British artist creates canvases using tea

A British artist currently taking the world by storm relies on drink - to paint with, The Daily Mail reports.

Carne Griffiths, 39, uses tea to create his fantastical pictures, which he then sells for up to £4,000 apiece.

The Liverpool-born artist has been drawing since he was a young child and has spent years perfecting his technique using the unusual medium.

Griffiths said: “I love to involve drawing in my work, and using ink and tea allows me to create repeating layers of drawing which I then wash away partly with tea, and make new drawings from what appears beneath.

“I don’t like to be idle, I suppose drawing is a form of meditation for me so I get my relaxation at those times in the studio.

“I think if you are passionate about something, it will find its way into everything you do.”

Griffiths previously worked producing gold wire embroidery for the military, which sparked his desire to move into using textiles
with his work.

He moved to London and did an apprenticeship as a gold wire embroidery designer before beginning a 12-year career drawing embroidery designs for clients including the Prince of Wales, Tom Ford, Asprey, Burberry, Chanel and the Sultan of Oman.

Griffiths set up his own studio in 2010. Since then he has exhibited in the UK at the Royal Academy's London Original Print Fair and the London Art Fair. He has also shown his work in Ibiza and New Orleans, and has recently collaborated with the British photographer Rankin for a feature in Hunger Magazine.

He said: 'I am excited about 2013, with a number of opportunities to show work throughout the UK and overseas in Hong Kong, Italy and the States.

“I am looking forward to producing some floral designs for a clothing designer in Spring and am always flexible about the direction my work takes, providing it allows me to do what I enjoy most.”