Colorado artist denies trying to distort Trump in portrait

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A Colorado artist denies trying to distort Donald Trump's likeness in a portrait that hung until recently in the state Capitol and says the president's criticisms are hurting her business.

She also disputed that the work drew a lot of complaints before Trump weighed in.

Trump called the portrait by Colorado Springs painter Sarah Boardman “purposefully distorted” in a March 23 post on Truth Social. Trump added that Boardman “must have lost her talent as she got older” and posted that he preferred having no portrait in the Colorado Capitol to that one.

Legislative leaders announced the next day that they would take the portrait down. It was gone from a wall of past presidents' portraits the next morning, relegated to museum storage.

In an emailed statement Saturday, Boardman denied intentionally distorting Trump.

While Trump posted that “many people” from Colorado had complained about the portrait, Boardman wrote she “got overwhelmingly positive reviews and feedback” over the six years it hung in the Capitol.

That has changed for the worse since Trump's comments, Boardman wrote.

“President Trump is entitled to comment freely, as we all are, but the additional allegations that I ‘purposefully distorted' the portrait, and that I 'must have lost my talent as I got older' are now directly and negatively impacting my business of over 41 years which now is in danger of not recovering.”

A Colorado Capitol advisory committee commissioned the portrait, approved the reference photo for the portrait and approved her work in progress, Boardman wrote.

“I completed the portrait accurately, without ‘purposeful distortion,’ political bias, or any attempt to caricature the subject, actual or implied. I fulfilled the task per my contract,” Boardman wrote.

She would not be commenting further, Boardman concluded.

Boardman also painted the portraits of former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama in the state Capitol. Trump posted that Obama “looks wonderful” in his portrait but that his own painting — paid for with $10,000 raised by Colorado Republicans — is “truly the worst.”

Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Republican, has said that the Trump portrait should be replaced with one “that depicts his contemporary likeness.” The process of commissioning a replacement has not yet begun.