Wanessa Bąkowska loves painting and everything royal. Thus, she decided to send the Queen one of her works and was left surprised when the Queen actually replied to her.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on September 23, 2021. It has since been updated.
A 12-year-old from Poland has been channeling her sensitivity through her artwork. Ever since being adopted, Wanessa Bąkowska began using paints to express herself on a canvas. The Lipka resident, who has Down syndrome, is fascinated by anything royal and thus she recently decided to create a painting exclusively for Queen Elizabeth II. Before sending the painting to the palace, she wrote a beautiful letter addressed to her Majesty, with the help of her tutor who translated it to English. Next, she posted pictures of this note and revealed that she had sent this along with her painting.
"I like breaking stereotypes and I like to pretend to myself that the impossible doesn’t exist… Although in real life I will not have such an opportunity, I visited the royal court through a letter I wrote to Queen Elizabeth… Beloved dreams are there to make them come true, even if they seem unreal," read the caption of the post, according to Good News Network. As for the letter, it read, "Your Majesty, my name is Wanessa and I am 12 years old. I live in Poland, in the small town of Lipka. I have wonderful teachers and many friends. I have mum Karolina, dad Rafał, brother Alan, and sister Nutka. I love them very much."
"I am a person with a disability and Down Syndrome. Nevertheless, I paint pictures. I would like to give you one of them, Your Majesty. The title of this painting is ‘Earth’. Greetings from Poland," continued the note. Although the sixth-grader hoped that the Queen would see her work, little did she expect to receive a response from her. But the "unreal" happened on September 6, nearly a month after the painting was sent, the family found a reply from the royal court sitting in their mailbox. Through dictated assistance, the Queen expressed just how "touched" she was and with the effort, Bąkowska had put into the painting. Describing the painting as "splendid," the Queen said she was thankful for the 12-year-old's "thoughtfulness for taking the time to write."
Finally, her Majesty wished the young girl success in the future. Understandably, Bąkowska was "over the moon," according to Express.co.uk. A picture of the official response was uploaded on her Facebook with the caption, "Dreams are made to be fulfilled. Today I got a reply to my letter from Queen Elizabeth." Speaking to the Polish news outlet, Fakt, mother Karolina said, "We didn’t expect an answer. Nobody was set on it." She added, "Regardless of whether the lady of the court responded to it on behalf of the queen, or someone else, it was a huge surprise for us, and above all for Wanessa." Bąkowska's mother is extremely supportive of her work as she constantly shares the youngster's work on social media through Pictures Painted With Heart (Obrazy malowane sercem).
The page, which was established in May 2019, says it displays, "Pictures painted by a disabled girl with Down syndrome who poured her inner beauty and sensitivity onto the canvas." Here, you can see details on how little Bąkowska uses everyday objects like cups, plastic, balloons, plastic wrap, and beads, to move the paint in unique and ethereal ways. Every week, the youngster creates new works, which are exceptionally beautiful and complex. Per reports, the Labirynt Gallery in Pila hosted even hosted an exhibition of her amazing works and one of them was even shown in the National Theatre in Warsaw in 2020.
References:
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/polish-artist-with-down-syndrome-gets-note-from-queen/
Cover image source: Facebook | Obrazy malowane sercem (L) Facebook | Wanesska i jej bonusik -Zespół Downa (R)
