GRATITUDE IN ART

                                                   My design Beacon of Hope

Obviously the past 18 months have been incredibly difficult for many people due to the pandemic and it's been a challenging time in the Arts, so I was really delighted to have one of my designs commissioned by global public art producers Wild in Art for their latest and most heartfelt project 

This is Gratitude has been created especially to show our gratitude to NHS and other key workers for their amazing hard work and dedication throughout this pandemic. 51 sculptures have been designed and painted by individual artists and celebrate a wide range of themes around gratitude and resilience. Enclosed by mirrors on two sides, Gratitude creates infinite reflections of the stunning artwork highlighting the endless dedication of all key workers The wonderful Zandra Rhodes is the creative ambassador for the project.

My design 'Beacon of Hope', is a lighthouse, which is a traditional and iconic symbol of hope already used amongst some key worker organisations. The base has a design of rough seas and bears the inscription, 'your light shines like a beacon of hope on stormy seas'. It is dedicated to all key workers who have given everyone hope and support during the Pandemic. It has been wonderful to have the opportunity to show my gratitude by being involved in this project.

Having toured the country with exhibitions in central locations in Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh, the public art installation reached it's final stunning location of Southwark Cathedral last week. 

The artworks are now being auctioned online to raise funds for the NHS Charities Together which does vital amazing work to support NHS staff, patients and emergency support workers.

Anyone wishing to bid for an artwork and support the NHS can do so here.

Sitting with Jane

The wonderful 'Sitting with Jane' book bench trail organised by Destination Basingstoke in partnership with Wild in Art and supporting the Ark Cancer Charity was launched in Basingstoke last week.

It was good to see there were some willing helpers when it came to moving my bench about!

I was delighted to have painted the inaugural bench inspired by a Regency Doll's House, which has kindly been sponsored by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and is now situated outside the beautiful Georgian building Goldings, the Basingstoke Register Offices at London Rd.

Photo by Ross Harvie

The trail forms part of the 'Jane Austen 200- A Life in Hampshire'  celebrations which mark the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's death. The trail map and phone App can be found on the Sitting with Jane website. The Book benches will be out in public until 31st August and then will be auctioned to raise funds for the local Ark Cancer Centre.

Sitting with Jane

I was so delighted to be asked to create a BookBench to kick off the 'Sitting with Jane' project by Wild in Art and Destination Basingstoke.

Firstly I have a soft spot for Basingstoke because my daughter was born there and it's a lovely area. Secondly...the BookBenches are a brilliant idea helping to promote literacy and are also a great canvas to paint, and thirdly Jane Austen was such a wonderful writer!

Sitting with Jane is a unique public art trail to celebrate Jane Austen's connections with Basingstoke and her birthplace Steventon and forms part of a global commemoration of her life in 2017, the 200th Anniversary of her death. 25 BookBenches will form a trail in and around Basingstoke for 12 weeks next summer, which will then be auctioned to help raise funds for the Ark Cancer Centre Charity to go towards a new specialised cancer treatment centre.

                Back of the BookBench showing the front of the house.

When I was considering a design, the idea of a dolls house leapt out at me because it could combine the Regency period which Jane Austen describes so well, with characters and stories. I've always loved dolls houses so researching period style, decorating the rooms with tiny details and imagining the kind of dolls which represent typical Jane Austen characters was huge fun!
There's more info on my design 'The House that Jane Built' on the Sitting with Jane website.

         Front of the BookBench showing the rooms inside the house.

                                  Detail of one of the rooms

Year of the Bus Family Fun Weekend

To celebrate the end of the Year of the Bus Sculpture Trail, Transport for London  have organised a Family Fun Weekend in the Queen Elizabeth Park where all 60 decorated bus sculptures are on view before they are auctioned for charity.

There will be free family activities , art and music workshops and live music.

Open from 10am-4pm on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th January.

