The #PortraitsforNHSheroes project was started by Tom Croft at the beginning of lockdown (you may recognise his name from when he appeared on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2018). He started off by pairing artists with nominated NHS key workers to create a portrait, but, when the initiative became more popular than he could have imagined, he gave the project over to each volunteering artist to post when they were available to take on a piece.
When I first heart about this, I knew immediately that it was something I wanted to join in with. Hearing about the work the NHS heroes have been doing and the situations they have been experiencing on a daily basis is inspiring. The subject of my piece is Dr Sophie Thorrold. She has done an outstanding job in extremely tough conditions to boost moral and save lives. Creating this portrait for her is the least I can do to say thank you.
This project has really taken on a life of its own from being created by Tom Croft - with over 12.9K posts under it's hashtag on instagram. It's amazing to see all of these personal stories and experiences being documented and preserved through portraiture.
"There are always challenges working in medicine, but covid-19 has presented new and different difficulties. There are doctors working in reassigned roles who were unfamiliar with ward jobs, but this lead to a sense of comradely where everyone helped each other regardless of their status. Another challenge is that families could not visit, leaving people to die alone. This sadness will stay with me for a long time." - Dr Sophie Thorrold
"I was honoured to be drawn by Katie, I know her work well and have admired her for a long time. I appreciate the recognition given to the NHS and other key workers and to be included in this is very special. I cant believe the resemblance she has captured, a credit to her incredible talent." - Dr Sophie Thorrold
I'll be working on my next NHS hero piece very soon, so watch this space. And, of course, let me know what you think of this piece!
Thanks for reading!
KTx
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