A Birmingham artist is courting controversy with a collection of ‘scandals’ that includes a picture of Tony Blair made up of the hand-written names of soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The piece, by Annemarie Wright, is called Their Families Have Been Told and features in her collection Scandals – Art that rocked the World.

It is held at London’s Woolff Gallery and sits next to her other pieces, including depictions of Elvis Presley made up of his lyrics and also JFK, Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela using famous quotes.

She is currently working on a picture of Michael Jackson made up of child abuse allegations levelled at the late pop star and said she was planning a piece depicting the Twin Towers.

“People judge too easily and first impressions can alter,” said Miss Wright, aged 31, whose work has featured in the New York Post, USA Today and Time Out London.

“I produce my work using ink and paper. From a distance you will see a black and white image. Upon moving closer you will see the image is made using hand-written text.

“The content of the image is always written by, or concerning the person in the completed piece of art.

“I’m looking to generate a discussion with my work – I think art is a good way of getting people talking about issues.”

She is donating all profits from print sales of the Tony Blair picture to armed forces charity Help for Heroes, but the work has nevertheless provoked a negative reaction from families of soldiers killed in the two conflicts.

Maggie Kirkness, from Leeds, lost her 24-year-old Lance Corporal son, David Kirkness, in January.

“I don’t want my son’s name on there – she’s got no right,” she said. “It’s being disrespectful.”

However, Reg Keys, of Solihull, who also lost a son, said it “emphatically reinforces the message that war costs lives”.

Mr Keys stood unsuccessfully against Mr Blair in his Sedgefield constituency in 2005 as an anti-war candidate two years after son, Lance Corporal Tom Keys, was killed in Iraq.

Miss Wright, who graduated from the University of Wolverhampton in 2002 with a first class degree in fine art and printmaking, said: “I feel that it is incredibly important that these soldiers are remembered.

“While it may seem contentious to immortalise Blair, I wanted to reinforce the message that the decision to invade Iraq will always hold a certain amount of accountability.”

Her A1-sized prints, priced at £100 each, are available by contacting her through website www.annemarie-wright.com