Photos show celebrated East Sussex artist installing stunning new artwork at Plumpton Station

The celebrated landscape painter had previously unveiled four murals at the station in 2017, which were installed to spruce up an old signal box with local scenes.

But, after almost a decade, the three-metre wide pieces started to fade.

So Plumpton resident Grant plans to unveil four new paintings on Sunday, August 17 (2pm), in his latest project with Network Rail.

He said in a Facebook video back in February: “It’s going to be at the station in the entrance when we get it in there.”

So far, two pieces are up at the station. The artist, whose work often commands four-figure prices, has been enthusiastically uploading videos and photos of his progress to Facebook since spring. People can follow him and see his artwork at www.facebook.com/grantdejongeart.

Grant has been painting in his garden on cement boards in the mostly sunny weather. He said the four artworks depict four landmarks near Plumpton that are close to his heart, including: a view of the ‘Cross of Lewes’, which commemorates the Battle of Lewes in 1264; the ‘V’ on the Downs, which is made from trees planted for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee; Plumpton Racecourse; and sunflowers in a field that may be lost if the ‘Eton New Town’ housing goes ahead.

Grant said the sunflowers painting is also dedicated to the people of Ukraine.

Grant, who has lived in Plumpton for 19 years now and has been involved in many public art projects, is also known for his charity work and political activism. For example, in 2020 he held an attic sale to highlight the plight of homeless people and raise funds for Brighton and Hove charity Knight Support.

In 2021, this newspaper reported that Grant actually took a blow torch to one of his landscape paintings in a symbolic protest at proposals for a new 3,000-home development in East Chiltington. The burned painting depicted a field of sunflowers near the village, where Eton College was hoping to build.

There will be drinks at the Half Moon Pub in Plumpton on August 17 after the artworks are unveiled. Prints will be available to purchase and the artist said he aims to donate the proceeds from the sunflowers art prints to Ukraine.