PROW15
COMMUNITY MURAL
The What and the How...including tips on materials used
PROW15 is short for, Public Right of Way 15, and it used to have an old, tired mural.
The lay minister of St Nicholas Church, Jeff Richards, asked us if we would be able to do a new mural. In September 2023, we wrote and sent off funding applications, which we secured (from Sutton Public Realm funding and from the National Lottery).
Then it was all go: planning and liaising with different community groups around Sutton, sourcing environmentally friendly paint and tools.
Setting dates for painting the mural was nerve racking with the ever present possibility that rain could stop play! This was one of the astonishing, if not miraculous aspects of this mural's journey: it had been pouring with rain for weeks on end, but as if by order, it stopped the day before we started painting, staying warm and dry, with a lovely light breeze that helped everything dry, for 10 days!
Workshops
In March-April 2024, 500 people from Sutton attended 8 workshops through which they were able to contribute their ideas about environment and sustainability for the mural. They included African, Asian, Russian, Ukrainian, Elderly, Scouts, Brownies, Colleges and 250 school children who passionately contributed ideas and helped paint.
Team Imagineers artists, Simon Honey, Olga Bastable and Hana Horack-Elyafi ran the workshops, then it was up to Hana Horack-Elyafi to bring all the ideas together and create a harmonious design.
Preparation & Painting
Preparation of the alley took 3 weeks of dedicated scraping by Olga, Simon and volunteers, where they discovered that the Olfa scraper is the best! Then we painted a white base coat and drew out the design by marking up a grid, so we could enlarge the small scale drawings. After outlining in black we were ready to paint.
Another astonishing aspect of this mural is that over 50% of the 50 volunteers actually turned up to help, and repeatedly! It's a well known fact that volunteers often don't find time to help, but in this case they just kept coming back for more. They enjoyed the peaceful, happy environment of flow and contemplation, conversation, and learning. One of our volunteers became an expert in colour matching, everyone improved their painting skills, and contributed ideas as we went along. Based on the average number of people helping to paint the mural, it took about 1,500 hours to complete, 18 people 8 hours per day for 10 days!
The Paints
We used paints by Keim Mineral Paints, they are an absolute joy to use with no fumes or toxicity. The colours are beautifully saturated and we mixed all our own shades and tones from a basic group of two blues (cyan and cornflower), turquoise (practically speaking, impossible to mix your own turquoise), bright red, lemon yellow, an orange (to create a cadmium yellow), two greens and white. As a thinner and binder we used the Soldalit Fixativ, Keim's recommended product for this purpose. For the writing we used their charcoal grey. (Pronounce "Keim" as the "hy" in "Rhyme".)
The Writing...
This was an epic in itself! Never use Posca paint pens for an outdoor project, even though they're supposed to be water resistant, the first drop of water that touched them, they started running. Olga kept saying, "They're not drying," and made the call to paint over all the Posca pen writing, which was a late into the night action, to prevent the next day's rain from making them run down the whole mural. Her quick thinking really did save our work.
If you want to use pens outdoors, an ex-graffiti artist, who laid claim to a misspent youth, told us to use Grog, Molotow or Montana. He stopped in the alley as we were starting to re-write the quotes that we'd painted over the day before: "Did you use Posca pens?"
"Yes, and they were running."
"Yep they're no good for outside, you've got to use Grog. Or Molotow. Or Montana."
Ha! Why didn't he come past earlier? Too late the hero! Despite the recommendation, Olga insisted we stear clear of pens (too traumatised by the first experience) so brushwork it was.
Using a Rigger (bought at Rymans), that's a fine, long bristled brush, and the charcoal grey Keim paint, with some of the Soldalit Fixative to give it some 'flow', Hana Horack-Elyafi went over the pencil, written by Samia Tossio. The brush has a life of its own, if you let it, and it's easy to create a nice Italic font with some lovely little swishes. After eight hours of non-stop writing, we were done.
Anti-Graffiti Coat
After painting, we applied the anti-graffiti coating: two layers of Enviroguard AG, which is a sacrificial coat that washes off with warm water, taking any graffiti with it, while preventing damage to the paint. The coating is then re-applied in that area. It also still allows the wall to breathe, this is one of the good characteristics of the Keim paint, and we didn't want to lose that.
Comments
Initially people weren't sure what was happening, some children even bemoaned the disappearance of the old mural, "The ladybirds are gone!" But as ours took form comments soon changed: "That's fantastic!" "Good work!" "It's beautiful."
Here are some of my favourites:
"This is honestly the most beautiful mural I have ever seen."
"It is so heartwarming, it touches the soul."
"I come this way to feel happy."
"I love the quotes, they make you slow down."
Children and parents have lots to discuss as they wander along from school to home. People have told us they're taking a detour now, just so they can see the mural. Many people have also said that they feel safer when they walk along the alley.
The Opening
We hosted a well attended opening on the 29th October, 2024, about 100 local residents, the Mayor, local MPs, a pastor, previous mayors, and volunteers came along. The Friends of St Nicholas Church generously provided refreshments and we were honoured to have the mural blessed by the pastor of Wallington, Harry. His prayers and words really summed up our intention for this mural and we hope the light and blessings reach all who pass along the footpath.
Photos Show the Work in Progress with some Side by Side Development Images
The Mayor's Speech
Colin Spears, Mayor of Sutton
"This vibrant artwork, created by the talented group "Team Imagineers," stretches along both sides of this much-used alleyway, connecting Robin Hood Lane to St Nicholas Churchyard. It replaces an older mural that had faded with time, and I am confident that this new piece will become a beloved landmark for years to come.
What makes this mural truly special is that it is a collaboration between the people of Sutton and the artists who brought it to life. Hundreds of individuals, from all walks of life, have contributed to the design through workshops led by Team Imagineers. Their sketches, patterns, and themes have been woven together to create a mural that is as diverse as our community itself.
I want to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone who made this project possible. The Friends of St Nicholas Churchyard, the Friends of the Dr George Rice Community Garden, the countless volunteers who participated in the design workshops and painting process, and, of course, the talented artists of Team Imagineers. Your dedication and hard work have resulted in this beautiful and inspiring piece of art.
This mural is more than just a visual spectacle. It is a symbol of our Borough's commitment to environmental responsibility, as the paint used is environmentally safe, 100% mineral paint that is also long lasting, there are extant examples of 300 year old outdoor murals. It is a celebration of our diversity, reflecting the rich tapestry of cultures and perspectives that make Sutton such a special place."