An Angus artist’s original painting of legendary Formula One racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart at the 1969 German Grand Prix has sold at auction for more than £5,000.
The oil painting, by Kirriemuir’s Jonathan Mitchell to raise awareness of Dyslexia Scotland, was knocked down for £5,175 after going under the hammer at the prestigious Goodwood Revival motorsport event.
Created using Sir Jackie’s favourite photograph, the picture shows his Matra MS80 with all four wheels off the ground during the race at the fearsome circuit, known as the ‘green hell’ among drivers of the era.
Triple world champion Sir Jackie, who is dyslexic, is a lifelong supporter and president of Dyslexia Scotland and the charity will benefit further from sales of a print of the artwork now available in Angus.
Jonathan said: “I’m very flattered that the auctioning of the painting went so well and I’m very pleased to have been of some small assistance to Dyslexia Scotland and the important work that they do.
“I’m hoping that the prints derived from the original painting will generate some useful funds for the charity in the months and years ahead.”
Sir Jackie said after the Bonhams auction: “I think it was a very good price.
“The artist did this with the idea of raising money for Dyslexia Scotland. It will help a lot of young children and a lot of prisoners we work with.”
Formula One racing enthusiasts who missed out on the original painting can still be the proud owners of a limited edition print.
A first edition of 500 prints has been produced, each signed by Jonathan and Sir Jackie.
The print can be purchased from Canvas Art in Forfar for £250, a significant proportion of which will go to Dyslexia Scotland.
John Richardson, of Canvas Art, said: “Jonathan Mitchell is a great local artist with a high profile in the area. We print and publish some of his artwork so we wanted to help by producing the print for Dyslexia Scotland.”
The charity is looking for galleries to assist in the sale and distribution of the print.