British-born Bermudian artist and painter Diana Tetlow, whose portraits were distinguished internationally for their faithfulness to their subjects, has died at the age of 71.

Aside from painting countless local dignitaries as well as ordinary residents, Mrs Tetlow captured the likenesses of subjects ranging from former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell to the late entertainer Sammy Davis Jr and the Dirty Harry film director Don Siegel.

But Mrs Tetlow was also an accomplished creator of costumes and drama sets, starting out with make-up design on the movie set of her childhood friend, Michael Reeves, the British film-maker known best for the 1968 film Witchfinder General.

Her skills were turned to numerous local dramatic productions, and her creations ranged across sculpture, still life and landscapes — including her extensive works set in the plains of Kenya and Tanzania, where she studied the local Masai people.

Starting under the tutelage of Andrew Trimingham, Mrs Tetlow left her mark on the costumes and design for decades of theatre productions.

“Portraits were her bread and butter, but she was interested in anything creative,” said her son, Tim Tetlow. “Her portraits accurately captured the way of a person.”

Mrs Tetlow is also survived her daughter, Anna Thallon.

Born in Nottingham to Betsy and Alex Sellers, Mrs Tetlow “painted from a very early age”, her son said, but was particularly inspired at a childhood friend’s house after seeing a striking piece from the American portraits master John Singer Sargant.

“She was keen to educate, and to show people the world was about more than money,” Mr Tetlow added. “She valued experiences and memories.”

While her parents indulged her love of the arts, Mrs Tetlow was urged to get secretarial training, and worked for a stint at EMI Records. She came to Bermuda after marrying the late orthodontist Timothy Tetlow.

British film and television actress Zuleika Robson Alsop, who directed a Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society production of Cabaret, recalled Mrs Tetlow’s transformation of the theatre into a seedy Berlin nightclub.

“Diana came on board as a costume designer; I had absolutely no idea — I’d never seen such genius with regards to design, the imagination, the flair and the research.

She was a lovely lady, very generous in spirit, multitalented and multifaceted. It is a loss for the island.”

One creation Mrs Tetlow breathed life into was the spoof St David’s curmudgeon Aloysius “Lockjaw” Fox, which she built as a life-size puppet for Gavin Wilson.

“She just learnt how to do it,” Mr Wilson said.

“She had innate artistic ability with a great love of life. As daughter Anna said, she was also a mischievous person, and liked to play tricks on you.”

Mrs Tetlow would later assist in transforming Mr Wilson into the celebrated author Mark Twain.

“She was self-confessed as bipolar, and she brought it into the open; she wrote articles about it, and talked to people about it,” Mr Wilson recalled.

“I always felt it was the price she paid for her talent. It was part of what made her a wonderfully complex person, and I think it was part of what gave her such a depth of understanding.”

Lawson Mapp, the former Hamilton mayor, noted that Mrs Tetlow had painted other mayors, and said he had “always thought I would like to get her to do mine”.

Impressed by her work with the Masai, Mr Mapp added that she had a flair for “capturing the skin tone for people of colour”. He was flattered to be left with the miniature version of her final portrait, which she told him she “did when the people who sat for her were nice”.

Later in life, Mrs Tetlow spent several years in the Tuscan hilltop town of San Gimignano, where she continued her work.

Longstanding neighbour and friend Sheilagh Head recalled her as “someone who had a lot of fun, quick-witted, very well read and probably one of the most intelligent people I will ever meet”.

“She always questioned everything, as most artists should, and she was not afraid to stand up for what she believed in.”

Janet Jackson, granddaughter of former Speaker of the House Sir Thomas Wadson, recalled Mrs Tetlow bestowing on Parliament a portrait of Edna Watson, Bermuda’s second female MP.

“Diana didn’t know Edna, but I did,” Mrs Jackson said. “There’s a wonderful portrait in the House now, put there for Bermuda’s 400th anniversary. Diana actually modelled my arm to use in it. So I can say that my grandfather’s portrait is there, and my arm is across the hall.”

To celebrate Mrs Tetlow’s life and legacy, a retrospective of her work is planned for July of next year. Those who own pieces are asked to send pictures through to timtetlow@gmail.com.