Sponsored by: Crisis Skylight


Artist captures the spirit of city’s business leaders


By Jessica Brookes


A leading manufacturer in Birmingham has their very own “artist in residence”, who specialises in painting portraits of some of the leading business and political figures in the region. Izabela ‘Venuso’ Okonska works


for former Birmingham Chamber president and leading business figure Simon Topman, managing director of Acme Whistles, a whistle developer and manufacturer based in the Jewellery Quarter. However, her talent as an artist is


making waves in the city, with her stunning portraits depicting some of the region’s leading business figures such as Simon and Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell. Izabela, who paints under the


name “Venuso” (meaning Venus in Esperanto), grew up in Bialystok, a historic, expansive metropolis in the North East of Poland. Before moving to Birmingham in 2011, Izabela connects much of her passion for art to her home. She said: “When I was young, I


collected lots of original drawings by artists and my room was covered with pictures. However at that moment I didn’t realise I had talent. It was only when I was persuaded by my art teacher that I discovered that I had innate ability to paint and an intuition to use that skill to craft a way of making an image tell a story and convey an atmosphere.”


Talented: Izabela Okonska and Simon Topman alongside her portrait, complete with the Chamber’s presidential chain of office


This sparked her talent for


painting and was realised in the Midlands, when Izabela moved to Sutton Coldfield and began working at Sutton Coldfield Contemporary Art. Surrounded by inspiring art from the range of talent the Midlands provided, Izabela took paintbrush to canvas and started to hone her craft. She added: “Portraits leave a


lasting legacy. Photographs are often forgotten - however paintings have a more visible life and creates a real sense of a personality beyond their lifetime.”


Manufacturer enjoys life in the fast lane


By Jon Griffin


They’ve worked on components for Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One car, warheads for the Iraq invasion, airport x-ray machines – plus humble cereal packets. Variety is a way of life at coating


applicators Impreglon UK, whose expertise and quality products play crucial roles in a diverse range of industrial products covering an array of sectors. Based in Tamworth since 1986,


Impreglon UK enjoyed record sales last year, with a 14 per cent upsurge to £2.3m from its UK headquarters at Piccadilly, near Kingsbury.


Impreglon UK managing director


Guy Williams said: “It is very diverse, we have clients with one-off requests, others who send components every week. We have regulars, irregulars and one-offs – a lot of the time we do not know where the parts are going.” Founded on the Lichfield Road


Industrial Estate in Tamworth in 1986, the firm has won orders from a series of exotic clients over the years, including global racing star Lewis Hamilton. “Lewis Hamilton would have


known nothing about it,” says Guy Williams. “The components were buried in the engine of his car.”


Simon Topman said: “It’s great


to have somebody with true artistic and creative flair in the business. We encourage all our employees embrace that flair and creativity that Izabela has demonstrated.” Izabela is selling her portraits to


raise money for several charitable projects in Greater Birmingham, including raising funds for 10-year- old Isabella Lyttle, from Walsall, who is fighting neuroblastoma.


For more information visit venuso.co.uk or email info@venuso.co.uk


Thanks to your support, Crisis continues to campaign for change and provides life-changing year-round services to help people escape homelessness for good.


Highlights from the year in the West Midlands


• Across the West Midlands we have worked with 2,334 homeless people & delivered 40 different subjects.


• Our members have obtained 966 qualifications; 38% of these were obtained in the Basic Skills courses where we deliver Maths, English, ESOL and IT.


This year in the West Midlands:


143 people found a job


121 people improved their mental health & wellbeing


110 people found a home


216 people were given a warm welcome at Christmas


1014 people took part in a learning activity


433 people gained a qualification


Uzma Shaheen Regional Fundraising Manager – West Midlands uzma.shaheen@crisis.org.uk


March 2018 CHAMBERLINK 19


Business News


Picture: Femma Anderson


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