Artist creates portrait of the Queen from wine carpet stain

Manchester-based artist Fanny Gogh has created a detailed portrait of Queen Elizabeth II from a red wine stain on her carpet.

Manchester-based artist Fanny Gogh creating her portrait of the Queen using only red wine and Dr Beckmann stain remover. Photo credit: Jason Lock Photography / Brazen PR

Gogh, whose real name is Sian Absalom, painted the two-metre-square work as a tribute to the Queen’s “dependable” presence during lockdown.

She created the work by spilling red wine onto her carpet then tracing the outline of the crowned Queen in profile with a stain remover brush head. A fine paintbrush dipped in stain remover was used to create the finer details of the Queen’s face.

The portrait was commissioned by Dr Beckmann, which has enjoyed a surge in sales following an increase in red wine spills during lockdown.

Photo credit: Jason Lock Photography / Brazen PR

Year on year sales of Dr Beckmann carpet stain remover are currently up by 377% following unprecedented demand for the product during lockdown.

Having worked as an artist for over 20 years, Gogh, who specialises in surface decoration and textile design, rose to fame after winning BBC TV show Home is Where the Art Is.

She was given the nickname Fanny Gogh by a tabloid in 2008 after using women’s underwear in her mixed media exhibition Beautiful Trash.

“I have painted with beer, wine and coffee in the past, so I’m used to working in this medium,” Gogh said. “It was a challenge but I’m pleased with the results.”

Susan Fermor from Dr Beckmann said the Queen was chosen as the subject of the portrait due to her reassuring presence throughout the coronavirus crisis.

“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,” Fermor said.

“We hope red wine aficionados will enjoy the casual sophistication and elegant structure of a portrait with a bold finish,” she added.

Just yesterday we reported that the Queen’s London residence, Buckingham Palace, had launched a London dry gin made with botanicals found growing in the palace grounds, including hawthorn berries and mulberry leaves.