Mural painted by hundreds appears on city street

Two people with their backs to the camera each painting an image onto colourful bricks which form the mural in Gloucester.Image source, Dan Petley
Image caption,

The Gloucester Brick Project is being created on a wall in Westgate Street

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A huge mural painted on 1,500 bricks is being created by the community on a city street.

The Gloucester Brick Project has involved hundreds of people, each painting their own artwork on a single brick.

Founder Dan Petley said the idea was for each image to represent Gloucester from a different viewpoint.

Passers-by are invited to contribute to the artwork on Westgate Street, which will be officially unveiled on 12 October.

"Each single brick is first painted a bright background colour, then we invite people of any age to come along and paint words, pictures or something abstract to represent themselves and the culture of this great city," Mr Petley told BBC Gloucestershire.

"There's already a cheese-rolling brick, so someone's done an image of Coopers Hill and a Tailor of Gloucester."

Image source, Dan Petley
Image caption,

Artist Fraisia Bruist-Papazian joined the project in five years ago

Mr Petley launched the initiative in 2011 in Stokes Croft, Bristol, when 260 bricks were painted.

In 2019 local artist Fraisia Bruist-Papazian joined the project when it became a Community Interest Company.

"Each project allows the local community to contribute something inspiring and beautiful to their surroundings," she said.

Artworks have been created in run-down areas in towns across the UK, including Plymouth, Newport and Macclesfield. where 8,000 tiles were painted in an underpass, and one in a small village in Bulgaria.

Painting for the Gloucester Brick Project started on 18 September.

Mr Petley said: "When people come along, they often ask what we're doing and when we explain each brick is painted by a different person and say, 'do you want to take part?', they often reply, 'oh, I can't paint'."

"Then our job basically is to get a paint brush in their hands and get them confident enough to start painting."

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