 Some of his works are made up of hundreds of slices of toast |
An artist has become the toast of the town with his portraits of illustrious faces branded onto slices of bread. Lennie Payne's toasted impressions of Elvis Presley, Benny Hill and Vinny Jones among others have received critical acclaim.
A blowtorch, loaf of bread and a knife is all he needs to create his artwork, which is selling at �2,000 apiece.
Mr Payne, from Cranford, Essex, said the idea came about after making shapes with toast to entertain his daughter.
Tasty art
He said he has been working with toast as a canvass for 10 years and recently had his first art gallery viewing in the West End.
In the past three years, he has sold six pieces to different collectors at �2,000 apiece.
He hopes one day to work as an artist full time but in the meantime he earns his keep as a painter and decorator.
"You've got to earn your bread and butter somehow," he told the BBC News website.
Apart from the art critics and collectors, some of Mr Payne's fans have developed a voracious appetite for his work.
Three slices of his toast portrait of Ian Dury were recently eaten by mice.
"What can I say? They've got good taste," he said.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