For more information visit TfL

Pre auction bidding on the bus sculptures, has started online at www.I-bidder.com/yearofthebus

Proceeds of the auction will go to Kidscompany, Transaid and the London Transport Museum

Year of the bus update

The Year of the Bus sculpture trail was launched last month with a spectacular display of decorated buses in Trafalgar square. The 60 buses all individually designed by artists, now form 3 trails in the capital, in Westminster, by the river and at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Organised by Wild in Art and Transport for London,  the project celebrates 60 years of the routemaster bus. The buses will be auctioned to raise money for 3 charities, Kids Company, Transaid and the London Transport Museum.

My 'Brollybus' inspired by the iconic London Transport posters of the past, and featuring St Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge to represent the past and the present, is situated by the Millennium Bridge on Bankside, near the Tate Modern.

More information can be found at Transport for London 

Year of the Bus

It's been a very busy year for me with public art projects. After painting half a dozen hares and a book bench I was lucky to get the opportunity to paint a bus for another fantastic Wild in Art project.

They are working with Transport for London and the London Transport Museum to bring 60 of the 8ft long bus sculptures to the streets of London in the autumn. 2014 has been designated the 'Year of the Bus' to celebrate 60 years since the creation of the first Routemaster. The sculptures are based on the new Routemaster bus which was launched earlier this year.



My design was inspired by some of the iconic London Transport posters of the past, which featured decorative umbrellas. The 'Brolly Bus' has 56 ( I think!) colourful umbrellas against a sunshine and showers rainbow sky and autumn leaves. Old London is represented by St Paul's Cathedral and new London by the Millennium Bridge.

The sculptures will be auctioned at the end of the year to raise money for charities Kids Company and Transaid and the London Transport Museum.

Books About Town

My Charles Darwin  bookbench design is now finished. It will be winging it's way to London  very soon to become part of the wonderful Books About Town trails.

Organised by Wild in Art and the National Literacy Trust the project will see dozens of book benches  placed on the streets from 4th July to encourage people to read and support the work of the Literacy Trust.

The special book benches painted by artists and illustrators are all celebrating books that have a connection with the capital, and  they will be auctioned in the autumn to raise funds for the the Literacy Trusts's many important projects.
The bookbenches will be out until 15th Sept, so take a book and enjoy the summer in London!

Charles Darwin inspired book bench design progress

My book bench design inspired by Charles Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species', is progressing well. The design is based on the 'Tree of Life' metaphor that he used to explain the connection between all organisms.

I have used a great variety of leaves on the tree to symbolise the human race. The roots of the tree hold images that represent the history of evolution.... from microscopic life, to fossils and man's ancient early artefacts.

Books About Town is organised by the National Literacy Trust and Wild in Art and aims to celebrate stories linked to London and promote reading for enjoyment.

The benches will start to appear on the streets of London from 4th July and will be in place until early September. They will then be auctioned to raise funds for the work of the National Literacy Trust in helping to raise Literacy levels for people of all ages.

Further progress on my bookbench for Books About Town

It was great to have visitors over the weekend on the Newbridge Arts Trail, checking out progress on my bookbench for Books About Town the latest public art project organised by Wild in Art in conjunction with the National Literacy Trust

I've now sketched in most of the design on the back and have just started the tree on the front, so it's really starting to take shape.

Watch this space for further progress pics!

Books About Town

I'm thrilled to have my 'Tree of Life' design commissioned for Books About Town a public art project for London this summer.

The project is a joint venture between Wild in Art and The National Literacy Trust and will feature a series of BookBenches, individually designed by artists, to celebrate stories linked with London and to promote reading for enjoyment. The benches shaped as open books, will be unveiled in various locations across the capital from July 2014. Well loved illustrators creating designs include Ralph Steadman, Paul Kidby and Lauren Child.

My design is inspired by Charles Darwin's book 'On The Origin of Species' published in 1859. This being such a mammoth topic I chose to concentrate on the concept of the Tree of Life which Darwin used as a metaphor to describe the relationship of all life on earth in an evolutionary context.  There is an excellent documentary on the subject by David Attenborough which you can watch a clip of on the BBC.

Here is a sneak peak at my design. On the back rest of the BookBench I'll be painting a stylised tree with a variety of leaf shapes to represent the variety of species on earth. On the seat will be the roots of the tree, ( to represent the roots of all life on earth) interspersed with simple depictions of the history of the evolutionary changes, from single cell microscopic organisms, to fossils of past life forms and early man's representations of his own species and the animals around him.

