R&S Pride JAN 222.qxp 24/11/2020 13:45 Page 29
PORTRAITS FOR NHS HEROES
A PICTURE of
HEROISM
If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that heroes working in the NHS are constantly under pressure to deliver world class healthcare and compassion often under extreme circumstances. Artist Tom Croft was acutely aware of the fact, and launched the Portraits for NHS Heroes campaign. Rutland artist Tina Firkins was one of thousands who responded… Words: Rob Davis.
IT’S DIFFICULT TO FIND any joy in the difficulties that 2020 presented, but if there’s a a single glimmer of positivity to come out of a disruptive year, it’s the renewed appreciation that the country has for the NHS. Often, when we consider or discuss the NHS, its as a single entity. But the NHS is not an entity in and of itself, but rather a complex, sprawling organisation with, at its extremities, hard-working people. That’s why, in March 2020, artist Tom Croft appealed to fellow artists to create portraits of NHS heroes amid Covid to show the faces behind the fight. One of those artists was Rutland and Stamford’s Tina Firkins, whose gratitude for the hard work of individuals in the NHS led her back to a long-time family friend who was delighted to have her portrait painted as part of the project. What Tina did not realise, though, is that the portraits would later be added to a coffee table book comprising 350 images of NHS keyworkers. “I was raised in Sussex and schooled in Brighton, then at Worthing Art College,” says Tina, speaking from her Rutland home. “Having studied Theatre Design I spent a decade working in regional theatre, as well as London, including productions for the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House.” “Generally I’d paint theatre backdrops using theatre emulsion which is flatter and has higher pigmentation to ensure bold colours under stage lighting. The largest backdrop I created was about 25 metres wide. It was for the stage production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and featured black and white images of culturally significant women – Marilyn Monroe; Judy Garland; Billie Holliday.” “We relocated from Sussex in the late 1990s when I became the artist in residence for Northampton’s Royal Theatre and my husband Gary worked as a journalist for EMAP in Peterborough. We moved first to Broughton and then to Stamford which was a convenient commute from both locations.” “We moved to Stamford in 2002 and enjoyed 16 happy years there, meeting Becca Burney, whose portrait I would paint for the Portraits for NHS Heroes project and eventually for the book.” >> Main: Tina Firkins is one of a number of artists who have contributed to creating portraiture of NHS keyworkers for an online exhibition and a new book.
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