Key Takeaways:

• Artist Sarah Boardman defends her Trump portrait after it was criticized and subsequently removed from the Colorado Capitol.
• Trump described the portrait as “purposefully distorted,” which Boardman disputes, citing her over 41 years of experience.
• Boardman claims Trump's comments have harmed her business, despite prior positive feedback on her work.

Artist Sarah Boardman, whose official portrait of former President Donald Trump was recently taken down from the Colorado State Capitol, is speaking out against criticisms made by Trump, which she asserts have negatively affected her long-standing business. In a post on March 23 on Truth Social, Trump labeled Boardman's portrait as "truly the worst," leading to the immediate removal of the painting from its place in the Capitol the very next day.

Boardman, a seasoned artist based in Colorado Springs, has painted portraits of past presidents including Barack Obama and George W. Bush. She stated that Trump's remarks about her work, which he claimed was "purposefully distorted," were not only unfounded but also detrimental to her reputation and livelihood. "President Trump is entitled to comment freely ... but those allegations are now directly and negatively impacting my business of over 41 years which now is in danger of not recovering," she said in her defense.

Although Trump claimed that "many people" from Colorado had voiced complaints about the portrait, Boardman refutes this, asserting that during its six years hanging in the Capitol, she received "overwhelmingly positive reviews and feedback.” She emphatically denied any intent to distort the portrait, stating that it was created without political bias and fulfilled her contractual obligations set forth by the Colorado Capitol Advisory Committee, which commissioned the painting and monitored its progress.

The Colorado Senate Minority Leader, Paul Lundeen, has suggested replacing the removed portrait with one that reflects a "contemporary likeness" of Trump, although no plans for a new commission have been made public yet. The controversy surrounding Boardman's portrayal has not only led to the painting's removal but has also raised broader questions about artistic expression and presidential image in the public realm. As Boardman stated, "I completed the portrait accurately, without ‘purposeful distortion,’ political bias, or any attempt to caricature the subject.”

For further information, visit BBC, India Times, Newsweek, NPR, and HuffPost.