Artist's Tribute To Derek Draper

Shany Hagan is a single mum from Yorkshire who spends her time painting and donating her art to different charities.

After spending a lifetime with defective eyesight, she finally had eye surgery at the age of 51, and for the first time in her life, she wasn’t struggling to see. She was so grateful to the wonderful NHS for restoring her sight, and after recovering, she decided she wanted to give something back and try to raise some money. Shany wasn’t sure how she was going to do this until her son said she should start painting again. Having not picked up a paintbrush for 30 years, she gave it a go and started posting her work online.

A few weeks later, she was amazed to receive commissions from some of the biggest stars in the world. Nearly 3 years later, she has raised £300k by donating her artwork to charities in the UK and USA. Shany uses her artistic skills to help people, painting for the NHS, celebrities and their specific charities, film covers, and royal commissions.

Shany did the painting of Derek Draper and his wife Kate Garraway when Derek became so poorly suffering from COVID in March 2020. He has been living with COVID complications ever since. Shany thought the painting would be a reminder for Derek, as at the time he couldn't remember anything, and Shany was pleased to hear back from Kate, saying that she appreciated the gesture.