Concrete Canvas

Concrete Canvas, a street art festival in Chelmsford takes place every year and offers artists an opportunity to paint a mural in the city centre. This year, I had an opportunity to be part of it. This experience has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding moments in my career so far. Getting to spend a whole day creating art in the city where I was born was a surreal experience.

My mural follows the theme of women's safety. With such an important theme to work with, I wanted my design to be simple, inclusive and impactful. I chose to have the woman with her back facing us as I wanted this piece to represent all women, not just cisgendered women. I decided to include text as I wanted to bring women's voices into the piece, to showcase how we feel.

Thank you so much to Concrete Canvas and Chelmsford For You for this extraordinary opportunity to challenge myself as an artist. Thank you to my wonderful sister for coming to support me on the day. Thank you to my amazing friend, Aytac Uzman, for taking some of these photographs and for supporting me on the day. Thank you to my other friend, Katarina, for your support. Thank you to passersby who asked about my artwork. Lastly, thank you to local artist and Concrete Canvas alumni, Hayley Wells, for your guidance and support regarding paint supplies.

If you'd like to see my mural, take part in the street art trail and head towards Market Road near High Chelmer. Find out more about Concrete Canvas here and women’s safety in Chelmsford here