Picture perfect: Graduate Chloe Barnes wins Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2025

Artist Chloe Barnes has won Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2025, earning a £10,000 commission to paint mathematician and broadcaster Professor Hannah Fry for the Royal Society, the world’s oldest continuously operating scientific academy.

Chloe, who studied BA Illustration and a MA Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking at UWE Bristol, wowed the judges on the Sky TV series with her distinctive style and technical skill of mono-printing, a technique not yet showcased on the programme to date.

Chloe earned her place in the heats with a striking portrait of broadcaster Clara Amfo that caught the judges’ attention, while a daring and unique portrait of the nation’s favourite baker Mary Berry earned her a coveted spot in the dramatic and highly anticipated final.

Tasked with creating a portrait of acting legend Brian Cox, Chloe was one of three female finalists, with each taking a unique approach to their work; but it was Barnes’s signature monoprinting style which won the judges over. Using an oil-based etching ink on an aluminium plate, the finale saw a tense moment where Chloe decided to proceed with monoprinting her final portrait onto paper - a skill she had perfected in her own artwork but had not yet displayed in the competition so far. With only one chance to get it right, audiences watched on in anticipation as the monoprint delivered a show-stopping display of her final art piece.

Chloe’s ability to capture her sitter’s likeness and emotion whilst using a daring art medium set her work apart, making her a deserving winner of the coveted title.

Chloe’s incredible success in this competition comes just two years after she graduated from UWE Bristol.

She added: “I fell in love with monoprinting during my undergraduate Illustration degree and continued to develop it during my masters in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking (now called MA Fine Art Printmaking). 

“My lecturers, the print technicians and facilities allowed me to experiment and explore this medium, pushing its boundaries and discovering its relevance to the context behind my work. 

“I adapted my process to fit the format of the show, before being able to print a monotype in the finals and showing everyone what I do from start to finish.

“I was delighted to be crowned the winner of this year’s series, becoming the first printmaker to ever win the competition. The prize was a commission by the Royal Society to create a portrait of mathematician and broadcaster, Professor Hannah Fry. I am the first woman to paint a portrait of a living female scientist at the Society, and it has been such an honour to champion and empower women in both STEM and the arts.”

Chloe Barnes’s winning commission of Professor Hannah Fry can be viewed by the public at The Royal Society during the week of 15 – 19 December from 15:00 – 17:00.  Free admission, no ticket required.