The Dragon of Pontypool
I had a very cold—but absolutely brilliant—time painting this dragon mural for the people of Pontypool.
The design was inspired by the area’s industrial heritage: the ironworks and foundries that once peppered the town. I also love painting dragons and flame effects, which tied in perfectly with the imagery of blast furnaces that I used for inspiration.
Despite doing my best not to freeze to death, I had such a lovely time. Every single passer-by was welcoming and kind (with the exception of one particularly grumpy and bitter old crone). So many people stopped to comment and have a chat. Many, many others called me Banksy, whoever that is.
Countless people offered me tea, coffee, use of their loo, blessings, thanks, weed, fags, beer, assistance, their life story, a summary of their current medical conditions, and even conversion to Christianity. Which of these offers I accepted, I’ll leave to your imagination.
The hairdressers, print shop and nursery all checked in on me multiple times to see if I needed anything, which was genuinely heart-warming. It was great to see a bit of colour cheering people up and sparking such an outpouring of positivity. One passer-by even told me that the mural made her forget, for a moment, that Pontypool is “economically deprived” — said in a caring, hopeful way that really stuck with me.
I hope to paint more in the area very soon.
This project was funded by Pontypool Artregen, who did a brilliant job raising money and securing permissions. They’re a local voluntary group with real vision.
There are also other stages to this part of the project. I’ve worked with some fantastic creative young people and the youth service to create light-painting artworks, and Kate Verity worked with the Traveller community at West Mon School to produce foil art.
Twelve panels will be printed and mounted along the walkway next to my mural. I’ve attached some examples of the young people’s artwork to this post as well.
Working with West Mon School and the Youth Service
