I wish it didn't take Rihanna to give my grandfather a little publicity, because I think his talent and his paintings are extraordinary, but I am beyond proud.
I bet Steve is sorry now he gave back his painting!!
Gordon is in BBC news!!!!
By Simon Hunter
'Rihanna's tree' up for grabs in church sale
Rihanna's controversial video was filmed in the field Gordon McKnight painted 30 years ago.
It seems a long time ago now but there was an age before the MTV European Music Awards descended on Belfast.
And in that pre-'Bieber hits Belfast' era, there were also huge entertainment stories.
The biggest of the bunch was the controversy caused by R&B star Rihanna filming her latest, raunchy video in a field near Bangor.
The story became a global phenomenon when farmer Alan Graham interrrupted filming of the video and told Rihanna to "cover up".
Now, the instantly recognisable tree from the 'We Found Love' video, which was also filmed in Belfast's New Lodge, is up for sale.
But this version of the tree comes from before the Barbadian popstar was even born.
It is a watercolour of the eye-catching tree as viewed from the main Belfast to Bangor carriageway. A view closely mirrored in the Rihanna video.
It was painted almost 30 years ago by Bangor man Gordon McKnight and it will be auctioned by Ballygilbert Church later this month to help raise funds.
The 92-year-old painted the tree in 1983 and never dreamt of the fuss it would be involved in come 2011.
Gordon McKnight with his painting of the infamous 'Rihanna' tree.
"I am absolutely astounded at the level of interest in the tree painting," said Mr McKnight
"I initially painted it as I had always liked the view coming along the carriageway.
"When the Rihanna furore came about, I dug the painting out of the attic and offered it to the church for the exhibition."
It is hoped the watercolour will help raise thousands of pounds for the newly refurbished and extended church halls.
The painting will be auctioned alongside 200 other pieces at an exhibition in the church from 17 to 20 November.
Director of the exhibition, John Coote said: "We are very excited about Gordon's painting and indeed all the artists who have contributed to the exhibition.
"This year, with Gordon's contribution, we aim to open the exhibition to a bigger audience and want to thank him for donating the painting to us."
Who knows, there may even be a phone bidder from Barbados looking for something to display in her multi-million dollar home.
This is copied and pasted form the Bangor Spectator, the Northern Ireland newspaper where my relatives live.
I wish it didn't take Rihanna to give my grandfather a little publicity, because I think his talent and his paintings are extraordinary, but I am beyond proud.
I bet Steve is sorry now he gave back his painting!!
Gordon is in BBC news!!!!
By Simon Hunter
'Rihanna's tree' up for grabs in church sale
Rihanna's controversial video was filmed in the field Gordon McKnight painted 30 years ago.
It seems a long time ago now but there was an age before the MTV European Music Awards descended on Belfast.
And in that pre-'Bieber hits Belfast' era, there were also huge entertainment stories.
The biggest of the bunch was the controversy caused by R&B star Rihanna filming her latest, raunchy video in a field near Bangor.
The story became a global phenomenon when farmer Alan Graham interrrupted filming of the video and told Rihanna to "cover up".
Now, the instantly recognisable tree from the 'We Found Love' video, which was also filmed in Belfast's New Lodge, is up for sale.
But this version of the tree comes from before the Barbadian popstar was even born.
It is a watercolour of the eye-catching tree as viewed from the main Belfast to Bangor carriageway. A view closely mirrored in the Rihanna video.
It was painted almost 30 years ago by Bangor man Gordon McKnight and it will be auctioned by Ballygilbert Church later this month to help raise funds.
The 92-year-old painted the tree in 1983 and never dreamt of the fuss it would be involved in come 2011.
Gordon McKnight with his painting of the infamous 'Rihanna' tree.
"I am absolutely astounded at the level of interest in the tree painting," said Mr McKnight
"I initially painted it as I had always liked the view coming along the carriageway.
"When the Rihanna furore came about, I dug the painting out of the attic and offered it to the church for the exhibition."
It is hoped the watercolour will help raise thousands of pounds for the newly refurbished and extended church halls.
The painting will be auctioned alongside 200 other pieces at an exhibition in the church from 17 to 20 November.
Director of the exhibition, John Coote said: "We are very excited about Gordon's painting and indeed all the artists who have contributed to the exhibition.
"This year, with Gordon's contribution, we aim to open the exhibition to a bigger audience and want to thank him for donating the painting to us."
Who knows, there may even be a phone bidder from Barbados looking for something to display in her multi-million dollar home.
This is copied and pasted form the Bangor Spectator, the Northern Ireland newspaper where my relatives live.
Church hopes ‘Rihanna tree’ will raise the roof
A SKETCH of Bangor’s globally famous ‘Rihanna tree’ goes on sale this month to help fund repairs to a nearby church.
The tree, chosen for its distinctive look and location, features in the video for the controversial pop megastar’s number one smash hit We Found Love.
It was flashed around the world in September when Rihanna, who brought the streets to a standstill when she arrived to shoot the video, was asked to stop filming by landowner and North Down alderman Alan Graham.
Upset by Rihanna’s raunchy moves, Mr Graham refused to let her carry on – though the video still shows the scantily clad superstar cavorting with a shirtless boy while the famous tree is framed in the background.
One man who spotted the tree’s star quality is ninety-something Gordon McKnight, who realised it was a special sight five years before Rihanna was even born.
A committed Christian, Mr McKnight now hopes that a sketch of the tree he put to canvas in 1983 will help raise some much-needed cash to repair the roof of nearby Ballygilbert Church.
The sketch, along with 200 other pieces, will be on display from November 17 to 20, after which all the works of art will be auctioned off to help the roof repairs fund.
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