An artist has paid homage to Charlie Bird's life through a new art project supporting mental health awareness.
Niall O'Loughlin is an established caricaturist who excels at drawing famous faces. His Charlie Bird creation forms part of the 'Elephant in the Room' initiative, founded by former rugby player Brent Pope.
The project, which promotes mental health awareness through art, involves artists showcasing their work on elephant canvases. Charlie became involved with the initiative through his work with the Samaritans and the broadcaster agreed to let Niall paint out his life story.
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Niall told Dublin Live: "Charlie, his wife Claire and his dog Tiger came down to the studio. He gave me a list of things he wanted included on the canvas, including the Croagh Patrick climb, his friendship with Vicky Phelan and of course his love of Bruce Springsteen."
The finished elephant features sketches from Charlie's eventful life on one side and a tribute to the Samaritans on the other. Niall worked tirelessly on the piece for weeks and eventually completed the artwork on his birthday.
Niall painted the elephant's ear with rainbow colours to mark Charlie's coverage of LGBT rights during his time as a journalist. The tail was transformed with tiger stripes as a nod to Charlie's beloved dog.
Niall added: "I was working on this for weeks. It can be really difficult doing faces, especially on an elephant- I didn’t make it easy for myself but I liked the challenge."
The artist admitted he was left surprised by people's emotional reaction to the artwork. He said members of the 'Elephant in the Room' charity were equally moved by the intricate storytelling displayed on the canvas.
The caricaturist is unsure where the finished artwork will eventually end up. It may be temporarily put on display in venues such as Croke Park and Dublin Zoo as part of the 'Elephant in the Room' campaign.
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