colin had to paint Nick Moran who appeared as Eddie in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Scabior in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — although Colin admitted he had no idea who he was.

‘We filmed in May last year in one day, from 7am to 7pm. We had to paint Nick Moran, who I didn’t know, but my son who I took with me knew who he was. He had a good face — great cheekbones — but he didn’t sit very still but he was a very accommodating guy.

‘He painted a bit too and was asking me questions as I worked.’

Unfortunately, Colin didn’t make it through to the semi-finals, but he felt like a winner as Nick Moran chose to take his portrait away with him.

‘Sadly I didn’t get through to the final but at the end of each programme, the celebrity gets to pick their favourite painting and take it home and he chose mine. I was very flattered and so chuffed that he liked mine the best.

‘I didn’t win but I got the satisfaction of knowing that he really liked what I had done.

‘It was a glorious opportunity. We had to paint in front of a live audience and camera crews but I do demonstrations and teach a lot so it didn’t worry me. It was a very long and tiring day but it was lovely to meet the judges — although it was pretty intimidating!’

Colin said he had been painting since childhood, but painting professionally for around 25 years.

‘I do different things but portraits mostly. I don’t paint from photos, I like the interaction and getting to know the person.

‘The human condition is fascinating to work with.’

Colin is currently painting a large mural in Gunnislake’s St Anne’s Church — a modern take on The Last Judgement, a design he said he had had in his mind for quite some time.

The painting involves 80 figures so will take a few months to complete.

He also recently had the opportunity to lend his talent to St Luke’s by painting one of the elephant sculptures for this summer’s Elmer’s Big Parade in Plymouth — a chance to support the hospice and at the same time pay tribute to his wife, for whom St Luke’s cared for before she died.