That is not a sentence I ever thought I'd type, but this is the surreal life I now lead.
In January 2022, as the country started to think about the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, I thought I could have a go at painting the Queen. I honestly don't know what came over me, what arrogance to think I might be able to do her justice when I'd never before painted a portrait. However, over 100 hours later it seems to have come out ok.
Cheered on by friends I made the even more crazy decision to send it to her, with a long letter about prayer and giving thanks for her example of faith, when she caught Covid in February 2022. Less than a month later I received a very posh looking letter in the post...
This was just the start of the whirlwind. Within a few weeks I had been asked to go back on Grayson's Art Club to share my painting on a jubilee episode in Series 3.
Since then my painting has been taking requests for appearances at local galleries starting with St Nicolas Church Earley for the platinum jubilee weekend
And finally .... I have created these A5 cards from the painting with some words about prayer by the Queen.
I am not a massive royalist but I have huge respect for the Queen and especially for her life of faith and service. It is amazing to think that my painting of her is in storage somewhere, as a tiny part of the history of the British Royal Family.
I have 20 limited edition prints (40cm square) of the painting which are available to buy for £200. Or perhaps you'd like one of the cards which sell for £5. All profits go to Outside In; a charity that aims to provide a platform for artists who face significant barriers to the art world due to health, disability, social circumstance or isolation.