I imagine John Blanke as a maverick.   A spark in the court, a musical experimenter, respected and cherished amongst his tight coterie of peers.  He’d be a loyal, funny, mischievous friend.   A persuasive negotiator,  he would have enjoyed and shared the fruits of his labours.   A courageous and resilient human being, who knew how to see where he had landed,  literally, and use his wits, charm and talent to make a successful life as a member of King Henry’s household.   I like to imagine he had kids;  over the past six years I’ve been creating a series of paintings of black Elizabethans in various groupings and settings.  Any one of my powerful, dignified, elegant young characters could be a child of John Blanke.

Siobhan Stanley
Artist