En-Plien-Air

They roam the country at will with their work, sometimes giving notice of their intentions in advance and other times not.

They can turn up at night which often happens, you wake up in the morning to find the landscape has changed dramatically.

Their style is described by some as geometric art, graffiti art, cubism, constructivism, or  any other  ‘…isim’  you care to think about.

Whatever way you look at their,  ‘…en plien air…’ output, the majority of the public dislike the end result.

The first to arrive are the scene setters, their task is to prepare the ground work for the others. 

They dawdle along positioning long lines of giant red and white cones, with frequent stops along the way for tea and to discuss where to position the lighting display.

Red, amber and green are selected with the red seen as the main primary colour which features more often than not. 

As the setters drift on, the next to arrive are clad in fluorescent reds or orange, at first they appear to the eye garish in contrast to their palette of black.

It’s the chosen base coat, their tag signature, poured and spread to create great swathes of black that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Sometimes this process can produce a pleasing effect, more by accident than design     with the weather playing a part.

Following a shower of rain, a beautiful unique luminosity coats a hot midday sun. 

Blended with molten steaming tarmac a scene in the manner of impressionism emerges.

Shrouded in mist, the fluorescent reds and oranges dilute to a gentle wash of pastel pinks and lemon, fuel spillage adds a rainbow effect creating a delicate  atmospheric water colour.

For a few moments the image floats high before slowly fading away with the breeze.

The final troupe of landscapers move in laying out their selection of brushes and paints.

After much deliberation long parallel strips of white on black are added interspersed with segments of yellow or double yellow lines.

Numerous text is added, plucked from the complete A to Z, plus numbers all in large font within squares of green, brown or white.

Arrows point left or right, zig zag lines in a variety of colours make an appearance.

The scene at times can be difficult to decipher, grids, red bars, white circles, chevrons, and yet more confusing symbols, signage, this way, that way which would confuse a cartographer.  

Frustration and tempers flare, angry words and well recognised hand gestures are exchanged as diversions are sought as a way to escape the desecrated land.