Artist’s Inspiration: Carol Tinga
We invited local artists to respond to the theme of Girl Power as part of our Wall of Art series, a quarterly juried art show produced in partnership with Guelph Arts Council. The submissions received were incredibly varied, as each artist brought a truly unique perspective to the theme. For this blog series, we asked the artists to explain the story that their piece tells.
Carol Tinga – Mirren as Queen
Mirren as Queen was created in response to my desire to explore the power of portrait-like painting; I never thought of the painting as a portrait, per say. The painting arose from my fascination with the British Monarchy and equally, with my admiration of the British actress Helen Mirren. Mirren as Queen, painted years ago, is based on a newspaper clipping of a photographic still of Mirren’s critically acclaimed, Academy Award winning Best Actress portrayal of HM Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 film, “The Queen.” The weaving together of layers and layers of oil paint produced a woman that may or may not be Dame Helen Mirren or may or may not be the Queen; there is room for interpretation. Hardly girls at 70 and 90 years of age, respectively, Dame Mirren and HR Queen Elizabeth II are two of the most well-known and respected women in the United Kingdom and abroad today.
Submission: Mirren as Queen
Medium: Oil on canvas
On display at Guelph Civic Museum
