The artist who painted a portrait of President Donald Trump for the Colorado State Capitol said that reviews of her work have “changed for the worst” since Trump accused her of distorting his image and that her livelihood is “in danger of not recovering.”
Sarah Boardman said in a statement Saturday that the portrait she was commissioned for in 2019 was approved throughout her artistic process by the Colorado State Capitol Advisory Committee. In the six years it had hung in Denver, Boardman insisted she’d gotten “overwhelmingly” positive feedback it.
That changed after Trump demanded on Truth Social that the portrait be taken down on March 23, insisting his likeness “was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before.”
The portrait was removed the next day and placed in storage after Republican leadership requested that it be taken down, a spokesperson for Colorado House Democrats said.
Boardman denied the allegation, saying the work was completed without “political bias, or any attempt to caricature the subject, actual or implied.”
“President Trump is entitled to comment freely, as we all are, but the additional allegations that I ‘purposefully distorted’ the portrait, and that I ‘must have lost my talent as I got older’ are now directly and negatively impacting my business of over 41 years which now is in danger of not recovering,” she said.
According to her website, Boardman was born in England and traveled the world through her travel business until she ultimately studied art in Germany.
She was chosen to paint the portrait of former President Barack Obama for the Colorado Capitol. Boardman painted him again in 2012 when she was privately commissioned for portraits of Obama and former President George W. Bush as part of a wider presidential series, her website said.
Boardman’s family said Bush wrote her a letter thanking her for his portrait. Her family and friends described her as remaining “gracious” despite the divisive attention directed toward her in recent days.
Her sister-in-law, Sandi Bartels, said Boardman is “absolutely amazing.”
“We all know Trump. We all know how he talks,” Bartels said. “Maybe he’ll regret at some point having said that.”
She added that artists are aware that “there are going to be things that people might not like.”
“I can’t imagine her letting something like this get her down and say, ‘I’ll never paint again,'” Bartels said.
Boardman’s niece, Elizabeth Paris, said her loved ones rallied around her on social media, some changing their cover photos to the portrait of Trump.
“Great art elicits emotion. It’s obviously done its job. Hats off to you, my dear auntie,” Paris said she wrote on Facebook after the fallout.
Paris said despite that Trump’s comments, many in their family supported him when he took office for his second term. The unexpected attack on Boardman’s abilities caught them off guard.
But “she’s a strong woman,” Paris said of her aunt.
“She’ll probably soar with this,” Paris said. “She doesn’t have thin skin.”