Cheshire-based artist Paulette Farrell’s recent artwork of India’s women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur made us relive the magic that comes alive in the cricketer’s sheer passion for the game
India and Mumbai Indians women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur
The perfect cover drive; a neat in-swinging yorker; a pull shot that the batsman balances on one leg — each movement concise and deliberated upon to produce an enticing result. For fans of cricket, the above sentences would act like a time-vortex with their minds recalling their favourite highlights. For those in need of some visual assistance, artist Paulette Farrell’s work might be the perfect place to start.
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A self-taught artist, Farrell’s journey has taken her from her studio to International Cricket Council (ICC) galleries. In 2020, her portrait of commentator Mark Church playing cricket in the garden won the ICC art tournament. Other works such as her portraits of English cricketers Jofra Archer and Harry Brooks have entered the personal collections of both cricketers. “I have always been attracted to drawing and capturing the human figure and portrait. I find it endlessly challenging and am fascinated with how difficult it is,” she tells us via an international email from her hometown.
Sophie Ecclestone. Pics Courtesy/Paulette Farrell
While she does not categorise herself specifically as an artist of cricket (her gallery includes quite the repository of football too, from Trent Alexander Arnold and Jack Grealish to Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp), the Cheshire-resident admits her love affair with the sport began in the late ’90s. “I have been a cricket fan for about 30 years, having watched my first cricket match at the Ashes tour in Adelaide. When I started to take up art, it [cricket] seemed the natural thing to draw.”
Farrell’s works range from international to domestic tourneys. One of her latest work is a tribute to the recently concluded first-ever Women’s Premier League won by Mumbai Indians. It captures India’s women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur in her Mumbai Indians gear. “She [Kaur] played for Lancashire Thunder and I watched her play live, which is why I wanted to paint her.”
England cricket team and Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Harry Brooks with his portrait
She might not be an ardent fan of the T20 game, but Farrell says, “I’ve been following women’s cricket for a long time. It has suddenly leapt forwards in the last few years. While I do prefer One Day Internationals and Test cricket, but I did watch this IPL to see how it will evolve.”
Talking about her portraits, Farrell explains, “The pose is more important to me than who it actually is. I enjoy capturing the potential energy of the situation, so just before the ball is bowled or just as the batter is about to hit the ball. There’s something electric about those moments,” she says. Given a choice though, she’d prefer the bowlers. “I do prefer to paint bowlers because there’s less equipment to paint and I like the complicated poses they create,” says the artist.
Paulette Farrell
Farrell began sketching while accompanying her children on their cricket matches. “All my children played cricket, so to help fill the time while watching matches I started to bring a sketchbook with me,” the 54-year-old Lancashire fan shares. It took her 10 years of drawing with charcoal, before she could find her way to painting figures. She remarks, “I spent many years watching YouTube videos, taking courses and reading books; just learning how to draw figures and get their likeness.” A collector’s favourite, she admits that the demand often defines her choice of subjects. Her current challenge is the series, Legends of Cricket — portraits of cricketers she has not seen in action. “These are cricketers who I haven’t seen play in a lot of cases, so it’s fun to research and watch old footage and work out their signature shots or bowling action,” she says.
While it fascinates our cricket-mad mind, her work is not all about cricket. “My drawings and paintings are influenced by my life and surroundings. What connects them are moments. They represent a wish to extend those moments, to make them eternal and never lose them,” she writes. You cannot argue with that mission.
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