An artist from Welwyn Garden City has found a unique way to raise money for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, by selling a portrait of Vladimir Putin made out of dog poo.
Dominic Murphy is used to painting Alice in Wonderland scenes, but with the help of dog Sybil, he decided to make a statement against Putin and Russia’s aggression against their neighbours.
“I didn’t want to do anything wishy-washy like doves, I wanted to do something to insult Putin and still raise money for Ukraine,” he told the Welwyn Hatfield Times.
“So, I did a portrait of Putin using dog s***.
“I mixed it with mud then varnished the whole thing about 30 times so you can’t smell it.
“It’s niche and it’s quite the statement, but I really liked the idea of being able to insult him while raising money for the people of Ukraine.
“I’ve had a pretty good reaction to it because people can see it’s funny but quite poignant.”
Dominic has raised £500 so far after selling the original painting and prints of ‘Poo-tin's a S***’ at Hatfield Market, but he hopes increase that total before making a donation to UNICEF.
“I am donating 50 per cent of the money made to charity, and I’ve raised £500 so far in total, but hopefully that will go up,” he said.
“I managed to sell the original for £150, so someone actually paid for a dog s*** painting.
“I did the market stall but it was such a terrible day with wind and rain, so there weren’t many people around.
“Surprisingly, I had one or two people who actually support Putin so it’s safe to say they didn’t buy my work.”
A feeling of helplessness about the situation in Ukraine inspired Dominic to help out, continuing: “It’s coming close to home for me.
“I’m watching from a distance on TV, but I’m seeing people who have been shot dead and they look like me. If this escalates that could be me.
Unless people act now to sort it out, we could be in big trouble.
“There’s a feeling of helplessness, so I had a think about what I could do to help and that was paint.
“This feels like your next-door neighbours being attacked and something had to be done.”
To buy a print of ‘Poo-tin’s a S***’, visit www.dominicmurphyart.co.uk/product-page/art-print-to-help-support-the-people-of-ukraine.
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