Chewing Gum man

So following my recent trip to London I thought I would do a quick blog update, those on my Instagram account would have already seen these (must admit I struggle to update my blog via my phone, or even comment on others unless they have the 'i am not a robot' verification images turned on, any way I digress).

When in London I try to visit south bank and millennium bridge because the amazingly talented Ben Wilson aka Chewing Gum Man has probably make some new art! 

He paints pictures over chewing gum that has been littered in the floor and they are little pieces of beauty created from something discarded.  I also love the fact that every day thousands must walk over them and rarely do I spot another person looking at them!

Pure works of art
Kyla

WOYWW

Only a quick update as been in that there London for a few days

On my desk this week are a couple of paintings.

Some of you know I take part in Free Art Friday and also Art Abandonment but the past couple years I have also taken part in Scott Wong's Flood the Streets with Art in response to black Friday (fine if you are saving money on something you were going to buy anyway, but much of it has become a consumerism of items we don't need and can't affoard) so between Friday until Sunday free art is left out for people to find so I thought I would make a couple to take part again.

So that's what is on my workdesk this Wednesday, are you sharing yours?
Kyla 

Free Art

The other day I found this!

Full details can be found on my Instagram account (search KylaCotterell)

It was part of Art Drop day started by Jake Parker (someone I already follow and am a fan of for his Inktober challenge that I take part in each October) and is by a local artist known as Planet Photon.  

I love that I take part in Free Art Friday and Art Abandonment and every now and again find art myself!  How cool is that?

This will be added to my wall in my craft room where art I have received or found is displayed.

Kyla

Art Abandonment in Spain

 Sorry I have been absent for a while but it all got a bit too much so I had to cut a few things, but I am back!  During my time out hubby and I went to Sitges in Spain, only 40 mins by train from Barcelona.  

Barcelona is amazing, the architecture is fabulous and the street art is almost as good as Bristol!  We also did a street art tour and lucked out as it was only the two of us so we got a totally personal tour!  Fantastic.

Sitges is amazing, right on the coast with a long promenade and is seen as the gay capitol and is a beautiful town with amazing views and places to eat and drink.

Whilst we were away we did a few more Art Abandonment drops so I thought I would update the blog with a few of these.

This is a watercolour postcard I painted and it seem fitting to abandon it in Sitges

 These two tags are with coloured with posca pens and were created and abandoned in Barcelona in an area that is dedicated to public street art where people are legally allowed to paint!  

Then whilst we were on the beach at Sitges we decided to paint a few pebbles and leave them (hubby also took part)

 This is my lizard that I often paint

 Hubby drew a whale and a face using the jagged edge as a part of its head bit off!

 I drew a face using the natural hole as an eye!

It was a lovely holiday and great to be able to sit and paint too (I also did a couple of urban sketches and will blog these soon)

Happy crafting

kyla

Free art update

 Only just realised that whilst I posted these on my social media sites I had forgotten to update my blog-so here is a catch up.

I love taking part in Free Art Friday and Art Abandonment as well as Bristol Rocks and Sidmouth Smilestones.  Basically make art and leave it for someone to find, easy.

This was a small watercolour I sketched whilst at a hospital appointment recently.  You sit there, often for a couple hours so I tend to sketch as it keeps me off my phone and my mind occupied.  I then usually leave the sketches (unless they are my urban sketches which tend to be in a proper sketchbook) for someone to find, pass on or leave for someone else.

I also tend to have some posca pens and a small clear nail varnish with me in my small travel kit.  These come in really handy if I spot any pebbles/rocks that I can draw on and  leave for others to find.  The nail varnish providing a clear protective lacquer. 

 

I never really know what I am going to draw, it depends on the shape of the stone but I tend to have half a dozen "go to" designs that tend to work on various shapes.

I usually leave contact details of the groups mentioned above (usually via Facebook/groups) and people can register a find online and also post a picture if they then move the stones to a new location and abandon them for another to find.

I think it is a lovely idea and a great way to spread a smile.

Do you do anything like this, I would love to hear what you do

kyla

Page Park Tag

 I decided to explore a different area of Bristol recently, Staple Hill is an area I drive through but don't often stop so decided to hop on the bus and explore.  

Lots of local independent shops and charity shops and a great library too.

There is also a great park with a cafe in the middle, which to my surprise did a good selection of vegan food, as it was lunch time I thought it was a perfect time to stop and sample their wares, and very nice too.

Whilst I was sat there I decided to sketch a tag.  I often have a couple tags and pens in my pocket so it seemed like a perfect opportunity.

I only had a white posca and a grey pen so thought I would doodle some leaves and the word "Respect"

I left it on the table for someone else to find it.

