Results matching “paint”

Over the long weekend we had at the start of May, I paid a visit to Hatchlands in Surrey, a National Trust property with a house and many acres of park land that I had not yet visited. Due to the pandemic, the house is currently shut, but with spring here, the woodlands are full of bluebells. Hatchlands was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and the house dates from the 1750s and contains a collection of paintings and musical instruments. I hope to tour it at some point, but the treat for this visit was an impressive bluebell woods. 

The walk to the house and gardens is a short walk through a field from the parking. I had a quick look at the gardens before following the signs to the bluebell woods.

There are 400 acres of park land to explore at Hatchlands. I got to see probably about half of what there is to offer on my way to the bluebell woods. After walking through a field, we came to a little forest up a hill. The children's play area and picnic tables are located in this wood, which is named Wizard Wix's Willow Woodland.

It's a pleasant walk through a grove of mature trees once you climb the small hill. On the other side of the trees is another small field with signs directing to the bluebell woodland, Little Wix Wood, and various facts about bluebells. On this short walk, I could see the bright blue carpet through the trees as a glimpse of what was to come. 

This is a mature bluebell woodland, and it takes many years for the bluebells to carpet the forest floor. In order for them to carpet the woodlands, the bluebells must not be trampled because they will die and the bulb that they grow from in the soil will be killed. For this reason, a trail has been set up and visitors cannot stray from the trail. 

I was absolutely blown away with awe at these beautiful bluebells. I took so many photographs.

For those wanting a selfie or group photo with the bluebells, there is actually a "photo area" along the trail.

The trail walks up the hill and then loops back around. I saw the little fairy door on a tree.

The bluebells were in full bloom during my visit at the start of May. The weather has been cooler, so I was not able to appreciate the bluebell scent in the forest on my visit as I believe it needs some hot weather to lift the fragrance, and unfortunately this year has been far from warm so far (except for a couple of days in late May). 

I hope to visit Hatchlands again soon to explore more and to see the house and museum.

Broken Fingaz are a duo of street artists that are based in Haifa, Israel. They visited London in 2013 and 2014 to paint a few murals across east London, and I came across one of these murals at the end of the summer. The mural was painted at the beginning of 2013, so it has seen better days, and it has been altered. The building that the mural was painted on was renovated, so a removal of one wall had broken up the mural, and the introduction of a staircase and two air conditioning units have obscured the other parts of the mural.

This mural, located off Kingsland Road, still has its vibrant colours in a highly illustrative style. Their name appears at the top of the images in block letters, and the first box shows the head of a man. The second box shows a man and a woman appearing to be swamp monsters, perhaps a throw-back at vintage comic book characters.

For more work by Broken Fingaz in London, see the following posts on this blog:

Street Art in Soho by Paul 'Don' Smith, Broken Fingaz, Amara por Dios, Thierry Noir, and others
Broken Fingaz 'Flashbacks for Dinner' Street Art
Open Day at the Street Art House, Dulwich Arts Festival: Part 1
Street Art: Broken Fingaz Crew
New Street Art from Horror Crew, Swoon, Otto Schade, HIN, and others

In an aim to get people back into London to explore, a series of sculptures and artwork has come to Mayfair and Belgravia. The art trail includes a dozen pieces of artwork by different artists and has been given the name "Wander Art". I had a walk to explore all of the artworks on a recent visit, and I thought that I would share as the pieces are really good with some of them being perfect for family photographs and selfies. I have enjoyed visiting London again and do hope for the city to return to pre-pandemic levels of buzz (well, a little less would be good as I am not really a "people person") soon.

The pieces are dotted all over Belgravia and Mayfair. I completed the trail by going to Sloane Square tube and then walking from there, down Ebury Street and then up to Knightsbridge. From there, I walked around Hyde Park / Wellington Arch and then up through Mayfair where I boarded the tube at Bond Street to return home.

"Tell Me Something Nice" by Kinska

This artwork placed in front of a couple of restaurants around the corner from Sloane Square can be sat on, and it is a shame that a bin bag has been placed in front of one. It doubles as benches with various colourful feminine faces and eyes. The artwork is bold and colourful. Kinska is from east London, and she worked in fashion design and ceramics where she learned to incorporate emotion into animated caracitures and to give them a three-dimensional purpose. The faces on this artwork were inspired by cartoons and communication with the outside world to connect with others in this public space.

"Fabriques" by Emily Forgot

These three little buildings in three bold colours appear to be cut from a single block of wood. Unfortunately, the placement of bins and bin bags spoils the display as it has done in the previous artwork. Located on the trendy Elizabeth Street in front of a trendy shopfront, these pieces enhance the corner. Emily Forgot is a London-based designer and illustrator, and similar block-style buildings were created for the London Design Festival in 2016. The artist is inspired by colour and architecture as well as history. As the name translates, the three pieces have been created as an ornament for a park or garden, and they were inspired by the shell houses (Fabriques) a few blocks away in Grosvenor Garden. These shell houses were created by Jean Charles Moreux, and they resonated with the artist as she is also Anglo-French. These sculptures also double as benches to sit on.

