What have Ainsdale Beach, HRH Camilla Parker-Bowles, Jamie Carragher and Widnes Market got in common?
The artist, Paul Curtis, who created the ‘Widnes MarCat’ at the town’s popular market.
Widnes Market and its traders recently commissioned the Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards 2020 ‘Artist Of The Year’ winner, to create a bespoke mural on the market’s exterior walls.
Halton Borough Council’s Executive Board Member for The Community, Paul Nolan said: “He was given a loose brief to create a bespoke, colourful and inspiring piece that would capture the imagination of the community of Halton.
“The artwork has been named ‘Widnes Marcat’ by Paul himself, and represents abstract representations of disorder to order, with a tip of the hat to Chinese New Year (The year of the tiger), and the term ‘a roaring trade’ in reference to the traders of Widnes Market.”
Artist Paul said: “I’m pretty proud of this one, I have to be honest. They gave me quite a lot of freedom on this one allowing me to mix abstract with realism.
“This roaring trader really brightens up a dark corner of the market
Paul started work on Wednesday 9th Feb, finishing the project in 6 days. Paul came prominence with his very first piece of street art, “For All Liverpool’s Liver Birds” (aka “The Liver Bird Wings”).
Many famous people have posed for pics in front of it including HRH Camilla Parker-Bowles, Jamie Carragher, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Bianca Walkden.
In 2018, the mural was the 19th most geotagged place in the UK, nestled between Stone Henge and Abbey Road on the list.
His other most famous work mural to date – thought also to be the largest painting created by a single artist in the UK – transforming Ainsdale’s Toad Hall.