29/10/02
When two south west London residents decided they wanted to smarten up a new dividing wall bordering their property it didn’t take long for them to figure out who they should call for help. Their first stop was Kingston University’s School of Fine Art.
Keen to brighten up the giant blank canvas that had appeared after a neighbouring nursery built an extension, Gerry Wakelin and Ivor Samuels asked the university to recommend an innovative student designer. After vying with four contenders to create an appropriate artistic masterpiece, Neil Andrews was given the job of painting the mural that now adorns the wall. “We’re really impressed with the final result,†Gerry said. “It’s so detailed that every time you look at it you find things you hadn’t noticed before.â€
The project gave third year student Neil plenty of scope to put his creative talent to the test. “Gerry and Ivor saw my initial sketches, but I was still really worried they might not like the end result,†he said. “They were keen for me to express my own ideas though and loved the finished product.â€
Neil came up with the idea behind the artwork by looking at his everyday routine. Because it could be seen from different parts of the house, the 21 year old decided to split the mural into sections. “I focused on the idea of repetition in daily life, distorting domestic appliances and household objects to create an abstract piece that could be viewed from many different angles,†he said. “Having people commission my work has
been a huge boost and really spurred me on to pursue my career.â€