FACES OF A CRISIS
On 4 April, Tom Croft posted a short, two-minute video on his Instagram account that would change his life. In the clip to camera, the acclaimed Oxford-based portrait artist was offering to paint a free portrait of the first NHS frontline worker to respond.
Given Tom often paints rock stars, TV presenters and world-class footballers, this was something of a coup. “In days gone by, portraits were a real status symbol and a sign that you’d really achieved something in your life, and it occurs to me that the real heroes of today are obviously working on the frontline of the NHS at the moment,” he reasoned. He added the #portraitsfornhsheroes hashtag and also tagged a number of leading artists to suggest they offer the same.
Tom’s offer was soon accepted by Harriet Durkin, a nurse at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Then the idea began to take off. Over the next
