About the client

You might wonder how I came to paint a portrait of Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell, MP for Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, former Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Secretary of State for International Investment. Here’s how it happened…

Mr Mitchell was visiting businesses in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham and as part of his trip he visited the art studio I work at. He took an interest in the happenings of the art studio and one of the artists, a photographer, suggested he have a portrait. The artist took the photo at a later date and then passed it on to me so I could paint the portrait, using the photograph as my reference.

 

Unknowingly painting an MP

I wasn’t at the studio on the day of Mr Mitchell’s visit and I should add that I didn’t who I was painting – all I had was the photo. My art colleagues decided not to tell me that I was, in fact, painting a member of parliament because they didn’t want to pile on the pressure. So, I carried on as usual, with no knowledge of Andrew Mitchell’s background. Fortunately, the end result was amazing, and Mr Mitchell was thrilled with his portrait.

The painting reflects a deep pain, loss, and disappointment during a difficult time for Mr Mitchell. After resigning from the Cabinet, he sought support from his family and his beloved, loyal dog, Scarlet.

 

Kind words

Here’s what Mr Mitchell thought of his painting:

“Dear Izabela. You are a fabulous artist and your work is awesome. I am so pleased you used me as someone to paint and I (and Scarlet) are very impressed by the result. Good luck with your career as an artist. I am sure you will be very successful. Best wishes, Andrew.”

So, that’s how I came to paint a member of parliament, even if I didn’t realise it at the time! What an honour.

If you’d like to commission a portrait painting that’ll impress, please get in touch (link to Contact page).