JFK on “Inside Central Station”

I was thrilled to see my portrait of John F. Kennedy broadcast on “Inside Central Station”, Episode 3 on BBC Scotland.

Part of this episode focused on the history of the iconic Grand Central Hotel located within the station which has played host to many famous faces over the years.

Last year I participated in a portrait competition hosted by The Herald newspaper and submitted my portrait of John F. Kennedy.

The brief was to paint a famous face who visited or stayed at the Grand Central Hotel. Kennedy visited the hotel in 1939 when his father was Ambassador of the USA in the UK. He was 22 during the outbreak of WWII and apparently gave one of his first public speeches in Glasgow. I discovered he was plagued by health problems throughout his life including Addison’s Disease, Colitis and osteoporosis. He underwent multiple spinal surgeries leaving him with chronic pain and was one of the first group patients to take steroids for his Addison’s (through subcutaneous pellets!). Born into privilege the first Catholic US President has fascinated me since learning about the Cold War at school with events in his Presidency including the Bay of Pigs Incident, the Cuba Missile Crisis and the emerging Civil Rights movement. He was a deeply flawed individual who was a prolific womaniser and also dependent on opioids in later life.

JFK. 2019. Oil on canvas

Following in his footsteps in Boston and Berlin, Kennedy remains one of the most interesting people in history for me and using a Time Magazine photo I was able to paint this portrait.

When the world returns when the pandemic has settled I cannot wait to return to this hotel to see the painting once more.