Hull dad's portrait of daughter on display at National Gallery
The time off from work allowed Matthew to spend more time in his Hull studio, where he decided to paint Evelyn."She was very patient," he said. "I did a couple of drawings of her to familiarise [myself], even though I know what she looks like."Evelyn said she agreed to the painting because she thought it was a nice thing of her father to do.She said: "I enjoyed it, but I find it really hard to sit still. I like moving quite a lot."Matthew, who puts on exhibitions in his home city, said he entered the competition after being told about it by a friend.Matthew added: "I knew it was a strong painting but I didn't think I'd get through."
After making it through the first round, he was then "excited" to attend an in-person judging session in London before receiving an email in February informing him his picture had been selected.Evelyn said that when she attended the gallery to see her portrait on display, other visitors recognised that it was her in the portrait.Matthew added: "She got into the swing of it in terms of talking to people and the artists. All the other artists were really lovely with her."
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