DUNTON, UK – This fabulous acrylic portrait of Henry Ford was painted by engineer Graeme McKen and he’s donated it to Dunton Campus.
Now hanging proudly on the wall at main reception, it’s one of more than 50 beautiful portraits Graeme has produced at his home in Billericay.
Graeme rediscovered his love of painting during lockdown, as he explains: “My grandmother was a keen artist, and when she passed, she left me her paintbrushes and oil paints, which I kept for over 20 years stored in my loft.
“I’d forgotten all about the paints, until I went up in the loft during lockdown. I retrieved them and thought why not try painting again?”
Sadly, the oil paints were long past their sell by date, so Graeme ordered some acrylic paint and some canvasses online and picked up his grandmother’s brushes. Straight away he was hooked.
“I’d always loved painting as a teenager and I would have loved to have been a professional artist, but my parents insisted I pursue a more conventional career, so I chose engineering and I have worked for Ford for the past 26 years.
“The first portrait I did during lockdown was of Boris Johnson. When I picked up the brushes, it was almost like a watershed moment for me. Personally, I find painting is the perfect mechanism to de-stress. When I’m painting, I’m so absorbed I can lose track of time.”
Graeme specialises in a form of art called Spontaneous Realism. He painted Henry Ford’s portrait for an art competition hosted on @FordOnline back in 2022 and his dream is to enter Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year.
Other portraits he has painted include Mick Jagger, Marilyn Monroe, Donald Trump and Keith Richards. He also paints portraits of people and pets for commission, and he’s just started dabbling in sculptures, too.
You can follow him on Instagram at @graemeart.
