Strorrington-based artist Lottie Hickford spent the end of her pregnancy painting a 7ft owl as part of The Big Hoot art trail to honour her niece who was sadly born with a heart condition and only survived 10 days.
To say Lottie Hickford is having a busy year is an understatement. She is one of the artists behind The Big Hoot, Chichester and Arundel’s large-scale art trail in aid of children’s hospice Chestnut Tree House this summer. She has been painting a seven-foot owl for that – a far cry from the two-dimensional landscapes and nature-themed stationery that are her artistic calling card.
In addition to this, Storrington-based Lottie welcomed her first child, a boy, at the beginning of May: ‘I spent the last two weeks of my pregnancy bent over in a shed trying to get this owl painted,’ she says. “In fact, I started having contractions while I was painting, so I did some of it while I was in labour!’
It’s a big moment for Lottie professionally, happening alongside the life-altering, sleep-deprived chaos of life with a newborn. And for Lottie and her family it has added poignancy because her design is a tribute to all the children cared for by Chestnut Tree House – among them Lottie’s niece, Elsie, who was only 10 days old when she died.
‘Elsie had a heart condition which meant we knew she wasn’t going to live for very long,’ says Lottie. ‘Her parents, my sister-in-law Naomi and her husband Janay, decided to bring her to Chestnut to make the most of the time they had together. My family joined them there with a few friends and we had a dedication service for Elsie before she died a few hours later.
‘Chestnut Tree House has been amazing. Basically, whatever Naomi and Janay have asked, they have facilitated. A group of us did a sponsored event for Elsie’s first birthday and we all gathered afterwards at Chestnut Tree House, visiting the Memorial Garden where there are stones bearing the names of Chestnut children who have died.
‘For me, Chestnut is Elsie’s resting place and I feel close to her there. My husband and I visit often with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. For us, it's more a place of remembrance than of grief and it’s important to be able to experience those things separately – enjoying her memory at the same time as being sad.’
In her work, Lottie is particularly inspired by nature – both the South Downs on her doorstep and the beautiful Scottish Highlands, where she has holidayed since her teens. ‘The colours there are just so different – instead of blue skies and green fields, you have purple landscapes set against stormy skies. I grew up in Worthing with the Downs and more recently I’ve moved to Storrington, so I love that rolling countryside and the classic Sussex landscapes.’
Lottie always knew she wanted to be an artist and studied illustration at university. She now combines commissions with her business November Moon, which sells illustrated stationery and gifts. She says: ‘I am particularly interested in exploring colour and movement through paint, building up textures and brushstrokes as the story of the piece unfolds.’ Part of the challenge of her piece for The Big Hoot was working in three dimensions – the owl presented a very different canvas for her work.
Lottie’s owl is an abstract depiction of the night sky. Stars have become very significant to the family as a way of remembering Elsie and in the design, each star represents a child who has sadly died at Chestnut Tree House.
While she is excited about this reaching new audiences and seeing people’s reactions to her work, it’s clear that the project has deeper personal resonance: ‘It's very special to do this for Elsie and for her parents,’ says Lottie. ‘Remembering her in our day-to-day lives is very important. This represents the fact that she's still a big part of our family. The fact that it’s all happened at such a crazy time has made it a bit of a roller coaster but linking this project to the birth of my own child is very special to me as well.’
The Big Hoot comes to Chichester and Arundel from 10 July to 1 September. Find out more at www.thebighoot.co.uk or follow on socials @ChestnutOwls. Turn to page XX to see a map or you can pick one up in Chestnut Tree House shops and libraries in Chichester and Arundel.
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