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Sussex artists wanted for giant snails

Besi Besemar December 20, 2017

Next autumn the streets of Brighton and Hove will come alive with a colourful and magical art installation featuring up to 50 giant snail sculptures, in aid of Martlets Hospice in Hove.

Snailspace, the much-anticipated follow up to Snowdogs by the Sea, is reaching out to local artists to submit their designs for this unusual 3D canvas.

Art and artists are at the heart of this unique fundraising event for Martlets.  The originality, creativity and quality of the individual sculptures ensure that, not only do they delight the event’s visitors, but crucially, that they sell for a premium at auction, raising vital funds for the charity.

Building on the success of the previous event, which raised £310,000 for Martlets, organisers are keen to encourage submissions from local artists to showcase the wealth of creative talent in the region.

Artists are able to submit their designs online and the artists chosen by the Snailspace sponsors will be paid a commission to bring their design to life.

Speaking about her experience of being involved in Snowdogs, artist and illustrator, Sarah Arnett, said: “Every single aspect of being involved in Snowdogs and creating ‘Max’ has led to work or commissions. Having something so visible, over such a long period, meant that it really brought me to the attention of a new audience and has led directly to specific commissions as well as creating interest in my work.”

Sarah Arnett and a few other Snowdog artists will be on hand at the Snailspace Artist Inspiration Evening at Phoenix Studios on Thursday, January 18 from 6-8pm. This will be an opportunity for anyone thinking about submitting a design to meet a giant snail (the ‘canvas’) and find out more about what’s involved.

Artist, Katherine Griffen, who created the highly popular Snowdog Bobby has already been commissioned to create a snail.

Speaking about being involved Katherine said: “The snail sculpture is fantastic, I love it. It’s a really great surface to paint on.”

To find out more artists should visit www.snailspacebrighton.co.uk

Deadline for submissions is end of March 2018.

 

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