Pride in Bournemouth Lions - Hazel's Mini Tour

Last week I decided, as it was sunny and the floods had drained away, to go and visit my lions once more in Bournemouth before they get taken away for their final farewell at the charity auction on September 18th at The Pavillion in Bournemouth.

I must admit I have grown rather fond of my lions and have had so many wonderful comments form people about my painting designs, it has truely been wonderful being part of such a great event and I will be sad to see them go. Hopefully my sponsors will buy them back so I will they will remain in my town for me and all to enjoy... I'll let you know if I find out if any are staying in Bournemouth.

I was awarded three lion commissions by Pride in Bournemouth, in association with The Born Free Foundation for the public art event in Bournemouth June - September 2011. My illustrative style is carried through into the designs painted onto the lions.

'Britannia' - Britannia LeatherBarrows - Inspired by travel and the unity of countries, this design sees the blending of flags and abstracted forms of the shapes of different countries flowing around the contours of the lion.

 'Gem Deco' - The Cumberland Hotel Bournemouth - Inspired by the magnificent Art Deco building and luxurious interior decoration of The Cumberland, this lion features the icon designs of sunbeams and palm trees of the Art Deco and Retro eras. This lion was chosen to feature in the Bournemouth Pride awards ceremony in the BIC, Bournemoouth's Internationl Centre, in spring 2011.
'Born to be Free' - Landrover - This design incorporates the strong brand colours of Landrover into a beautiful illustrative butterfly design with the words 'Born to be Free' flowing through the design. This prize-winning design symbolises freedom to live and is in line with ethics of Landrover and the Born Free foundation. This Lion was also chosen to attend Virginia McKenna's celebrity 80th Birthday held at the Savoy London in spring 2011.

My lions are touring before the exhibiton

All the lions are finished ... wow what a sense of acomplishment. Even better I found out that all my lions are going out travelling before the exhibition, Britannia is in Southampton for a business event, Gemdeco is in the BIC tonight for Bouremouth Pride Awards ceremony, and next week Born to be Free 'Freedom Flighter' is going to the London Savoy Hotel for a special Birthday for Virginia McKenna, Ambassador for the Born Free charity... Feeling really pleased about all of this :-)

Gemdeco Lion finished for Pride in Bournemouth

Well this week so far has been filled with lioning! Last Thursday I was commmissioned a third lion for Pride in Bournemouth for Landrover UK, based on a prise winning design I created in January of this year. I have had to take this lion, Freedom Flighter, to my home to complete due to the immenant deadline and the launch of the Pride in Bournemouth Exhibition, so unfortunately this one will only be able to be viewed in it’s finished state in the final exhibition.

I finished Gemdeco today, and am really delighted with the result as aswell as meeting the speck for the Cumberland Hotel Bournemouth, this design really ties in well with my current research and development work I have been doing at Lightouse with my illustrative work. The lines and the the flow of the design are really up my street with the art deco influence. I have really enjoyed working on this design. I have been working all the hours I can on Gemdeco, Tuesday night I was in Lighthouse until 10.30pm putting in the final touches … all in the name of art!

More pictures to come of the finished design … also don’t forget to get a map of the Pride in Bournemouth Exhibition and see my three lions. Britannia will be situated in the lower gardens in Bournemouth, Gemdeco will be in the Cumberland Hotel in Bournemouth overooking the sea, and Freedom Flighter will be in Christchuch.

See you soon for the next installment of art in Lighthouse …

Best wishes

Hazel

Contemplation ... As long as there's fine weather there'll be art

... Further to my recent open air exhibitions, this contemplation has begun to arise in my mind - As long as there is fine weather there’ll be art -

Last weekend's A-Board sign directing people towards the pier to view the artwork, read " Every Sunday - As long as the weather is fine - ART -> ".

I read this, and it seemed to resonate in my thoughts. I headed straight for my notebook and bullet pointed ...

• As long as there's fine weather there'll be art

I then paused … jotted another circle for a bullet point …paused … then wrote:

• Fine weather Art – Fart! – Fine Art

I laughed to myself and then looked up, left and right, as if I had just been naughty; I am not one for childish toilet humour you see.

… I left the note taking at that and furthered the contemplation dialogue silently inwards. ‘Does this mean that all art is dependant on the weather? If the weather is rainy, stormy or snowy, then art will exist no more! Surely this could not be true, there has to be art even when the weather is not fine… Is this why they call it Fine Art? And anyway, why fart about with fine art? Is fine art just farting with art?

I don’t know but I do know that there is no point in farting about with fine art in the rain; it would just be a complete disaster! Evidence of this is at the end of the first arts on the pier exhibition; the sky suddenly opened the floodgates and before you could say “Peter the painter on the pier”, Peter, as well as every other painter on the pier had activated into fast-forwarded motion and had disappeared into the misty distance.

… Is there any point in farting about with fine art in anyway? …Well, I am an artist so I would vote for fine art. And it would not just stop there … I would also vote for all sorts of arts in all sorts of weather. Why install meteorological boundaries?’

…‘I like fine weather and I like art … I also enjoy a good dramatically moody coloured thunderstorm, with torrential rain and strong winds; going down to the coast and watching the waves crashing violently upon each other and swallowing pebbles from the beach.

This kind of weather is just fine for me. it also seems to have been fine for many artists through generations who have used nature’s painted landscapes of ever changing expression, as inspiration for their fine art … so … I guess it is true, as long as there is fine weather there’ll be art’.

And here my contemplation ends. Not case closed however, as the rest of the page in my notebook has been left empty for the time being … and so contemplation continues …