Midland artist Ian Morris has taken his new painting of Ozzy Osbourne and Ozzy the Bull on a tour of Westside, meeting the Black Sabbath Bench and various other top sites.
And we videoed the journey to celebrate Ozzy and his fellow original members of Black Sabbath having their individual Freedom of Birmingham honours confirmed this week. You can watch our video of the fun tour here:
Our first stop saw us introducing the Ozzy images to each other on the bench at dawn, before we moved on to visit ‘The Golden Boys’ statue of Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch, the Industrial Revolution’s founding fathers.
Then we visited Gillian Wearing’s sculpture of A Real Birmingham Family and the Hall of Memory on Centenary Square, Gas Street Basin, the ICC bridge over the Main Line Canal and Brindleyplace … including a 30-second ‘exhibition’ at the Ikon Gallery.
Next up was JD Wetherspoon’s Figure of Eight pub in Broad Street for a slap-up breakfast, before Westside BID warden Enoch White helped us to continue the tour in the BID’s electric truck.
Our special tour comes in the same week that Birmingham City Council officially confirmed that Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward are to be given the Freedom of Birmingham honour.
Artist Ian, who comes from Rowley Regis in the Black Country, said: “I am thrilled that all of the members of Black Sabbath are being given a Freedom of Birmingham honour.
“I painted Ozzy just to follow my dream… he and Black Sabbath are iconic so I thought I would immortalise him in oils.
“When the Bull was named after Ozzy, I thought I’d put it in the background looking up at him, with Ozzy in the pose he had during the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony, which might be the last time we see him perform live.
“It took me a year to paint the picture. With oils you can add layers and layers and layers – which then means you have to work out when to stop. The detail on the Bull, for example, is very intricate.”
Ian, who as well as his art is a welder turned carpenter, says he has already turned down an offer of £20,000 for his Ozzy painting. While he would sell his painting, he said he’d love to have it exhibited somewhere appropriate first.
He explained that he first became aware of Black Sabbath via their hit single and album Paranoid in the early 1970s.
“It was just the music, the guitar and the riffs with Ozzy’s distinctive voice out front. Ozzy is so amazing, but all of the parts of the band are equal and complement each other perfectly.
“It’s great that Westside BID now has the Black Sabbath Bench, visited by fans from all over the world when they are in Birmingham.
“I’d love to be asked to create a sculpture of the band as they deserve one and Birmingham should have one – I would have Ozzy at the front, head banging!”
Now leaf through our gallery of Ozzy Osbourne and Ozzy the Bull on tour photographs below.
Photographs and video by Graham Young.
Ozzy on the run!
He deserves the freedom.
Iconic legend.
Let’s celebrate Brums talent and flaunt it.