Thanks from Buckingham Palace!

Leicester watercolourist, Peter Welton, who knows his way around the artistic world like no-one else I know, suggested during my recent exhibition of paintings that I should send a limited edition print of 'A Right Royal Street Party' to the subject of the portrait in her Diamond Jubilee year, Her Majesty the Queen.

To my surprise and delight a few weeks on and I've received the sweetest of notes from Buckingham Palace, calling my artwork 'splendid' - not, unexpectedly, from HRH herself, but from the Palace nevertheless. Here it is, and here am I, and well chuffed about it I am too :)

Liz Hewitt and her letter of thanks from Buckingham Palace

Taking photos where the sky meets the earth; Beacon Hill

After a frantic month of exhibiting my paintings I've been taking photos once again this week. 

With such a view who can blame druids for worshiping from this site?

It was a joy to sell posters and prints of 'A Right Royal Street Party' but running around for 4 weeks, fetching, delivering, doing PR, none of which I'd anticipated being a part of the exhibition process, ate up time & money as fast as it became available. 
Anyway, I had a call from the Leicester Mercury photo desk and off I went to snap druids on Beacon Hill. So, in a matter of days I've moved from the Royals at Buckingham Palace to the Charnwood Grove of Druids at the Bronze Age site near Loughborough; all grist to the artistic mill.
PS The ceremony was also being filmed for TV's The Hairy Bikers. Look out for it on BBC later in the year.

The druid story picture as it appeared in the 25.9 Leicester Mercury

A Right Royal Street Party!!

A Right Royal Street Party by Lizzy Hewitt, June 2012

So here it is at last, my newest & most challenging painting ever, A Right Royal Street Party, featuring many of Britain's senior Royals at their very own Diamond Jubilee bash at Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth is seated in a comfy chair at the head of the table, G&T to hand, watching horse-racing on TV. Her butler is phoning through her bets.
DOE is shooting. He has a First Aid kit in his hunting jacket, a reference to recent ill-health & hospital admissions.
The younger Royals are dancing in a conga line, Harry leading with cymbals, William & Kate following, with Beatrice & Eugenie behind in their well-known headgear.
As for the rest, well, enlarge the image & see who you can spot!
Summer 2012 is a special, very British, occasion and I wanted to create something out of the ordinary to celebrate all that's happening.
I hope you feel I've pulled it off!
PS A Right Royal Street Party will be exhibited in Leicester soon! More details as available.