Colorado Springs artist behind now-removed Trump portrait says work was done without bias, criticism is threatening career

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs painter whose portrait of Donald Trump was removed from the Colorado State Capitol after the president said it had been "purposefully distorted" is now speaking out, saying that the criticism has put her four-decade career on the line.

In a statement published to a personal website, artist Sarah A. Boardman said that Trump's claims of intentional distortion called her "intentions, integrity, and abilities" into question – and have jeopardized her career.

"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," Boardman wrote.

Boardman's portrait of President Trump hung in the Colorado State Capitol for nearly six years – a period during which Boardman says she received "overwhelmingly positive reviews and feedback."

That was until January, when Trump voiced his displeasure with the painting in a social media post in which he described the picture as "truly the worst."

READ MORE: Portrait of President Trump will be removed from Colorado Capitol

"Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before," the post to Truth Social read in part.

He added a personal jab at Boardman, claiming that the artist "must have lost her talent as she got older."

The work was subsequently removed at the request of state Republicans.

In her statement, Boardman refutes Trump's claims of purposeful distortion, saying that her reference photo and subsequent works in progress were all approved by the Colorado State Capitol Advisory Committee before the final painting was completed.

"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 said.

Though Boardman said the president's attack of the painting has put her over 4-decade career in jeopardy, she did not detail exactly how her practice has been impacted by the controversy, writing that she "will not be commenting further."

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