Labour of love brings splash of colour to residents’ lives
AN ARTIST who has transformed an ordinary wall into a work of art has been overwhelmed by the response from the community around him.
Andy O’Rourke was left with gifts of honey and lager, and floods of well wishes after completing the awe-inspiring mural on the side of a health centre in Ebbw Vale.
The street art, which took 11 days to complete and features owls, bees and flowers, was created as part of a campaign to promote the Ebbw Fach nature trail in Blaenau Gwent.
Mr O’Rourke, 47, has described how the project, funded by the council and Natural Resources Wales, initially met with scepticism – but soon became a major attraction in the town.
The artist said: “On the first day we were painting the wall blue and green, which was quite garish, and people were saying it was bright and asking why were doing it. Someone was adamant, asking where we were from and saying we wouldn’t have to see it every day. “I posted on Facebook that some people had been moaning and it opened a whole avalanche of positivity. I would get people beeping every time they were passing – it would happen 40, 50 times a day. We had regular dog walkers come see the progress and dozens and dozens would make a special journey to say thanks for brightening the place up.
“It seems Ebbw Vale was desperate for some colour. People were saying it was the best thing to happen in years.”
As well as offering their praise, Mr O’Rourke said residents made suggestions which influenced the design of the mural.
He said: “We had some interesting suggestions from people. One day we were painting they were rededicating the cenotaph, so we had loads of people who said they wanted some poppies. Some people said they wanted a nod to the industrial heritage on the wall. A beekeeper asked me to put on extra bees and then brought some honey and honeycomb from his own business. Someone asked for more daffodils.”
He added: “On the last day some bloke came up with an ice-cold can of lager on a really hot day. It was brilliant.”
■ You can learn more about Mr O’Rourke’s work at his website https://andyorourke.com