Lara Davis, from Blandford Forum, entered the British Art Prize 2025, run by the Artists and Illustrators magazine with her drawing of a highland cow, created using pastel pencils on a pastel mat.
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The 56-year-old has also now been shortlisted for the People’s Choice Award, which means she will compete against the other 49 artists to secure votes and be crowned the winner.
You can vote for Lara until November 7 by clicking here.
Lara says she classes herself as a “hobby artist”, and she has only been drawing for eight years.
“I do it because it’s good for my mental health – a form of meditation”, she said.
“I’ve only been drawing for about eight years – so not long. I joined a Patreon group run by Jason Morgan – a well known wildlife painter.”
Jason Morgan does pastel pencil and oil painting lessons, teaching artists and beginners how to paint and draw animals and pet portraits.
When she found out she had been shortlisted, Lara took her piece to be framed in Shaftesbury.
It was there she discovered that her months of hard work would make the drawing worth a lot of money when it came to selling it.
She said: “To say I shed a tear is an understatement. I’m just overwhelmed by the whole thing – I can’t believe it.”
The shortlisting comes as a great honour, as it means Lara has been chosen as one of 50 out of 2900 people who entered.
The overall winner of the British Art Prize will receive a £2000 cash prize and a solo exhibition at Panter and Hall’s Cecil Court Galler, plus a £750 Royal Talents art materials voucher and a six-page feature in a future issue of Artists and Illustrators.
The People’s Choice Award winner will receive an exclusive six page feature in an issue of Artists and Illustrators magazine, as well as a Hulion Kamvas pro 19 pen display tablet, worth £1,099.
