Sir Garry lauds young painter for ‘amazing’ portrait
Published: Guardian
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Cricket legend and Barbados national hero Sir Garry Sobers poses with Barbadian artist Jeena Chatrani in front of the painting.
BRIDGETOWN—Cricket legend Sir Garfield Sobers has described as “simply amazing†a painting of him which was sold on auction and now being displayed at the Cricket Legends of Barbados headquarters, just outside historic Kensington Oval.
The five-by-five-foot piece is a facial expression of the cricketing great as he wears a straw hat and sports designer sunglasses. It is called Sir Garry On the Green and is a tribute to his second sporting love—golf. It was painted by Barbadian artist Jeena Chatrani who did it using knives instead of paint brushes.
“I love it! It’s a superb piece of work and I want to congratulate Jeena for doing such a fantastic job. She is a very talented young lady and she is very disciplined and professional. Her work is very good,†Sir Garry said.
“I did not even know she was doing a painting of me. I did not even have to pose for it. She saw a picture and took it from there. When I saw the final work I was very impressed.
“It goes to show we have some very talented people here in various endeavours and they need the encouragement to go out there and fulfill their dreams.â€
The piece was unveiled by Sir Garry and Chatrani on Thursday during a brief ceremony. Also present were former Barbados and West Indies legends Sir Wes Hall, Desmond Haynes and Charlie Griffith. Chatrani noted: “He’s turning 80 this year and he’s our National Hero, the only living National Hero, so this was my tribute to him.
“Everyone knows Sir Garry from his days as one of the greatest cricketers of all time … and the people who know him from golf know him with his hat, his shades and that smile. So I figured I’d try to capture that in one.â€
Sir Garry, a former West Indies captain, is widely considered the greatest all-rounder cricketer to have played the game. He scored 8,032 runs from 93 Tests at an amazing average of 57, took 235 wickets and claimed over a hundred catches.
www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2016-02-07/sir-...ng%E2%80%99-portrait
