Alameda street mural takes shape

Local artist Paul Bush is progressing on his street mural piece he is paining on the tunnel leading to the Alameda.

Mr Bush’s mural was selected from a number of entries by a panel including Government representatives, Town Planning and the Gibraltar Heritage Trust as part of a street art initiative for urban regeneration and cultural development programmes.

He is creating two pieces, a day and a night scene, both of which captures and represents landscape and wildlife. He is presently working on the day scene.

His vision is “essential lots of different pieces from the gardens, everything present is present in the gardens. I spend a few days walking around looking at plants or features that I liked a lot and that were nostalgic to me too,” he said.

“They are reimagined in a slightly dreamer essentially more imaginative way,” he added.

Some of the plants include the hibiscus and cactus plants. The pond with the fish is also represented as is the bridge. Mr Bush hopes that it will encourage people to feel more like an explorer.
On the night he said, “It’s the same theme with a different layout and it is set in the night. There is a cave looking section with bats, there will be lots of moonlighting and it will be really serene,” he said.

“I am most excited about this one, it’s more atmospheric,” he added.

Mr Bush grew up in Trafalgar house and was in the area where he is painting from being a baby to 13 years old. “I have a lot of good memories tied up here and it might be contrived I guess but I think public spaces like this are really valuable for young people and children or at least it was for me,” he said.

“it’s not just a garden, its whatever you want it to be when you are a kid and that is where the explorer part comes in,” he added.

He hopes that the day side of the mural will be completed by Christmas, as he also works on other projects and jobs he cannot dedicate all his time to this, however, much he would like to.

Pic by Johnny Bugeja