Fresh Creative Co. was commissioned by Uplands Council in conjunction with Civic Motoring Services, Virgin Media and Envico Engineering to paint 10 utility boxes as part of the Dylan Thomas Uplands tour.
Swansea was once responsible for 50% of the world’s refined copper between 1830-1870. Fresh Creative Co. thought it would be naturally fitting to use the colours found in Copper to reflect this Swansea history.
When copper oxidizes over time, a coloured patina develops that has its own peculiarities to it and is often used as a technique in modern art and jewelry.
For this Project Fresh Murals Co. used a copper background and Verdigris tones of Rivera to depict iconic images of Dylan Thomas and relating subject matter.
The project was split into 2 sections with 5 boxes being painted with the Dylan Thomas signature and 5 boxes each with a more detailed stencil.
Fresh Creative Co. used a stencil style to replicate these images consisting of multiple layers to capture the depth and detail to represent a true likeness.
Outside of the Dylan Thomas house we painted a portrait of Dylan and a picture of Dylan’s childhood home. Continuing down the road to the entrance of Cwndonkin park we painted the water fountain which featured in the poem The Hunchback in the Park, We also painted Captain Cat from Under Milk Wood in Brynmill Swansea.
These art works will be accompanied by a series of wooden plaques, featuring Quick Response Codes (QR), which once scanned by smart phone, activate and and link to a website featuring details of the life of Dylan Thomas.
The trail will be finished by May 14th next year to celebrate International Dylan Thomas Day.
Uplands councillor Peter May, who with Uplands colleague Irene Mann helped jointly fund the project from their community budgets, Peter said: “The images have been commissioned by a local artist, and we thought as well as funding issues such as yellow lines or residents parking bays, it would be good to do something to brighten up the area.
“It is our contribution to the Dylan Thomas trail, and a contribution to the City of Culture bid.
“It is a good selling point for the Uplands.”
