ARTIST’S LONG TASK COMPLETED

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33814, 10 April 1975, Page 1

ARTIST’S LONG TASK COMPLETED

\ Christchurch artist. \\. \. Sutton, has just completed a portrait of lhe Queen. I he oil cam as. Shin h\ 40in. will hang in the dining-room of ( lot eminent I louse. Wellington, among olhci Royal portraits.

Mr Sutton (shown with th portrait) was commit sioned for the task b; the Governor-Genera (Sir Denis Blundell) It i customary for Gov i-rnors General to leave a git when they leave Nev Zealand ■'When I say 'just finished'. Mr Sutton said last even tng. “I mean 1 tinishet painting it two week ago, but I have jus finished watching it After watching it fo two weeks I decided would do no more paint ing." I roni photos Mr Sutton painted the por trait front photographs—something he did not fine easy. “A painter does not pain what he sees; he paint' what he is aware of Photos present you witl what the camera hat seen. You do not mew the person." he said. One photograph provider him with lhe pose, the basic facial expression and decorations. From s number of others he took an expression, or a gesture, or anything tha 1 he thought best repre. sented the Queen as she is known bv New Zea landers “I think the Queen is a verv intelligent woman, but there is an amount of austerity that goes with

t<> avoid. She is als ( a I was these two things I • wanted to exemplify " lhe expression on her I»p I was the ta-k that took most of his time, and the I one which he found mo»t ' difficult. Most v f the •I inspiration for her (ace I; came from a -mall colour photograph tn a New Zealand magazine From this he added about I'"' wars to the portrait, be said.' "mainly through the addition of wrinkles any more I had to bring her up to date," In his imagination he sat the Queen in a replica of an eighteenth century Vene tian chair, which be brought hack with him from Venice late last war. Enable to visualise the sheen on satin, and its texture he went (O a bruin! Ml to buy two yards of satin to drape upon his chair "All I lacked then was friends with diamond necklaces I had none of them, so I had to make do with the photo graphic evidence " Mr Sutton began the painting early this year, initially wortyng about eight hours a day. As tt began to take shape he spent as much time “stopping, watching it. and reconsidering.” as he did painting. "I lived with it." he said “I would have my break fast and supper looking at it—and not just looking at it the right wav up. but upside down, and ! sideways too "There is a certain amount of the abstract tn even the most realistic sorts of paintings. As well as being a portrait, this

painting is an arrange tnent of shapes and •j colours that either work together or they don’t. If they don't, the pori trait does not come off." The character of the Queen was the most important part of the painting, and something he was al ways fearful he might miss. “However.” he said, scrutinising the painting. “I think it has come off." Had a letter from the New Zealand High Commission reached him in London during his refresher leave for 10 months last year, a sitting with the Queen would almost certainly have been granted. Mr Sutton said The portrait is still awaiting a frame of imitation gold leaf, and coats of varnish to protect the painting and to give it an eggshell gloss to enhance its tones. It will then be sent to Wellington for hanging.