The 11th mural: 1 Snowdrop Street
Making the ugly beautiful
This gable end was different from the others: a larger surface area, a different shape, no pointed archway, and two windows. So many challenges - creating the design, repairing the wall, painting at height - but what a joy to transform it. This property has been empty for over ten years, and before that, it was a cannabis farm!
Our seeking permission to create the mural seems to have prompted the owner to implement interior works as well. One of the broken windows was replaced and the next is due to be fixed soon.
The “TLC” preparation
Before any art could start, I got out the rendering stuff again, this time employing some newly discovered bricklaying skills!
The scraping, scrubbing and filling reminded me of taking care of a neglected person, someone who’s been through years of harshness and seen bad things. Rod and Danielle returned to help me do this very physical, dirty work to get the wall to the right condition to receive its first coat of primer. Because of a raised area on the ground, the scissor lift had to be more than 50cm from the wall. Constantly reaching over was exhausting.
Creating the “flower arbour”
There were three main artistic features: the arbour, the giant snowdrop and a welcome message. Since this was the final mural for the Flower Streets, it seemed right to paint all the flowers from the street names again, to make a “flower arbour or archway” which would also serve as a frame for people photographing themselves.
The act of drawing and painting each flower again brought back memories of all the other murals I have done on these streets since April 2023. All the encounters I have had with people, the conversations, greetings, all washed about in my consciousness.
The flowers in the arbour are like the people here - all unique individuals with different characteristics, but united with a common thread of humanity running in and out of us all. The heart at the top is the universal symbol of love, a reminder that all people love and are loved.
Along the way, it made sense to paint in the first line of the chorus of a song I recently wrote.
Involvement of Fine Art students
I decided to use the giant snowdrop on the left as a lesson in large-scale painting for two art students from Liverpool Hope University. We marked out, scaled up and painted in and around the snowdrop all in one day. I agree with William Morris, who felt it was important for “craftsmen to oversee the design process from beginning to end”, not just do one repetitive task over and over again.
While working at height, three people in the same physical space is quite challenging. I managed to use our time efficiently by taking charge of the drawing while Ali and Chelsea painted pink in the negative space. Then, I assigned the petals to Alison and the stem/head to Chelsea, while I floated between with paint colour mixing.
It was fantastic to teach about magnification, blending and outlining. The humble snowdrop is magnified at least 45 times life size, giving this forgotten street something to be recognised by. All the people helping me thoroughly embrace the aim to increase positive spirit and well-being in this area.
Community involvement in the lower work
I saved the lower left side of the mural for people in the community to contribute to. I had an invitation pinned to the fences from the start of the mural’s creation. The idea was that I would mark out the lettering “Welcome to the Flower Streets” in white first, then people would paint a letter in colours of their choice.
This went mostly according to plan, but there were quite a few rain interruptions.
Media reports
The BBC came and their report is here. A good news story, at last! :-)
Liverpool World came and their report is here - including Joyce declaring that they’re not just murals, they’re works of art! (thanks Joyce!). Alex, a resident, said how much he likes living with the murals and enjoys the attention of people who come to see them.
Will you be returning to the Flower Streets?
Of course, I have made dear friends and will drop round socially. Countless people have been asking that I return to the damaged property, 6 Crocus Street, which is currently undergoing foundation works. Once it’s structurally sound, we’ll see if the Council are able to commission me through dot-art again. There is also an idea for me to paint flowers on bins! For now, though, the Council-commissioned/funded side of my work is over. I’ve enjoyed working with them!
What’s next?
The questionnaire from the School of Psychology has gone out to residents, and while I am not involved in this research, I will be included in the planning of a second study. So many people have told me how they’ve experienced personal transformation through the art and poetry touching them.
I’ve always believed that art can act as an interface between the physical world and the transcendent. I hope to write more about this over the coming months. I don’t have any solid commissions for more murals lined up yet, and while exposure in the media is great, it doesn’t pay the bills!
Thank you, readers…
…for all your support and enthusiasm over the duration of this project.
If you want to make a gesture of support to me and want to help me keep doing what I’m doing - “Fine Art” murals that transform neglected communities, plus developing my writing and teaching about insights into the “community transformational” type of art - please consider “upgrade to paid”. For those of you who have made pledges, these will now become active paid subscriptions. Substack take 10% of this and I get the rest, which seems reasonable. Everything I write will still be accessible to free subscribers, but paid subscribers will help me to actually write them!
In forthcoming days, I will write another post about other ways to support me (including financing the recording of the song I composed) which are still being worked out. Until then, thanks again. Feel free to comment and share this post!