THE YOUNGEST ARTIST TO PAINT THE ROYAL FAMILY SINCE THE 17th CENTURY HAS COMPLETED ONE OF HIS GREATEST CHALLENGES TO DATE, THE OFFICIAL PORTRAIT OF HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. RUPERT ALEXANDER, WHO AT THE AGE OF 23 HAD PAINTED THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, ENJOYED THREE SITTINGS WITH THE QUEEN AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. NOW THE FRUITS OF HIS LABOR ARE SET TO BE UNVEILED AT THE ROYAL WARRANT HOLDERS ASSOCIATION IN LONDON. 'DURING THE SITTINGS I PAINTED IN OIL SKETCHES TO RECORD THE TONE AND COLOUR', ALEXANDER EXPLAINED. 'AND TO EXPERIMENT WITH VARIOUS GESTURES TO FIND WHAT BEST EXPRESSED THOSE ELEMENTS OF HER CHARACTER I WAS TRYING TO CAPTURE. I DECIDED TO LIMIT THE PORTRAIT TO HEAD AND SHOULDERS AS I WANTED TO FOCUS ON THE MORE HUMAN AND INTIMATE ASPECTS OF HER CHARACTER, RATHER THAN CLUTTERING THE PAINTING WITH THE FORMAL SYMBOLS OF HER PUBLIC ROLE.' THE ARTIST, NOW 35, STUDIED AT THE FLORENCE ACADEMY OF ARTS AND CHARLES CECIL STUDIOS, HAVING BEEN AWARDED A QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOLARSHIP TRUST SCHOLARSHIP {QEST} IN 1996. THE QUEEN DISCUSSED A NUMBER OF THINGS WITH ALEXANDER INCLUDING HIS GREAT-UNCLE, ALAN CAMPBELL-JOHNSON, WHO WAS PRESS ATTACHE TO EARL MOUNTBATTEN IN INDIA. 'WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE UNVEILING OF RUPERT'S PORTRAIT, AS THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THAT ANY OF US WILL HAVE SEEN THE WORK', SAID RICHARD PECK, SECRETARY OF THE ROYAL WARRANT HOLDERS ASSOCIATION, WHICH ENDOWS QEST. QEST WAS ENDOWED BY THE ROYAL WARRANT HOLDERS ASSOCIATION TO ADVANCE EDUCATION IN MODERN AND TRADITIONAL CRAFTS AND TRADES IN THE UK. SCHOLARSHIPS OF UP TO £15,000 ARE AWARDED TWICE A YEAR. SINCE 1991 THE TRUST HAD AWARDED MORE THE £1.4 MILLION TO 218 CRAFTSMEN AND WOMEN AGED BETWEEN 17 AND 50+ TO DEVELOP THEIR SKILLS THROUGH STUDY, TRAINING AND WORK EXPERIENCE.
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