| By :
Martin Hofschroer
Rolf Harris is no stranger to painting famous faces and has committed Elvis Presley to canvas. Having already painted actual royalty, the Australian decided to paint the King of Rock and Roll in 2007 to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the singer's mysterious death in Memphis. The television personality was inspired to create the painting and release limited edition Rolf Harris prints after being told of the landmark by a friend who confessed to being a huge Elvis fan. He said: "I found out, to my amazement, that it would soon be thirty years since Elvis passed away and I thought that this remarkable man, on stage, in his trademark white jumpsuit, would make a wonderful painting." The resulting painting, covered by a blue hue, is entitled 'Blue Elvis' and features Presley in a typical Las Vegas era pose, which sees him punching the air while wearing a jumpsuit. In the 1970s Presley performed numerous shows at the brand new International Hotel in Las Vegas to constant sell out audiences and great critical acclaim in a period of time which was coined the 'come-back' era of his career. Newsweek said at the time: "There are several unbelievable things about Elvis, but the most incredible is his staying power in a world where meteoric careers fade like shooting stars." Russell from Fine Art Blog praised the picture and said that Rolf's painting displayed a variation in the artist's usual style. He said: "Personally I think 'Blue Elvis' reveals Rolf Harris's versatility as a painter and this is an outstanding figurative piece of work in its own right; the fact that it is a tribute to such a beloved icon makes it even more satisfying to me." Two years before creating 'Blue Elvis', Rolf had the honour of painting a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II which was commissioned to mark the monarch's 80th birthday and was broadcast on the BBC show Rolf on Art. Rolf followed in the footsteps of his grandfather by painting a reigning monarch as George Frederick Harris was responsible for creating a portrait of King George V while the royal was on a horse surveying a battlefield. Harris appears to have passed on his artistic abilities to his offspring as his daughter Bindi Harris has established an art career. Rolf told the Guardian: "I think she's become an artist in spite of me. She's been under my shadow all her life and now it's her turn to shine." Harris' wife Alwen is also an artist as the couple met at a south London art school in the 1950s.
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