A North East artist whose work has previously earned him a commission at the British Embassy in Kuwait is now involved in a new project much closer to home, but one that still has an international flavour.
Lee Ferry, who runs Custom Artwerk in Stanley, has spent the past 14 years creating unique pieces ranging from school murals to private commissions.
But now he is taking on a new challenge at a restaurant set to open at Newcastle’s The Gate, painting a number of Mexican-themed, large scale images.
Tia’s Mexican Cantina has had a highly popular outlet in Durham and is now planning to open in Newcastle late summer.
And as part of their plans to make the restaurant a real talking point – along with providing first class food – owners Steven Martin and Gabriel Petre have commissioned Lee.
“I saw some of the work Lee had done in other places and it absolutely blew me away,” said Steven of Kaleido Ltd.
“I had noticed the paintings at Riverwalk at Durham and then looked him up and just thought he was the perfect fit to create some original artwork for us.”
Steven said commissioning Lee also came with the bonus of being able to support another North East business.
“We would always try and give work to other companies in the region if we can,” he said.
“So choosing Lee was really easy for us. We can’t wait to see what he produces.”
Lee has already created some initial sketches for the restaurant and will now start work on them in July.
“I’m really excited about his project,” he said.
“A lot of the work I do is for private clients so a great deal of it doesn’t get seen by the public.
“The fact that I’m now going to have this new work where lots of people in the restaurant will see it every day is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Work is now underway at Tia’s to create a 140 seater restaurant which will offer a range of tex Mex food, cocktails and premium tequilas.
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