Mark

 In this image I show people walking calmly over a road, focussed on forming connections with fellow human beings. Following a long time working from my  imagination, I wanted to take a closer look at my immediate environment. My studio is on a very busy vehicular thoroughfare, called Queen Street, and numerous people walk up and down the pavements on either side at all  times of the day and night;  going to work, college, shopping, clubbing or just  hanging out.  My attention was drawn to one figure in particular; a man walking  his dog early one morning in August 2023, at 8.15 am, when traffic was lighter and  the sun was shining.  He had a calm demeanour, and seemed relaxed but strong  at the same time.  I later found out that his name is Mark, and he runs the Perfect  Nails nail bar next door to my studio building on Queen Street in Colchester, Essex.  U.K.  He has a little pug dog.  Queen Street has a long and ineresting history.* In this picture I have shown the remains of a 1960’s shopping development.  It has left behind a quite  brutal and ugly concrete structure, which bears down on pedestrians.   The council have done their best to soften the unattractive look of it by  planting bright floral displays on the pedestrian safety railings  and  designating it as part of the Cultural Quarter. The road surface itself I have painted in yellow, as I feel it describes the ongoing hazard that we pedestrians face from the traffic on this very busy  thoroughfare. However, in this image I show people walking calmly over the road, focussed on making connectiong with fellow human beings.  *Roman Street: Digs revealed a Roman street and Roman finds (coins, pottery)  near the inside of the city walls, showing early settlement. Iron Age: While foundations are scarce, domestic refuse suggests early structures  from the era of King Cunobelinus (c. 50 BC).  Medieval Buildings: The street contains ancient buildings, with 7 Queen Street  showing medieval timber-framed construction and marine timbers, used for  centuries. Theatre Royal: A grand venue that hosted plays for over a century before a devastating fire in 1918 destroyed it.