Cotswold Hare Trail 2017

The Cirencester Hare Festival has been expanded this year to encompass a wider area and the new event 'Costwold Hare Trail 2017' launches fully on 25th March with a pre-launch at Burford Garden Centre on 9th March

I was very pleased to be chosen by lovely sponsor the Cirencester Talbot Inn to create a playful 'Hare of the Dog' design for them. It features a golden hare and a silver Talbot hound dancing in the magical moonlight. Perhaps the produce of the hops, barley and vines had something to do with that!

Hare of the Dog.

Farewell to the Hares

FAREWELL TO THE HARES & THE GALA AUCTION

Arrangements for the end of the Festival

13th September – “A Concert for the Hares” by the Corinium Players Guitar Ensemble
8pm in the Parish Church. Tickets (£10) from the Visitor Information Centre in the Corinium Museum

14th September – “A Blessing of the Hares” in the Parish Church.Service starts 6pm. Open to the public.Therefore, from the 12th of Sept we will begin to gather in all the hares and we intend to have as many hares as we can in the Parish Church for these two events

27th September – 3rd October – “Farewell to the Hares & Gala Auction Preview”Open to the public with small charge with Free access to Auction ticket holders.
The Assembly Rooms will be open from 10am to 4:30pm (TBC)

4th October – Gala Auction in the Assembly Rooms, Kings Head Hotel from 6pm.
This is a ticketed event so for details of how to register for the auction, secure a ticket and obtain a copy of the ‘The Little Book of Hares’ (Auction Catalogue) please email cirencesterharefest@gmail.com and we will send you details.

Hare and Seek in Cirencester

The wonderful Cirencester Hare Festival trail of around 50 giant hares, is now adding the new 'Hare and Seek' trail of small life size hares.
This will be great fun for hare-spotters! From 24th of May until 27th of June small decorated hares will be hidden inside Cirencester shops, cafes and offices open to the public. You will need to collect a ‘Hare and Seek passport’ from the Visitor Information Centre or Information Point at the Town Council Offices in Binhgam House. This passport  will be available from the 27th of June once all the small hares have gone into hiding!.
Then you can set out to find them all! Your passport will be stamped by the retailer each time you successfully locate a small hare. Enter your accurately stamped passport into the prize draw!  The ‘Hare and Seek’ trail will end on September 14th and the result of the prize draw will be announced on September 30th.

I have created a special life size hare for the Hare and Seek trail called 'Party Hare'! He's a colourful fun character who likes to go to every party and even help out while he's there. His black coat is a magnetic blackboard so he's very useful for writing special messages on or holding little notes!
BUT WHERE WILL HE BE HIDING?

LOOK OUT FOR HIM IN CIRENCESTER.......AND GOOD LUCK!

Countdown to Cirencester Hare Festival begins

It's only two weeks to go now until the launch of the Cirencester Hare Festival on 29th March.

With designs by local artists, companies and celebrities, over 30 large hares will bring colourful and fun public art in the form of the Hare Trail, to the streets of Cirencester throughout the summer.

My first hare commission 'Harebelle' was for The Twelve Bells on Lewis Lane. This historic building has been the Twelve Bells Inn for 150 years or more, presumably named for the Cirencester Parish Church of St John the Baptist, whose full complement of 12 bells were installed in 1722.

The Inn now has a micro brewery producing their own ales and will be creating a very special pint for this summer named Harebell after the hare!

Cheeky chap on TV

Here's the cheeky chap on TV...obviously talked his way in to an earlier appearance !

Hare on TV!

Look out for my 'Harelequin' hare who will be making a guest appearance on local TV tonight, Friday 28th Feb at 6.30pm when BBC Points West do a feature on the Cirencester Hare Festival.
Only 1 month to go until the trail starts and Harelequin goes to Ingleside House

Harelequin Hare

Here's a sneek peek at my Harelequin Hare design, for the Cirencester March Hare Festival He is being sponsored by Ingleside House a beautiful venue in Cirencester which also has the Barn Theatre on site, so Harelequin will feel right at home!

The Hare Trail is being launched on 29th March with 30 larger than life hares decorated by artists, schools and businesses . Proceeds from the sales of hares will go to the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust for the development of the Churn Walkway

Hare we go!

Well look who just hopped in to my studio!

Cirencester March Hare Festival

I'm thrilled to be part of another local Public Art project. The Cirencester March Hare Festival will see 25 large hares and many small ones, decorated by different local artists, gracing the streets, businesses and shop windows in Cirencester, from March to September 2014.
The beautiful hare sculpture has been created by sculptor Alan Dun whose iconic pig will be remembered by many from King Bladud's Pigs in Bath 2008. The decorated hare sculptures will be auctioned in Autumn 2014 and funds raised from the March Hare Festival will be used for the Green Hare projects, focused on improving the environment and engaging young people in Cirencester in association with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

My design 'Harebelle' has been sponsored by The Twelve Bells and little Harebelle, who stands around 15" tall can already be spotted at the Pub and Restaurant on Lewis Lane, Cirencester. The 5' version will be arriving in the spring!

I hope to be able to paint more small hares for the project and these are some of my designs.

Maidenhare

Lepus Lazuli

Harelequin

Leap in the Dark