First look: View Big Heart Auction artworks online
Ever dreamed of expanding or starting your art collection? If so, now’s the time…
We’re chuffed to announce that the online gallery for the inaugural Big Heart auction is now live for your viewing pleasure. There’s plenty of amazing artwork from local, national and celebrity artists, illustrators and photographers up for auction, so head on over to the Big Heart Auction website and get exploring.
The auction is the result of collaboration between Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice and Brighton Dome. 200 donated artworks will be available for purchase through an online auction from Thursday 26 February to Sunday 8 March, with all proceeds going towards supporting both Chestnut Tree House – which cares for over 300 children with life-shortening conditions in Sussex and South East Hampshire – and Brighton Dome; a registered arts charity committed to providing a groundbreaking programme of performance, art and debate that touches and enriches thousands of lives.
Amongst the artwork is an original painting by Raymond Briggs – illustrator of the much-loved The Snowman and Patron of Chestnut Tree House. The piece, entitled Snowman with a BIG heart, is an original piece commissioned for the Big Heart auction and was painted using acrylics.Laura Wall, artist and children’s book Illustrator, has also donated an original charcoal concept drawing titled Then we put of our Night Clothes from the board book Goodnight, Goose, written by Laura and released in October 2014.
Laura recently visited the hospice, which is the only children's hospice in Sussex, to donate the illustration along with signed copies of all ten Goose books, taking time to meet up with some of the young artists who have also contributed works to the auction. ‘It is a breath of fresh air, a safe haven and uplifting place of joy for the children and families who are there’ said Laura. ‘It is a place of happiness and for that alone it deserves to survive and thrive; and it is down to us to own it and keep it so.’
The auction includes a wide range of styles to appeal to all tastes and budgets, including photography, textile, mixed media, fine and contemporary art. Other artists to have donated works include Francesca McLeod, a Brighton-based artist whose powerful and emotional portraits are often exhibited in Brighton and London, Dan Baldwin, whose work is collected and exhibited nationally and internationally, and Maria Rivans, a British contemporary artist who creates collages utilising an array of printed materials from 20th and 21st century pop culture.
Alongside the online gallery, Brighton Dome will play host to a public Big Heart exhibition from Wednesday 4 to Friday 6 March. The exhibition is free to enter and will be an opportunity to see first-hand artworks from a wide range of artists.
All of the works can be viewed at www.bigheartauction.org.uk, with new pieces being added daily.
More on Chestnut Tree House
Chestnut Tree House is the only children's hospice in Sussex and cares for 300 children and young adults with progressive life-limiting conditions. There are potentially 1,000 families with life-limited children in Sussex. Chestnut Tree House offers support for the whole family including psychological and bereavement support, end of life and short break care and sibling support. It currently costs well over £3m each year to provide all the care services provided by Chestnut Tree House. Families are never charged for their care and less than 8p in every pound is funded by the government. Visit www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk for more information.