A west Dorset artist is set to appear on TV as a contender for Landscape Artist of the Year.

Series 8 of Landscape Artist of the Year began on Wednesday, January 11 on Sky Arts.

Helen Lloyd-Elliott, 53, from Thorncombe, was signed up for the show by her son, unbeknown to her.

Helen said: "My son got fed up with me always telling him to do things out of his comfort zone, so he signed me up for this."

Helen will appear in the third heat of the series on Wednesday, January 25, where she will compete against seven other artists for a place in the semi-final.

For her heat, she travelled to Castle Ward in Northern Ireland, a National Trust site and iconic filming location of Winterfell in TV fantasy drama Game of Thrones.

Helen said her experience travelling to Northern Ireland was one she won't forget.

She said: "It was unforgettable, an amazing experience to visit such a beautiful place.

"It was a bit mad actually, it makes you feel shy but it's quite a funny, surreal experience.

"I normally work on my own in my studio and there I was with people of all different ages and walks of life, painting together.

"We had a real laugh it was fantastic."

The new series of Landscape Artist of the Year begins with five weeks of heats, followed by the semi-final and then the grand final.

In each heat, eight artists choose their preferred medium to create a plein air painting in just four hours.

Meanwhile 50 wildcard entrants - artists who have not made the contestant list - compete at the same time.

The five heat winners and one selected wildcard winner then compete in the semi-finals for one of three places in the final.

The final three then compete for the title of Landscape Artist of the Year 2023 and a £10,000 commission to paint a specific location.

Helen will be gathering with friends and family to watch herself compete on the show.

She said: "It will be nice, but I am dreading it, my friends are coming over to tease me about it. 

"I will be hiding behind the beanbag."

Landscape Artist of the Year continues every Wednesday at 8pm on Sky Arts.