On Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th May 2016, Lois Cordelia performed a special one-off speed-painting demo in public, depicting local scenes of her hometown, Ipswich, on the sides of a larger-than-life model pig, as part of the Suffolk "Pigs Gone Wild" Summer art trail. The live art demo was hosted by Anna Matthews and her team at La Tour Cycle Cafe, located in Tower Street, in the heart of Ipswich town centre.

Below: Lois Cordelia and Anna Matthews welcome the blank white pig to the Cycle Cafe.

Lois welcomed dozens of visitors over the two days, including many children and young families, and talked about her ideas for the design while she worked. She has called her design "Pig-geswyk" (a play on the Medieval name of Ipswich, "Gippeswyk"), representing both the historic and contemporary sides of the town in depictions of the Elizabethan Christchurch Mansion and the modern area of the Waterfront (including the UCS Waterfront building). The design was chosen to be sponsored for the Pigs Gone Wild trail by Ipswich Central, as it fits perfectly with their ethos of working to ensure a strong and prosperous future for Ipswich town centre, through promoting its history and heritage, but also enhancing its contemporary image.

Below are a few photographs recording a glimpse of work in progress during the two-day intensive demo, but please note that the finished pig will only be publicly revealed and unveiled, along with all the other pigs in the trail, on 27th June 2016. She will be on display in a central Ipswich location (to be decided) for ten weeks this Summer.

Day 1: The Christchurch Mansion

Day 2: The Ipswich Waterfront and Marina



Below: A brief glimpse of work in progress, adding a subtle reference to the La Tour Cycle Cafe :-) Film footage by Dave Bulow Photography, May 2016.
Painting a Bicycle leaning against the Christchurch Mansion
Below: Painting the underbelly of the pig, on hands and knees



Below: Adding finishing touches

Lois was born in Ipswich in 1982, and still considers it her home, although she has travelled, lived and studied in other locations in the UK and abroad. She attended Northgate High School and Sixth Form, in Ipswich, where her A-level art teacher Mr Emery challenged her to evolve from black and white to colour and start painting. Fifteen years on, Lois performs regular speed-painting demos and teaches painting workshops all over East Anglia and beyond.

The La Tour Cycle Cafe, which is run by Anna Matthews and her team, is a delightful, homely and family-friendly cafe, serving a delicious selection of hot drinks, cakes, and light snacks. Lois Cordelia has previously collaborated with Anna Matthews on several art and cycling themed projects, including a "BMX Bicycle Angel" sculpture and a children's workshop making bicycles out of pipecleaners for the Christmas tree festival 2015. These are still on display at the cafe.

***************
 

From the Pigs Gone Wild website:
 

"St Elizabeth Hospice has teamed up with Wild in Art to stage Suffolk’s biggest ever mass-participation, public art event – Pigs Gone Wild.
 

"The interactive sculpture trail will feature more than 40 pigs across Ipswich and beyond. This summer, from 27 June to 2 September, you will be able to follow the trail, collect points with our Pigs Gone Wild app and to try to see as many of the sculptures as possible.
 

"The pigs, beautifully decorated by artists and generously sponsored by local businesses, will be on show for 10 weeks this summer. They will be joined by a sounder of junior pig sculptures designed by local school children and teachers, which will appear in litters across the town.
 

"After you have enjoyed Pigs Gone Wild during its 10-week extravaganza, the large pig sculptures will be auctioned to raise funds for St Elizabeth Hospice."