More than 20 Welsh artists have started to unleash their creativity on their giant Snoopy sculptures, which will be featured in next year’s A Dog’s Trail with Snoopy – a public art trail that will see 40 Snoopy sculptures take over the streets of Cardiff, Caerphilly and Porthcawl to raise vital funds for Dogs Trust.
The Snoopy sculptures have been temporarily homed in a dedicated painting space at Cardiff Bay’s waterfront dining and shopping centre Mermaid Quay, one of the trail sponsors.
Mermaid Quay centre manager, Simon Whiting said:
“We are delighted to welcome the A Dog’s Trail with Snoopy artists to Mermaid Quay. It’s great to be able to get a sneak preview of the designs as they take shape. We can’t wait until we have our very own Snoopy sculpture on display at the centre when the trail goes live next year.”
The trail will launch on Friday 25th March 2022 and the sculptures are currently being brought to life with the artists’ designs from a completely blank canvas. With each stroke of paint and every dab of detail, the 1.5metre Snoopy sculptures are one-step closer to going walkies across South Wales.
Local artist Farah Saffari is thrilled to be part of A Dog’s Trail with Snoopy and cannot wait to see the public’s reaction to all of the sculptures.
Farah said:
“It’s wonderful to be able to help Dogs Trust raise funds for their vital work. With so many public events being cancelled or postponed within the last year, it’s fantastic to have a local art event to look forward to.
“My Snoopy design is inspired by a quote from artist Corita Kent ‘flowers grow out of dark moments’. I wanted to create something light and bright to inspire people to remember to live in the moment, appreciate the little things, no matter what life throws at us.”
Artists will be utilising the painting space until 14th January, to uniquely decorate their Snoopy sculpture, with each one being sponsored by a business. Farah, adds: “Working on the sculpture around other artists is really lovely as a lot of us freelancers are used to working alone most of the time. Being a massive Snoopy fan I can’t wait to see all the finished sculptures around the trail this spring!’’
With all Snoopy sculptures designs kept top secret until the trail is live, the A Dog’s Trail team have shared a sneak peek of Farah Saffari’s ‘Flowers Grow Out Of Dark Moments’ and Rachel Hall’s design ‘Bark Side Of The Moon’, which is inspired by space and the night sky.
Rachel says: “I’ve always been inspired by the night sky so I knew I had to incorporate all things space into my Snoopy design. Being part of A Dog’s Trail is the dream for me – painting dogs on a dog, all for a good cause is the perfect combo!”
Rebecca Staden, Project Manager of A Dog’s Trail with Snoopy, says: “Each of the artists’ designs looked amazing on paper, but seeing the start of them come to life is just incredible, which wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing painting space in Mermaid Quay. A Dog’s Trail with Snoopy is all about making art publicly accessible, offering something truly unique to all who live and visit South Wales next spring. Be ready for eye-catching colours, dramatic designs and magnificent murals, which sets the stage as you go walkies around Cardiff, Caerphilly and Porthcawl.”
At the end of the event, each sculpture will be auctioned to raise money for Dogs Trust to allow them to continue to care for the rescue dogs in the care, giving them everything they need until they are adopted.
