We hired Holly Greenwood to design a mural on the temporary hoardings located outside Wakefield One on Burton, Street at the junction of Cliffe Lane. The site is right next to a new sculpture by Andy Holden, which is one of the 6 major city centre public art works that make up the art trail from Wakefield Westgate Station to The Hepworth Wakefield.

We asked Holly to think about painting an ‘urban garden’ mural that would connect with the ideas in Andy Holden’s art. Andy’s work was influenced by the first-ever nature reserve made by Charles Waterton in the 1820s at Walton Hall in Wakefield. Andy, inspired by Waterton, aimed to highlight some native British birds that are disappearing fast. He did this by turning recordings of their songs into bronze sculptures shaped like sound waves.

In reaction to where Andy’s sculptures are and the ideas they represent, Holly’s mural shows important city landmarks blending into a countryside scene. This scene is filled with local animals, including the birds featured in Andy’s sculptures

Holly is a Wakefield based artist and illustrator currently working from Westgate Studios. She has been running her own business since 2019, Holly Greenwood Design, producing hand painted and digitally printed art prints , greeting cards and textiles. Holly has also received commissions from individuals and businesses but the mural design for the hoardings outside Wakefield One is her biggest commission to date.

Holly said “Murals are something that I would love to gain more experience in so when I saw this opportunity I jumped at the chance to apply. I am still trying to establish myself as an artist in the local community and am looking for opportunities like this to create community artworks and get myself more involved with the Wakefield art scene”.