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He has dominated the past decade of UK music with his ability to craft earworm melodies that can become mass sing-alongs but Ed Sheeran has been swapping the recording booth for the artist’s studio.
The singer, who grew up in a household with two parents who worked in art, is teaming up with Damien Hirst’s company Heni to sell prints of his Jackson Pollock-esque paintings in order to raise money for his foundation.
The prints, which are being sold for just over £900 each, are large canvases he created during downtime after touring and in between recording sessions.
Sheeran said: “I started painting at the end of my Divide Tour in 2019 and it’s something that I’ve used as a creative outlet ever since. When I was growing up, both of my parents worked in art, so I’ve naturally always been interested in it, and I always enjoyed studying art at school.”
Created using household paint, the colourful canvases – dubbed the Cosmic Carpark Paintings – will be displayed in an exhibition at the Heni Gallery in central London from 11 July to 1 August.
“I was back and forth on tour last year, and I used a lot of my downtime in the UK to paint. I’d run to a disused car park in Soho each morning, paint, then run home and I’d do that daily until I headed back out on tour again,” added Sheeran.
While he is keen not to be compared to other artists, the work is said to be “inspired by celestial patterns, and in keeping with his well-documented, expressionist splash painting style”.
The Ed Sheeran Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting music education in state schools and grassroots organisations across the UK, will receive 50% from the print sales.
The singer led a call for Keir Starmer to commit £250m of funding for music education, which was backed by Elton John, Coldplay, Harry Styles, Stormzy and Central Cee.
In an open letter to the prime minister, signed by more than 500 music figures, Sheeran wrote: “As an industry, we bring in £7.6bn to the UK economy, yet the next generation is not there to take the reins. Last year was the first in over 20 years without a UK global Top 10 single or album in the charts.”
He called on the government to set up a taskforce to work together to ensure music education remained high on the agenda.
The letter said: “The time to act is now. State schools, which educate 93% of the country’s children, have seen a 21% decrease in music provision.
“We collectively ask for a £250m UK music education package this spring to repair decades of dismantling music. Music in and out of school should be for all, not a few.”
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Sheeran has donated artwork – including a £40,000 painting – to raise money for charity. In 2021, he conducted a raffle to fundraise for the charity, Cancer Campaign in Suffolk. The singer charged £20 a ticket and the initiative brought in more than £50,000.
The singer created the covers for several of his albums and EPs, including the artwork for his 2021 single Afterglow. He used Hirst’s spinning wheel to create the artwork for his album Divide.
When Sheeran appeared on Desert Island Discs in 2017, he discussed his love of art and the influence of his father, who worked as a curator. “He has always said that art is meant for enjoyment,” he said. “You don’t acquire art as an investment.”
Sheeran has an art collection that includes work by Harland Miller, known for placing provocative slogans on Penguin books. “I have pretty much the most provocative word prominently displayed in my home,” he added. “My dad said as long as you enjoy art, you never lose.”
The National Portrait Gallery has a portrait of Sheeran painted by Colin Davidson in its collection.
The singer has eight No 1 albums to his name, and has been the most played artist on British airwaves and in public spaces seven times.
His next album, Play, is scheduled for release this September.
