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Winning Heat 4 of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Here's a selection of images from the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year competition which was a wonderful experience that has changed my professional career this year. 

Sleep: Series 3 - £6000 This is the third painting in the series examining sleep - and in particular the unique way in which the human body holds itself in this most intimate of moments. I love the way we get an aerial window on the unconscious - playing the full figure into focus - set against the neutral backdrop of sheets and bed linen. This will most likely be a series of about ten paintings - each focussing on an individual body signature as a celebration of the female form. Rosa, in this picture, will feature in two or three...

Victoria Lucie by Greg Mason This large canvas is my official entry for this years BP Portrait Awards - held at the National Portrait Gallery each year in London. My subject is Victoria Lucie, a young actress - who recently starred in Dartmoor Killing - an award winning independent movie shot on location in Devon. This painting began with a session in my studio on the edge of Dartmoor a couple of years ago. The plain interior and simple accessories are typical of my pared-back approach. I like to put the subject as hero so that we experience the 'presence' of the...

This is a special painting for the RP (Royal Portrait Society) competition this year. The subject is a family member Eileen Ellis RDI - a magnificent lady, now in her 80s, who spent her life designing textiles. Most of us at some point in our lives will have sat upon or walked on her work - in tube trains, aeroplanes and airports throughout the world. Achieving success was never the main driver for her and many generations of students at the Royal College of Art will testify to her imense generosity and infinite knowledge of her subject. Recognised in the 1980s...

I have always loved watching Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year - even from the first series when Nick Lord won the commission to paint Hilary Mantel I was enthralled by watching the process of different artists as they struggled to capture the essence of their sitters. Condensing the process into a four hour window seemed to bring an immediacy and excitement that made for great viewing. The reaction of sitter and judges - the arguments and disagreements - the elation and disappointment, it was all there. When Christian Hook won in 2014 - he took the format to a...