AN ARTIST from Cirencester unveiled his latest piece of work last week, to be auctioned off to raise funds for a community radio station in the town.

Corinium Radio (CR), winner of the Creative Champion award at the Cirencester Chamber of Commerce Business Awards earlier this year, approached artist Laurie Plant to paint a community-inspired piece to be auctioned off to raise money for a Creatives Trail project.

On Friday (September 2), Laurie unveiled the painting at a special ceremony at the Kings Head Hotel, attended by Mayor Mark Harris and CR chair Carole Boydell.

Tony Coleman, CR host, speaking at the event, said: “We won the Creative Champion award at the Chamber of Commerce [Business Awards] and as a result of that we decided we would launch a Creatives in Residence project.

“The idea is to get different people from different genres, so we might have an artist, we might have a playwright, we might have poet, a musician – we haven’t chosen them all yet – but the first one to come along was Laurie.

“He offered to paint a picture for us to raise funds for the radio.

“We’re going on to create a Creatives Trail next year, so we can spread the word on the creativity that goes on in the Cotswolds.”

Sealed bids can be submitted until September 16, when the winner will be announced.

Laurie, in a short speech at the ceremony prior to the unveiling, said: “I came to the successful tenth year anniversary event [for CR], and I thought this is great and I said to Carole could I do something to help you?

“Can we do something to raise some money, because it’s a community group and so many people put so much time and effort into CR."

Laurie said Carole suggested an original painting with “some strong connections to Cirencester and our community”.

Deciding to create something based on the shapes of the Parish Church, Laurie was able to go ‘up the tower and onto the parapets’.

He said: “I thought I’d love to work with some of the shapes on the church. I went to see John, our church verger, and he helped me get up the tower and onto the parapets where I drew some of the lozenges and shapes.

“I thought if I start with something simple like these shapes, you kind of have an alphabet of shapes in a way.

"That could be a starting point. These shapes are so old, but we see them every day, they are already part of our parish and community, and they’re just there, but can I make something striking and different and contemporary with those shapes?”

He joked that it was a ‘bit dangerous making this artwork’ when he found himself at the top of the church tower alone in the dark.

“John let me on the rooftop, he was very trusting,” Laurie explained.

“There’s the old staircase, with the steps that are all uneven. John said: ‘Slam the door shut so the pigeons don’t get back in!’

“And I’m stood there with my sketchbook in the pitch black and I couldn’t move. So it was kind of a bit dangerous making this artwork as well, but not as dangerous as Carole trusting me.”

Visit coriniumradio.co.uk/laurieplant for place a bid.