Newquay Artist Diane Griffiths Saw Her Painting on Hawkwind’s Stage

Some paintings get sold, framed, and hung on a wall. This one ended up on a giant screen behind a rock band.

Diane Griffiths, the Newquay artist whose work became the cover of Hawkwind’s latest album, has watched that same painting appear during the band’s live set at a Cornwall festival.

From the Studio to the Stage

On Saturday, Diane was at Morvala Festival in Cornwall as a guest of the band, following the release of Psychedelic Selection. The album features her painting The Train of Lights as its cover. We covered how the artwork came to be chosen earlier this year, and Saturday added the final chapter.

She met the band backstage and Dave Brock signed the album. Then, just before the encore, her painting appeared on the giant screen behind the band as they played.

“Something I’ll Never Forget”

“Seeing a painting that began in my Newquay studio become part of the live show was something I’ll never forget,” Diane said.

How the Painting Found Hawkwind

The Train of Lights was inspired by the Dartmouth Train of Lights, capturing the glow of illuminated carriages reflected across the River Dart. It sold in the run-up to Christmas. The buyer turned out to be the wife of Hawkwind’s Dave Brock, who had bought it as a surprise. Earlier this year the band asked Diane for permission to use the piece as the cover of Psychedelic Selection, released through Cherry Red Records.

What’s Next for Diane

Diane has had a busy year beyond Hawkwind. She won the Newquay BID Door Mural Trail 2026 and has been named a commissioned artist for St Luke’s Guiding Lights in Plymouth this summer, a large-scale public art trail. More of her work, including originals and prints, is on her website. The painting that started it all is still out there somewhere, hanging in a home in the West Country, with a slightly bigger story attached to it than most.