On a rather misty chilly morning at the first Bucks London 2012 conference at Green Park Conference Centre, Aston Clinton, I was to be found warming up in the courtyard preparing to create a live painting of Seb Coe engaging in a practice session at Wheelchair Basketball with Haj Bhania, GB Junior Wheelchair Basketball Team coach; Clare Strange and Matt Sealy, members of the GB Wheelchair Basketball team; and Matt Stewart, young Wheelchair Basketball athlete and London 2012 hopeful, from Noadswood School, Hampshire; watched on by the conference delegates. So no pressure, I suppose!
I have recently been collaborating with Paralympian Clare Strange on an Arts/Sport project at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, so I was very relieved to be drawing someone I knew. It helped to calm my nerves.
But any worries of course were short-lived. A quick chat with Seb to introduce him to my work left me raring to go, and he was now the one looking slightly anxious as he was ushered into a sports wheelchair, realising that I was about to artistically capture him convincing the now excited expectant crowd that he is still a great sportsman. Well, he is. And a great sport. 
My pencil danced across the paper mirroring the action in front of me, and a delighted audience looked on as the athletes showed off their skills, spinning in their wheelchairs shooting at the net and showing Seb the rules of the game.
And yes, once a sportsman always a sportsman, and for a moment I was distracted too from my painting as the crowd held their breath, and waited to see if the ball that he had just aimed at the net went in. A huge cheer went up and a smile spread across Seb’s, and I hoped that some of the magical sporting spirit would translate into the painting too. 
An hour later I presented Seb with the finished artwork. He turned and shared the painting with the audience. Another cheer. And this time a smile spread across my face. I was thrilled that I had been given this special commission and excited that I too am playing a role in the preparations for London 2012.
