Milan Hood and mother Caroline with Shrek painting by St Paul's Collegiate School

Milan Hood unveils Shrek painting

After assisting Gary Schofield (Hall 1970-1974) with a painting of Shrek back in 2018, Housemaster Matt Holdgate insisted 2021 was the year Milan Hood (Year 13) should begin creating his own masterpiece for Williams House. The brief was simple, create something iconic to Williams House featuring Shrek, the house mascot. 

Milan has been working on the painting over the past 11 months, during lockdowns, school holidays, and exeat weekends. Due to its 2.4m scale and the challenges of moving the piece indoors, Milan's painting days were limited to the outdoors on fine days. When the summer heat became unbearable, issues emerged with the paint drying too quickly. After finding a way to manoeuvre the painting indoors, the only suitable workspace was his mother's dining room table.

For the following four months, the painting occupied the dining room before its completion in March 2022. Milan unveiled the artwork positioned in the kitchen at Williams House on Tuesday 29 March. Thank you, Milan. Students will enjoy this piece for generations!