"The Only Way is Up" by Craig and Kyle

This giant pink flower appears to grow from Eccleston Square. It is the creation of duo Craig and Kyle. One of the artistic duo is located in New York, and the other is located in London, and they collaborate on bold artwork that can be looked at with humourous undertones. The flower is represented with the head down toward the pavement, a symbol of sadness or tiredness, but the bright pink colour and the fact that it is a flower adds to some amount of hope. This message of hope has come out of 2020 and resonates with all of us, including the artists who put it together inspired by "things can only get better". This is a fantastic piece for selfies.

The next piece on this list was meant to be "Have You Seen the Lions" by Ricardo Cavolo, but it was not placed anywhere in or around Eccleston Yards. (It was meant to be at the Ebury Street entrance.) However, I did locate the above mural that was also in Eccleston Yards, which depicts pandemic street art of some types of workers who had to work during the pandemic holding up the arch of a rainbow, which was a symbol used in 2020 for hope and for the NHS. There was not an artist name that I could see, although it may be covered up by the man sitting in front of it, but I could not see it.

"Face to Face" by Andre Mendes

This artwork has been painted on the corner of the building known as Radstock House, which is a bakery currently. Andre Mendes is a graphic designer from Barcelona who specialises in large-scale murals and sculptures. The artwork depicts abstract faces. The eye, nose, mouth, and lines that make up a face and the features of a face have been blended in together to appear as multiple faces that can also be viewed as multiple parts of faces at different angles. The artist was inspired by different faces when out walking.

"Small, Medium, Large" by Richard Woods

Three small and brightly-coloured symmetrical houses have found a place in Grosvenor Gardens. Woods' artwork is design, art, and architecture. While working as a carpenter, he started to create these little art houses. The artwork was inspired by different sizes with the perspective from each house taking on its own meaning in size when comparing with others. The square has also inspired this artwork, similar to "Fabrique" above and its inspiration taken from the shell houses in these gardens. For this artowrk, the towering buildings built up around the square and offering different perspectives were the source of inspiration.

"The Five Fields" by Jordan Soderberg Mills

 This blue periscope-pipe sculpture appears to stick up from the ground in Halkin Arcade near Knightsbridge. The artist, who is from Canada, explores playing with borders of material and perspective. The name of the artwork is inspired from the traditional name of Belgravia, which used to be "Five Fields" based on its ancient crossroads. This artwork has mirrors installed so that the reflection of the square can reflect onto the artwork, giving it a magical quality. The artist is fascinated with ley lines, folklore, and mythology and this piece is an ode to this and its ability to be in a different realm. 

"In Plants We Trust" by Yinka Ilori

This brightly-coloured archway near Mount Street Gardens appears to be a giant planter with a garden planted on the top of it. It is the work of Yinka Ilori, a London-based artist of British and Nigerian heritage. The artist was inspired by plants and his home during the lockdown, and these kept him in a positive mind. He hopes that the installation will bring joy and calmness; cities are often void of beauty and plants, and this helps to provide them in a new way. The bright colours were used for the sculpture to give a carnival feeling.

"See Through" by Morag Myerscough

Grosvenor Square has become the setting for a highly interactive piece that encourages the audience to interact with it and provides multiple vantage points for selfies. Myerscough creates immersive installations to transform places, and she hopes that these safe outdoor spaces will encourage people to remember their everyday joys. The work hopes to encourage people to stop and care and reflect more after the change that 2020 has brought. The bamboo structure contains uplifting quotes dotted around, all in bright neon colours and shapes. Each of the words and phrases in the quotes comes from a poem coined in 2020. Also, the installation can easily be dismantled with all parts being reused instead of thrown out.

"Wild Lights" by Fernando Laposse

The facade of Mercato Mayfair contains purple furry beasts holding onto white orbs while suspended in the air, but do not worry because they are not real. Laposse is a Mexican-based designer, and he researches the design for materials with historical and cultural ties to the location. The social and environmental impact of the world also plays a part in his work. The artwork, also dubbed a "Beast Candelabra", was created using agave fibres and dyed with pigment made from tiny bugs that grow in the pickly pear cactus. The artwork was inspired by the height of the church and hopes to cheer people up when they visit.

"Red Hot Contrasts" by Julien Colombier

I would have totally missed this piece as it is artwork covering up some construction work inside the building, and it is easy to miss because it is looking a little worse for wear with construction signage appended to it. The artwork was created to bring back some life during the pandemic. The artist was particularly inspired by tropical elements.

