A Saffron Walden-based artist has provided the artwork for a series of newly republished George Orwell classics.

Heath Kane, who has a studio on Church Street, worked on the updated and reimagined covers for Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm, Homage to Catalonia and Down and Out in Paris and London from Penguin Vintage.

He came to prominence with his ‘Rich Enough to be Batman’ series and his paintings and prints have appeared in leading galleries around the world, as well as on the covers of the Wired and Saatchi Art magazines.

Heath said: “To say this was a once in a lifetime opportunity would be an understatement. Orwell left his mark on me, as he has with so many millions of others. It was a daunting task to be given.

"Thankfully my passion took over from my worries. It was also a thrill to know the Orwell Estate ultimately approved my artwork too.”