This year marks The Queen of England’s Diamond Jubilee. 60 years ago, on 6 February, she ascended the throne. Her official coronation took place a year later, on 2 June 1953. This is something of only passing interest for many of us. But I can imagine the joyous frenzy in Britain. And I support that, as we all need reasons to celebrate in life. Nothing wrong with that, not at all.
When I painted this, I wasn’t thinking of the Queen’s Jubilee. In fact, I was just trying to do something different. This was my first layer of paint…
Not much, eh? I’ll be honest with you. I was at a loss as to how to move forward. So I did the only thing I could: I asked others what they saw. The first young lass I approached said she thought it looked like a skirt. A skirt?
A skirt! As soon as she said it, I saw it. And as soon as I saw it, I knew it was The Queen. And as soon as I knew it was The Queen, I knew it would say, “God Save the Queen.” The gloved hand and tiara ideas came right after. Of course, executing all those ideas was the hard part. But I did pull it off to my liking.
I’ve not been alive long enough to recall The Queen’s coronation. But she’s been The Queen all my life. As much as we expect some things, some people, to endure, nothing lasts forever. This painting will always remind me of Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, Queen of England. Isn’t she lovely…