Teen Artist's Penguin Design to Waddle into Southend Trail for Havens Hospices

June 23, 2025

Southend-on-Sea is set to welcome a new resident to its popular art trails, as 16-year-old Niamh Connolly Joyce's unique penguin design, inspired by a musical legend, takes its place among the "Waddle on Seas" baby penguins. This marks a significant achievement for Niamh, who has long been a fan of the town's public art installations, from "Herd in the City" to "Hares About Town."

Niamh's journey to seeing her design brought to life began when she was chosen by BBC Radio Essex to paint her vision onto one of the trail's smaller penguin sculptures. Her design pays homage to a musical icon, not only for their recognizable status but also for their profound commitment to charity – a fitting tribute for a trail benefiting Havens Hospices, which provides vital care to those in need in the local area.

The intricate design, which features fine details, glittery feet, and a rhinestone eye, took Niamh approximately two months to complete. "It was definitely an adventure to experiment with different materials such as emulsions and paint pens," Niamh explained, noting her usual medium is makeup and face paint.

An aspiring makeup and special effects artist, Niamh has been honing her skills for five years, enjoying the challenge of "bending reality and turning into recognisable characters from film or TV." Her talent has already garnered attention; last October, she was featured on Blue Peter, showcasing her makeup artistry on one of the presenters. She also achieved recognition in Val Garland's makeup challenge on Instagram, winning three challenges and being featured on the page of the host of the BBC show "Glow Up," who has worked with stars like Helen Mirren and Lady Gaga.

"To be recognised by a world-renowned artist means the world to me," Niamh shared, "but this for me is only the beginning and I want to keep improving my skills and hopefully one day will achieve my dreams of working on a film set!"

Niamh is eagerly anticipating the public's reaction to her penguin. "I am beyond excited to see my penguin out on the trail amongst all the other amazing artists," she said. "So look out for my penguin creation coming soon to Southend on Sea, and please may I ask if you see it to take a selfie or picture and share it with me @niamhsmakeupbreakup as it would mean the world to me!"

You can also explore more of Niamh's creative work by checking out and following her makeup page, @niamhsmakeupbreakup.