Claire's royal portrait keeps it casual
A portrait of Her Majesty The Queen painted by an artist from Church Stretton will soon be hanging proudly on the walls at The Kennel Club.
The Queen is Royal Patron of the club, which commissioned Claire Eastgate to capture her likeness on canvas.
Claire attended the Grove School in Market Drayton before moving on to Shrewsbury College and Birmingham School of Fine Art.
She is well-known for her paintings of dogs.
Claire said: "Although they knew my work, it was important to them that the chosen artist not only had the technical ability in portraiture but also had a strong link with the dog world.
"I was honoured when they chose me as the artist to carry out the portrait."
Claire said she was happy to embrace the brief from the club, who wanted their patron captured in a casual rather than a ceremonial setting.
"It seemed to cry out for the open air, leaving the formal settings and the state rooms literally behind us," she said.
"With our erratic climate you cannot ask any sitter, let alone the Queen, to sit outside for several hours.
"It was agreed, therefore, upon certain photos which were cleared with the Palace."
Claire said when The Kennel Club was selecting an artist it may have helped that Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, had just bought one of her paintings of "Fernando the Cockerel".
It comes as another portrait of The Queen unveiled yesterday at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium was panned by critics.
Dan Llywelyn Hall unveiled his 5ft tall painting – but visitors claimed it made the monarch "look like her Spitting Image puppet".
Claire's portrait can be viewed at www.ceastgate.com