Gorillas looking for new homes

After a summer in the sun on the English Riviera, my gorilla 'Five Minutes to Midnight' will be going to auction along with nearly 30 other life size designs and some smaller school designs, next week.

Great Gorillas project organised by Paignton Zoo and Wild in Art has been hugely popular and entertained visitors and residents alike in Paignton, Torquay and Exeter, winning Tourism Event of the Year at the English Riviera and South Devon Tourism Awards 2013.

'Five minutes to midnight, sponsored by SW legal firm Wollen Michelmore, has had a busy time. He joined the Gorilla Flotilla around Torbay in July, then was situated on Torquay seafront near the Pavilion and English Riviera Wheel during the trail from August to October. Later in October he joined the rest of the tribe at Paignton Zoo for the Goodbye Gorillas weekend event and is now heading for the Charity Auction on 6th November, looking for a forever home.

A Mini 'Midnight' has been hiding out at Babbacombe Model Village on their tiny trail and mini ceramics of him have also been for sale. More will be available from the Wild in Art webshop, running up to Christmas.
I was thrilled that he was also recently voted as the public's favourite gorilla by readers of the Torquay Herald Express. Hopefully 'Midnight' has helped to raise awareness of the urgency to support endangered Western Lowland Gorillas, with his clock and watch faces showing the 'doomsday' warning of five minutes to midnight!

The Auction this Wednesday will raise funds for Paignton Zoo's conservation projects, and proceeds from the sale of 'Midnight' will go to a very special local charity, The Children's Hospice South West which was nominated by his sponsor Wollen Michelmore. Information about the auction can be found here at Great Gorillas. It's not too late to register for telephone of proxy bidding.

Good luck 'Midnight'!

Gorilla Flotilla

This week the English Riviera was the stage for a strange invasion.

The Gorilla Flotilla launched the public phase of the Great Gorillas project with a flotilla of 9 vessels with very motley crews!

 

 

 

The flotilla was a spectacular event on a beautiful evening, enjoyed by supporters, artists and sponsors from the balcony of Living Coasts which overlooks Torbay, and a lucky 350 readers of the Torquay Herald Express were aboard the boats with the gorillas!

 

 

 

Organised by Wild in Art in partnership with Paignton Zoo , who celebrate their 90th Anniversary this year, the public art project will raise money for the Cross River Gorilla Conservation project to help the endangered Western Lowland Gorillas in Nigeria and Cameroon, and wonderful local charity the South West Children's Hospice.

The 30 gorillas, painted by different artists will form a trail along the English Riviera from 3rd August - 13th October, along with 20 smaller gorillas specially painted by local schools.
The additional  miniature version of the trail at Babbacombe Model Village which celebrates it's 50th Anniversary this year is sure to prove another really popular attraction.

The trail map will be available in many outlets in Exeter and Torbay or is downloadable here
Great Gorillas Trail map
If you have a smart phone and manage to complete the trail of all 30 gorillas, you will be able to enter a draw to win a once in a lifetime experience to meet the real gorillas at Paignton Zoo. Details to register will be available very soon watch this space!

 

'Five Minutes to Midnight' ( far side) aboard

'The Fairmile' with one of his gorilla cousins.

My gorilla 'Five Minutes to Midnight' is sponsored by local Legal Firm Wollen Michelmore and I'm delighted that proceeds raised from his sale at the Gorilla Auction, at the Palace Theatre in Paignton on Wednesday 6th November 2013, will go to their nominated charity the South West Children's Hospice.

Great Gorillas update

Managing Partner Chris Hart, from my Gorilla's sponsor Wollen Michelmore dropped in to the studio to see work in progress on Five Minutes to Midnight

 

A great fun addition to the event, Great Gorillas have just announced that Babbacombe Model Village will feature a miniature trail of the gorillas in their gardens during the summer as well.

 

 

I was also very pleased to learn that Five Minutes to Midnight has been chosen as one of the designs from Great Gorillas to be produced as a miniature ceramic figurine. He will be available locally and from the Wild in Art web shop when the trail goes out in August.