Is there no limit to Samantha Cameron's enviable skillset? She has now turned her attention back to art – in which she has a degree from Bristol University – in order to sketch a postcard drawing of the new Downing Street cat, Larry, eyeing up the residence's infamous and ill-fated rat. The postcard is being auctioned today in aid of the Winnicott Foundation, which supports neo-natal units at two London hospitals, so Cameron's charitable intentions are beyond reproach. But the vital question remains: is her drawing any good?
The Guardian's art critic Adrian Searle thinks not. "Most rats have more personality, more style, more rodent cunning than whoever drew this has given them," he says. The Observer's Laura Cumming also thinks there's room for improvement. "The cat shows wit," she says, "with its head cocked, and its tail poking around the door. But the house, without the visual aid of the No10 on the door, could be any building in Mayfair. And, most importantly, the rat looks too much like a mouse. Its tail should be longer – and where are its whiskers? I'd give the drawing five out of 10."
Artist Rob Ryan awards Cameron the same mark. "Although she's attempted to inject some comedy into this piece with the quizzical-looking cat," he says, "I feel she's really missed a big opportunity, considering the visual ingredients she has to work with. She has done a beautiful job getting the portico and lantern right – but she has let herself down with the rat. They do have legs, you know."
