August 14, 2019 By Migglet (Edit)
Banksy shmanksy, it’s Miggsy’s Graffiti!
Graffiti in Teignmouth by Migglet?! Now that WAS a first for me!!
It is a few weeks now since I finally managed to paint my very first graffiti / street art painting of a loopy vibrant Fish on the wall outside Sam’s super shop Voyage Fairtrade in the Arts Quarter in Teignmouth.
Sam had asked me during my Solo Exhibition back in May if I could one day adorn the large arched recess in the wall outside his shop with one of my quirky ‘Splishy Splashy Fishy Wishy’ creations and the pair of us waited expectantly for the paints to arrive AND for the weather to sort itself out as June was a wet and windy washout and then July was…unbelievably here in the UK…too HOT!!
No way could I paint a blindingly white wall in the scorching heat, a melted Migglet would be neither use nor ornament, so we waited… and waited…until a cloudy day was finally forecast and off to Teignmouth I jolly well set one slightly overcast Sunday afternoon!
Sam’s shop in the Arts Quarter is such a busy family run friendly place and is a bit of a tardis, with various workshops run upstairs, an Art Gallery for local Artisans, Fair Trade gifts galore downstairs to suit all tastes and pockets and I am absolutely delighted to have been offered the opportunity to be able to exhibit there and sell some of my Original Paintings, Framed Prints and Greetings Cards too.
The dastardly sun kept trying it’s best to peek through the clouds so at times I must have looked completely and utterly daft wearing my reading glasses with sunglasses perched over the top! (Bet Banksy doesn’t look as ‘street’ when he’s splattering graffiti all over the place, eh?!) I did think of wearing my stealth outfit and painting in the dead of night but the cape really chafes and besides, black makes me look so frightfully drained!
Although I live in a village a few minutes away from Teignmouth, I feel lucky to be a part of the strong community spirit amongst the locals in town and they regularly pop into the shop to buy gifts, attend the workshops and have a good old natter with Sam and his lovely Mum and whoever else may be present…which is good for the heart, good for the soul and absolutely great for supporting the local artists and creatives!
Visitors from abroad make a point of calling in to have a browse and check out the Artwork, Crafts, Jewellery, Driftwood creations, Pottery, Fairtrade gifts etc and they love to leave feedback too.
I am thrilled to have been sent photos and selfies of people standing next to my Fish Graffiti from some of the visitors to Voyage Fairtrade and have started creating an album of the pics (below are just a few examples) DO please send them to me via email to add to our collection and let us know where you visited from?! The photo from the furthest away country won’t win a prize or an Oscar, just the satisfaction of knowing you came to just the right place and we helped to brighten up your visit in our cheerful arty way!
Teignmouth! Where the sun shines SO brightly, graffiti artists can’t help doing the happy dance!
If you are unable to pop into Teignmouth but wish to visit Voyage Fairtrade, here is Sam’s online shop full of goodies and information. https://voyagefairtrade.co.uk/
I now have some large Original Paintings on display in the gallery upstairs and you may well recognise one or two s