URBAN BLOOM by arist Wilma van der Meyden - street art inspired by Glasgow

Urban Bloom…a tile mosaic for Glasgow, inspired by Glasgow…<br /><br />Located in the public thoroughfare under a railway arch at SWG3 in the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District. The mosaic is made from Cesi frost proof tiles and sits on a rendered brick wall. The mural is partly funded by Clydesdale Initiative for Arts as part of Yardworks G.R.I.D. The concept and design for Urban Bloom is inspired by:<br /><br />a mosaic detail in the ceiling of Glasgow City Chambers, dating back to the late 19th century, the same era as the sandstone arch which frames Urban Bloom.<br />Plants that grow defiantly in old stone walls in Glasgow.<br />Ornamental ceramic tile art in the communal traditional Glasgow wally closes.<br />Tile art in old railway stations.<br />Victorian mosaic art on thresholds and shopfronts in Glasgow.(many have sadly been erased from the city)<br />Broken up thick yellow and white paint on Glasgow street markings.<br />Ruinous sand stone walls in Glasgow.<br />Dandelions and thistles.<br />The material language of mosaic which inherently transforms the broken…<br />Street art in Glasgow.<br /><br />Artist statement - I’ve obtained a Master of Fine Art from the University of Pretoria, South Africa in 1996 and twenty years later a Master of Research in Creative Practices from the Glasgow School of Art. My formal art training also includes studying at the University of the Free State in South Africa and the Royal Academy in The Hague, the Netherlands.<br /><br />Over the years my drawing and painting practice have extended into teaching, installation art, mosaic art, liturgical art, community art and research. For this website I’ve selected a number of artworks and projects which signpost my journey of art making. These are named and listed under ‘Galleries’ on the site.<br /><br />I’ve come to realise that the golden thread which runs through the varied work, from different geographical contexts, is a yearning to ‘belong’. This longing is expressed through the exploration of and the response to multi-layered connections residing within specific, experienced places and the people from these contexts. I am particularly interested in the potential of art to articulate the social dimension of our multi-layered, complex ‘lived space’ in cities.<br /><br />I am currently a part-time art teacher at Glasgow City Mission, take on portrait and painting commissions, provide art workshops, do art research and participate in art exhibitions. As a member of the British Association of Modern Mosaics I receive continual encouragement to develop my skill in mosaic art.<br /><br />