‘Cromer Artist Raises £29,300 for Charity in 2 Weeks’
In only 2 weeks seven of Samuel Thomas’ commissioned animal sculptures were auctioned off for charity raising a collaborative sum of £29,300.
On the 19th September around 30 giraffe sculptures were auctioned off in Colchester, Essex, three of which were painted by Samuel and raised £9600. 14 days later on the 3rd October four gorillas were auctioned off in Norwich which were painted by Samuel, one of which sold for £7700. In total from both auctions Samuel raised a sum of £29,300 which will be donated to charity. On the same night around 50 gorillas in were auctioned off raising an impressive total of £272,300. Charities that will benefit from this money raised will be Break, Born Free to Wildlife conservation trusts and it is good to know that art work has an ability to reach different kinds of people in very different ways.
Samuel shares his passion for the scheme: ‘’What is particularly good about the Go Go Gorillas event is that it touches people from all backgrounds, you have artists expressing their creativity, children in the summer enjoying the gorilla hunt, Norwich business reporting higher footfall due to the trail to the sculptures getting auctioned off as unique pieces of art. And ultimately the large amount of money raised at the auction makes a huge difference to people and animals all over the world.’’
Samuel began work on the Gorillas back in January and when April arrived he was in Essex in Colchester working on three giraffes for Wild in Art which he had been commissioned to paint. Before the varnish had time to dry on the giraffes Samuel was already driving back to Norfolk to return to his Dad’s conservatory where another two gorillas sat waiting for him to paint including one sponsored by Marks & Spencer. Samuel had originally planned to paint them in his studio, but when the (larger than anticipated) sculptures arrived they would not fit through the door way!
In fact it was this time last year when Samuel Thomas was first approached to take part in Go Go Gorillas by the project manager - Martin Green where they met at Samuel’s exhibition in Cromer. And after such a busy year that time has arrived again as Samuel’s 8-day long exhibition opens on the 25th October at the Red Lion Cromer. ‘’It’s good to be back in Cromer after an eventful year all over the UK promoting my art work where I have been to Cornwall, Birmingham, Essex and Suffolk.’’ Says Samuel who now plans to spend the winter working on new originals to keep up with demand and Brighton is his next focus to exhibit in. So perhaps this time next year you will be reading an article on ‘Samuel’s Success in Brighton 2014’!
‘ESCAPOLOGY’ Exhibition: Samuel Thomas & David Morris have teamed up for a collaborative show where stunning photography will be shown alongside originals and limited edition prints of Samuel’s. All of the work is available to purchase or leisurely browse. The two artists will also be showing slideshows exploring the theme of Escapism that runs throughout their work. There is also a ballot box where visitors can share their opinions and the best line formulated on escapism will win a £100 Art Gift Voucher. Samuel and David have both captured Cromer and Norfolk in their very unique ways yet they have both captured the unique spirit and atmosphere of the place. Find out more about the exhibition by going online here: www.samuelthomasart.co.uk/BLOG
25th Oct – 1st Nov 11am – 6pm
Function Room, Red Lion, Cromer FREE
Artist Websites: www.samuelthomasart.co.uk www.davidmorrisphotographer.com