Pindy Kaur, owner of Monk Bretton's Ocean Fish Bar in Barnsley, has been honored with a portrait by artist Nicky Philipps, who has previously painted members of the British Royal Family. The portrait is part of Coca-Cola GB's Local Royalty campaign, which aims to recognize the impact of independent businesses on their communities.
Philipps, whose past subjects include Queen Elizabeth II, stated that the process of painting Kaur was "exactly the same" as painting royalty, with the "end goal" being to "capture something of the character." She described Kaur's work as "a hell of a lot more important than my job and she clearly does it really well."
Kaur, 56, has been a fixture in Barnsley since the early 2000s, building strong relationships with her customers. "Slowly, we made a friendship with the community and now everybody knows me and I know them," Kaur said. "I've watched their kids grow up and everything. It's just lovely to have that community around you."
Upon seeing the portrait, Kaur described it as "beautiful" and expressed disbelief, saying she "couldn't believe it." The portrait will be displayed at the Saatchi Gallery in London starting October 28th.
