'Wish you were here' postcards celebrating Brighton and Hove landmarks inspire the design of Clifton the snowdog

Brighton and Hove is spoilt for choice with picture-perfect scenes for tourist to send home. Equally, locals fall in love with landmarks like the Hove Peace Statue, the Brighton bandstand and the Palace Pier.

Now a cluster of artists have immortalised the attractions in the most original way - on a giant snowdog which will stand proud on the city streets to raise money for charity.

Clifton is the only snowdog of the pack to have been decorated by more than one person. He is one of more than forty 1.5 metre sculptures that will appear next week as part of the arts charity trail in aid of The Martlets.

The group of 20 - known as the Chalk Gallery artists - put together the design for the dog's sponsor Streamline Taxis to celebrate its 80th birthday.

The gallery, based in Lewes, is run by professional artists and was founded in 2005. It offers art at affordable prices with a new exhibition every six weeks.

The project first caught the eye of fellow gallery artist Lyndsey Smith and the idea captured the imagination of the entire group. She was the one who came up with the idea for the series of 'wish you were here' postcards against a background of beach pebbles. Many of them feature a personal message for visitors to spot.

There is even a heartfelt note from the artists in memory of a late member. Gus Harrison died in June aged 79. The artist from Polegate was the 21st member of the gallery. He was due to take part in the project but never got to decorate the dog. Instead he has been honoured with the message forming part of the sculptures design. The gallery is also hosting an exhibition of his work which ends on Sunday.

Gallery chairman Leila Godden said: "It was very sad, he was really looking forward to the project. We wanted him still to be remembered as a part of it so we included a little postcard message for him. It marks what would have been his 80th birthday this year."

The group worked in artist Veronica Van Eijk's Longleys Studio Barn in Hailsham over a month. The artists sanded, painted, varnished and glossed Clifton until he was ready to present himself to the world with his new coat. He was surrounded by bubble wrap as he was carried into the van and left the studio off to join the pack. There were sleepless nights, feverish spouts of creativity and a tight timescale but complete harmony between the artists.

Mrs Smith, a watercolour artist, of Plumpton, painted the Volks Railway postcard on the snowdog. She said: "It just struck me as a really fun, really unique chance for everyone to get involved that could not be missed. We had never worked on one single project together before.

"Chatting over Clifton with other artists working on him gave us the opportunity to find out a little bit more about each other too. It was really lovely to see him when he was finished - he is like our baby. We can't wait to see him on the street."

Seascape artist Mrs Godden, of Halland, who painted the postcard of a 1936 Streamline Taxi the year it was founded, added: "We wanted the postcards to tell stories, and invite questions too. We want visitors to ask Who is that little boy by the 1936 taxi?

"Lyndsey was the driving force behind the project. She is incredibly modest about the whole thing."

Dave Smith, chairman of Streamline Taxis who is sponsoring the dog which will be based on the green in Montpelier Crescent, Brighton.

He said: "Streamline Taxis is eagerly awaiting to see Clifton ( named after our address in Clifton Hill) at his location where he will be a fitting tribute to our 80 years in the taxi industry. This extremely worthwhile cause supporting the Martlets Hospice, also coincides with our 80th birthday year, so we felt this was an opportunity to also celebrate our milestone achievement in Brighton and Hove."

The Argus is the official media partner for the Wild in Art project.

For more information on the artists visit chalkgallerylewes.co.uk.

MEET THE CHALK GALLERY ARTISTS

Lindsey Pearson; watercolour, pen and earth inks painter, Storrington. Themes: Venetian scenes, florals, abstracts and figurative works, justlindsey.co.uk. Postcard: The Victorian glory of the Brighton bandstand.

Susan Lynch; oil and acrylics painter, Eastbourne. Themes: 'Readable' abstracts and Stylised Flora mostly in bright colours on box canvas, eastbournegroupartists.co.uk. Postcard: Martha Gunn - one of the most famous dippers who operated bathing machines - and the Rottingdean Windmill.

