A former choirboy, now a verger, of Blackburn Cathedral, Jack Aspinall, stands with the official portrait that he painted of the retiring Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Revd Julian Henderson. Mr Aspinall, who has no formal artistic training, asked whether he could “have a go” at painting the portrait — a tradition when a bishop retires. The Dean of Blackburn, the Very Revd Peter Howell Jones, said: “I wasn’t convinced, to be honest, especially as Jack told me he’d had no formal art lessons or training. But he persuaded us to let him paint the portrait with no strings attached, and no promise it would hang as the official portrait. A selection of Mr Aspinall’s other work is on display in the Temple Gallery until mid-October

Source: The Times October 09, 2023 14:23 UTC