The ticking of a clock against the window of time.

December 31, 2011 — 2011, 2012, art, artist, artists, arts, battle, canvas, catherine, chalk, chalking, chalks, culture, eve, festival, liverpool, mcmahon, merseyside, new, painting, pavement, philip, public, roundup, screever, sidewalk, street, uk, urban, urbancanvas, workshop, year, years

Well, it’s New Year’s Eve 2011, and that’s typically a time of reflection on the past and optimistic anticipation for the future. So how does 2011 compare with regards to street-art?

Well, every year is different and unique in its own way, and this year has proved no exception; new art, new places and new challenges. Highlights, lowlights and lots of in-between lights have guided us through another eventful year working the streets. It started last February with our first visit to the Turkish delights of Istanbul and the İstinye Park Shopping Mall. Probably one of our hardest gigs of the year, for the sheer weight of children wishing to get involved; we had an incredibly stressful time trying to run a workshop and ‘pulling the work back’ into resembling something like ‘art’ It was one of those moments where we wondered WHY are we doing this!!!

One of our most memorable highlights was our trip to the beautiful Channel Island of Guernsey to take part in their annual Liberation Day Celebrations. A busy day with a great atmosphere, we loved the event and I think they LOVED US! They must have done, because we are going back again in May 2012 to do it all again. We look forward to renewing old friendships and visiting our beloved HERM ISLAND again.

This year also saw us travelling to the wonderful city of Waterford, Ireland for the magnificent Spraoi International Street Arts Festival, which has been staged in Waterford, since 1993. It’s a real community event involving everybody in the town. We had a great time here with the Irish just taking to pavement art, like a duck takes to water.

WATERFORD, Ireland.

Again, the year has seen us taking our unique brand of pavement art the length & breath of the United Kingdom; from the far north, Dundee in Scotland to the far south, Channel Islands. Across to Norwich (three times this year!!); South Wales (Barry Island and Merthyr Tydfil), Nottingham, Liverpool, Widnes, St Helens, Andover and Greater London. Nobody can say that this pavement art lark doesn’t “get you out of the house!”

ANDOVER: Our last gig of British Summer-Time!

So what does 2012 hold in store? Well much more of the same really. As of this year, we expect to visit MORE new and exciting places; a second visit to Istanbul, Turkey is on the cards, a trip to Qatar in the Arabian Gulf, A visit to the South of France and Mexico for two major street art festivals (Toulon & Bella Via) plus holidays in the Canary Isles & New York, USA thrown in the mix, and not to mention all the, as yet unknown, to be confirmed bookings and appointments.

2012 is shaping up to be a classic year for UrbanCanvas and innovative pavement art……and we hope that you can join us somewhere along the road…..from ourselves (Philip & Catherine) we wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! (With bells on!)

🙂