Aleksandra Shevchenko, a Ukrainian artist who has won a competition for her coffee art of the Queen - Credit: Charlotte Bond

An artist from Ukraine has won a competition for her artwork of the Queen - made out of coffee.

Aleksandra Shevchenko won a Lavenham art contest for her artwork which was made out of just coffee and brushes.

Originally from Kryvyi Rhy, near Mykolaiv, in Ukraine, she came to the UK on April 22, to get away from the war, and is now staying in Acton with her host family.

Aleksandra Shevchenko's artwork of the Queen - Credit: Charlotte Bond

The 38-year-old said: "In Ukraine, I started to paint these coffee portraits for friends, and it was ordered by some people and even shipped to the UK.

"I like coffee, it's shades and colour, and when it is finished, it makes a really nice smell."

Aleksandra uses a wide range of styles to create her art, with coffee paintings being just one of them. She even sent in a coffee painting into a Ukrainian TV show, which was featured.

She said: "When I left Ukraine, I took with me just three brushes and when I came here, I saw a poster in Lavenham for this contest and I thought I want to participate, but what should I do.

Aleksandra Shevchenko is a Ukrainian artist who has won a competition for her coffee art of the Queen - Credit: Charlotte Bond

"I thought, I have brushes, and I have coffee, so I will do a coffee portrait of the Queen and it would be something unusual and different."

Her painting was picked by sculptor Kate Denton as the winner, and Aleksandra will have her own exhibition in Bury St Edmunds at West Suffolk College on June 16, with all artwork being acrylic.

She said: "My hosts are really nice, they knew I was an artist before I came here, so when I came, they bought me some canvases and paints and some brushes to be able to do acrylic paintings.

Aleksandra Shevchenko is a Ukrainian artist who has won a competition for her coffee art of the Queen. Sculpture Kate Denton picked her as the winner - Credit: Charlotte Bond

"That is all I did for the first two weeks I was here, I painted a lot and I am so proud to have this exhibition."

People are able to buy a print of Aleksandra's Queen coffee painting with Indigo Ross in Sudbury printing each A3, costing £20.

"I would love to be a professional artist. It's my main goal and I will do my best to accomplish this," Aleksandra added.

To see more of her artwork or to buy the Queen coffee portrait, click here.

Aleksandra Shevchenko is a Ukrainian artist who has won a competition for her coffee art of the Queen - Credit: Charlotte Bond