Janie Cochrane Stewart; sculptor, ceramist and painter, Uckfield. Postcard: The Clock Tower bathed in sunlight under blue skies.

Nadia Chalk; artist, Worthing. Themes: Uses reclaimed materials to make small 3D houses nestled in coastal and rural settings, nadiachalk.co.uk. Postcard: Childhood memories invoked by The Lanes. 

Katie Whitbread; painter, Tunbridge Wells. Themes: Colourful still life pictures and Sussex or Kent landscapes, kwhitbread54.wixsite.com/katiewhitbread. Postcard: The fun-for-all-the-family Hove Lagoon.

Rachel Brooks; artist, Hove. Themes: Figurative work in a range of media, rachelbrooksread.co.uk. Postcard: The iconic architecture of the Saltdean Lido.

Gail Gibson Tait; painter, Hove. Themes: Semi abstract painter using mixed media to create lively and colourful landscapes and seascapes, gailgibsontait.co.uk. Postcard: Merchant ship the Athina B which had engine failure on January 21, 1980, and was beached at Brighton, to the east of the Palace Pier.

Leila Godden; painter and chairman of the gallery, Halland. Themes: Expressive semi-abstract seascapes using acrylic, leilagodden.com. Postcards: The 1936 Streamline Taxi from the year it was founded.

Lyndsey Smith; painter, Plumpton. Themes: Illustrative watercolours of buildings and people with history, lyndseysmith.com. Postcard: The Volks Railway which has been carrying tourists along Brighton seafront for 130 years.

Veronica Van Eijk; painter, Hailsham. Themes: Large, characterful watercolours of cows, vaneijkarts.com. Postcard: A cheeky and rather smug seagull - an Albion fan, of course.

Ashley Jones; painter and illustrator, Chichester. Themes: Calming beachscapes in acrylics, watercolour and pen and ink, facebook.com/ashartgallery. Postcard: Beach scenes reflecting Brighton's character and history like mods, rockers and deck chairs.

Carlina Oliver; painter, Lewes. Themes: Sussex landscapes, artistsandillustrators.co.uk/carlinaoliver. Postcard: Chattri Indian war memorial on the South Downs by Patcham.

Simone Riley; artist and painter, Cross In Hand. Themes: Photomontage artist and watercolour painter, simoneriley.co.uk. Postcard: The Hove beach huts in rainbow colours to celebrate gay Pride.

Ursula Stone; painter, Forest Row near East Grinstead. Themes: Oil painter portraying inner landscapes and figurative art drawing with inks, ursulastone.com. Postcard: The "Daddy Long Legs" - the Volk's Brighton to Rottingdean seashore electric railway 1896 – 1900.

Lucy Ames; painter, Tunbridge Wells. Themes: Cheerful paintings using vibrant colours and mixed media, artbylucyames.com. Postcard: A traditional Regency street scene.

Nichola Campbell; artist and Chalk Gallery secretary, Newick. Themes: Colourful ink paintings in collage, nicholacampbell.com. Postcard: Brighton Pavilion.

Janice Thurston; painter, Hove. Themes: Oil and acrylic landscapes focusing on the South Downs, janicethurston.co.uk. Postcard: The view up to Ditchling Beacon from below.

Richard Heys; artist, Forest Row. Themes: Non-figurative artist addicted to colour, richardianheys.co.uk. Postcard: The Hove Peace statue and Embassy Court.

Chris Liddiard; artist, Hailsham. Themes: Watercolour and abstract paintings, chrisliddiard.com. Postcard: Brighton Marina

Julie Snowball; ceramic artist, Norman's Bay. Themes: Figurative sculpture, impressing antique lace, Lino cuts and recycled objects into clay to emphasise surface texture, jasceramicsandartworks.co.uk. Helped to varnish the entire dog.

In memory: Gus Harrison; artist, Polegate. Died on June 26, aged 79. 
He was due to work on the snowdog with the other artists. An exhibition of his work is open at the Chalk Gallery in Lewes until Sunday (September 18).