Fleetwood artist fundraising for Trinity Hospice in memory of his grandma

Fleetwood artist Joseph Travis is creating unique illustrations of seaside architecture in watercolour and ink to raise money for Trinity Hospice.

In memory of his grandmother, Marjorie Gill, he has created 100 customised prints to raise money for the Blackpool-based hospice. The prints are A3 and created to be affordable; each is priced at £20, with half the money going straight to Trinity Hospice. The rest covers the costs of production and shipping within the UK.

Great British Life: Joseph drawing on the Flag Market in Preston Joseph drawing on the Flag Market in Preston (Image: Joseph Travis)

The original painting is also for sale as well as a one-of-a-kind A1 print. Each one is created 1:1 with the original then lovingly customised with hand-crafted details in paint markers and watercolour, making every print unique.

Joseph, who grew up in Fleetwood and Thornton, felt that the ice cream shop (now run by Fleetwood Beach Kiosk) was a fitting tribute to his childhood memories of his grandmother—many of which relate to food and her paintings of the local hills and waters.

Great British Life: Joseph's grandma, Marjorie Gill, with a pot he taught her to make Joseph's grandma, Marjorie Gill, with a pot he taught her to make (Image: Joseph Travis)

‘My grandma was an artist and she encouraged me to go to art school,’ Joseph said. ‘She meant the world to me. She taught me so much about cooking, baking and painting, and I wanted to do something in her memory. Trinity Hospice helped care for her in her final months, so I decided to do something to support their valuable work helping people in our community.’

Joseph trained at several local universities, but his grandmother was his greatest teacher and she encouraged him to create his first watercolours. Joseph enjoys capturing the buildings and scenery along the Lancashire coastline, usually working in watercolour and ink.

Great British Life: Joseph is concentrating on seaside buildings, such as the watchtower at Rossall Point Joseph is concentrating on seaside buildings, such as the watchtower at Rossall Point (Image: Joseph Travis)

A trained teacher, he worked at Rossall School until he decided to focus on painting and running his own studio.

‘This is my first time making prints so this is something very different for me. I believe everyone should have access to art, so I priced to be affordable for any budget. My aim is to raise £1,000 by selling prints and the original painting.

‘While there are many great ways to give back to causes you believe in, I wanted to use the skills my grandma taught me to raise money for Trinity Hospice—helping with their mission while expressing my gratitude to her for introducing me to my craft.’

Great British Life: Blackpool's famous Robert's Oyster Rooms is another of the seaside scenes he has painted Blackpool's famous Robert's Oyster Rooms is another of the seaside scenes he has painted (Image: Joseph Travis)