Local artist Julia Everett-Wragg was so inspired by an action shot of Torrevieja swimmer Zoe Connelly that she decided to commit the image to a painting. She described the photo as ‘an inspiration’ and it was not too long before she set about committing it to canvas.
“I could see the effort required by Zoe in the butterfly stroke and I just had to capture the sheer determination on her face as she pulled herself through the water,” said Juevra, “so just a few weeks ago I set about my task, with the hopeful intention of perhaps, one day, actually meeting Zoe and presenting her with the picture, but I never realised that it would happen quite so quickly.”
Just last week, with the painting now complete, Juevra made contact with the Leader in the hope that they could help her to meet up with Zoe with the intention of presenting the finished work to the young swimmer. The email was passed to Zoe’s mother who responded the very next day.
“Zoe was absolutely delighted,” said Vicki, who incidentally was responsible for taking the initial photograph. “I showed the email to Zoe and she was so excited. She would love to accept the painting and be really pleased to meet with the artist.”
And so, within just a couple of days, arrangements were made for a meeting at Torrevieja Swimming Pool, the home of Zoe’s parent club, Club Natacion Torrevieja.
The pair met last Tuesday evening, along with mother Vicki, when the presentation was made. Vicki was quite obviously delighted as indeed was the artist Juevra. “I was so pleased to see the show of genuine appreciation from Zoe, it was such a thrill to hand over the painting to her.”
Juevra explained that she only took up painting fairly recently whilst on a cruise that offered 12 free art classes on sea days. Before the end of the cruise she had painted 5 watercolour pictures which were exhibited on the final day. She then joined the U3A painting course on her return to Torrevieja.
Now having changed to acrylic, Juevra only paints images that inspire her, recent works including a Spanish flamenco dancer, a Spanish friend’s children, a portrait of her husband, a landscape in Peniscola and of course an action painting of 13 year old Zoe.
Later that evening the painting was shown to all the club swimmers, many now wanting a painting of their own.
But with it now safely hanging in ‘pride of place’ on her bedroom wall Zoe will get back to the real business of competing and with her eyes firmly set on the Spanish National Summer Championships to be held later the year in Barcelona, for which she has already qualified, this young Torrevieja swimmer might be equally inspired every time she looks up at the painting hanging above her head.
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