Bournemouth Artist Presents Mayor Farquhar with Striking Portrait

George Farquhar got a cool portrait of himself. Dhanraz Ramdharry, a local artist, painted it. The artwork also honors George’s charity, which helps animals, called Every Paw Matters. It’s in Bournemouth.

George met Dhanraz at a festival with his dog, Billy. It was George’s first event as mayor, and Dhanraz displayed his art at the Shake & Stir Festival. George liked Dhanraz’s paintings, especially the dog ones.

Dhanraz wanted interesting faces for portraits. George took that as a compliment, which is nice. Dhanraz uses old Italian art techniques, and he mentioned this to George at the festival.

Later, friends told George he should sit for Dhanraz. George brought him to the Mayor’s Parlour for ideas. George felt it would provide needed artistic inspiration.

George thinks Dhanraz captured him and Billy perfectly. He thinks Dhanraz really got their personalities, and the painting’s use of light is also impressive. An unveiling will be in March.

The painting fits well with the Parlour’s older paintings. It will keep the mayor role relevant. It also shows the role needs to be personable, helping maintain it for this century.

Dhanraz is a trained portrait painter. He uses classic drawing and painting methods from life. He met George last summer by chance for the painting, after George saw a painting of Dhanraz’s daughter and dog.

George rescues dogs. He wanted a painting with him and Billy. George wanted a relaxed style for his portrait, to differentiate it from others. The jaunty pose was decided upon because of this.

Dhanraz has lived in Bournemouth since he was eight. He loves the town and its good nature. This painting shows Mayor George’s kindness, and Dhanraz believes it’s a nice gift to the town.