Back in February, on the spur of the moment, I decided to submit a piece of artwork for the Royal Academy of arts summer exhibition. Having just spent hours of my time building a new website , i had a real hankering to be a bit creative and see what I could do. I don't often get the chance to draw or paint without feeling guilty that i should be getting on with something else - it's a luxury to me. so this was the perfect opportunity, The brief was 'Only Connect'.
With this brief in mind, I wanted to focus on a long standing obsession with Vivienne Westwood's clothing, her pioneering spirit and her ability to shock.
It was really sad when she passed away in DecembeR. she has left behind her family and her husband Andreas.
I wanted to try and capture his loss and how he might be feeling and her eternal connection with the viewer.
So I was pretty amazed to be selected to go through to the next round of judging to be included in the exhibition. I took 'a study of viv' off to get framed locally and we chose a thick, rich gaudy gold frame which was in perfect contrast to the red background and to suit her personality!
I pick her up in a week or so and then I will be making the journey to london in early may to deliver her in person to the royal academy, where finalists will be announced on the 24th may.
Fingers crossed!