A 'gutted' artist is pleading for a 'sentimental' painting of Pat Butcher in front of a sex shop be returned - after the original was accidentally sold for just £19 instead of a print. Yoshi Miura drew the surreal scene of the Eastenders cast in 2020 as a joke between her and hip-hop artist friend Matt Raikes.
The poster also shows a bedraggled Ian Beale and the late Dot Cotton, sipping a cup of tea, in front of the iconic adult toy emporium in Manchester. The 38-year-old claims she was inspired to create the hand-drawn art as an EastEnders fan and regularly joked with Matt about him chatting with thuggish Phil Mitchell.
But when Yoshi displayed her art at a pop-up art shop in Salford, Greater Manchester, in October, her original drawing was accidentally sold for just £19 in a 'misunderstanding' - when it would usually go for more than £100.
She is now begging the buyer to come forward and return the art, which has 'a lot of sentimental value', so that she can replace it for a high-quality print and keep the original safe.
Yoshi, from Moss Side, Manchester, said: "I'm so gutted. I got really attached to that drawing. I wouldn't have sold it for £19 with the frame. I'm a really big fan of Pat Butcher. She's my icon. I found it quite amusing when I was drawing it.
"When I was drawing Pat in that [leather bondage] outfit, I felt a bit weird. I really like EastEnders and especially the characters of Pat Butcher and Dot Cotton.
"I drew that because one of my really good friends, Matt Raikes, was joking with me. I said I would draw him with Phil Mitchell. We'd had a conversation saying it would be so funny if him and Phil Mitchell were having a chat about whether to go into Love Boutique as a scene [in a drawing]. Love Boutique is iconic in the Northern Quarter. Everyone recognises it. I thought it would be something to make people laugh."
The artist, who has exhibited her quirky work across Manchester, claims her friend had called to say someone wanted to buy her piece. Yoshi agreed but misunderstood and presumed they would pass on the buyer's details so she could send out a print.
Instead, the original artwork was sold along with its frame for less than £20. Yoshi said: "My drawing was on display. It was the original and I was just displaying it. My actual prints weren't in the shop at the time.
"She said 'the customer wants it' and I said 'okay that's fine'. I thought she was going to contact me with the customer's details but she [sold] the actual image on the wall. I got the invoice afterwards and I thought 'I don't think I had a print there'. She said they'd sold the one on the wall but it was the original. I didn't realise they were going to sell that from the wall. It was a mistake - just a miscommunication."
Now Yoshi is hoping her appeal will help her be reunited with the original drawing - as the misunderstanding has left her out of pocket. Yoshi said: "No one has been in touch with me. I would say to [the buyer] that I'm really happy they were drawn to the drawing because it means a lot to me, but I'd like it back.
"I have a good print that's exactly the same that is good quality and I'd be grateful to exchange it if it's possible. I'm sure this person who bought it hasn't realised.
"[Staff] didn't know it was original and I didn't write it on the drawing. The whole thing was a misunderstanding. I felt a bit bad posting online but people said I needed to do it because it had a lot of sentimental value. No one's got in touch yet.
"It was sold for £19 with the frame. They take quite a lot of time - I'd usually sell an original for over £100. It depends how long it took to draw it and how much time and materials."
The pop-up shop, who wished not to be named, said: "I totally want Yoshi to get her artwork back, we are massive fans of her work which is why we invited her to be part of [our shop]. We are here to do all we can to help find the lovely lady who bought the artwork and return it to Yoshi as we know it means so much."