"Watching You Grow" by Margaux Carpentier

Located in Brown Hart Gardens, this whimsical and bold figure of a lady holding a flower catches the eye. Carpentier uses symbolic language to create the artwork so that it can be interpreted by the viewer in a multitude of ways; she enjoys being able to tell a story to the viewer. This sculpture was inspired by a poem, and the location demanded something bright and large. The subject considers human and nature together and their interactions (between human and plant). An eye-catching and bright piece, this is perfect for photographs and selfies.

I enjoyed visiting London and hope that things continue to improve for future visits with events and attractions that will keep me coming back.

Cleeve Abbey, located in Somerset in southern England, is the ruin of a great Cistercian abbey. The abbey dates from the late 1100s but was destroyed by Henry VIII in the dissolution of the monastaries in the early 1500s. The abbey remains a peaceful place today with the ruins in a good condition as well as finer details that have remained: floor tiles, wall paintings, and timber sculptures. Visitors to the abbey can enjoy lovely walks from the abbey or a train ride from the West Somerset Railway, which is a ten-minute walk away at Washford Station. The main attraction of the abbey are the details that have been left behind.

Visitors today enter the site through the gatehouse, just like they did hundreds of years ago. The message inscribed on the gatehouse reads (in Latin) "Gate be open; shut to no honest person". The river Washford runs next to the gatehouse. The gatehouse dates from the early 13th century and would have included a small room for the poor to get food and drink that was handed out here.

Some of the buildings at the abbey today are farm buildings that were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. The ticket building and shop is one of the farm buildings. There is a small museum here with information about Cleeve Abbey through the ages. Part of the museum shows how the floor tiles could be created.

The abbey was founded in the late 1100s by Willian de Roumare and requested that his family was prayed for. The belief in those times was that if prayed for, the soul would spend less time in purgatory. An abbey was also a status symbol for the family as those who had them were considered to be wealthy. The abbey was completed quickly, by the early 13th century.

The monks that lived here were from the Cistercian way of life and completed manual labour and did not eat meat. They only had one meal a day in the winter months. They were silent and did not speak but communicated through a method of sign language.

Cleeve Abbey was one of the first monastaries to be closed by Henry VII because it had a small income.

Some wall paintings can be seen on the walls, including "the painted chamber" by the refectory. The refectory hall has carved wooden sculptures and wooden beams. The floor tiles were in various natural designs featuring animals and geometric shapes, but there are family heralds as well, and this shows off the wealth of the families with interest in the abbey.

The refectory was where the monks would have their communal meals and entertain guests. On the back wall of this great hall was a wall painting of the crucifix, but this became barely visible by 1950. The carved wooden statues in the rafters are original, and one of them depicts the green man. A door here leads to some private rooms where there is grafitti on the wall by a monk named "Thomas" and the "painted chamber", which can be seen behind glass.

The "painted chamber" is in a room thought to be the office of the abbot. The painting depicts a scene from a popular medieval book called "Gesta Romanorum". The hallway leading to the room has grafitti.

The dormitory is in a good state where visitors can envision the monks living in the open-floor area with beds on both sides. The "night stairs" is located in one corner where the monks could have gone to the floors below to pray. On the other side of the room were the latrines, and this would have been a swinging door where the monks could go in one door and out the other. The ledge where a lantern was placed for light can still be seen.

This hallway was a passageway between the cloisters and infirmary. It is known as a slype.

These rooms above were the private lodges and rooms of the abbot, which was more comfortable with more space and a fireplace. Above these rooms are others and the hallway to the refectory.

The wooden floors to the room in the hallway is exposed, and the window ledge is covered with the floor tiles. These would have been offices or private accommodation.

The chapter house is where the monks met to discuss official business. The walls were painted white, yellow, and red here. Some of the meetings held here were about punishments for monks who did not obey.

This part of the abbey was the inner court and is where some of the monks were buried. There is also the remains of a market cross here as markets were held at the abbey for additional income in the middle ages. Stables and a hostel was located here as well for pilgrims who came to see a "miracle" Virgin Mary statue. There would have also been a bakehouse and brewery here, so it would have been a busy area of the abbey.

The sacristy was also included in this part of the abbey and has wonderful floor tiles. This is where the gifts and expensive items were stored.

The old refectory is a modern constructed building with the floor tiles on display and covered for protection from the elements. 

The is the day room where the monks would have spent some of their time on their tasks.

London Mural Festival took place at the end of the summer, and several new murals brightened up London's streets. One of the murals was Woskerski, a street artist who is from Poland but based in London and who has been painting colourful and often witty murals in London for the past few years. 

Woskerski's mural features an octopus with an ice cream bar. The mural is located on Toynbee Street and is a colourful edition.

