A PORTRAIT to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday has been unveiled by an artist in Olveston.

The painting of Her Majesty on a first class stamp was created by Angus Macaskill, who is displaying the piece on the gates of his home in the village to mark the special occasion.

Mr Macaskill, 66, a retired businessman turned painter, has created portraits of Her Majesty on a number of occasions, with one piece even being kept in the royal archives.

“I am not really sure how the idea for the postage stamp came to me, but the more I worked on it, the more I was pleased with my choice,” said Mr Macaskill.

“I wanted something that was not too big, but which concentrated on the Queen and was different from my past work.

“It was fascinating painting the image taken from the postage stamp.

“I was seriously struck by the skill and finesse of the artistry that went into the original design - a truly wonderful masterpiece in its own right, which demands close study under a magnifying glass.

“I am quite a quick worker when I get down to it and only took four or five hours to create the piece. Frankly I could have spent much, much longer on it.”

Alongside the new painting on the gate, hangs a previous portrait of the Queen which contains an optical illusion, given the picture does not have a real frame.

“It has a mock-frame created as an illusion in paint. This has caused many people who see the original to have a double-take, and very often have a chuckle when they suddenly realise it is not as it seems.

”The Queen was the subject of my very first gate painting, I tend to leave the paintings up on the gate for a couple of weeks, but I am sure I will be painting her again!”

The portrait will be kept on the gate in Vicarage Lane, Olveston until the start of the Severn Vale Arts Trail, when it will be moved to Olveston Parish Church to go on display with a number of other pieces painted by Mr Macaskill and other artists.