Queen Elizabeth II was late and I soon realized that she doesn't like to be late. The first words Her Majesty The Queen spoke at the first sitting of our portrait painting sessions in the autumn of 2011 was an apologyof sortsnot to me directly of course. Goodness, I couldn't possibly even imagine the thought of the Queen apologizing to me.
But she made a comment about being annoyed by her late arrival for reasons which I frankly cannot remember because I was too busy being in a state of shock that I was standing there in the very presence of living historythe monarch who, now 96, marks her Platinum Jubilee this weekend.
Much of my sittings with the Queen for the three portrait paintings I'd done of her are a bit of a blur, as it was one of those astonishing moments of sheer disbelief in life where you think: "Did that just happen?"
But what I do remember first and foremost about the Queen is the directness of her gaze. The portraits I'd done of her are not the most characterful pictures. But I knew I wanted that unforgettable gaze in her gray blue eyes to be captured in my paintings.
She can go from looking quite serious to having this incredibly beautiful, radiant smile. We've all heard the Queen's voice before in public. It's quite high-pitched, but she's also got this shrill, infectious laugh that makes you feel as if the sun's come out.
I think her laughter is one of the most ordinary things about this extraordinary woman. She laughed a lot while telling me all sorts of random stories, which were mostly to keep herself awake, really, at these sittings. She recalled sitting with Philip de Lszl, the late portrait painter and one of my great inspirations, who painted the Queen as a child back in the early part of the 20th century.
As she was so young at the time, she remembered she didn't enjoy the sitting because he kept on saying things like: "Get back into your chair" and "stop wriggling." But little did the future queen know that portrait sittings would be one of the many aspects of her role later in life as the head of the Royal family.
Even if she arrived late, you damn well knew she was in the room. I can still remember how fast my heart was beating out of my chest and my hands were sweaty when she first arrived for the first portrait wearing the glorious robes of the Order of the Garterthank goodness she was wearing gloves when I shook her hand. But thankfully adrenaline soon took over and once I had my brushes in my hand, I was more in my element and I realized there is a job at hand.
Surprisingly, my sittings with the Queen were rather low-key, with just a handful of staff with her. Once the photographer had finished taking various snaps of her, I was left in the drawing room with the Queen, her diary secretary and her dresser. I wasn't given any special briefing about what to do or not to do in her presence but I knew I wasn't going to go arrange the jewelry around her neck anytime soon.
And the Queen could be direct and abrupt when she needed to be. During the sitting for my second portrait of her in the spring of 2016, which was for the Royal Company of Archers and saw her wearing the robes of the Order of the Thistle, I managed to ask the Queen: "Ma'am would you be able to put your shoulders to the door and turn to face me," in a bid to get more of her neck in the portrait, as it's more flattering, to which she replied: "I can face the door or I can face the window but I can't do both."
If her dresser would take too long to adjust her robe at the sitting, she wouldn't hesitate to say: "Stop fiddling with that now."
But she was very obliging to me at the sittings, even though it would have been easy for her to get impatient and just say even from the first sitting: "You know what, I'm 85 and past all this and don't fancy doing this." She wanted to be obliging as she knew I was under pressure to finish the pieces.
The one thing she absolutely did not like was being thought of as frail or incapable in some way and she is neither of those things. For all of our sittings, which were each about an hour long, the Queen remained standing the whole time. Yet when her secretary would come around with a chair, she'd decline the offer without a second thought, as if to say: "Stop putting 10 years on me, I'm actually fine."
It's hard to know whether I truly gathered anything about the Queen's personality in the short time we spent together. But what I can say is she was entertaining herself as much as us in the room. She tried to make the experience interesting and honestlyshe's just good fun to spend time with.
A renowned mimic, the Queen actually did an impression during one of the sittingswhich I really cannot reveal and will have to take with me to the graveand had me in stitches. I remember how her face would light up when she talked about her horses and dogs, as she loves animals. It's part of the reason why I decided to work her four dogs into an additional version of her first portrait, even though they were not at the sitting, as they're such a huge part of her life.
At one point during a sitting for the first portrait in the drawing room of Buckingham Palace, which faces Green Park, the Queen stared out the window and said: "Oh look, here he comes again," referring to a man in a green tracksuit who was obviously running laps around the park for his usual morning run but had no idea that the Queen had been watching him.
Much of our conversations revolved around the traditions and duties that come with her roleshe loved explaining things and I was taken aback by her encyclopedic knowledge, talking me through the insignia on her robes and what they meant. She knew her stuffdown to the smallest detailsand it just showed all the more how important her role is to her.
What struck me most was that, as much as being committed to the monarchy, she genuinely finds merit in all the traditions and customs she's having to partake in, such as these countless portrait sittings.
She's got such a lively sense of humor and I think it's what allows her to embrace and rather enjoy the eccentricities of her role and what makes the monarchy, both behind closed doors and in the public eye.
