Burnley artist (78) creates portrait of the Queen
WATERCOLOUR: Vera Mitchell's portrait of the Queen
ROYAL watcher Vera Mitchell was bitterly disappointed when ill health meant she could not join crowds to greet the Queen when she came to Burnley.
So Vera (78) put her artistic talents to use to record the Royal visit in her own way after watching television and reading about it in the Burnley Express.
“I would have loved to have seen her,” said Vera, of Rosewood Avenue, Burnley. “I would have gone, but I just wasn’t fit enough, so I watched it on television.
“I thought Burnley looked fantastic.
“It was lovely that they all came. Charles is very proud of our town and I’ve always had a soft spot for him.”
A painter for many years, Vera opted to paint a watercolour pencil sketch of the Queen in the pistachio green outfit she wore when she came to town, and also wrote a verse commemorating the occasion.
She said: “I used to work in oils and have done some quite big work, but with my Parkinson’s and poor eyesight I can’t manage that these days, so I chose watercolours.”
The watercolour is not Vera’s first portrait of the Queen. Last year she used oils in a miniature, and sent the work as a present to the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
She was thrilled when she received a letter from a lady-in-waiting, thanking her on the Queen’s behalf.
“It was very kind of her to reply,” said Vera. “She is a lovely person.”
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Weather for Burnley
Sunday 19 May 2013
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