As the longest-reigning British monarch, the Queen has been the subject of countless portraits, photographs and artworks around the world. Now HELLO! is proud to present its very own painting to commemorate Her Majesty in this Platinum Jubilee year.
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We asked UK expressionist artist Ben Mosley, 40, whose fans include Mike Tindall and Ed Sheeran, to create this unique portrait, a copy of which is offered as a pull-out poster to our readers in this week's magazine.
Ben, who works from his studio in Kent, embraced the opportunity to step out of his usual domain of cityscapes and sporting artworks and turn his attention to the longest-serving female monarch in history.
WATCH: Ben Mosley paints striking new portrait of the Queen (Anthony Thomas Doin'it! Productions Ltd)
"She's an iconic person to paint, and it was good to challenge myself to do something different and incorporate lots of different things about her life," he tells us. "I'm quite patriotic and a fan of the Royal family, so it was something I really enjoyed doing."
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We asked Ben Mosley to create this portrait of the Queen
Having been sent a "plethora" of images by HELLO!, Ben chose one which he felt would work best – an official portrait from the Coronation in 1953. "She's been here for so long, but I wanted to paint her as a young queen and put all the elements of her life in the background," he explains.
Based on the design of a stained-glass window and taking Picasso and Matisse as his inspiration, Ben uses acrylic paint along with 24 carat gold leaf, copper and palladium, a shiny white metal. "Gold and monarchs go hand in hand, so it really suits the subject," he says. "I use a lot of real gold in my work. I like the reflective qualities of the metals."
Ben poses outside Buckingham Palace with his masterpiece
Embedded in the picture are scenes from the Queen's life and acknowledgement of her 70-year reign. Look closely and you'll see the Queen's Guard; crowds outside Buckingham Palace; an older Queen greeting her public; her wedding to Prince Philip and her beloved Corgis.
Pick up a copy of HELLO! magazine this week for the full story and your own pull-out poster to keep.
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