Mr PFC to be hung in National Portrait Gallery
It's the home of paintings of King Henry VIII, Charles I and Queen Victoria – but now a more unlikely figure will hang at the world-famous National Portrait Gallery in London.
The superb two-metre tall portrait of Pompey super-fan John Westwood was chosen from 1,900 entries to go on show to thousands of visitors at this year's BP Portrait Awards.
Artist Karl Rudziak spent eight months painting the larger-than-life Pompey fan and is delighted to have been picked by the judges.
'It's the biggest thing in my creative career that's ever happened to me. I still can't believe it and probably won't until I see it hanging,' said the 44-year-old who lives with his wife in Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth.
'This year, I wanted to paint something that captured Portsmouth, where I've lived my whole life.
'Pompey had won the FA Cup and there was a great positive attitude in the city.
'John kept on popping up in the press and when I found out he'd changed his name to John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood I wanted to paint him because his identity is so linked with the club.'
The canvas was so large the artist painted the portrait in his living room under the watchful eye of his wife and visitors to his home.
'He's a big character so he needed a big canvas. It was great because people would see it and comment, which put me under even more pressure to make it as good as I could and enter it in to BP,' said Mr Rudziak, who works full-time as a freelance designer and illustrator.
John Westwood said he was delighted with the painting and was happy to help with the piece.
'He came to see me in my bookshop in Petersfield and I said "okay I'll do it." We met a few times down the Newcombe Arms, he took loads of photos and asked loads of questions. He bought me a few pints, which was payment enough for me.
'
When I saw the finished painting I thought it was incredible. The talent this man's got is unbelievable.
'I can't believe I'm going to be in the National Portrait Gallery.
'If Henry VIII thought I would be hanging in the same gallery as him he would probably have had my head chopped off.'
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Friday 25 May 2012
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