Elephants & Zebras- Giant Animal Murals!

As you might know my elephant created for the Bangkok Elephant Parade is now up for auction online. She and the other eles are at their final exhibition destination at the Riverside Plaza until 15th Feb and is for sale online now. Hope she raises lots of money and goes to a wonderful new home.

I've also had some exciting news regarding another animal. I recently submitted a design to Zany Zebras, a parade of zebras coming to Southampton and organised by Marwells Zoo. My design Zebbie-go-round, based on a carousel has been picked from the submissions. Really happy to have been picked and look forward to seeing it come to life and raise money for the endangered Grevy’s zebras.

The Elephant Parade strikes again, this time in Bangkok!

Back in the Spring I submitted a design for another elephant for the Elephant Parade charity. I was delighted to find out that my design had been chosen. My first exhibition in Asia (as far as I know). As it's just so far away to transport an ele my design has been painted by a ghost artist over in Thailand. I think they have done a great job of it. Wish I could have painted it though! My exotic and magical design An Elephants Dream will be on show with the rest of the herd from the 1st December in Bangkok

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The Elephant Parade- Bangkok

I've been asked by the great folks at Elephant Parade to submit another design- this time its for a parade taking place this year in Bangkok. I wanted to create something brightly coloured, tropical and exotic, so came up with the idea of using lots of exotic flowers and butterflies. However there is a twist, these butterflies are actually little elephants. The design is called An elephants Dream as the main little elephant, asleep in a flower is dreaming about what it would be like to be able to fly around like a butterfly! I'll find out in May if it is chosen- wish me luck!

My Elephant on Tour!

A bit later I know but here are a few pictures (courtesy of Elephant Communications) of my design in the first couple of stops on the UK tour. There are also a couple of me painting her back in the Summer. 

My elephant and the rest of the herd are currently at Intu Eldon Square, Newcastle till 16th November.

The Elephant Parade Preview Day

My elephant "An unforgettable Journey" was amongst 14 ele's chosen for the London preview day on the 16th July. It was fantastic to be re-united with my ele and see so many people enjoying them! It was a shame it was just a day, although the eles will be back in London next Summer at the end of their year long tour. The first stop of the UK tour is at Intu Watford from 21st July for 4 weeks, so plenty of time to visit them and my ele will be there with over 20 other ele's this time.


(Pictures from Left to right top to bottom Me and my elephant "An unforgettable Journey, designs by Chris Chun, Sheara Abrahams, Jane Veveris Callan and Patricia Shrigley.)

An elephant never forgets...

On Friday I had to bid a sad farewell (for now at least!) to my elephant as after over a month of painting she is finally complete! I made the last few finishing touches to my painting, tidied up some fuzzy lines and generally made more work for myself by smudging areas that had been fine, until it was time to stop. The parade will start on the 16th July at an as yet secret London location, before moving on to destinations across the UK.

And in case you wondered where my pictures of fellow visitors to St James park were here's a family of swans!

A Mammoth Task (the Elephant Parade part 2)

As I mentioned earlier on this month, I've been busy painting my elephant design in readiness for the start of the first UK tour for the elephant parade. It's great to see the design taking shape (and getting lots of compliments from friends, staff at intu (the tour sponsors) and a team of decorators thanks everyone!) Only a week to go and I am nearly done (apart from a lot of tidying up and a coat of varnish).

Lovely to be able to have lunch and walk home through St James Park too, I've never seen the pelicans this close before!

The Elephant in the Room!

A few months ago my design was selected for this years Elephant Parade UK tour. Over the last couple of weeks I've begun working on the real thing, a life sized model of a baby elephant over a metre high, which has taken over a large area of an office canteen space where I'm painting. It's located near St James Park so is as close to Buckingham Palace as I am ever likely to have an art studio!

Although I've done this before (back in 2010) it's always a little nerve wracking being confronted with a giant white elephant.

I soon got over this and gave it a couple of coats of a bright blue base colour, with the help of my assistant for the day Emma (http://www.emmas-graphics.co.uk/) and 2L of ready mixed Homebase paint!

I've made quite good progress, over the last week or so and the background to the design is finished, now onto the more fiddly bits. Here are a couple of work in progress shots...

and some pictures of some of the St James Park wildlife, a hungry squirrel who was briefy considered following me for more snacks and a motionless heron. I'll post another update soon!

The Elephant Parade

Exciting news! I submitted a design for this years Elephant Parade and it's been selected as one of the 40 or so artists taking part. I'll soon be starting to paint the real thing in a studio near Victoria station. (Onto a life sized model of a baby elephant). This time round the elephants are going to be on display not just in London but to towns and cities all over the UK for the next 12 months! Once again they will be sold to raise money for the Asian elephant.