"We're artists, this is all we do. This is our way of showing respect, to pay our tributes," said talented London-based artist duo Jignesh and Yash Patel.
Jignesh and Yash have created a life-size detailed portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on a two-storeyed building in Hounslow, west London. The mural is situated at a prominent site on Kingsley Road, in front of the Hounslow East tube station.
The British Indian artists hold five ‘Guinness World Records’ between them. Experts in many other forms of paintings, the duo had earlier made headlines for an excellent mural of artist Van Gogh, which now stands as a landmark in London. Last year, they made a world record by creating the largest bubble-wrap painting, which was created by filling 200,000 bubbles.
And as the world mourns the loss of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, working almost non-stop through the day and night, these artists have painted their hearts in remembrance of the Queen. They completed the giant mural within a few days.
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"It is a 10-metre by 8-metre painting done with exterior acrylic paints. It won't fade in the next ten years at least," assured Jignesh Patel.
The larger-than-life replica of Queen Elizabeth has been attracting passers-by, and the vivid representation of her kind eyes has invited the community to join in with the artists. Many could be seen trying their hand on the spray can or stopping to chat with the artists.
"From the community aspect, we've done this because we wanted to light up the street. We've done a couple of street murals before, and this is a brilliant way of beautifying the road.
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"The main inspiration behind the painting was to pay our tributes and condolences to the royal family. It's a sign of our gratitude and respect towards the Queen," said Yash.
"The composition of this artwork is done by Yash. Then we put it up on the wall using the grid, which took us nearly two hours. After that, we started the painting," explained Jignesh.
When asked if they're brothers, as they share the same surname, 19-years-old Yash replies wittily.
"I'm sure Jignesh would love to hear that, but he's actually a father figure to me," he said.
"Yash is a very talented artist. He's doing most of it. I'm only helping him," said the proud Guru in his turn.
Both Jignesh and Yash are born in the Indian state of Gujarat and have been living in the UK from a young age and are actively involved in several charity and community projects.
"This artwork will not only give tribute to the Queen but also is a piece of art that will be enjoyed by thousands of people across the UK for many years to come," said Hirdesh Gupta, who has come forward to support and organise this project with a Go Fund Me fundraising initiative.
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"These guys are very hardworking, and it's a very worthy cause. They spend day and night in several community projects, in the Swaminarayan Temple – they're a big inspiration to our community. On behalf of the Indian Diaspora in the UK group (IDUK), I can say we're immensely proud and inspired by these guys," added Gupta.
*Info: Mural; Jignesh & Yash Patel