Chris Packham painted by Team Beswick and Pye

Above: "A Starry Night in Southampton with Chris Packham" is a new painting by Team Beswick and Pye that's approximately 225cm wide and 100cm high Gordon Beswick and Harry Pye are delighted to be working with Jonathan Kelham and UGO who give artists the opportunity to utilise underused billboards in Southampton. Currently on show "Free For All Forever" by Mark Gubbin

Gordon and Harry get to have their image featured on a billboard between the 5th December and 12th December.

(Above photo of Harry & Gordon in the studio by Julian Wakeling) Chris Packham was born in Southampton and educated at Taunton's College. He studied Zoology at the University of Southampton and later became a presenter on the Bafta award winning Children's program The Really Wild Show.Since 2009 he's co-presented Springwatch. Recently Packham wrote his autobiography "Fingers in the Sparkle Jar"

In the book he expresses his love for Kestrels: "Every minute was magical, every single thing it did was fascinating and everything it didn't do was equally wondrous, and to be sat there, with a Kestrel, a real live Kestrel, my own real live Kestrel on my wrist! I felt like I'd climbed through a hole in heaven's fence." Chris is also known to adore his two pet poodles, Itchy and Scratchy. The painting by Team Beswick & Pye features Chris with his dogs by his feet and a Kestrel on his wrist. The other creatures that put in an appearance include a spider, a Grey wagtail, an Alpine Chough, A Jackdaw, an unlucky worm, a blue tit, a Robin, 2 moths, several badgers, a red squirrel, a mallard duck, a field mouse, a hedgehog, a bumble bee, a couple of deers, an eagle owl and a whooper swan and a fantastic fox. The location of the billboard is:70 Bevois Valley,Road,(A335) SO14 0JT.