I love Woskerski's artistic style and humour. I don't often get to see a lot of his work because the street art gets tagged over so quickly. To see more of his work on this blog, please visit:

Most Recent Street Art by Woskerski
Street Art: Woskerski
Recent Spring 2018 Woskerski Street Art

Street artist Paul 'Don' Smith, who has also tagged as 'the banker' using his banker-tap stencil, has created some new work in Soho. His work used to be found throughout London with more focus on east London, but his work quickly became tagged over in more recent years, so he tends to only paint in Soho now. Paul 'Don' Smith uses stencils to create portraits of famous people and fictional characters. One of the latest pieces is the character "The Joker" with text "Just Smile" above it. 

Previous work by Paul Don Smith on this blog:

New Sreet Art by Paul Don Smith in Soho
Paul Don Smith Paints 'Legend' Mural on Hanbury Street & Other Work from the Summer
Paul 'Don' Smith's New Street Art: Spock, Heath Ledger, Loki, and More
Don "Paul" Smith's New Street Art: Elvis, Mad Max, Hulk, Bob Marley, and more
New Summer 2014 Street Art by Paul 'Don' Smith (the Banker)
Whitecross Street Party 2014
Street Art on Whitecross Street
New Street Art by C215 and Paul 'Don' Smith
Recent Street Art in Early 2014
New Street Art from Don 'Paul' Smith, including pieces from Whitecross Street
New Street Art and a Meeting with Paul Don Smith (the Banker)
Street Art: Don Smith

Street artist LT66 is a London-based street artist who has recently pasted up several stencil-based artworks around east London, particularly on and around Brick Lane. I've noticed work from the artist before but never featured them until now. The paste-ups photographed below appeared in early 2021. The artist mainly paints portraits, including some celebrities such as Amy Winehouse.

A new mural was painted on Shoreditch High Street at the end of last year, and it is located in what used to be the site of a fairly large street food market that was set up in an empty parking lot. The mural features the word "Sky High" by the artist of the same name (5kyH1gh), and two astronauts in space. It's a stunning piece with high detail, particularly in the helmets of the astronauts and the reflections. 

More street art by SkyHigh and JXC can be seen in the following posts on this blog:

• Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
• Manchester Street Art
• Leake Street Recent Street Art
• Street Art: 5kyh1gh Kingfisher
• Street Art: Artista, DecoLife, Binty Bint, Ino, Irony, Pixie, SeaPuppy

Street artist Fanakapan is a London-based artist who often creates murals across the city. The artist is mostly known for painting a style of street art with reflective materials. Most recently, he has mainly been painting foil helium balloons. His newest edition to London's streets is based on Pedley Street off Brick Lane and features two laughing smiley helium balloons and laughing gas canisters with the words "HAH" above them.

These canisters can be found aroung the Truman Brewery, particularly after a weekend.  

More street art by Fanakapan is located here:

Halloween Street Art by Fanakapan
Fanakapan Street Art on Mornington Crescent and Star Yard
Fanakapan Paints PacMan Pizza on Brick Lane and Other Street Art
Fanakapan Star Yard MagnaDonuts Mural
"Follow the Leader" by Fanakapan
Peace for Manchester
Fanakapan Paints Shoreditch Clowns
Chrome Balloon Dog in Star Yard
Fanakapan Paints "Power Tools" on Village Underground Wall
Fanakapan Paints "Drunk Glass Elephants"
Fanakapan, Horror Crew, & Jerry Rugg
Louis Masai and Fanakapan: "Freedom?"
New Chrome Street Art Mask by Fanakapan
Balloon Animal Street Art
Cranio & Fanakapan
Fanakapan and Horror Crew
Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
Halloween Street Art (2018 and 2019)
Cranio Returns to London in 2020 and Paints Brick Lane

Dan Kitchener, a London-based street artist who is known for his darkly-lit street scenes and portraits of Japanese women, has recently painted a mural on one of the high profile walls on Hanbury Street. The mural, titled "Midnight Drive", shows a neon pink and blue cityscape somewhere in Asia. A sports car with its reflecting headlights is located in the background and the figure of a woman with neon glasses is in the foreground. Unfortunately, a large supermarket delivery van was parked in front of the mural for a over an hour, and this was the best photograph that I could capture.

For more work by Dan Kitchener (DANK) featured in this blog, please read the following links:

Street art by Dan Kitchener in Summer 2020
Dan Kitchen Returns to Clifton Street with "Tokyo Graffiti" Mural
Latest Street Art by Dan Kitchener
Dan Kitchener Paints 'Ghost Cities' on Pedley Street
Dank Paints 'Ghost Cities - Bristol' for Upfest 2018
Dan Kitchener Paints "Meeting of Styles"
'Future Tokyo and Tokyo Ghosts'
Dank "London Rush"
Dan Kitchener's Street Art on Sclater Street and More
Street Art: Dan Kitchener
"Downtown" Mural by Dan Kitchener
Goswell Road