Meet the artist: Lynne Hollingsworth and ‘The King’ – Lions at Large 2025

When Lynne Hollingsworth’s father received end of life care at Cheltenham General Hospital, he urged his daughter to bring more of her nature-themed artwork into hospitals.

It was her father’s love of Elvis and the great outdoors, as well as her personal connection to Gloucestershire, that inspired her to bring ‘The King’ to life.

Now a multi-award-winning artist, Lynne Hollingsworth couldn’t say no to the opportunity to paint a sculpture for Gloucestershire’s Lions at Large trail.

Lynne specialises in designing and creating large scale hand-painted and vinyl murals in hospitals across the UK and was recently commissioned to paint works at Leicester Royal Infirmary, Birmingham Women and Children’s Hospital and the Nightingale Macmillan Cancer Care unit, to name a few.

We spoke to Lynne to find out more about ‘The King’ and what it means to her to be involved in the Lions at Large trail.

Hi Lynne, can you tell us a bit about your artwork and what inspires you?

I’m known as a large-scale mural artist and painter, and I do most of my work in hospitals – mostly intensive care and cancer care units. A lot of hospitals don’t have windows, so I focus on bringing the outside in and creating that connection with nature and the outside world. Nature makes us feel better and has a healing effect, and I’m also passionate about colour theory and how colours help our wellbeing.

I’ve always been drawn to painting at a very large scale. My dad was registered blind but had some peripheral vision, and I was always painting shapes that he could make out. The bigger I worked, the better he could see it.

At the end of his life, my dad was in Cheltenham General Hospital and said: “Promise me you’ll do more artwork in hospitals. We need you to work your magic and bring the outside in here.” So that’s what I started to do and have done ever since. That has always been my mission, since he died.

What is the most rewarding thing about painting in hospitals?

Sometimes I work in really challenging and emotionally difficult environments, such as child bereavement and teenage cancer wards, and chemotherapy or radiotherapy units. I talk to lots of patients and their families, and often people just want to talk about the art because it’s something that’s not about them.

It can be a very privileged position to be in – not a member of staff, a patient or a family member but still helping people through whatever they’re experiencing.

What does it mean to you to be involved in the Lions at Large trail?

I love Cheltenham. It’s one of my favourite places and it’s where my dad died, so when I discovered that the Lions at Large trail was happening in Gloucestershire, I knew that I absolutely had to do it.

It means a lot to me because I see firsthand how powerful art and creating uplifting and hopeful spaces can be. If I can contribute in a small way to supporting patients and families and to help fund a much needed, much valued facility, then that’s a real privilege for me.

A sculpture or art trail has huge, far-reaching impact. The thing that I love about these trails is that even if you live in the area, when you are following a trail, you become a tourist in your own town. You’re walking with your trail map and go to places you wouldn’t normally go to, and you see a cafe, or a shop and you think, oh, I’ll just pop in there. So, it’s great for everybody – the hospitals, the charity, raising funds and raising awareness.

What was your inspiration for ‘The King’?

As I said, I like to bring nature into my work and the lion is the king of the jungle; the king of the beasts. So, I thought why not play on the king of rock and roll? Also, my dad loved Elvis so it seemed very fitting, especially as he spent the last few weeks of his life in Cheltenham.

Gloucestershire, and Cheltenham in particular, has royal roots too, with Highgrove Gardens, Gatcombe Park and of course, the equestrian connection.

What was it like painting a sculpture for the Lions at Large trail?

I absolutely loved painting ‘The King’ and getting the gold and red paint out. I’ve never used gold paint before, so that was really cool. I loved doing his sunglasses, so he feels like he’s got a real attitude and painting his fur with tiny little brush strokes.

Painting a sculpture is in many ways a lot like painting a mural. When you work in hospitals, you are always working around odd shapes – above doors, underneath sockets and behind units. So, although there are practical challenges, that’s part of the joy of doing it. It keeps you on your toes and it brings it to life in an unexpected way. I’m used to stretching around things!

From 11 July – 14 September, ‘The King’ by Lynne Hollingsworth can be found outside Cheltenham General Hospital on Sandford road, Cheltenham.

Visit Lions at Large to download the app and plan your visit to the trail.

About Lynne Hollingsworth

Lynne Hollingsworth is a multi award-winning artist and designer who specialises in creating sensitive, calming hospital art that reduces anxiety, aids well-being, and brings comfort to patients, families, and staff.

After graduating with a BA (Hons) Fine Art, Lynne worked as an Art Gallery Exhibitions and Education Officer and Art Curator. Following her post-graduate study, she was Head of Art and Design, a Head of Graphics and a co-ordinator for Advanced Art and Design Studies. After teaching and lecturing extensively in Art and Design to post graduate level, Lynne set up the HD Art Creative Studio in 2001.

Lynne’s art studio is based in Duffield, Derbyshire. She has created murals for hospitals across the UK, including Nightingale Macmillan Unit DRH, Birmingham Women and Children’s Hospital and University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.