Artist brushes up on her buoys!
SPLASH OF COLOUR ... Lynda transforms the buoys.
SOUTH Tyneside artist Lynda Nelson is putting the finishing touches to her new work.
The 31-year-old, from Jarrow, is converting three former marine buoys into a piece of public art set to be seen by thousands.
Lynda, who has work on show at schools in South Tyneside – including Westoe Crown, Ridgeway, Simonside and Ashley primary schools in South Shields – has been busy painting the 10ft tall buoys at a factory in Gateshead.
They will be transformed with railway poster-style images of North Tyneside’s coastline, and will be placed at the northbound exit of the Tyne Tunnel.
Up to 40,000 drivers will see them every day when the new Tyne crossing project is due for completion in December.
The £15,000 scheme is a joint project involving North Tyneside Council and Tyne Tunnel operator TT2.
Trevor Jackson, managing director of TT2, said: “The buoys will be the perfect finishing touch to our re-landscaped grounds, once construction works for the new Tyne crossing are complete. We’re delighted that a local artist was chosen to produce the eye-catching artwork, which will offer a vibrant welcome to our customers.”
Artists nationwide were invited to submit an expression of interest to carry out the work. Seven were shortlisted, and each provided suggested designs.
A judging panel, consisting of representatives from the council and TT2, decided Lynda’s designs were the best.
Lynda said: “It will be great to have my work seen by so many people.
“I am very excited about this project. Although I am used to painting large scale murals, this project is quite unusual and is a great opportunity for me.
“Before I came up with the final design, I tried a lot of different ideas, a few simple ones and also a few complicated ones. Ultimately, I was influenced by 1920s and 1930s railway posters, in particular the simple, blocky style and colour of them.
“The buoys are an unusual shape to paint on, but I’m used to painting on brickwork.”
vicki.newman@northeast-press.co.uk
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