AN ARTIST mourning the loss of the Queen has painted a striking mural of Her Majesty on the side of a building after he felt “compelled” to recreate an image of her.

Essex-based artist Dan Kitchener, also known as Dank, worked on his masterpiece in West Street, Rochford, on Friday after coming across a photo of the Queen on social media.

The black-and-white mural has been set up opposite the Women Institute Hall, and depicts the Queen during her early days on the throne.

Mr Kitchener said: “I remember I was in the studio in the evening when I heard the news, and I was at first in shock, then disbelief and then stunned.”

“Then when I woke up in the morning, I was browsing social media and came across this picture of Her Majesty, and she just had this sort of radiance, she looked angelic and radiated this energy.

“That’s what I wanted to capture with this artwork.

“I didn’t want to depict as she was near the end of her reign, but as when she first became Queen. She was only 25.”

He added: “I opted for a smaller canvas as opposed to something larger, because I think it’s more intimate and people will be able to walk past it and feel that energy she had.”

Mr Kitchener says he has created a number of murals around the world, including one of Prince Albert II of Monaco.

He is hopeful his latest masterpiece will resonate with residents and visitors to Rochford.

“I did this mural for myself, but when I was doing it, an elderly woman came up to me and gave me a kiss on the head and thanked me,” he said.

“She was 90, so she had been through the war and seen the Queen’s coronation.”

Mr Kitchener admits he doesn’t really know what the future of the UK will look like following the death of the Queen, and says he, like many others, is still coming to terms with her loss.

He added: “I can’t really put into words how I feel, like you said it feels surreal and I still can’t quite believe it.”