The much loved children's book character Elmer the Patchwork Elephant is approaching his thirtieth birthday in 2019, and to celebrate this, Andersen Press have teamed up with creative event producers Wild in Art to present Elmer's Big Art Parades 2019. There will be Elmer trails in several UK towns and cities in the Summer of 2019, including Ipswich.

Ipswich artist Lois Cordelia was asked to paint one of the early pre-launch Elmer statues. Lois called her fairytale-inspired design "Imagination can take you anywhere". The fairytale theme is appropriate, as Andersen Press is named after Hans Christian Andersen.

Three Elmer statues including Elmer the Patchwork Elephant (painted by Michelle Turton), "Astronaut" (designed and painted by Mik Richardson) and "Imagination can take you anywhere" (by Lois Cordelia) were unveiled on 25th October 2017 during St Elizabeth Hospice's official Ipswich "Big Reveal" event. The Ipswich Elmer trail is the much anticipated follow-on from Pigs Gone Wild 2016 and will continue to raise vital funds for St Elizabeth Hospice.


Above: Ipswich artist Lois Cordelia beside her Elmer design for Elmer's Big Art Parades 2019


Painting Elmer the Elephant for Elmer's Big Art Parades 2019


Below: The official unveiling at Ipswich Town Hall on 25th October 2017.





Mik Richardson's "Astronaut" and Lois Cordelia's "Imagination can take you anywhere"



Work in progress series

How many elephants can you spot? :-)







Lois's 17 month old niece Matilda came to visit and kindly let her Aunt borrow her Elmer books and toy. Here she is with her Dad, inspecting progress :-)