Queen Elizabeth II mural: 'I wanted to do something positive amid sadness'

Street artist Dan Kitchener painted a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in West Street, Rochford

A street artist said he "felt compelled" to create a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

Dan Kitchener said he painted a portrait of the Queen in Rochford, Essex, because he wanted "to do something positive" after her death.

The 47-year-old said he "felt quite emotional" while creating the piece.

Mr Kitchener said he was "shocked" by the reaction to the portrait, with a post on Facebook receiving thousands of reactions.

The artist was in his studio when he heard the news about the Queen's death.

"I was just shocked," he said. "My friend was there and we just stopped what we were doing.

"When I woke up I saw this image of the Queen and just something about it - the black and white and the sparkle in her eye - it just moved me.

"So I thought I had to paint it, so I shoved everything I had to do aside as I thought this was more important. I felt this was what I needed to be doing."

Mr Kitchener said he was drawn to a particular image of the Queen that he saw being shared online

Mr Kitchener said lots of people stopped as he was painting the portrait on West Street, which he was given permission to do.

"Rochford has quite an elderly population and a lot of people stopped who wouldn't normally engage with street art," he said.

"One lady, who's 90, stopped me and held my hand and kissed me on top of my head."

It took the artist, who has painted murals around the world, about two-and-a-half hours to complete.

"It was strange," he said. "I'm up on my ladder and I'm looking at her eyes and it made me feel quite emotional. There was something quite magical about it."

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