Rotary’s work paints a beautiful picture
By Judith Diment
For Rotary International News - 21 April 2008
Rosa Branson recently completed the
Service above Self painting commissioned by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland.
A painting by British artist Rosa Branson, commissioned by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI), was unveiled 19 March by Baroness Helene Hayman, the Lord Speaker, in the River Room at the House of Lords.
The thematic work, entitled Service Above Self, depicts the many facets of Rotary’s humanitarian service, including the global campaign to eradicate polio and efforts addressing literacy, health, hunger, and water issues.
The 9-by-6-foot oil painting is Branson’s 15th charity work.
“On behalf of Rotarians, I would like to thank Rosa for this very generous gift of an extraordinary painting,” said Allan Jagger, president of RIBI, at the unveiling. “It will help raise awareness of the work of Rotary and will also help raise funds for The Rotary Foundation.”
Branson discovered Rotary’s work on a trip to Sierra Leone to visit the land-based operations of Mercy Ships, which is depicted in the painting and provides health care to port cities around the world. (Rotary clubs in Great Britain and Ireland helped raise more than £1 million [US$1.9 million] for the ophthalmic operating unit and the Rotary International Lounge of the new Africa Mercy ship.) Other charities represented are the Impact Foundation, which aims to prevent and alleviate disabilities; the Institute of Cancer Research; The Rotary Foundation; ShelterBox; Sightsavers, whose efforts to fight blindness in developing countries have been supported by Rotary for more than 25 years; and the Wheelchair Foundation.
A limited-edition print of the painting has been published for sale to benefit the Foundation.
Branson, who trained at the Slade School of Fine Art, has painted similar pieces for the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other organizations.
“I have always loved working on a big scale, and my training has enabled me to be able to paint anything,” she said. “My thematic paintings for charity allow me to blend contemporary, real issues with the techniques of the Renaissance painters. I feel I have found this amazing world, and each time I paint one charity painting, it leads to another.”
To purchase a print of Service Above Self, download the order form.