Rob Hughes’ HRH Then & Now portrait
Rob Hughes said: “It has been my honour this year to be commissioned to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee with a portrait, having been invited by The Power House Poole to create a marketing image for their Poole Britannia! project.
I chose two pictures as a start point for the piece; one a fantastic photograph taken by Dorothy Wilding from when Her Majesty had only just taken on the mantel of sovereignty and the second a photograph taken by Chris Levine, the artist who was commissioned to create a holograph of HRH in 2004 for her birthday. Chris Levine is now married to my cousin!
The first photograph is taken from a set which included images which were used to create all the stamps and coinage for the early reign of Elizabeth 11 and the second shows her wearing the Diamond Diadem, created for George IV and worn by Her Majesty for the procession to her Coronation in 1953.
These two images combined, and extemporised in my own way, show the passage of over 70 years and the hope fulfilled by a young woman’s pledge of service to her country.”
Much has changed over the time, and it is easy to underestimate the challenges that such service imposes. It is my hope that this painting in some small way reflects the tender affection and admiration that this artist has for his Queen.
The Power House invited Rob to further develop his portrait to be included in the exhibition. The team is thankful for his valuable insights and time given to help with our marketing.
Meet the Artist - Bob Hughes
Rob Hughes was trained in Cheshire, Dorset and Cornwall where he received his HDN in illustration with distinctions in 1996.
He has worked painting and tutoring in the Bournemouth area for the last twenty years and has participated in many local exhibitions and community projects. He is a campaigner for visual arts and is currently lobbying for a BCP Civic Art Gallery, and supporting The Power House - Poole Project.
He has been a resident of the Bohemian enclave of Boscombe since 2008 and is a Trustee of the Boscombe Village Hall Project, which is bringing a new purpose built Community Centre to the heart of Boscombe. He is a keen supporter of the spoken word scene and is often to be found performing his poetry at The Platform, Bournemouth’s premier spoken word event. He is currently preparing the first of a series of books combining his art and writing for publication.
