Beautiful rainbow images created by Broadstairs gallery owner and artist Karen King are raising funds for the NHS.
Karen has been producing colourful original paintings and greetings cards which people can buy online with part of the profits going to NHS charities.
The New Kent Art Gallery was forced to shut last month in line with the government restrictions aimed at flattening the spread of coronavirus and has had to adapt to a new way of engaging with its customers and artists.
Karen said: “I began by offering virtual tours of our exhibition and showing snippets of my paintings. After I posted a watercolour rainbow painting with the words ‘somewhere over the rainbow, dreams really do come true’ one evening on my Instagram and Facebook accounts.
“I had several requests to buy one. I decided to offer 25% of the sales to the NHS. The same thing happened with some greeting card designs and plates that followed and now I am busy making and posting orders to people across Thanet and the UK.
“The response has been overwhelming and I would like to thank everyone for their support at this difficult time.”
The rainbow series has now raised more than £125 for the NHS and is rising every day.
Karen says she would like to donate all the profits to the NHS but has been unable to access the government’s grants aimed at keeping businesses afloat while trade is disrupted, or stopped completely, due to the pandemic.
Karen said: “I would love to raise even more by offering 100% of the profits to the fund but I am not eligible for a small business grant and this is the only way I can keep the gallery viable during this crisis.
“Hopefully any money I do raise can be added to Colonel Tom Moore’s unbelievable total and give someone a colourful memento of this very peculiar time in our lives to keep forever.”
To order online from Karen email [email protected] or message her via Facebook or Instagram.