This amazing street art piece is the largest painting ever completed in Great Britain by one artist! The artwork depicts two sand lizards and is located on Ainsdale Beach in Merseyside. The lizards have been named Ainsley and Dale (see what we did there?).

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"This is a project I was extremely keen to be part of. The sheer scale and the challenge that comes with a mural like this is something I had literally to get my teeth into. I used to visit Ainsdale a lot and I often wondered what the story of Toad Hall was. But I never imagined that I would end up painting it.

 

The are many many challenges involved with a building like this. This is far from a flat canvas; there are numerous nooks and crannies, pillars and alcoves. This presents difficulties in simply accessing certain parts, but also in making the image line up and make sense, the claws of the lizard were one of the most difficult things I have ever painted because of this 3D challenge. I knew this would be a tough assignment and I knew it would take time.

 

The Sand Lizard is the perfect subject for this mural. Bright vibrant colours, elongated shape to match the proportions of Toad Hall and part of the local fauna. It ticked all the boxes! I have never painted a lizard before, but I have done a couple of snakes, so I prepared myself for thousands of skin scales! The marram grass and coastal environment are designed to form an illusion so that when you walk over the dunes, due to perspective, the mural should emerge from the horizon as though part of your near surroundings.

 

It's been a joy to work on this project. So many people stopped me and were really enthusiastic about the artwork. The joy on the kids’ faces when they see the mural. Everyone who approached me was so positive. I hope that this artwork gains national interest and in a small way, helps put Ainsdale on the map in the way that the Iron Men did for Crosby.