Katie Ponder has created 3 portraits for English Heritage.

Katie Ponder has been commissioned by English Heritage to create three portraits of the historic figures important to the Bury St. Edmunds Abbey. The brief was to create representations rather than accurate portraits, meaning Katie’s graphic stylised approach was perfectly suited to the job! The portraits are featured on information boards that are set up at different locations around the ruins of the abbey.

Using historical images of the three individuals; Abbot Samson, Eleanor of Castile and St Edmund, as a starting off point, Katie has beautifully translated depictions of each of these figures from statues and illuminated manuscripts into a contemporary illustrative approach. The difficulty was trying to keep the work stylised while reflecting the time period each figure lived in, but Katie’s choice of jewels like tones and primary’s inspired by medieval imagery help the portraits reflect the periods.