Royal Academy-trained artist transforms friends' home with stunning murals capturing market town life Alan Dodd painted the stunning and unusual murals on the side of a friend's home in Eye, Suffolk He took 55 hours to complete the work on the 50-foot-long house side and says it is a tribute to the town He paints historical scenes and was taught by influential artist David Hockney When artist Alan Dodd was asked by friends to paint a mural on a blank 50-foot-long wall at their home he transformed it into an optical illusion. Friendly faces behind windows and lifelike archways leading to landscapes are painted onto the cottage, in Eye, Suffolk. And the images give an illusion of a make-believe world within. Nationally-renowned artist Alan Dodd stands with the unusual mural that he painted on the side of a friend's home in Eye, Suffolk The largest painting in the Eye mural is a blacksmith's forge, which takes in the skyline features of the town's church and castle. Quirky characters and also animals feature on other parts of the house side. These include rabbits and chickens, and a captivating cat which stares from a painted window. Many of the images were inspired by the history of botany and horticulture. In one window Swedish botanist Carl Linneaus, who was the first person to categorise plants, sits writing with a quill pen. A parrot watches him from an ornate perch and an old fashioned wig sits beside him. Mr Dodd, who was taught by pop art pioneer David Hockney, paints the work, which he says is a homage to the market town's heritage Mr Dodd adds the finishing touches to the masterpiece, which he says will benefit from being on a wall that stays out of the sun The finished mural is incredibly detailed and Mr Dodd spent 55 hours up a ladder during the painting process In another view influential British horticulturalist Gertrude Jekyll reclines in her rocking chair, looking into the secluded garden through the painted curtains. Mr Dodd's mural also features a red Royal Mail letterbox, adding even more colour to the finished work. The artist spent 55 days up a ladder to create images at the property in Eye, Suffolk. He says the stunning finished product is a homage to the heritage of the market town. In another detail from the mural an elderly lady reclines in a rocking chair next to a vase of flowers, while in a second window an intricate vase is displayed Mr Dodd, 71, who lives in Weston, Suffolk, said: 'It was just a blank, long wall. You would not believe what a difference it has made to the space. The wall is about 650 square feet so it would not have been feasible to paint the whole thing so we decided to paint parts of it. He added: 'The mural will also really benefit from being on a wall which is often away from direct sunlight.' Mr Dodd trained at the Royal Academy of Arts in the 1960s and was taught by influential pop art pioneer David Hockney. He now designs and paints murals for a living. The artist has used his skills to work on a number of important projects, including the Pompeiian ceiling decoration in the New Picture Room at Sir John Soane's Museum in London.