A Harpenden artist is set to do battle with a paint brush as she puts her artistic skills to the test.

Anna Perlin will appear in the fifth episode of Sky Arts’ Landscape Artist of the Year, which airs tomorrow night (Nov 8) on Sky Arts at 8pm.

Hundreds of entries were received for the 2016 competition, giving the judges the difficult task of whittling them down to 48 artists who went on to take part in six heats over the summer at three National Trust locations: Scotney Castle, Kent; Wray Castle, Lake Windermere and Stowe in Buckinghamshire.  Each heat was also open to a further 50 wildcard artists who were invited to compete for a potential slot in the semi-final.

Tomorrow night Anna is competing against seven other professional artists challenged to reproduce a piece of art depicting Wray Castle, a National Trust property in the Lake District. If she is successful she will go on to take part in the semi-final which is due to be screened on November 22.

The show Landscapes first aired last year following the success of Sky’s Portrait Artist of the Year, which captured the public’s imagination since its launch in 2013. 

Last year’s Landscape Artist of the Year was the best-performing, non-scripted series of all time and second-biggest series ever for Sky Arts, with viewing figures growing over the course of the series.

Both series have been presented from their launch by TV personality and comedian Frank Skinner, alongside presenter and journalist Joan Bakewell - a leading figure in the arts for nearly six decades. 

The judges are artist Tai Shan Schierenberg and independent curators Kate Bryan and Kathleen Soriano.  The show not only highlights the tremendous artistic talent from every corner of Britain and Ireland, but also how the beautiful British countryside has inspired past and present generations of artists.

The series grand finale, when the winning artist will be announced, was filmed at the stunning Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness in Scotland. This episode is due to be aired on November 29, at 8pm. The winning artist will receive a £10,000 commission to interpret Petworth House in West Sussex for the National Trust’s national art collection and £500 to spend on CassArt materials. 

Storyvault Films will produce a further programme featuring the development of this final commissioned work, due to be aired on December 6, also at 8pm.