St John's College

Liam O'Farrell has put his brushes to paper and created this wonderful watercolour for a fellow of St John's College Cambridge.

Liam says " The college was founded in 1511 and its statutes are specified as ‘The promotion of education, religion, learning and research’ and it has to be said they have done rather well as it's alumni boasts nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints!
I chose to paint the Great Gate which is adorned with the arms of the foundress Lady Margaret Beaufort. The odd creatures are yales, mythical beasts with elephants' tails, antelopes' bodies, goats' heads, and swivelling horns.
Above them is a figure of St John the Evangelist with an Eagle at his feet and symbolic, poisoned chalice in his hands. Why he carries a poison chalice god only knows, it seems a rather negative idea to me and would never get past a focus group.
Anyway, despite delicious architecture Cambridge to me is all about the people and most of them are on bikes as the students are banned from owning cars. I took the opportunity to add as many cyclists as the space would allow."

The client was immensely pleased, and so is Liam!