Go Wild Gorillas Private View, 25^thJuly 2019, 6pm.

Jane James studios- St Helier, Jersey.

I was invited to attend the ‘Go Wild Gorillas’ private view at Jane James studios in St Helier where I had also spent time in April painting my own life size gorilla sculpture along with other artists from Jersey, the UK and even LA. The project sponsors and artists were all invited as well as one of the patrons of the charity, Milo Parker from ITV’s The Durrells.

The event included drinks, speeches and a sneak peek at the phenomenal 40 life size gorillas all lined up and ready to go out into the wild for the opening of the trail. It was so lovely to meet up again with all the Jersey artists and the GWG team to celebrate the results of such an amazing project.

The gorillas looked absolutely incredible. They were lined up on either side of the long studio space and when you entered the room the presence of the gorillas was extremely powerful. It was like they were lined up for battle and raring to go! Seeing my gorilla ‘Rotchi’ (sponsored by Ronez) in the line up was a very proud moment for me! The main lights had been switched off and special lighting had been installed for the private view. The lights were different colours and reflected off the gorillas, creating an impactful space and some exciting effects within the room. The darker gorillas took on the colours well, Rotchi included! I have included some photos of the room, as well as Rotchi under the coloured lights. The gorillas were extremely varied from bright colourful designs and patterns through to gorillas dressed to reflect different situations, uniforms or jobs. Rotchi was designed to look as though he is made of Jersey granite excavated from the quarry up in St John through built up rock textures and crevices.

The event was a success with sponsors and artists able to see all of the designs before the trail was due to go live. They were also able to see where each gorilla would be placed and trail maps were handed out to guests.