NEWS COPY
A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II has been crafted – out of red wine spilled on a CARPET.
As a tribute to the monarch’s ‘full-bodied’ response to the UK’s lockdown, artist Fanny Gough created the stunning likeness.
The red wine was spilled onto the carpet, then using a stain remover brush head Fanny created the outline of Her Majesty’s crown.
A fine paint brush dipped in the stain remover was then used to create the details of The Queen’s face.
The two-metre-square portrait was commissioned by cult cleaning product Dr Beckmann, after lockdown led to an increase in sales of red wine – and the products needed to clean it after a spill.
Artist Fanny rose to fame after winning BBC TV show ‘Home is Where the Art is’ and later created portraits of BBC Breakfast presenters Dan Walker and Louise Minchin out of breakfast items like eggs, tea, ketchup and brown sauce.
She said: “I have painted with beer, wine and coffee in the past, so I am used to working in this medium.
“I loved the idea of creating a portrait of the Queen out of red wine and using Dr Beckmann’s Carpet Stain Remover as my paintbrush.
“It was a real challenge but I’m really pleased with the results.”
Bosses at Dr Beckmann’s UK factory in Bolton, Lancashire, reported ‘unprecedented’ demand for their cleaning products from consumers worried about coronavirus throughout quarantine.
They saw a 377 per cent increase in sales of carpet stain remover year-on-year from this point in 2019.
Much of that extra demand has come because consumers have been spending so much more time at home - with fears over cleanliness surrounding coronavirus combined with the inevitable knock-on of more activity in homes across the UK.
Susan Fermor from Dr Beckmann said: “Why the Queen? Well, quite simply because she has been a stalwart during lockdown.
“Not only has she aged like a fine wine but she’s rallied the country just when it needed it, she’s been dependable and formidable – just like a great red wine.
“We wanted to pay tribute to the Queen in a way only Dr Beckmann could, so we commissioned Fanny to create this stunning portrait.
“We hope fans of Dr Beckmann and red wine aficionados will both enjoy the casual sophistication and elegant structure of a portrait with a bold finish.”
ENDS