She's so observant and has a great sense of the absurd in her role, including sitting for a portrait painting, which in the modern age of photography could come across as outdated in some ways. But she would never think to criticize or make fun of it in a way that was disrespectful to the institution that is the monarchy.
At the end of the third sitting for the first portrait, she asked: "May I have a look?" and came around to have a peek. So what did the Queen think of it? Perhaps unsurprisingly, she remained mostly poker-faced, being very polite and perfectly pleasant, as I think there is a general unspoken policy for the Queen to not say anything one way or another about her portraits to avoid upsetting anyone.
But I have to assume she must have at least not hated the final result because when Royal Mail, who commissioned the piece, couldn't accommodate the version of the portrait that included her four dogs, they gave it to the Royal Collection. So that piece is currently hanging in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace.
I wasn't looking at the Queen like a grandmother figure or a friendI was looking at her as my monarch and the portraits reflect how she felt to me at the time we'd metwhich was simply majestic.
The Queen is dedicated, steadfast and the embodiment of stability to her country and I hoped to convey that in my paintings of her. She has been through so much and met so many interesting people around the world and been part of so many different events that have happened over the years. It's extraordinary, what's embodied in this one person.
If I were given another chance to paint a portrait of the Queen, I'd love to paint her in a headscarf on a horse. I think there's something marvelous about her going horse riding, one of the more dangerous sports in life, wearing merely a headscarf. That probably says even more about her than anything elsethat nobody can tell the Queen what to donot even to wear a protective gear for her own safety.
Looking back over the 70 years of her reign, what stands out most to me is her consistency. She's come to the forefront at poignant moments in life and breathed some wise words based on her huge amount of life experience and I think she should say them more often.
We have the benefit of her wisdom and a little snippet from her goes a long way, because it's got gravitas. You can't live for 96 years and not be wise, really. So I hope she goes on to say more for many more years to come.
Nicky Philipps is an accomplished British painter whose various works can be found in public and private collections worldwide. She lives in the U.K. For more information, see nickyphilipps.com. You can follow her on Instagram @nickyphilipps .
All views expressed in this article are the author's own.
As told to Soo Kim
See more here:
'I Painted The QueenShe Was Surprising In So Many Ways' - Newsweek
- 'Southern/Modern': Rediscovering the Radical Art Below the Mason-Dixon Line - The New York Times - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Meet Ferrisburgh, a Rescued Kestrel Who Started Painting After a ... - Smithsonian Magazine - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- New to the NW, he's painting 100 Chestnut Hill scenes - Chestnut Hill Local - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- 10 Best Face Painting Supplies for 2023 - The Jerusalem Post - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Gond painting by Jangan Singh Shyam on display - Daily Pioneer - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Painting the town Christmas - Moorpark Acorn - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Margate painting bike lanes green to prevent drivers from using them - Press of Atlantic City - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Review: Glory of the World: Color Field Painting (1950s to 1983) - Observer - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Conservator Restore This Renaissance Painting of a Medici - My Modern Met - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Gauguin's shocking claim: Van Gogh painted the Sunflowers ... - Art Newspaper - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Jeff Tech Art Club students continue window painting tradition in ... - The Courier-Express - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- From Loewe to Swarovski, hand-painted murals get a luxury upgrade - Jing Daily - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Painting Perfection with Electric Paint Sprayers: A Comprehensive ... - Robotics and Automation News - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Joe Venditti's legacy as the Eagles' 'Official Painting Coach' lives on - PhiladelphiaEagles.com - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- The Huntington Acquires Historic Portrait by Renowned Spanish ... - The South Pasadenan - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- An Oklahoma love story: How an early Oklahoman's collection of ... - tulsapeople.com - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Pierre Bonnards paintings brim with vitality in Kimbell exhibition - The Dallas Morning News - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Adel Library to Host Teen Painting Contest and Hometown Holiday ... - Raccoon Valley Radio - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- PETA to Auction off the Iconic Anti Bullfighting Painting "The ... - PR Web - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- Isle of Wight students 'paint the plow' - Smithfield Times - Smithfield Times - December 2nd, 2023 [December 2nd, 2023]
- A Piet Mondrian painting has been hanging upside-down for decades, art historian says - CNN - November 1st, 2022 [November 1st, 2022]
- Eastern Flank Battlefield to Host "Painting the Parks" Art Show - Williamson Source - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- This Botticelli Painting, Once Owned by the Late Paul Allen, Could Fetch $40 Million at Auction - Robb Report - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- So the internet thinks there's an iPhone in this 19th century painting - Creative Bloq - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Long-Unseen Painting of Jamaican Man Is Identified as Rare Richmond Barth Work - ARTnews - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Halloween Window Painting contest will bring downtown windows to life - The Messenger - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- TCU Painting U.S. Cities With Leading Alums in Honor of 150th Birthday - Fort Worth Magazine - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Oakland painter Mary Lovelace ONeal honored at On the Edge gala at de Young Museum - SF Chronicle Datebook - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Celebrate Las Vegas Pride this weekend with lights, drinks, and body painting - KLAS - 8 News Now - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- How to Paint (with Pictures) - wikiHow - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- 50 Most Famous Paintings of All Time in the Art History (Ranked) - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Mural painting brings