Wonder wall

Illustrator Gemma Correll has created her largest mural yet, for the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, to celebrate the venue’s 40th birthday.

Correll was appointed to create a site-specific mural for the centre which reflected its history as it reaches the anniversary in 2011.

She says, ‘It was a challenge because I’m used to drawing at a very small scale. But I do enjoy drawing murals – I say drawing and not painting because I use Posca pens – and overall I am quite pleased with how this one turned out.’

Correll had been selling her products in the shop at Chapter for some time but was approached to create the mural after Chapter Arts Centre visual arts officer Lauren Jury after she saw other murals created by the ’Pugs not Drugs’ illustrator.

Together Jury and Correll spent time researching key events in the centre’s history and Correll set about illustrating dates, photographs and anecdotes.     

Correll says, ‘I’m not much of a planner and I usually draw my murals pretty much freehand in the same way that I draw my illustrations.

‘Because of this method of working, there are always parts that I think could be improved upon – in hindsight, but I enjoy working in this approach, using a kind of narrative to inform my work, and incorporating typography and images, and using simple graphic colours, in this case, black and red.’          

See the mural at Chapter, Market Rd, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF5 1QE.