THE ART OF HAPPINESS

After not one, but two devastating family traumas, artist Georgea Blakey - whose famous subjects include the King - is counting her blessings in stunning surroundings

- INTERVIEW: DANIELLE LAWLER

Equine artist Georgea Blakey has led a life as colourful as her art. Having enjoyed a varied career that has seen her pivot from singing in a Los Angeles rock band to painting the King, she has also navigated some distressing events in her immediate family.

While grieving her father George’s sudden death in 2013, she discovered that the banker had another, secret family. Just months later, she was hit with another devastating blow when her two-year-old daughter Romy was diagnosed with childhood cancer.

One such bump in the road would be enough to derail anyone. But with Romy now a strong and healthy 14-year-old, and after the passing of time since the bombshell moment she received a call to say she had another family, the 52-year-old is sanguine about her experiences.

“I'm not angry about anything at all,” says Georgea, who did briefly connect with her new family, although they are no longer in contact.

She relates life’s complications to the collage-style pieces she creates for the likes of Viscount Cowdray and the Sultan of Pahang, made from materials ranging from mother of pearl to strips of newspaper and even whisky wrappers.

“I always know there are many layers to a story, and that is the tapestry of the story that we weave,” she says. “On the surface, everything looks fabulous, but no one knows what is going on. I think this is the reason I work in the way I do, because I’ve had a challenging family life, and I like to dig beneath the surface.”

It is a gift that the former art scholar at West London's St Paul’s Girls School is keen to share with others – and is why HELLO! is meeting her for this exclusive shoot at the Orangery on the Broadlands Estate in Romsey, Hampshire.