A keen Strawberry Fields care home artist receives the Royal approval for her drawings
A keen artist at a care home has received a letter from the Queen in recognition of her drawings.
Hazel Johnson, of Strawberry Fields Nursing Home, Newark, was delighted to receive the Royal letter after sending her artwork to the Queen.
The 73-year-old Royal fanatic has loved art her whole life and has sent congratulatory letters and drawings to the Queen on nearly every significant occasion.
“Drawing helps me relax and calm down, so it is fantastic that I have been sent this letter from the Queen,” said Hazel.
“I have been waiting for the letter for a very long time and I even received a photo of herself and Prince Philip.”
Hazel worked at Grantham Hospital as a caterer in her early career but has always had a love for art — particularly drawing — since studying at school, only expressing what is in her mind without following a brief.
She said: “My parents told me to focus on art in school because I found maths hard to get my head around.
“I spent several hours completing the drawings for the Royals because I love the Queen so much and want to meet her.
“I wrote and congratulated the Dukes and Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex on their weddings and birth of their children and also sent them some colouring books.”
Hazel said drawing was an expressive outlet for her to enjoy when she was upset, helping her to relax and ground her thoughts.
“When I first started I had a lot of tension in my head, so now if something upsets me I decide to just focus on my drawing,” she said.
Also a collector of Royal memorabilia, Hazel searches for newspaper articles relating to the family and routinely watches out for anything on the television.
Hazel said she would continue to draw and send letters to the Queen in the hope of a Royal visit.
She said: “Drawing is my way of releasing tension, it means everything to me.”
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