Art / Interviews
100 pictures of Bristol in 100 days
For the past 100 days, a Bristol artist has illustrated a different scene of the city every single day.
Helen Lucy Wyatt’s endeavours have attracted lots of attention for their mixed-media and inventive takes on classic city scenes and figures.
Each picture has a small story behind it and Helen said it was easy to find inspiration, in particular from these very pages.
is needed now More than ever
“Number 79, on January 31, was a portrait of an otter I’d seen in a video posted by Bristol24/7 about otters returning to rivers in Easton,” Helen said.
“And after I saw Bristol24/7’s story about Dutty Ken I decided to make him my 73rd illustration.”
Another particularly popular picture is of Mr Montpelier Fox: “Everyone knows the foxes in Montpelier, and my best friends always follow them whenever they see them.”
Helen is really inspired by community projects, and has had her work exhibited as part of Cause and Complexity, an exhibition of art exploring homelessness in Bristol.
A few of her 100 pictures also explore the theme.
Number four was a man she saw curled up in the door of a Shelter charity shop. “I found the sad irony of that image conveyed the hopelessness well,” she explained.
Another, number 11, shows a familiar scene from the Bearpit:
“I think, in lots of ways images are a better way to communicate,” Lucy says.
“Pictures are more ambiguous, and don’t take sides. It’s a good way to talk about homelessness without the usual verbal and written clichés.
“Ever since I trained as a designer, I’ve always felt more comfortable with pen and pencil.
“I’ve never particularly felt confident with a broad palate, but so much of Bristol is so colourful I felt I had to experiment with new techniques. Gouache is a new favourite.”
Lucy has two favourite pictures from the project.
“I loved my take on the Massive Attack gig on the Downs because they’re my favourite artists.
“And for the fact that it’s so unlike anything I’ve done before, I really like my Millennium Square mirror globe (aka the At-Bristol planetarium).”
See more of Helen’s work on her Facebook page.
Read more: Bristol artist’s pixel pet project