From Headliners to Hanging Walls: The Art of the Multitalented
This summer, as Ed Sheeran steps off the stage and into the gallery, his vibrant, Pollock-inspired canvases mark yet another moment in the ongoing story of musicians and actors embracing the visual arts. With the announcement of his Cosmic Carpark Editions; a series of expressive, limited-edition prints created in partnership with HENI. Sheeran joins a growing cohort of public figures who blur the lines between music, performance, and visual art. His motivation is deeply personal: a creative outlet born from downtime between tours, rooted in childhood memories of growing up in a household where both parents worked in the arts.
Far from a vanity project, Sheeran’s paintings are tied to a cause close to his heart. Proceeds from the sale support The Ed Sheeran Foundation, dedicated to improving access to music education. These works, made with household paint in a disused Soho car park, are not only expressions of his creativity but also a call to nurture the next generation of artists and musicians.
But Sheeran is not the first to move from sound to surface.
Pop Icons with Paintbrushes: Paul McCartney to Bob Dylan
Paul McCartney, another global name synonymous with music, has long maintained a parallel practice in the visual arts. Inspired by the likes of Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock, McCartney’s paintings began as a private endeavour in the late 1980s before gradually emerging into public view. His work has appeared in gallery exhibitions and even made its way onto album covers, making his art not just an accompaniment to his music, but a vital extension of it.
Then there’s Bob Dylan, who may be best known for his Nobel-winning lyrics, but has more subtly built a prolific art career spanning sketchbooks, oil paintings, and iron sculptures. His series The Drawn Blank and The Beaten Path offered new visual narratives echoing the poetic wanderlust of his songs. And now, we’re proud to list “Motel Pool” on EzelDotz. Like many Dylan works, it’s both Americana and allegory; a collectible that straddles time, place and legacy. These pieces are more than decoration. They’re fragments of history, often gone in a flash, harder to reclaim with each passing exhibition.
The Vinyl Canvas: Kathryn Williams
For some, the canvas is not a side hustle, but another key in their creative symphony. UK singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams exemplifies this synthesis. Her most recent album Mystery Park features her own painting on the cover, years after her breakout Dog Leap Stairs did the same. Williams, who has painted for years, sells her work through platforms like Etsy and Saatchi and has also created cover art for other musicians, including bands on Creation Records. In her world, songs and paintings are siblings; gestures of mood, tone and storytelling.
This dual practice reminds us that art isn’t siloed. As with Stan Lee, whose iconic comic-book visuals accompany his writing now hang as pop art in collectors’ homes. When art adapts to the surface or the room, a place becomes more than just a backdrop. It becomes an active collaborator in the meaning and experience of the work. These creative outputs are deeply interwoven. From vinyl sleeves to gallery walls, art adapts to the surface, not the other way around.
From Chords to Canvas: Johnny Depp and Raphael Mazzucco
Johnny Depp, though internationally recognized as an actor, began as a guitarist. His lifelong connection to music continues through collaborations with bands like Hollywood Vampires. But more recently, Depp has made headlines as a painter, creating vivid portraits of cultural heroes – Bob Marley, Elizabeth Taylor, Heath Ledger, rendered with expressive brushwork and rich colour. His paintings have resonated with fans and collectors alike, quickly selling out in limited-edition releases.
And then there’s Raphael Mazzucco, who shifted lanes more dramatically from professional footballer to world-renowned fashion photographer, then into fine art. Mazzucco’s cinematic sensibility defines his visuals, often blending photography, paint, and collage. His Fifty Shades of Grey collaboration, particularly There’s Something About You, now available through EzelDotz, captures the emotional nuance and sensual elegance that defines his signature style. A signed giclée print co-signed by E.L. James, it’s both collectible and evocative: an artefact that sits firmly within popular culture, yet with an intimacy that draws the viewer in.
Collecting Culture: Why EzelDotz?
At EzelDotz, we celebrate these cross-disciplinary journeys. We provide a platform where collectors, whether new or seasoned, can find rare, secondary-market artworks that might otherwise slip away. From major names like Bob Dylan to emerging voices, from street art legends like Stik and Mr. Brainwash to contemporary greats like Jonas Wood and Puritat, we’re preparing to list a new wave of sought-after works. These pieces don’t hang around for long. So, if you’re a collector, admirer, or just curious, now’s the time to get ahead of the game and register your interest, be the first to know when they go live, and make sure you don’t miss out on works that rarely reappear.
Collectors often arrive with stories – about the one that got away, or the name they’re quietly watching. We invite these conversations. Tell us what you’re looking for. Be the first to know when it lands. Join a growing community that sees collecting not as a transaction but as participation in a wider cultural legacy.
And right now, as festival season celebrates the diversity of creative voices across the UK, galleries are also becoming more open, social and accessible. EzelDotz online platform extends that access further, allowing you to browse, discover and invest from wherever you are.
We’re here to help you turn admiration into acquisition, curiosity into collecting. Whether you hang it on your wall or stream it in your headphones, the best art – like the best music – stays with you.
