21° C blue skies and a day with no lectures timetabled meant only one thing for me, and that was to go and begin painting. I chose the Donau Canal
I chose a spot which was in a bad condition, but for me it was a perfect spot. It was in the sun and just underneath a set of stairs from the street level down. When I paint I work with the existing fabric of the walls, from brick work to previous pieces, existing colours and patterns. I have a strong belief that with legal walls you should not paint over work that you can not do better; this means that walls are only improving and if artists where to paint using each other’s pieces then it forms a unified, interesting and constantly developing work of art. Over the years this is what I have tried to do and I hoped to be able to continue and improve further in Vienna
My work was a direct response to my thoughts from Will Alsop’s set task and the existing urban fabric. I wanted to create an artistic illusion that would convey a hidden message. Many people use the stretch of the canal I was working on for jogging and riding bikes. These people move past along the stretch of river at quite a speed, even people walking do. Wall Art reads differently in the way Impressionists work does, from up close to far away. Forms, letters, colours are completely different as your views, angles and distances change. I wanted to test these.
Can You See (Focus on the Orange)
Can You See Revealed
As I painted a number of people stopped and just focused on my work, allowing me to continue; some looked at the way I painted, others came and spoke to me about my work. A few enquired into the meaning behind it. It was interesting how the reactions ranged from different people and how perceptions of these individuals changed. This I believe may be the direction I am moving in regards to not only my Wall Art but possibly my Architecture.
Hidden Illusions in response to the people I experienced using the Donau Canal
My Piece, working with the existing urban fabric
