Teen Lockdown Artist to Exhibit at Royal Academy of Arts
Source: BBC News
A teenager who took up painting during lockdown is to display her work at a prestigious art gallery in London. When schools closed in March 2020, Makenzy Beard, 14, from Swansea started painting on canvasses in her garden shed.
A portrait of her neighbour, Gower farmer, John Tucker, will go on display at the Young Artists’ Summer Show during July and August at the Royal Academy of Arts.
Makenzy, a pupil at Bishopston Comprehensive School, said: “I had some free time on my hands and my mum used to love to paint so we had paints and canvasses and brushes. I thought ‘why not give it a try’ and it escalated from there…I’ve always loved creative things but up until that point that was my first time painting portraits.”
After seeing the response to her work being shared publicly online, Makenzy said: “It’s a bit overwhelming to be honest because I’ve never been someone who has had much contact with social media. “But seeing people from all over the world commenting on it and talking about the light, the tones, and the texture, is just really wonderful for me.”
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