Two large murals honouring Thomas Blake Glover appeared on a pair of derelict buildings at Toll of Birness – leaving many wondering who painted them.
Aberdeen Street Art decided to honour the legacy of Thomas Blake Glover – known as the Scottish Samurai – by painting the two murals at the site near Ellon.
One is a portrait of Glover gazing upon the traffic as it passes by on the Aberdeen to Peterhead road, while the other is a nod to the suit of armour donated to the Maritime Museum by Mitsubishi.
Aberdeen Street Art was formed during lockdown as a project using street art to help those struggling with their mental health.
Why Toll of Birness?
The group decided on the site at Toll of Birness for the murals because it is halfway between Glover’s house in Bridge of Don and the new zen garden in his birthplace of Fraserburgh.
The derelict buildings on the Auchmacoy Estate had been covered in graffiti and left untidy for some time, so the group contacted the owner for permission to spruce up the area and paint the murals.
“That’s kind of half the reason,” said group coordinator Mike Arthur.
“Glover has always been an interest of mine, and I thought it would be a good historical, local cultural angle.
“It’s just perfectly situated in between the two landmarks.”
He also hoped it would be a good opportunity to give the artists some exposure due to the high volume of traffic in the area.
How were the murals created?
The group researched Glover and the suit of armour before picking up their spray cans, taking time to choose the right colours.
The artists did not use stencils but instead used spray cans and paintbrushes to create detailed murals of the Scottish Samurai and the suit of armour.
Mr Arthur added: “It’s pretty mad what the boys do, what they can achieve with just their hands.”
Charlie Kelman was the lead artist for the project after being approached by Mr Arthur.
Mr Kelman has been a street artist for around 15 years and this was the first time he worked with Aberdeen Street Art.
He said: “Mike approached me to get involved in the project, and I went along with it.
“I was the lead artist in the project, we floated ideas and whittled them down to the ones we did.
“It’s a sense of achievement to see them finished.”
Volunteers from Cfine helped the team prepare the site, including re-pointing the structure and preparing the walls of the building for the artists to paint.
Aberdeen Street Art has funding and permission to do more murals in the near future.
Follow the artists behind the murals on Instagram @alteregoabdn, @6ftclown and @kid_flim
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