Mar 26, 2012

Self Portrait


... and I put in a picture of myself as well.

The people of Glenroy were quite supportive, well some of them.

When they saw me painting, children and old people would come up to me and say things like 'did you paint this?', 'that's much better than I could do', 'Well done, dear' and 'good girl', (I suppose an 80 year old woman in a pants suit can call a 48 year old woman in a baseball cap with a skull on it a 'girl'). The people in the Kebab House across the road were especially nice, well, the women were. They let me use the toilet and wash the paint off my hands and eat lovely lentil soup and bread whilst keeping an eye on my witches' hats out the window.

It was fine to be thanked for attempting to beautify Glenroy to the best of my ability; I don't want anything more than this (money and food is nice, also, occasionally) but it did tend to make be a bit high-handed when I pulled my trolley home at the end of the day. To be seen with a shopping jeep, even with orange witches' hats poking out the top of it automatically stereotypes one as a street crazy. It's not like I am not accustomed to such treatment; but tired as I was from my efforts on their behalf I didn't find Glenroy's restaurateurs, bus drivers, schoolchildren, bread shop girls or Craigieburn train 'customers' appropriately grateful.

And the 'excel loo' was very, very disgusting.




Once it was done, it looked a bit Howard Arkley. It was based on the picture I did for my Happy New Year 2012 card, but that was square, and ink on paper. The black lines got a bit more bombastic in acrylic paint and 3 times the size.

TSB Glenroy


I think the one I did in Glenroy was more successful. Positioned on the corner of a busy road, nestled next to a Shell petrol station and opposite a Kebab House, it is of course the ideal place for public art. Actually Glenroy is full of public art, and it can do with all the art that comes its way.
Did I say I was doing this legitimately? I had permission and everything; witches hats, orange vest, dropsheets, the lot. I was contacted by Urban Smart Projects (go here: http://www.urbansmartprojects.com/) and all the usual bureauxcratic hurdles to art were leapt for me; I put my paint and my brushes in my red shopping jeep and got on with it. And don't I look fetching in orange?

TSB Sydney Road




This is after I had painted my design of the tram going through Royal Park on it. The tram drivers must stop and swap here and as they went past me, to and from the depot they often commented favourably; that is, when it was clear that it was a tram I was painting.

Traffic Signal Box



I've been in the public domain, painting some of the pictures that have appeared on this blog onto what are apparently the most graffitied street furniture; traffic signal boxes. The first picture (from goggle erth) is of the box in its native habitat; can you spot it?