Brightening up the city streets

HAVE you spotted any of the new public art pieces popping up across local communities?

Despite the wash-out summer, Dublin Canvas and its artists have managed to fully finish seven new art pieces – with five more due to be completed in the South Dublin County Council area in the coming months.

Overall, South Dublin County will have 12 newly commissioned public art works on display by the end of 2023 – adding a splash of colour to grey traffic light control boxes.

Each of the colourful creations completed to date embed nicely into their surroundings, with some taking inspiration from the local environment.

A heron has flown onto a box at the entrance to Kilnamanagh while in Rathfarnham and Lucan, foxes have crept into designs, reflecting local wildlife.

Grey Heron of Tymon by Chris Fitzpatrick at the Greenhills Road/Mayberry Road junction

Artist Maureen Kelly Fox, who painted a night-time scene of a city fox on the Newcastle Road in Lucan, said: “No longer only found rurally, more and more foxes are coming into the city to scavenge for food.

“So, we get to see them in unlikely areas – housing estates, gardens, parks etc. due to the availability of food sources in built up areas.

“They are often spotted robbing bins, swiping discarded take-away food, or enjoying food left out for them by city dwellers.

Tail Blazer by Maureen Kelly Fox

“Instead of treating them as menaces, we can appreciate these amazing, beautiful wildlife creatures with their bushy tails, who have chosen to live amongst us in order to survive.”

Sports also scores in some of the designs, with the important role it plays in local communities being captured through paint.

GAA Kids by Aoife Céitinn

The Dublin Canvas project has been brightening up city communities since 2015 and by the end of 2023, there will have been more than 850 pieces completed across all four Dublin local authority areas.

With the aim of ‘transforming Dublin into a walking gallery of public art’ Dublin Canvas issues a call-out for submissions in late spring.

Star Gazing by Nishi Patel outside Scoil Aoife in Tallaght

For more information visit the Dublin Canvas website HERE  or follow them on Facebook to learn more about each artist and their artwork.

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