About the county

Fancy getting your hands on an original Mackenzie Crook? Or perhaps a one-off Nick Parks? Or even a Chris Tarrant, a Jamie Cullum, or a Robert Plant?

Well you can do, on Saturday October 13, when a batch of over 60 original celebrity paintings makes its way on to the auction block at the City Guildhall in Bath.

Reece Shearsmith's portrait

The auction, organised by the Prime Arts Auctioning House in Atworth, has been set up to raise funds for the Bradford on Avon based Robin Hood Ministries which works to reduce poverty in some of the world's poorest countries.

Over 60 celebs have been persuaded, by Ben Eason at Prime Arts, to not only get their hands painty but to donate their artistic endeavours to the Paint4poverty Celebrity Art Auction on Saturday October 13th as well.

Among them is the Bristol animator Nick Parks who has briefly traded clay for paint to produce an energetic portrait of Wallace and Gromit and Stone Roses' John Squire whose massive eight feet long canvas has already bagged an online bid of £2,500.

Robert Plant

But it isn't just the big names from the artistic world that have donated their canvases. 

The Oscar nominated actress, Kate Winslet, has submitted a minimalist portrait of her bottom whilst comedian Jo Brand has plumped for a restaurant scene:

"One of my favourites is a fish by Chris Tarrant," says Ben Eason at Prime Arts.

"We've also got some quite unusual artists like McKenzie Crook from Pirates of the Caribbean and the Office who did a painting of a pirate ship. 

McKenzie Crook

"We also got Reece Shearsmith, from a League of Gentleman, who's done a painting of his character and Coronation star Jennie McAlpine who painted building blocks for Building for Poverty."

How to bid

All 60 original one-off paintings are due to go on display at Bath Abbey, from October 8th, before being auctioned off at the Bath City Guildhall on Saturday October 13th, 2007.

You can also go online to place a bid.

For more information on the Celebrity Art Auction or to place a bid online.. click on the Paint4Poverty link below or click on the link in the right hand column.

Happy bidding.....