community together - University of Wisconsin-Madison - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Bold: Painting in the outdoors is nice work when you get it - Sudbury.com - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Beauty in the banal: Exhibit celebrates painter who wrote the book on Midwest landscapes and much more - WGLT - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- British Rapper Aitch Working to Fix Manchester Mural of Joy Divisions Ian Curtis That Was Painted Over for His Album Advertisement - Variety - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Was That Painting Stolen by Nazis? New York Museums Are Now Required to Tell You - Smithsonian Magazine - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Southside Park gets fresh coat of paint for National Painting Week - ABC10.com KXTV - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Meet the Farmington man who sells his paintings next to his car downtown - Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- LA Covers 1 Million Square Feet Of Roads Will Special Paint To Cool The City Down - CarScoops - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Painting in the Light - Santa Barbara News-Press - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- This 1645 Painting Is A Spitting Image Of Connor McDavid -- And It's Almost Scary - Washington Hockey Now - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- MADE: Paint additive becomes salty success - Greater Wilmington Business Journal - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Creatively Centered: Paint Grand Traverse wraps week with gala, block party - Traverse City Record Eagle - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Court sides with MFAH in dispute over painting once sold to Hitlers art collector - Houston Public Media - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Water Inspires And Imbues Milwaukee Native Khari Turners Joyful Paintings - Forbes - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Interview With Dave Cole of Coastal Painting Associates - Kingwood - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- 5 Times the Mona Lisa Was Vandalized or Stolen - ARTnews - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- How Alma Thomas Arrived at Her Seminal Style of Vibrant Abstract Painting - Artsy - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Mahmoud Said's painting 'Dervishes' holds its position as most expensive in Middle East - Egypt Today - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Painting of Saco's Jubilee Park covered bridge Selected for exhibition - Press Herald - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- What Did Will Paint in 'Stranger Things'? - We Got This Covered - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Claude Rutault, French Artist Who Rewrote the Rules of Painting, Dies at 80 - ARTnews - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Powerful expression: Artist captures emotion of everyday life in paintings - Daily Journal - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Secrets of the Book Designer: On Typography, Painting, and Finding That Single Visual Moment - Literary Hub - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Do You Know The Story Of Lincoln's Famous Painted Rock? - q1065.fm - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- 2022 Sabbatical for Pastor Jeff Wood launches mural painting project at the Thrift Store next to First Presbyterian Church of Sebastian - Community... - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Activist artist Chris Wilson promotes awareness of solitary confinement with paintings - Gothamist - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- This painting reflects the nearly forgotten fishing village on Jones Island - 88Nine Radio Milwaukee - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- After Waiting Years for Cities to Act, People Are Painting Their Own Crosswalks - TheStranger.com - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Ilya Repin's chilling painting of Ivan the Terriblevandalised in 2018 by a drunk man with a metal polegoes back on show at Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery... - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Here Are the Last Paintings Vincent Van Gogh Completed During His Lifetime - My Modern Met - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Gallery in the Woods to show oil paintings of local musician Bobby DiTrani - Brattleboro Reformer - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Wish upon a painting: Norman artist explores desire and fear in her work - Norman Transcript - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Oil Painting - The Ultimate Guide For Beginners - Draw ... - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- 60+ Easy Acrylic Painting Ideas For Beginners (Who Want To ... - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- What Does This 17th-Century Painting Smell Like? - Smithsonian Magazine - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- A Once-in-a-Lifetime Donatello Show Argues That Sculpture, Not Painting, Was the Ultimate Renaissance Art Form - artnet News - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- Utah reveals custom hand-painted helmets to honor fallen teammates Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe - CBS Sports - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- This Mozambique-Born Artist Is Changing What It Means to Be a Painter - The Cut - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- Phoenixville painting company is about more than just paint - Daily Local News - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- Painting the town purple: Stripe is back on Blake Street ahead of Rockies home opener - 9News.com KUSA - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- Two of Japans rising stars interview each other about family, creative expression, and the difference between painting and acting - ARTnews - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- Sothebys to Offer Rare Guston Ab-Ex Painting - Barron's - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- 5 fun wall painting ideas to refresh your home - NewsBytes - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- A Contested Landscape Painting in Berlin Is Deemed an Authentic Rembrandt - ARTnews - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- Lesson of the Day: A Poem (and a Painting) About the Suffering That Hides in Plain Sight - The New York Times - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- Daughter reunited with late father's painting from Chesterfield Inlet residential school - CBC.ca - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- 14-year-old art sensation Xeo Chu: I kind of keep it hidden from friends - The Guardian - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- The Chicago River Comes Alive in New Portrait Painted With Fishing Rod and Reel - WTTW News - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- Art group spreads autism awareness by painting - WDVM 25 - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]