Handpainted

Ancient Indonesian Cave Paintings

Here is the latest discovery relating to the ancient history of paint on walls around the world. This time the image above and others depicting human features and animals have been found in Indonesia and dated to 35,000 to 39,000 years old. This is comparable to the oldest in Europe which are in Spain. Read […]

10 Dec 2014

Ghostsigns in the Family: Henry Dunn of Deal

This mid-1800s photograph shows a painted sign on the wall in Deal, Kent, advertising Henry Dunn and his various trades of cabinet maker, upholsterer, paper hanger, undertaker, broker and more. Born in 1818, Henry Dunn is my Great Great Great Grandfather, so I was chuffed to discover that he shared my appreciation of the hand-painted […]

15 Jan 2014

Bardas de Baile: Mexican Wall Painting

Bardas de Baile is a fascinating documentation of the ubiquitous painted walls found in Mexico. At first glance the images appear to be graffiti but closer inspection reveals that they are actually advertisements produced to promote local music events. The origin of these colourful pronouncements lies in the 1960s and this book documents their contemporary […]

6 Oct 2013

The origins of painting on walls

I’ve become increasingly intrigued by the origins of painting on walls, and the evolution of the form over time, up to the current vogue for street art.  While the walls of caves were not made of brick, they did nonetheless provide people with an early canvass for their painting.  The transition from these depictions of […]

11 Jul 2012

A Clever Twist on Hand-Made/Painted Lettering

This fascinating project explores the relationships between upper and lower case letters, and the transitions between them, using hands and paint.  (Found via Creative Review.)

8 Apr 2012