American artist painting hung in Trowbridge Wetherspoons

The abstract work by Stacey Mandell, 61, pays homage to Sir Isaac Pitman, the inventor of the phonetic system of shorthand, who was born in Trowbridge.

It was chosen by Wetherspoon to hang on the stairs at the new-look pub following its recently-completed £2.2 million refurbishment and redevelopment.

Stacey, a former US lawyer who lives in Boca Raton in Florida, painted the picture in 2019 ahead of the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden.

American artist Stacey Mandell with her artwork paying homage to Sir Isaac Pitman, inventor of the phonetic system of shorthand. (Image: Trevor Porter)

It depicts the whole of the United States of America constitution written in shorthand, which Stacey once used to practice as a legal secretary before becoming a US attorney.

She said: “I have no idea why they chose me, except that no other artist is doing quite what I do.

“I think they were looking for something to honour Sir Isaac Pitman, who lived in Trowbridge.

“It is an honour to be here in the birthplace of shorthand. I am just so excited to be part of the Albany Palace renovation.”

The plaque in Trowbridge Town Hall dedicated to Sir Isaac Pitman. (Image: Trevor Porter)

Mrs Mandell took up painting when she and her late husband Leonard, who died three years ago, moved from north Illinois to Florida.

In recent years since his death, she has only painted for herself and to fulfil private and public commissions.

She says that Wetherspoon’s interest in her art has revived her love of painting and given a boost to her career as a professional artist.

American artist Stacey Mandell takes a close look at the plaque dedicated to Sir Isaac Pitman in Trowbridge Town Hall. (Image: Trevor Porter)

Mrs Mandell came to Trowbridge as part of a week-long tour of the UK, which has included sight-seeing trips to London and Bath.

She painted the original 2.5-metre by 3.5 metre work five years ago. It is now worth more than £19,000 and took her a month to paint.

Stacey Mandell’s painting pays homage to the phonetic shorthand system invented by Sir Isaac Pitman. (Image: Trevor Porter)

Sir Isaac Pitman invented his phonetic system of shorthand in 1837. It has since sparked later versions, including Gregg’s shorthand which Mrs Mandell once used.

The Pitman system has been commonly used in the past by law courts to record evidence and has been widely used by journalists, particularly court reporters.

The symbols do not represent letters, but rather phonetic sounds, and words are, for the most part, written as they are spoken.

The picture hanging above the stairs in the Albany Palace is a digital print. A plaque on the wall beside the work gives some details about the artist.