Utah artist Arnold Friberg presented a portrait he painted of Queen Elizabeth II to the queen at a ceremony in Victoria, British Columbia, Thursday morning.
The private unveiling, held at the Government House where the queen is residing while in Victoria, was part of Thursday's opening of the Commonwealth Games in Victoria.Friberg, the queen and Canadian dignitaries were to gather for the unveiling of the portrait, titled "Elizabeth II Regina."
The portrait, approximately 5 feet tall and 8 feet wide, shows the queen astride her horse, Centennial, in a country setting. It was commissioned by "Friends of the Force," an organization founded to support the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in their civic endeavors.
Friberg's paintings celebrating the "Mounties" are well known, and he was chosen for the queen's portrait in 1988 after completing a similar life-size equestrian portrait of the Prince of Wales.
"Tomorrow we will begin a weeklong exhibit in Victoria with this original painting of Queen Elizabeth II as well as his works from the `Ten Commandments' and many of his Mountie paintings," said Amy Swartz, sales director for Friberg Fine Art Prints.
"Saturday there will be a day in the park for the Victorian public. The painting will be shown underneath a tent in Beacon Hill Park. The queen will be there at the park for tea, and this is when we will unveil the original painting to the public," Swartz said. "Right now it has only been seen by the queen," she told the Deseret News before Thursday's private ceremony.
"Elizabeth II Regina" is Friberg's first painting of the queen, but the queen's horse, a thoroughbred, was also used in Friberg's portrait of Prince Charles.
Friberg, who lives in Salt Lake City, spent two months at Buckingham Palace early last year while preparing, studying and working on the portrait. He and his wife, Heidi, lived in the palace during both of the artist's projects with the royal family.
"I was talking to Heidi last night. She said the queen is a normal person. (The Fribergs) always say she is very, very caring and friendly and a nice woman. They have enjoyed their time with her," Swartz said.
Friberg will bring the painting back to Salt Lake City for further work after it travels in exhibits in Canada and the United States. Then the painting will be sold, possibly by a Canadian dealer, Swartz said.
Friberg's paintings of Book of Mormon scenes are well known in the LDS Church community.
He is probably best known for his work with Cecil B. DeMille in the 1957 remake of the "Ten Commandments." Costumes and movie props were designed and built based on Friberg's 15 major paintings, 12 portraits and numerous sketches. His work earned him an Academy Award nomination for costume design and a lifetime membership in the Royal Society of Arts in London.