Heart of England CRP

 

With the Commonwealth Games coming to the Midlands this Summer, the Heart of England Community Rail Partnership has worked with Leamington-based artist Emily Pettitt of Emily Kaye Illustration, to produce a mural for Leamington Spa Station.  Passenger numbers are expected to increase with the recovery of rail post-Covid-19 and with the Lawn bowls events for the Commonwealth Games taking place in Leamington, so we wanted to create a stunning visual impact for when visitors first arrive at the station.  Leamington has a thriving street art scene with murals dotted around the town that are used in social media posts and we wanted to offer another opportunity for people to have that ‘Instagram’ moment and promote the station and sustainable travel. 

Inspiration for the mural came from the numerous sporting activities that can be enjoyed in Leamington as well as some of the iconic tourist attractions and destinations like Jephson Gardens and the Royal Pump Rooms.  Emily said, “I was inspired to create a colourful artwork that celebrates Leamington, it’s parks, nature and sporting activities. Whilst painting the mural I had many conversations with the public and added their suggestions including a heron and an elephant. I hope people will enjoy pointing out their favourite spots and be inspired to think about our town.”

Liane McCarthy, Area Manager for Chiltern Railways has said she’s, “Absolutely delighted with the mural at Leamington Station.  It is fast becoming an Insta spot with our customers.” 

Details of all our community projects can be found at https://www.heartcommunityrail.org.uk/projects and you can follow the CRP on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @HeartCRP

More about Emily Kaye Illustration

Emily is an illustrator and works predominantly by hand, loving the texture and unpredictability of paint. She works across a variety of media including digital, print, comics and murals. Her work is crafted by hand using paint, brush pens and coloured pencils, celebrating the beauty in imperfection! 

She loves connecting with people through art and telling stories with her illustrations, creating art that is accessible to all. She strongly believes that everyone can draw. She also loves hosting creative workshops and works with universities to demonstrate artistic techniques.

Follow her on Instagram @emilykayeillustration, Twitter @emilykayedraws