Happy crafting

Kyla

Abandoned Tag

For a couple of years now I have been taking part in Art Abandonment and Free Art Friday. 

 The idea is you make some art and abandon it somewhere, leaving your details on the back so they can contact to register a find (if they wish), usually via the Art Abandonment or Free Art Friday facebook groups

Some people leave sculptures, painting, pebbles, canvass, jewelry all different things. 

I like to travel light so have a few tags and a couple pens in my bag or coat pocket so tend to sketch on the fly.  This is my tag I left in my favourite cafe in Cardiff the other week, Atma, a Buddhist Cafe that makes lovely food and a great atmosphere.

No idea if anyone has found it, hopefully if they did they will contact the group on FB as it is always nice to hear from someone who found them.

I like the idea of this as it forces me to take 10 mins out of the daily grind to sketch, which tends to be totally self absorbing whilst you are doing it and if it brings a smile to someone else then even better.

Happy crafting 

Kyla

Art Abandonment at Upfest

 The other weekend we went to Upfest in Bristol.

It is Europe's largest Street Art Festival and this year was the 10th Anniversary.

I will do a proper update of the art work once I have downloaded all the photo's but I thought I would post the art abandonment's and Free Art Friday drops I made during the festival.

This was a small stencil of a spray can on a brusho background

This was one of my hand carved stamps of a fire demon on a inked background

 and other one of my fire demon's but this time on a tag

my final piece was left at the suffragettes yarn bomb!

Happy crafting

Kyla

Malta Art abandonment

This was a Free Art Friday and Art Abandonment tag I sketched whilst having a drink in a new local bar (LVB, great new place) in Valletta, Malta recently.

Only had one of my black ink pens with me during the evening and a blank tag but it seemed a perfect opportunity to have a doodle whilst having a drink.

I left it on the table (there is a brief explanation about it on the back of the tag, explaining they can take it, leave it or pass it on or even register a find on the facebook group) for someone to find.

Just in case your interested the drink was a fabulous non alcoholic mocktail that LVB make, a plum and rosemary "lemonade"-delicious.

This was another tag I sketched, in another bar (Gugar, a fabulous vegan/alternative late night bar where they play a great selection of music off the internet, including when we were there a mate from the UK's band!!).

When we went back a couple days later we spotted it had been pegged to the wall along with other art people have sketched whilst there (its that sort of place-LOVE it there).

Kyla

Abandoned art and Nomads

 When we were down in London recently we went back to the Nomadic Gardens off Brick Lane.  We love this area (see my earlier post all about it here) and it is constantly changing

I decided to abandon a small canvas I made with embossing pastes, paints and ink.

I waited until no one was around and left it

 right next to the sign that explains HOW to use their toilets!

  Love it!

 As I said, this is an ever changing canvas and there are always some amazing new street art going up.

from the really small

to the not so small

 Some of the pieces are HUGE, this one is over an entire end of building wall!

 Simply stunning

and I love this manga inspired one.

and there are several sculptures too-so artistic.

If you are ever down the Brick lane/shoreditch area then I recommend walking along-its free to get in, there is a small coffee cart and of course a toilet!

Kyla

Autumnal leaves

 So, ridiculously busy at work at the moment (since mid June it has been hectic) which as you will have noticed means very little time to blog or craft.  

However this weekend was such lovely weather it meant my hubby and I went into town and actually managed to eat lunch sat outside in the park!  I know, in the UK at the end of October, we couldn't believe it. I really love all the seasons but Autumn is special with the assault on the senses of the contrast in temperatures, the noise of crisp leaves rustling and the smell of the still warm soil and the leaf mulch building up.

Anyway, as I sat there a large leaf fell in front of me so I took out my pen and did a quick 2 min sketch, not great but a quick doodle which I enjoyed.

Which I then decided to leave tucked into the bench we were sat.

No note, nothing-just a quick sketch then abandoned.

No idea if anyone found it or it blew away but I enjoyed the act of doing and leaving.

Happy crafting

Kyla

Gregos and ArtAbandonment

Whilst I was on holiday in New York City I took some of my hand carved devil stamped postcards to abandon whilst I was there.

Most of you will know I am a big fan of street art (its hard not to be living in Bristol, home to Europes largest free street art festival) so NYC was such a brilliant opportunity.

I spotted this 'Gregos' piece and knew it was the ideal place to leave one of my red devil pieces.  Hopefully someone found him and liked it enough to take it home.  

Each piece has an explanation on the back about the Art Abandonment group (its worldwide) and how to contact us if you find a piece, but for the probably 100 or so pieces I have abandoned I have only ever heard back from one finder-but I don't mind as that's not the point of it, it is just a bonus.

Happy crafting

Kyla