Prominent portrait artist and art historian Dr Michael McDonald is appealing for the help of Islanders with an up and coming arts project which has been given the thumbs up by HRH Prince Charles.
Michael is painting portraits of military heroes in aid of SSAFA – the armed forces charity – but needs to find suitable exhibition spaces on the Isle of Wight to display his work.
Michael said:
“The idea behind the venture comes from the exhibition Prince Charles held in the Queens gallery. Prince Charles used people from his own regiments to paint portraits from, but my idea is a little different as we just use the ordinary soldier, the common man if you like, but all with an uncommon story.
“My wife Amber and I recently paid a visit to the SSAFA home St Vincent’s in Ryde and some of the stories the residents have to tell are amazing feats of bravery and endurance we could never imagine a human being doing”.
Michael went on to say:
“The whole project itself started with a friend who is divisional secretary North East England asking if there was anything at all we could do to help raise money. After thinking about it both myself and Amber decided we could use the talents we have combined to create something lasting. We thought it was a great idea as my wife is a brilliant photographer, so between us we put this idea together now all we need is the space to show the paintings”.
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At the end of the exhibition the portraits will be presented to the individual veterans in recognition of their service and contribution.
If you think you can help Michael display his work get in touch at [email protected] or call 07949685306. You can also visit his website at www.mcdonald-art.co.uk.
