[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 791

[Garry D Krischock]

1. 1499: Rotary's work paints a beautiful picture 

Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:57 am (PDT)



Rotary's work paints a beautiful picture


By Judith Diment 

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."

Source: Rotary International News
Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary
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